Buffer
Social media management platform for scheduling posts, analytics, and team collaboration.
At a glance
Price not confirmed · Source review 2026-10-31- Price & billing
Free $0 (up to 3 channels, 10 scheduled posts per channel, 100 ideas, 1 user, AI Assistant, 30-day Insights). Essentials $5 per channel per month billed annually ($60 per channel per year; $6 month-to-month) with unlimited scheduled posts and ideas, advanced analytics, and hashtag manager. Team $10 per channel per month billed annually ($120 per channel per year; $12 month-to-month) adds unlimited team members, approval workflows, and access levels. Paid plans include a 14-day free trial; the former Agency tier was retired in the November 2025 repricing. Volume discounts: channels 1–10 at the standard rate; channels above 10 cost less per channel, so the total rises with channels while the average cost per channel falls.
- Free allowance
Free $0 (up to 3 channels, 10 scheduled posts per channel, 100 ideas, 1 user, AI Assistant, 30-day Insights). Paid plans include a 14-day free trial; the former Agency tier was retired in the November 2025 repricing.
- Best suited to
Solo creators and small teams scheduling social posts across a few channels on a per-channel budget.
Fit is editorial guidance, not a measured result.- Platforms
Access: Web. Operating systems: Web. Deployment: Vendor cloud.
Published-source facts and editorial guidance. No product test is implied. Confirm current conditions before purchase.
No product screenshot is claimed for this listing. Use the official website ↗ to inspect the current interface.
What to know before choosing
Good fit
Solo creators and small teams scheduling social posts across a few channels on a per-channel budget.
Limits and trade-offs
Per-channel billing means costs scale with every account added; the free plan caps scheduled posts at 10 per channel and keeps only 30 days of Insights history; several channel types support reminders rather than automatic publishing.
Plans and free allowances
Free $0 (up to 3 channels, 10 scheduled posts per channel, 100 ideas, 1 user, AI Assistant, 30-day Insights). Essentials $5 per channel per month billed annually ($60 per channel per year; $6 month-to-month) with unlimited scheduled posts and ideas, advanced analytics, and hashtag manager. Team $10 per channel per month billed annually ($120 per channel per year; $12 month-to-month) adds unlimited team members, approval workflows, and access levels. Paid plans include a 14-day free trial; the former Agency tier was retired in the November 2025 repricing. Volume discounts: channels 1–10 at the standard rate; channels above 10 cost less per channel, so the total rises with channels while the average cost per channel falls.
Evidence
Buffer official pricing page ↗ (reviewed 2026-10-31), Buffer official homepage ↗ (reviewed 2026-10-31)
Official published page review; no authenticated product test
Dates: Last reviewed 2026-10-31. Last reviewed is the latest source or editorial review date; it is not a content-change date.
A closer look at Buffer
Buffer is a social scheduling tool built around per-channel pricing: connect social accounts as channels, draft and refine posts with its AI Assistant, schedule them into queues, and review performance in Insights. It also covers community replies, first-comment scheduling, hashtag management, and a Start Page, with a free plan for up to 3 channels.
Editorial guidance based on published documentation. The workflow below is a suggested starting point, not a measured product result.
When to choose Buffer
- Solo creators and small teams scheduling posts across a handful of channels who want simple per-channel billing.
- Agencies and multi-brand managers who bill clients per account and want approval workflows on the Team plan.
- Creators who want an AI Assistant included on every plan, including free, for refining and repurposing posts.
When to choose something else
- Teams that need full social listening, engagement suites, or ad management, which Buffer does not aim to replace.
- Users who want a generous free plan beyond 3 channels or longer than 30 days of analytics history.
- Publishers whose workflow depends on channels that Buffer only supports through reminders.
A practical starting workflow
- Connect each social account as a channel and check whether it supports automatic publishing or reminders-only.
- Draft posts in the composer, using the AI Assistant to refine wording or repurpose one post for several channels.
- Queue posts per channel or schedule them at specific times, adding a first comment for Instagram, Facebook, or LinkedIn where supported.
- Reply to comments from the community inbox and turn strong exchanges into new posts.
- Review Insights and AI Takeaways for what worked, then adjust the queue for the next cycle.
Check before committing
- Per-channel billing adds up with every account you connect, but not linearly: channels 1–10 are priced at the standard rate, and channels above 10 cost less per channel under volume discounts, so the total rises while the average cost per channel falls.
- Not every channel supports automatic publishing: Instagram personal profiles, Facebook groups, and several other channel types work through reminders rather than direct publishing, so part of the workflow still happens natively.
- The free plan keeps only 30 days of Insights history and caps scheduled posts at 10 per channel, and paid 'unlimited' scheduling is subject to a Fair Use cap of 5,000 posts per channel.
- Pricing and feature availability may change; confirm current terms on the official website before committing.
Common questions
How is Buffer priced?
Buffer charges per channel, not per user or per brand: one connected social account equals one channel. Free covers up to 3 channels; Essentials costs $5 per channel per month billed annually ($60 per channel per year; $6 month-to-month); Team costs $10 per channel per month billed annually ($120 per channel per year; $12 month-to-month). Volume discounts apply by channel count: channels 1–10 are at the standard rate, and channels above 10 cost less per channel; no 30-channel total is stated here because the discounted rate for channels above 10 is not quoted as a single figure.
What does the free plan include?
The free plan includes up to 3 channels, 10 scheduled posts per channel (refilled as posts publish), 100 ideas, 1 user, the AI Assistant, a community inbox, and 30 days of Insights history. Paid plans remove the scheduled-post cap and add advanced analytics.
Does Buffer publish automatically to every channel?
Mostly, but not everywhere: the pricing page's channel table marks several channel types as reminder-only, including Instagram personal profiles and Facebook groups. For those, Buffer sends a notification and you finish the post in the native app.
Compare approaches for this task
- Metricool — Social media managers and small agencies juggling multiple brands who need scheduling, analytics, and competitor tracking in one place.
- Vista Social — Agencies and multi-brand teams that need many profiles under one plan with AI assistance.
Sources and checks
Last source review is not a date of product testing. No rating or test result is implied by inclusion. Check the current plan and terms before buying.