Head to head
Buffer vs HeyOrca
Last updated 4 June 2026
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
HeyOrca is an agency tool organised around the client calendar: you get a calendar per client, unlimited users on it, and a sign-off flow where clients approve posts by email without logging in. It charges per calendar, $59 on Basic or $149 on Pro, with a 40% discount once you run five or more.
- From
- $59 per calendar / mo
- Free plan
Bottom line
Buffer and HeyOrca both cover the basics; the right one comes down to how you post. Buffer is the stronger pick for Solo creators; choose HeyOrca for Agencies that want a calendar and approval flow per client.
Features compared
| Feature | Buffer | HeyOrca |
|---|---|---|
| AI captions | Yes | Yes |
| Basic analytics | Yes | Yes |
| Advanced reports | Partial | Yes |
| Bulk upload | No | Not assessed |
| Evergreen recycling | No | No |
| Team roles | Yes | Yes |
| Approvals | Yes | Yes |
| Link in bio | Yes | Yes |
Platforms compared
| Network | Buffer | HeyOrca |
|---|---|---|
| Auto | Auto | |
| Auto | Auto | |
| X (Twitter) | Auto | Auto |
| Auto | Auto | |
| TikTok | Auto | Auto |
| Auto | Auto | |
| YouTube | Auto | Auto |
| Threads | Auto | Auto |
| Bluesky | Auto | No |
| Google Business | Auto | Auto |
| Mastodon | Auto | No |
Pricing
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.
HeyOrca
Free
Free
- Seats
- 1
- Accounts
- 2
- Scheduled posts
- 15
- 1 calendar, 2 social accounts, 1 user
- 15 scheduled posts a month
- Inspo library, Instagram bio link, AI tools, mobile app
Basic
$59 per calendar / mo
- Seats
- Unlimited
- Accounts
- 10
- Scheduled posts
- Unlimited
- $59 per calendar/mo, unlimited users, 10 social accounts per calendar
- Unlimited scheduling, approval workflows, Canva, best time to post, custom branding
- Reporting ($59), social inbox ($39), and listening ($39) are paid add-ons per calendar
Pro
Popular$149 per calendar / mo
- Seats
- Unlimited
- Accounts
- 10
- Scheduled posts
- Unlimited
- $149 per calendar/mo, unlimited users, 10 social accounts per calendar
- Everything in Basic, with reporting, social inbox, and listening included
- Advanced and custom reports, competitor analysis, sentiment, Instagram demographics
Enterprise
Custom
- Seats
- Unlimited
- Accounts
- Unlimited
- Scheduled posts
- Unlimited
- Custom pricing for managing many clients
- White-label onboarding, priority support, ongoing training
- Dedicated account management
- Priced per calendar, which is HeyOrca's word for a brand or client: the headline $59 / $149 is for one calendar, and you pay again for each one. Every paid calendar includes unlimited users and 10 social accounts.
- There's a 40% volume discount once you run 5 or more calendars, so the per-calendar rate drops to roughly $35 on Basic and $89 on Pro at agency scale; the cost-at-scale table reflects that. Annual billing is a further 15% off.
- Extra social accounts beyond the 10 per calendar are $10 a month each.
- On Basic, reporting ($59/mo), the social inbox ($39/mo), and social listening ($39/mo) are paid add-ons per calendar; Pro bundles all three in.
- There's a genuine Free plan (1 calendar, 2 social accounts, 1 user, 15 posts a month) plus a 14-day trial of Pro, no card required.
- Prices are USD, read off the live pricing page and cross-checked against current third-party listings.
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
HeyOrca
- Client approvals without the client needing an account
- Unlimited users on every paid plan
- Per-calendar pricing with a 40% volume discount at scale
- Reporting, inbox, and listening all included on Pro
- On Basic, reporting, inbox, and listening are paid add-ons
- No evergreen recycling
- Per-calendar pricing adds up before the volume discount kicks in
- Paid plans are priced for teams, not solo creators
Buffer vs HeyOrca: FAQ
- Is Buffer or HeyOrca cheaper?
- Buffer is cheaper to start, from $5 against $59 for HeyOrca. The unit each one charges by differs, so the real bill depends on how many channels or seats you run.
- Does Buffer or HeyOrca have a free plan?
- Both have a free plan, so you can try either one before paying.
- Which is better, Buffer or HeyOrca?
- Buffer is the stronger pick for solo creators, while HeyOrca is the better fit for agencies that want a calendar and approval flow per client. We don't score them; the right call comes down to how you post.