Buffer pricing 2026: free plan limits and real cost
Buffer charges per channel, with lower rates past ten and a Team plan at double the rate. What 3, 10 and 25 channels cost, from its own calculator.
Buffer charges per channel. Essentials is $6 per channel a month, or $5 on yearly billing. Team is $12, or $10 yearly, and adds unlimited users and approvals. Past ten channels the rate drops, and there is a free plan for up to three channels. Every figure here comes from Buffer's own pricing page, calculator and help centre, read on 11 November 2026.
Buffer's plans at a glance
- Free: $0. Up to 3 channels, 10 scheduled posts per channel at a time, and one user. The limits are in Buffer free plan limits below.
- Essentials: from $6 per channel a month. One user, unlimited scheduled posts (with a fair-use cap of 5,000 per channel), first comments, hashtag manager, reports and analytics.
- Team: from $12 per channel a month. Everything in Essentials plus unlimited team members, access levels, approval workflows and branded reports.
The per-channel rate drops after ten
Buffer's machine-readable pricing page lists the monthly rate for each band of channels. The rate applies to the channels inside that band, so your first ten always cost the top rate:
- Channels 1 to 10: $6 on Essentials, $12 on Team.
- Channels 11 to 25: $4 on both.
- Channels 26 to 50: $3 on both.
- Channel 51 and up: $1 on Essentials, $2 on Team.
Yearly billing charges ten months for twelve; the toggle says "save 2 months". The FAQ on the same page calls it a 20% discount, but the calculator charges the ten-for-twelve price, which is about 17% off. The yearly figures below are the calculator's totals. Buffer's help centre now lists a yearly rate for each band as well, but its Essentials rate for channel 51 and up ($20 a year) is more than twelve months at $1, so check the calculator before relying on the band table.
What it costs at 3, 10 and 25 channels
- One person, 3 channels: the free plan covers it if ten queued posts per channel is enough. Otherwise Essentials, 3 × $6 = $18 a month, or $180 a year.
- One person, 10 channels: Essentials, 10 × $6 = $60 a month, or $600 a year.
- One person, 25 channels: Essentials, 10 × $6 + 15 × $4 = $120 a month, or $1,200 a year.
- Three people, 10 channels: Team, because Essentials has one user. 10 × $12 = $120 a month, or $1,200 a year. The number of people does not change the Team price; only channels do.
- Three people, 25 channels: Team, 10 × $12 + 15 × $4 = $180 a month, or $1,800 a year.
The pattern: Buffer is cheap at one to three channels, the first ten are the expensive ones, and the step from one person to two is the biggest jump on the page, because it doubles the rate on those first ten.
Buffer free plan limits
| Buffer Free | |
|---|---|
| Channels connected at once | 3 |
| Channels connected over the account's lifetime | 8 per social network, counting channels you have since removed |
| Scheduled posts | 10 per channel at a time |
| Users | 1 |
| Networks | Every network Buffer supports, including Instagram and TikTok. A personal Instagram account gets a reminder to post by hand |
| Bulk upload | 10 posts per channel per file |
| First comments | No: Essentials and Team |
| Approvals | No: Team only |
The ten-post limit is per channel and counts what is waiting, not what has gone out: when a post publishes, its slot frees up. For one person posting a few times a week to three networks, that is enough.
What Team adds, and what approval looks like
Approving drafts is only available on Team. Buffer's help centre describes it through user permissions: people are set to "Needs Approval" or "Full Access", and each user has their own Buffer login. Team members are unlimited, so adding a reviewer costs nothing extra once you are on Team, but a client still needs an account to approve.
The small print
- Trial: 14 days, on the Team plan, one per account (30 days through a friend's referral link). Buffer's help centre says accounts without a saved card move to the free plan when it ends; with a card saved, the account upgrades and the first payment is taken.
- Bulk upload: CSV upload works on every plan: up to 10 posts per channel per upload on Free and 100 on paid plans, text and single-image posts only, and not for YouTube.
- First comments: Essentials and up. The pricing page and the help centre name Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn (on Facebook, Page posts only: not Reels, Stories or Groups); the machine-readable pricing page lists Instagram and LinkedIn.
- Currency and tax: billed in US dollars wherever you are, plus VAT for UK consumers.
- Nonprofits: 50% off paid plans.
- Last change: Buffer's FAQ says its pricing was last updated in November 2025.
Buffer publishes to Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, Threads, Bluesky, YouTube Shorts, Pinterest, Google Business Profile, Mastodon, X and Substack. Facebook groups and Instagram personal profiles are handled by notification, meaning a reminder to post by hand.
Buffer pricing questions
Is Buffer free?
Yes, for up to 3 channels, with 10 scheduled posts per channel at a time and one user. Paid plans start at $6 per channel a month.
Does Buffer's free plan work with TikTok and Instagram?
Yes. The free plan includes every network Buffer supports. Instagram business and creator accounts publish automatically; a personal Instagram account only gets a reminder to post by hand.
How many posts can you schedule on Buffer's free plan?
10 per channel at a time. When one publishes, its slot frees up for the next. Paid plans have no practical limit (a fair-use cap of 5,000 per channel).
How many channels can you connect on Buffer's free plan?
3 at a time. Buffer also counts every channel you have ever connected on Free, up to 8 per network, so swapping accounts in and out runs out.
How long is Buffer's free trial?
14 days on the Team plan, or 30 days through a referral link. Without a saved card you move to the free plan when it ends.
Is Buffer worth it?
At one to three channels, for one person, yes: it is well made and priced fairly, and the free plan may be all you need. The per-channel model starts to hurt when you pass a handful of accounts, and it hurts fastest the day a second person needs access.
If you are sizing it against a per-seat tool, Hootsuite's pricing worked out the same way is the other half of the picture. PostDaily vs Buffer covers where Buffer is the better choice, and moving from Buffer without losing your queue covers the switch if you make it. PostDaily plans include a channel allowance and seats at one price; current prices are on the pricing page.
