Head to head
Buffer vs CoSchedule
Last updated 4 June 2026
The simplest way to schedule a few accounts, and the cheapest entry if you only run one to three channels.
- From
- $5 per channel / mo
- Free plan
Part social scheduler, part marketing calendar: CoSchedule schedules to eleven networks, recycles evergreen posts with ReQueue, and on the bigger plans pulls whole content projects onto the same timeline. It is priced per seat from a free plan up to quote-only tiers, with social profiles and X billed as extras.
- From
- $19 per user / mo
- Free plan
Bottom line
Buffer is the pick for solo creators, and it's the cheaper start, from $5 per channel / mo. CoSchedule fits content teams that want social and editorial work on one calendar better, and it adds evergreen recycling and bulk upload that Buffer leaves out.
Buffer starts cheaper, $5 per channel / mo against $19 per user / mo for CoSchedule. They bill on different units, so the real gap depends on how much you run. CoSchedule adds evergreen recycling and bulk upload that Buffer leaves out.
Key differences
Where the two actually diverge, before the full tables.
- Buffer starts at $5 per channel / mo, CoSchedule at $19 per user / mo.
- Buffer posts to 11 networks, CoSchedule to 12.
- Only CoSchedule reaches WordPress.
- CoSchedule has evergreen recycling; Buffer doesn't.
- CoSchedule has bulk upload; Buffer doesn't.
Features compared
| Feature | Buffer | CoSchedule |
|---|---|---|
| AI captions | Yes | Yes |
| Basic analytics | Yes | Yes |
| Advanced reports | Partial | Yes |
| Bulk upload | No | Yes |
| Evergreen recycling | No | Yes |
| Team roles | Yes | Yes |
| Approvals | Yes | Yes |
| Link in bio | Yes | Yes |
Platforms compared
| Network | Buffer | CoSchedule |
|---|---|---|
| Auto | Auto | |
| Auto | Auto | |
| X (Twitter) | Auto | Auto |
| Auto | Auto | |
| TikTok | Auto | Auto |
| Auto | Auto | |
| YouTube | Auto | Auto |
| Threads | Auto | Auto |
| Bluesky | Auto | Auto |
| Google Business | Auto | Auto |
| Mastodon | Auto | Auto |
| WordPress | No | Auto |
Pricing
Headline prices are for a single unit. Here is the real monthly cost as each tool scales, costed on its own unit so the two stay honest.
Free plan available.
- 1 channel
- $6/mo~$5/mo annual
- 9 channelsTypical
- $54/mo~$45/mo annual
Cheapest plan: Essentials.
Free plan available.
- 1 seat
- $29/mo~$19/mo annual
- 2 seatsTypical
- $58/mo~$38/mo annual
Cheapest plan: Social Calendar.
Buffer
Free
- Seats
- 1
- Accounts
- 3
- Scheduled posts
- 10
- 3 channels
- 10 scheduled posts per channel
Essentials
Popular$5/mo billed annually
- Seats
- 1
- Accounts
- 1
- Scheduled posts
- Unlimited
- $6 per channel/mo, $5 on annual
- Analytics
- Engagement tools
Team
$10/mo billed annually
- Seats
- Unlimited
- Accounts
- 1
- Scheduled posts
- Unlimited
- $12 per channel/mo, $10 on annual
- Unlimited team members
- Approvals
- Priced per channel: the headline $6 / $12 is for a single channel and scales with how many you connect.
- Volume discount lowers the per-channel rate above 10 channels (down to $1-$2 per channel at 51+).
- Annual billing saves about two months, so a channel works out near $60 / $120 per year.
What it really costs
Buffer charges per channel, so the headline price is for one. Here is the monthly cost as you connect more, with the 9-channel row marked as a realistic setup.
| channels | Essentials | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $6/mo | $12/mo |
| 3 | $18/mo | $36/mo |
| 5 | $30/mo | $60/mo |
| 9Typical | $54/mo | $108/mo |
| 10 | $60/mo | $120/mo |
| 25 | $120/mo | $180/mo |
| 50 | $195/mo | $255/mo |
Monthly billing. Volume discounts lower the per-channel rate at higher counts. Annual billing takes about 2 months off.
CoSchedule
Free Calendar
- Seats
- 1
- Accounts
- 1
- Scheduled posts
- 15
- Free forever, 1 user, 1 social profile
- Up to 15 scheduled social messages
- Drag-and-drop calendar, best-time publishing, AI assistant, 20 AI templates
Social Calendar
Popular$19/mo billed annually
- Seats
- 3
- Accounts
- 3
- Scheduled posts
- Unlimited
- $29 per user/mo, $19 on annual; up to 3 seats
- 3 social profiles included, $5/mo per extra (X billed separately at $8/profile/mo)
- Unlimited scheduling, ReQueue recycling, bulk scheduling, 1,600+ AI templates
- Social analytics, Facebook and Instagram inbox
Agency Calendar
$59/mo billed annually
- Seats
- 3
- Accounts
- 5
- Scheduled posts
- Unlimited
- $69 per user/mo, $59 on annual; up to 3 seats
- 5 social profiles included, $5/mo per extra (X at $25/profile/mo)
- Unlimited client calendars, all-network inbox, profile groups
- White-label reports, social approvals, read-only calendar sharing
Content Calendar
- Seats
- 5
- Accounts
- 5
- Scheduled posts
- Unlimited
- Custom pricing, up to 5 seats
- Adds Kanban and table views, marketing campaigns, custom fields and project types
- Project and campaign reports, guest user access, dedicated account management
Marketing Suite
- Accounts
- 5
- Scheduled posts
- Unlimited
- Custom pricing and custom user limits
- Adds sub-calendars, approval workflows, intake forms, digital asset management
- Team management dashboard, advanced audience targeting, custom permissions, SSO
- Priced per user/seat: the headline $29 / $69 is for one seat and multiplies by how many people you add. The two self-serve paid plans, Social Calendar and Agency Calendar, cap at 3 seats each; Content Calendar and Marketing Suite are quote-only.
- Social profiles are a second, separate cost. Social Calendar bundles 3 and Agency 5, then it is $5 a month per extra profile.
- X (Twitter) is billed on top of everything else because of X's API pricing: $8 per profile a month on Social Calendar and $25 per profile a month on Agency, Content, and Marketing Suite.
- There is a genuine Free Calendar (1 user, 1 profile, 15 scheduled messages) plus a 14-day trial of the paid features.
- Annual billing is cheaper per seat (the page shows a 'save 20%' banner): Social Calendar drops from $29 to $19 a seat and Agency from $69 to $59.
- Prices are USD read off the live pricing page, which renders client-side; monthly and annual figures were read by toggling the billing switch and cross-checked against current third-party 2026 listings.
What it really costs
CoSchedule charges per seat, so the headline price is for one. Here is the monthly cost as you connect more, with the 2-seat row marked as a realistic setup.
| seats | Social Calendar | Agency Calendar |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $29/mo | $69/mo |
| 2Typical | $58/mo | $138/mo |
| 3 | $87/mo | $207/mo |
| 5 | $145/mo | $345/mo |
| 10 | $290/mo | $690/mo |
| 25 | $725/mo | $1725/mo |
| 50 | $1450/mo | $3450/mo |
Monthly billing.
Pros and cons
Buffer
- Clean, fast interface
- Cheapest entry for one to three channels
- Widest network list, including Bluesky and Mastodon
- Genuinely useful free plan
- Per-channel pricing adds up quickly
- No CSV bulk upload
- No evergreen recycling
- Analytics are basic
CoSchedule
- ReQueue is a genuinely good evergreen recycling engine
- Publishes directly to eleven networks, with a usable free plan
- Doubles as a marketing project and content calendar on the higher tiers
- Strong agency features: client calendars, white-label reports, approvals
- Per-seat pricing plus per-profile and X surcharges make the real cost hard to read
- Self-serve plans cap at three users; the top two tiers are quote-only
- No social listening or competitor tracking
- The marketing-calendar breadth is overkill if you only want to schedule posts
Buffer vs CoSchedule: FAQ
- Is Buffer or CoSchedule cheaper?
- Buffer is cheaper to start, from $5 against $19 for CoSchedule. The unit each one charges by differs, so the real bill depends on how many channels or seats you run.
- Does Buffer or CoSchedule have a free plan?
- Both have a free plan, so you can try either one before paying.
- Which is better, Buffer or CoSchedule?
- Buffer is the stronger pick for solo creators, while CoSchedule is the better fit for content teams that want social and editorial work on one calendar. We don't score them; the right call comes down to how you post.