8 Buffer Alternatives Compared by Price (2026)

The best Buffer alternative depends on why you are leaving. For a free plan with analytics, Metricool. For a low monthly price with many profiles, Later or SocialBee. For open source you can host yourself, Postiz. For a team with an inbox and approvals and the budget for it, Hootsuite, Sprout Social or Vista Social. And if the slow part is writing the posts rather than scheduling them, Skryvo, which we make.

The short version: Buffer is still good value for a few channels: it is free for 3 channels and $5 a month per channel after that. Leave when the per-channel price adds up, when you need a team inbox, or when you want the posts written for you. Every price below is from the tool's own pricing page, read on October 22, 2026; check it again before you pay, because these pages change often.

In this guide

1. Buffer alternatives at a glance
2. When should you look for a Buffer alternative?
3. 1. Metricool: the best free Buffer alternative
4. 2. Later: many profiles for a low price
5. 3. Postiz: open source, self-hostable
6. 4. SocialBee: content categories and recycling
7. 5. Skryvo: when you also want the posts written
8. 6. Vista Social: an agency suite
9. 7. Hootsuite: the large-team standard
10. 8. Sprout Social: per-seat, for established teams
11. Is there a free alternative to Buffer?
12. What is cheaper than Buffer?
13. How to choose

Buffer alternatives at a glance

Tool	Starts at	Free plan	Free trial	Included at the entry price
Buffer (for reference)	$5 a month per channel, billed yearly	Yes: 3 channels, 10 scheduled posts per channel	Not listed	1 channel per $5
Metricool	$20 a month yearly, $25 monthly	Yes: 1 brand, 20 posts a month	Not listed	5 brands, unlimited posts (fair use)
Later	$18.75 a month, billed yearly	No	14 days	1 social set (8 profiles), 1 user
Postiz	$29 a month, $23 billed yearly	No (the code is open source)	7 days	5 channels
SocialBee	$29 a month, $24.20 billed yearly	No	14 days	5 profiles, 1 user
Skryvo	$15 a month, $149 a year	Yes, for writing; scheduling starts on the paid plan	No	All connected channels, 20 posts queued at once, 150 AI drafts a month
Vista Social	$99 a month, $950 a year	No	14 days	15 profiles, 2 users
Hootsuite	From $99 a month	No	14 days	10 social accounts
Sprout Social	$99 a seat a month, $79 billed yearly	No	30 days	5 profiles per seat

Prices in US dollars before tax, from each pricing page on October 22, 2026. Hootsuite's page showed its starting prices in its FAQ without saying whether they are monthly or yearly rates.

When should you look for a Buffer alternative?

Buffer's model is simple: free for 3 channels with 10 scheduled posts each, then $5 a month per channel on Essentials or $10 on Team, billed yearly. That is cheap for two or three accounts and adds up as you grow: 10 channels on the Team plan is $100 a month. Look elsewhere when:

• You manage many profiles. Flat-priced tools such as Later, SocialBee or Postiz include 5 to 8 profiles at the entry price.
• You need analytics or competitor tracking. Metricool includes competitor profiles even on its free plan.
• A team answers comments and approves posts. Hootsuite, Sprout Social and Vista Social are built and priced for that.
• Writing is the bottleneck. A scheduler saves the posting; it does not write the week. That is the gap Skryvo is built for.

1. Metricool: the best free Buffer alternative

Metricool's free plan covers 1 brand and 20 posts a month, with 30 days of analytics history and up to 5 competitor profiles. Paid plans start at $20 a month billed yearly ($25 monthly) for 5 brands with unlimited posts under a fair-use policy, and Advanced starts at $53 a month yearly for 15 brands. Choose it if you want scheduling and analytics in one place without paying yet.

2. Later: many profiles for a low price

Later prices by "social set", one profile per network: Starter is $18.75 a month billed yearly for 1 social set (8 profiles) and 1 user, Growth is $37.50 for 2 sets and 2 users, and Scale is $82.50 for 6 sets and 4 users. There is no free plan, but every plan has a 14-day trial. Its page lists yearly prices only.

3. Postiz: open source, self-hostable

Postiz's hosted plans start at $29 a month ($23 billed yearly) for 5 channels, up to $99 for 100 channels, with a 7-day trial. Its code is open source on GitHub, so a technical team can run it on its own server; Postiz says the hosted platform gets new features first. Choose it if owning the software matters to you.

4. SocialBee: content categories and recycling

SocialBee's Bootstrap plan is $29 a month ($24.20 billed yearly) for 5 profiles and 1 user; Accelerate is $49 for 10 profiles, and Pro is $99 for 25 profiles, 3 users per workspace and 5 workspaces. Every plan has a 14-day trial. It suits people who post evergreen content in rotation.

5. Skryvo: when you also want the posts written

We make Skryvo, so weigh this one accordingly. It writes each post in your brand's voice, a separate version for each network inside that network's limits, and publishes them on schedule, from the app or from an AI agent such as Claude or ChatGPT; nothing is scheduled without your go-ahead. The free plan writes posts; scheduling starts on Hobby at $15 a month ($149 a year) with 20 posts queued at once and 150 AI drafts a month, and Pro is $49 a month.

The trade-off: Skryvo publishes today to LinkedIn profiles, X, Bluesky, Mastodon, Pinterest, TikTok, Telegram, Discord, Slack, WordPress and Dev.to. Instagram, Facebook Pages, Threads, YouTube and LinkedIn Pages are built and waiting for each platform's app review, so if Instagram is your main channel, one of the tools above fits better today. Our Skryvo and Buffer comparison goes line by line.

6. Vista Social: an agency suite

Vista Social's Professional plan is $99 a month ($950 a year) for 15 profiles and 2 users, Advanced $199 for 30 profiles and 3 users, and Scale $449 for 70 profiles. All self-serve plans have a 14-day trial without a card. Note that its own pricing page lists different user counts in its FAQ and its table.

7. Hootsuite: the large-team standard

Hootsuite starts at $99 a month for Standard with 10 social accounts, $199 for Professional and up to $399 for Advanced, both with unlimited accounts, plus custom Enterprise pricing. There is no free plan; the self-serve plans have a 14-day trial with no card needed. Our Hootsuite comparison covers the differences in detail.

8. Sprout Social: per-seat, for established teams

Sprout Social charges per seat: Essentials is $99 a month billed monthly or $79 billed yearly, with 5 profiles; Standard is $199, Professional $299 and Advanced $399, with a 30-day trial. Per-seat pricing makes it the most expensive option here for a team. See our Sprout Social comparison.

Is there a free alternative to Buffer?

Yes. Metricool's free plan schedules 20 posts a month for 1 brand, and Buffer's own free plan covers 3 channels with 10 scheduled posts each. Postiz's code is free to host yourself if you can run a server. Each network's own scheduler is free too: our guides cover LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook and X.

What is cheaper than Buffer?

For one to three channels, nothing: Buffer's free plan already covers them. From about five channels up, flat-priced tools usually cost less. Buffer's Essentials plan is $25 a month for 5 channels billed yearly, the same as Metricool's monthly Starter for 5 brands and a little more than Later's Starter, which includes 8 profiles at $18.75.

How to choose

1. Count your channels and people. Per-channel and per-seat prices grow fast; flat plans do not.
2. List the networks you must have. Every tool here supports the big ones, but check the exact ones you use, especially Bluesky, Mastodon, Threads or Pinterest.
3. Decide whether you need writing help. If you write every post yourself, pick the cheapest scheduler that covers your networks. If writing takes the time, pick a tool that drafts in your voice.
4. Use the trial on a real week. Schedule a week of real posts, not test posts, before you pay for a year.

Whatever you choose, plan the month in our free social media calendar template and post at the best time for each network.