The best Buffer alternatives in 2026, by what you need
Buffer is free for 3 channels, then $6 per channel a month, doubling for a team. Ten alternatives compared on price, free plans, approvals and networks.
Short answer
If Buffer's per-channel price is the problem, Publer and Metricool cost less per account. For a client who approves without a login, Metricool, Agorapulse or PostDaily. For an inbox, Agorapulse or Sprout Social. For Instagram-first planning, Later. Buffer itself is free for 3 channels, then $6 per channel a month.
Buffer is well made and fair at one to three channels. People look elsewhere when the bill grows with every channel, when a second person doubles the rate (Team is $12 per channel against $6), or when a client has to have a Buffer login to approve. Every price below was read on the vendor's own pricing page on 11 November 2026, in US dollars.
The ten at a glance
| Tool | Starts at | Priced by | Free plan | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Publer | $5 per account a month | Account and member | 3 accounts | More networks for less |
| Metricool | $25 a month for 5 brands | Bundle of brands | 1 brand, 20 posts a month | Many brands, deep analytics |
| Later | $25 a month | Social set | Help centre only | Instagram-first visual planning |
| SocialBee | $29 a month | Plan, plus add-ons | No | Recycling evergreen posts |
| Planable | $33 a month | Workspace | 50 posts in total | Teams that comment on drafts |
| Hootsuite | $99 per user a month | User | No | Inbox, listening, enterprise |
| Agorapulse | $79 per user a month | User | AI-agent plan only | An inbox at a mid price |
| Sprout Social | $79 per seat a month | Seat | No | Reporting for larger teams |
| Meta Business Suite | Free | - | Free | Facebook and Instagram only |
| PostDaily | See the pricing page | Plan | 1 channel (not X) and 5 scheduled posts a month | Client approval without logins |
If Buffer's price per channel is the problem
Publer
Publer is also priced per account, but lower: $4 a month from three accounts ($3.20 yearly), with every tenth account free, so ten accounts cost $36 a month against Buffer's $60. Extra members are $2 a month each rather than a doubled rate. It publishes to 13 networks, Bluesky, Mastodon, Telegram and WordPress included. A client approves as a member of your workspace. PostDaily vs Publer.
Metricool
Metricool sells bundles of brands, where a brand is one profile on each network: $25 a month covers up to 5 brands, or $45 for 10, against Buffer's price for every single channel. Its free plan covers one brand. The catch is people: Starter has one login, and a team means Advanced from $67 a month. Metricool's pricing worked out.
Later
Later's social set is one profile on each of 8 networks for $25 a month ($18.75 yearly), which is cheaper than Buffer if you run one brand across several networks. It has no X, Bluesky or Mastodon, and limits posts to 30 per profile a month on Starter. Later's pricing worked out.
If a second person is the problem
Planable
Planable charges per workspace with unlimited users, so adding people costs nothing: Basic is $33 a month billed yearly for 4 pages and 60 posts a month, Pro $49 for 150. Comments, suggested edits and version history are its strengths. A client approves as a workspace member, on Pro. PostDaily vs Planable.
PostDaily
PostDaily is ours, so weigh this accordingly. Its plans include seats and a channel allowance at one price, so a second person doesn't double the bill, and a client approves from a browser link with no account on the Pro plan; an unapproved post is held. It publishes to Bluesky, Mastodon, X, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Threads, YouTube and Pinterest. It has no inbox and no Google Business Profile, and X is metered by a monthly budget. The free plan covers 1 channel (not X) and 5 scheduled posts a month. PostDaily vs Buffer covers where Buffer is still the better choice.
If you need more than scheduling
Agorapulse
Agorapulse adds a full inbox for comments, messages and reviews on every plan, from $79 per user a month on annual billing with 10 profiles, and lets a client approve without an account on Advanced. X is an add-on from $29 a month per profile.
Sprout Social and Hootsuite
Both are priced per person and built for teams that answer customers from their social tool: Sprout from $79 per seat a month on annual billing, Hootsuite from $99 per user. They cost several times more than Buffer for the same channels, and earn it only if you use the inbox, listening and reporting. Hootsuite's pricing worked out.
SocialBee
SocialBee recycles evergreen posts by category on a schedule, which Buffer doesn't. Bootstrap is $29 a month for 5 profiles and one user, with an inbox for Facebook, Instagram, X and LinkedIn Pages. Approvals start on Accelerate at $49. PostDaily vs SocialBee.
Meta Business Suite
Free, and enough if Facebook and Instagram are all you post to: it schedules posts, Reels and Stories, and Facebook Group posts too. No other networks and no approval step.
When to stay with Buffer
Stay if you post alone to one to three channels: the free plan or a few dollars a month on Essentials is hard to beat, and Buffer is pleasant to use. The calculation changes past ten channels or the day someone else needs access. Buffer's pricing worked out has the numbers.
Buffer alternative questions
Is there a free alternative to Buffer?
Yes. Publer is free for 3 accounts, Metricool for one brand, PostDaily for one channel, and Meta Business Suite for Facebook and Instagram.
What is cheaper than Buffer?
Per account, Publer ($5 a month, every tenth free) and Metricool ($25 a month for up to 5 brands) usually cost less once you pass a few channels.
Which Buffer alternative includes a social inbox?
Agorapulse has a full inbox on every plan, and Sprout Social from its Standard plan; Metricool, SocialBee and Later (from Growth) have lighter ones. Hootsuite has one on every plan.
Which Buffer alternative supports Bluesky and Mastodon?
Publer and PostDaily publish to both. Metricool, Agorapulse and Sprout Social publish to Bluesky but not Mastodon; Later and Planable support neither.
Last checked against each vendor's own pricing page and help centre.
