The cheapest social media schedulers in 2026, priced for 1 and 3
Thirteen schedulers priced from their own pages: the free plans, the cheapest paid plans, and what one person on 5 channels and a team of 3 really pay.
Short answer
For one person on five channels, Zoho Social ($15 a month), Publer ($20) and Metricool, Later and Pallyy ($25) are the cheapest paid schedulers, and Typefully is $99 a year for text-only networks. For three people who need approvals, Publer ($40 a month), SocialPilot ($50) and Later ($55) cost least.
Cheap is only cheap for a size, so every tool here is priced for the same two cases: one person with 5 channels on 5 networks, and a team of three with 10 channels who want an approval step. Prices are what each vendor's own pricing page said on 12 November 2026, in US dollars, billed monthly, with the yearly price in brackets. Time-limited sales are left out.
Thirteen schedulers, priced the same way
| Tool | Free plan | One person, 5 channels | Team of 3 with approvals | Bluesky and Mastodon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Typefully | 1 set, 10 posts a month | $99 a year (Creator, yearly only) | No approval step | Both |
| Zoho Social | 1 brand, 6 channels, no scheduling | $15 ($10) | $65 ($40), or $88 with a second brand | Both |
| Publer | 3 accounts, no X | $20 ($16) | $40 ($32) | Both |
| Later | Help centre only | $25 ($18.75) | $55 ($41.25) | Neither |
| Metricool | 1 brand, 20 posts a month | $25 ($20) | $67 ($53) | Bluesky only |
| Pallyy | 15 posts a month | $25 ($20) | $99 ($79) | Bluesky only |
| Postiz | No | $29 ($23) | $39 ($31), approvals not stated | Both |
| SocialBee | No | $29 ($24.17) | $69 ($57.50) | Bluesky; Mastodon by app reminder |
| Buffer | 3 channels | $30 ($25) | $120 ($100) | Both |
| SocialPilot | No | $30 ($25.50) | $50 ($42.50) | Bluesky only |
| Sendible | No | $35 ($30) | $99 ($84) | Bluesky only |
| Hootsuite | No | $99 billed yearly | $1,197 billed yearly | Bluesky only |
| PostDaily | 1 channel (not X) and 5 scheduled posts a month | See the pricing page | See the pricing page | Both |
Cheapest for one person
- Typefully, $99 a year: the lowest price here, but it publishes only to X, LinkedIn, Threads, Bluesky, Mastodon and Substack, with 1,000 posts a month. Creator is sold yearly only; paying monthly means Business at $20. PostDaily vs Typefully.
- Zoho Social, $15 a month ($10 yearly): a brand holds one profile on each of 14 networks, Mastodon, Threads and Bluesky included, for one user. Zoho's prices vary by region, so check yours.
- Publer, $20 a month for 5 accounts ($16 yearly): priced per account, every tenth free, and it publishes to 13 networks. Each network has a daily posting cap.
- Later, Metricool and Pallyy, $25 a month: Later's Starter covers one profile on each of 8 networks but caps posts at 30 per profile a month and has no X, Bluesky or Mastodon. Metricool's covers 5 brands with unlimited posts, but X costs $10 a month per account. Pallyy's Pro is one client with unlimited posts and approvals included.
Cheapest for a small team with approvals
- Publer, $40 a month ($32 yearly): Professional with 10 accounts (the tenth free) and 2 extra members, by Publer's own price calculator. Its plans page puts approvals on this plan, though its help centre lists them under Business, and the client is added as a member of your workspace. Publer pricing, worked out.
- SocialPilot, $50 a month ($42.50 yearly): Standard includes 15 accounts, 3 users and manager approval. SocialPilot pricing works out what more accounts cost, and PostDaily vs SocialPilot compares the two.
- Later, $55 a month ($41.25 yearly): Growth with one extra user. It still has no X, Bluesky or Mastodon.
- Zoho Social, $65 a month ($40 yearly): Premium has 3 members and approvals; 10 profiles on fewer than 10 networks need a second brand, $88 in all.
- Metricool, $67 a month ($53 yearly): Advanced adds team members and approvals, including a link for a reviewer with no account.
- SocialBee, $69 a month ($57.50 yearly): Accelerate with two extra users at $10 each.
The free plans, compared
- Buffer: 3 channels, 10 posts queued per channel at a time, 1 user.
- Publer: 3 accounts, no X, 10 posts per account, 1 user.
- Metricool: 1 brand, 20 posts a month, no LinkedIn and no X.
- Zoho Social: 1 brand, 1 member, on Facebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn and Google Business Profile. It publishes straight away: Zoho's free plan can't schedule.
- Typefully: 1 set, 10 posts a month, on every network it supports.
- Pallyy: 1 set, 15 posts a month, images only.
- Later: not on the pricing page, but its help centre still lists a free plan with 12 posts per profile a month.
- PostDaily: 1 channel (not X) and 5 scheduled posts a month.
What makes a cheap plan expensive
- Pricing per channel or account. Buffer at $6 and Publer at $4 to $5 are cheap for 3 channels and less so for 20.
- X as an add-on. Metricool charges $10 a month per X account; Agorapulse and Vista Social charge $29.
- Post caps. Later's Starter allows 30 posts per profile a month, Sendible 100 a day per workspace and Typefully 1,000 a month.
- One user. Most entry plans have a single login. The second person is often the most expensive step, because it means the next plan.
- Approvals on a higher tier. Only Pallyy and Publer include approval on their cheapest paid plan here (Publer by its plans page; its help centre says Business).
Two more worth knowing
Planoly is $16 a month ($14 yearly) for one social set and suits an Instagram-first creator who plans from a grid, though X is reminder-only and it has no approvals: PostDaily vs Planoly. CoSchedule's Starter is $39 a month ($29 yearly) for 1 user and 3 profiles and plans blog and email beside social, but each X profile costs $16 a month more: PostDaily vs CoSchedule. If you're leaving Later, the best Later alternatives compares eight tools by what you need.
Where PostDaily fits
PostDaily is our product, so weigh this accordingly. It isn't the cheapest tool here for one person on five channels: several above cost less. Its plans include seats and a channel allowance at one price, it publishes to Bluesky, Mastodon, X, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Threads, YouTube and Pinterest, X is on the paid plans within a monthly X budget, and a client approves from a link with no account on Pro. The free plan is 1 channel (not X) and 5 scheduled posts a month. Current prices are on the pricing page.
For a single vendor's full price list, see Buffer, Hootsuite, Metricool, Later, Sprout Social, Agorapulse, Loomly, Vista Social, Planable, SocialPilot, Publer, SocialBee, Tailwind, Sendible, Planoly, Zoho Social and Typefully.
Cheap scheduler questions
What is the cheapest social media scheduler?
For text-first networks, Typefully at $99 a year. For one person on five networks, Zoho Social at $15 a month, then Publer at $20. Buffer, Publer and Metricool also have free plans that schedule; Zoho Social's free plan publishes but can't schedule.
Is there a free social media scheduler?
Yes. Buffer is free for 3 channels, Publer for 3 accounts, Metricool for 1 brand and Typefully for 10 posts a month. Zoho Social's free plan covers 1 brand but can't schedule posts. PostDaily's free plan covers 1 channel.
What is the cheapest scheduler for Bluesky and Mastodon?
Typefully at $99 a year, then Zoho Social at $15 a month and Publer at $20 for 5 accounts. Buffer, Postiz and PostDaily also publish to both.
What is the cheapest scheduler with client approvals?
Pallyy includes approvals on its $25 Pro plan and Publer on Professional. For a team of three, Publer at $40 a month and SocialPilot at $50 are the cheapest here.
Last checked against each vendor's own pricing page and help centre.
