Head to head

Buffer vs Feedly

vs

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

Feedly isn't a social media scheduler at all. It's a content-discovery and monitoring tool, an RSS reader with AI on top, that social media managers use to find and track content. To actually schedule, you pair it with a real scheduler.

From
$6 /mo
Free plan

Bottom line

Buffer is the pick for solo creators, and it's the cheaper start, from $5 per channel / mo. Feedly fits social media managers who need a steady stream of content ideas better.

Buffer starts cheaper, $5 per channel / mo against $6 a month for Feedly. They bill on different units, so the real gap depends on how much you run. Buffer adds AI captions that Feedly leaves out.

Key differences

Where the two actually diverge, before the full tables.

  • Buffer starts at $5 per channel / mo, Feedly at $6 a month.
  • Buffer posts to 11 networks, Feedly to 3.
  • Only Buffer reaches Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, YouTube, Threads, Bluesky, Google Business, and Mastodon.
  • Buffer has AI captions; Feedly doesn't.
  • Buffer has content calendar; Feedly doesn't.
  • Buffer has auto-publish; Feedly doesn't.

Features compared

FeatureBufferFeedly
AI captionsYesNo
Basic analyticsYesNot assessed
Advanced reportsPartialNot assessed
Bulk uploadNoNot assessed
Evergreen recyclingNoNot assessed
Team rolesYesNot assessed
ApprovalsYesNot assessed
Link in bioYesNot assessed

Platforms compared

NetworkBufferFeedly
InstagramAutoNo
FacebookAutoAnalytics
X (Twitter)AutoAnalytics
LinkedInAutoAnalytics
TikTokAutoNo
PinterestAutoNo
YouTubeAutoNo
ThreadsAutoNo
BlueskyAutoNo
Google BusinessAutoNo
MastodonAutoNo

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.

Bufferper channel / mo

Free plan available.

1 channel
$6/mo~$5/mo annual
9 channelsTypical
$54/mo~$45/mo annual

Cheapest plan: Essentials.

Feedlyflat pricing

Free plan available.

Cheapest paid plan
$6/mo

Whole-plan price; it doesn't scale per unit.

Buffer

Free

Free
Seats
1
Accounts
3
Scheduled posts
10
  • 3 channels
  • 10 scheduled posts per channel

Essentials

Popular
$6 per channel / mo

$5/mo billed annually

Seats
1
Accounts
1
Scheduled posts
Unlimited
  • $6 per channel/mo, $5 on annual
  • Analytics
  • Engagement tools

Team

$12 per channel / mo

$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.

channelsEssentialsTeam
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.

Feedly

Free

Free
Seats
1
  • Up to 100 sources, organised into feeds
  • No Feedly AI
  • Read and organise content

Pro

$6.99 /mo

$6/mo billed annually

Seats
1
  • $6.99/mo, $6 on annual ($72/yr)
  • Up to 1,000 sources, search, notes, and highlights
  • Share to X, Facebook, LinkedIn, Buffer, and Hootsuite

Pro+

Popular
$12.99 /mo

$8.25/mo billed annually

Seats
1
  • $12.99/mo, $8.25 on annual ($99/yr)
  • Adds Feedly AI (Leo): AI feeds, deduplication, prioritisation
  • Up to 2,500 sources, 75 newsletter slots, RSS Builder

Enterprise

Custom
Seats
Unlimited
  • From about $1,600/mo, for team market and threat intelligence
  • Shared boards, team AI feeds, integrations
  • Feedly is a content reader and discovery tool, not a social scheduler. It does not schedule or auto-publish social posts; it surfaces content you can then share manually or push into a scheduler like Buffer or Hootsuite (often via Zapier), which means paying for two tools.
  • Plans: a free tier (100 sources), Pro at $6 a month on annual billing, Pro+ at $8.25 (adds Feedly AI / Leo), and an Enterprise market-intelligence plan from around $1,600 a month.
  • Prices are USD from current listings.
  • It's included here because social media managers use it to find and monitor content, not because it publishes.

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

Feedly

  • Best-in-class content discovery and RSS aggregation
  • Feedly AI filters, deduplicates, and prioritises sources
  • Strong monitoring and market intelligence on higher tiers
  • Cheap Pro and Pro+ plans, plus a free tier
  • Not a scheduler: no publishing, calendar, or auto-posting
  • Needs a separate tool (and often Zapier) to actually post
  • Enterprise market intelligence is expensive
  • Social 'sharing' is manual, one article at a time

Buffer vs Feedly: FAQ

Is Buffer or Feedly cheaper?
Buffer is cheaper to start, from $5 against $6 for Feedly. The unit each one charges by differs, so the real bill depends on how many channels or seats you run.
Does Buffer or Feedly have a free plan?
Both have a free plan, so you can try either one before paying.
Which is better, Buffer or Feedly?
Buffer is the stronger pick for solo creators, while Feedly is the better fit for social media managers who need a steady stream of content ideas. We don't score them; the right call comes down to how you post.

Keep comparing