Buffer alternatives: what to switch to, by the reason you're leaving

The best Buffer alternative depends on why you're leaving: for a bigger free plan try Zoho Social, for a flat price at 10 or more channels try SocialPilot or OneUp, and for an inbox with approvals try SocialPilot, Agorapulse or Sendible. If Buffer's free plan still covers you, staying is fine: it is free for 3 channels and 10 scheduled posts per channel.

What this means for you

Buffer is simple and cheap for a few channels. It gets expensive as you add channels, because you pay for each one. Its comment inbox comes with every plan, but approvals, where a boss or client signs off a post, need the Team plan at twice the per-channel price, and the inbox is lighter than the team inboxes below. Pick the alternative that fixes the part that bothers you, not the one with the longest feature list.

The details

What Buffer costs today. Essentials is $6 per channel a month, or $5 billed yearly, for 1 user. Team is $12 per channel a month, or $10 billed yearly, with unlimited users. Above 10 channels, the per-channel rate drops. Buffer's own tool page sums it up: Buffer.

You want a bigger free plan

• Zoho Social: free for 1 brand with 6 channels (one each of X, Instagram, Facebook Page, LinkedIn Page, LinkedIn profile and Google Business Profile) and 1 team member. Paid plans start at $10 a month billed yearly.
• Publer: free for 3 accounts and 10 scheduled posts per account, but X is not included.
• Social Champ: free for 3 accounts and 15 scheduled posts, also without X.

You want one price instead of paying per channel

• SocialPilot: Essentials is $25.50 a month billed yearly for 7 accounts and 1 user. Standard is $42.50 for 15 accounts, 3 users, an inbox and approvals.
• OneUp: Basic is $15 a month billed yearly for 5 accounts and 300 scheduled posts. Intermediate is $48 for 15 accounts and unlimited posts.
• ContentStudio: Standard is $19 a month billed yearly for 5 accounts and 1 user.
• Later: Starter is $18.75 a month billed yearly for 1 social set of up to 8 profiles, but only 30 posts per profile, and Later lists no X publishing.
• PlanPost: Creator is $16.58 a month billed yearly ($19.99 monthly) for 15 accounts and 1,000 posts a month; Pro is $33.25 billed yearly for unlimited accounts and posts. There's an API and MCP server, but no free plan, the 7-day trial needs a card, and Pinterest, Bluesky and Mastodon aren't covered.

At 10 channels on Buffer Essentials ($50 a month billed yearly), SocialPilot Standard, OneUp Intermediate and PlanPost Creator cost less and give you 15 accounts.

You need an inbox and approvals for a team

• Agorapulse: inbox, approvals and reporting from $79 per user a month billed yearly. Good if your team is small; it gets expensive per seat.
• Sendible: unlimited users on every plan; approvals start on Plus at $84.15 a month billed yearly. Built for agencies with client workspaces.
• Planable: built around review and approval, from $33 per workspace a month billed yearly with unlimited users. Required approvals need Pro, and Basic allows 60 posts a month.

You'd rather host it yourself

• Mixpost: Lite is free and open source but covers only Facebook Pages, X and Mastodon. Pro is a one-time $299 license with unlimited accounts and users.
• Postiz: open source and self-hostable, with a hosted plan from $23 a month billed yearly for 5 channels, including API, MCP and webhooks.

Want a shortlist for your exact setup? The scheduler picker matches tools to your networks and team, and side-by-side pages cover Buffer vs Hootsuite, Buffer vs Later and Buffer vs Publer.

What to do next

• Business owners: If you use 3 channels or fewer, stay on Buffer's free plan. If you need more, try Zoho Social's free plan first.
• Marketers and agencies: Price your real channel count on Buffer and on SocialPilot or OneUp before your next renewal.
• Developers: If you want an API on a cheap plan, compare Postiz and ContentStudio, which both list API access on their entry plans.