Head to head
Buffer vs Loomly
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
Loomly walks you through making a post: a calendar of suggested ideas, optimization tips per network, and a mockup that shows how the post will look on each one before it goes through an approval round. It charges flat, quota-bundled tiers with no free plan, just a 15-day trial, and the jump from the $65 Starter to the $332 Beyond is steep.
- From
- $49 /mo
- Free plan
Bottom line
Buffer and Loomly both cover the basics; the right one comes down to how you post. Buffer is the stronger pick for Solo creators; choose Loomly for Teams and agencies that need approval rounds and client sign-off.
Features compared
| Feature | Buffer | Loomly |
|---|---|---|
| AI captions | Yes | Yes |
| Basic analytics | Yes | Yes |
| Advanced reports | Partial | Yes |
| Bulk upload | No | Yes |
| Evergreen recycling | No | Partial |
| Team roles | Yes | Yes |
| Approvals | Yes | Yes |
| Link in bio | Yes | No |
Platforms compared
| Network | Buffer | Loomly |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Snapchat | No | Reminder |
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.
Loomly
Starter
Popular$65 /mo
$49/mo billed annually
- Seats
- 3
- Accounts
- 12
- Scheduled posts
- Unlimited
- $65/mo, $49 on annual (25% off)
- 12 social accounts, 3 users, unlimited calendars
- AI Assistant, post generation, and AI replies (capped monthly usage)
- Scheduling, approval workflows, advanced analytics, link shorteners
Beyond
$332 /mo
$249/mo billed annually
- Seats
- Unlimited
- Accounts
- 60
- Scheduled posts
- Unlimited
- $332/mo, $249 on annual (25% off)
- 60 social accounts, unlimited users, unlimited calendars
- Everything in Starter, with a larger monthly AI allowance
- Adds custom branding, custom roles and workflows, and calendar 2FA enforcement
Enterprise
Custom
- Seats
- Unlimited
- Accounts
- Unlimited
- Scheduled posts
- Unlimited
- Custom pricing for 61+ social accounts
- Unlimited users and calendars
- Everything in Beyond, plus priority support and pricing at scale
- Flat, quota-bundled tiers: each plan includes a fixed number of social accounts and users, and you move up a plan rather than buying accounts or seats one at a time. Loomly dropped its old four-tier lineup (Base, Standard, Advanced, Premium) for two paid plans plus Enterprise.
- There is no free plan, only a 15-day free trial of the top features, no card required.
- Annual billing is a flat 25% off: Starter works out to $49 a month ($588/yr) and Beyond to $249 ($2,988/yr).
- The gap between Starter and Beyond is the main gripe: if you outgrow 12 accounts or 3 users there is no mid-tier and no a-la-carte top-up, so the next step is $332 a month.
- Nonprofits get a 50% lifetime discount with documentation.
- Prices are USD read off the live pricing page, which renders client-side; the page priced in USD when rendered here in Australia (Loomly does not geo-price), and the figures match current third-party listings. Monthly and annual numbers were read by toggling the billing switch.
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
Loomly
- Guided post creation with per-network mockups, post ideas, and optimization tips
- Multi-tier approval workflows with private or client-facing comments and version history
- AI for captions, replies, and analytics on every paid plan
- Publishes to ten networks, with direct TikTok and YouTube and reminder posting for Snapchat
- No free plan and a $65 entry, then a steep jump to $332 for Beyond
- Big gap between the two paid tiers, with no mid-tier and no a-la-carte top-ups
- No evergreen recycling queue and no link-in-bio
- Social listening is capped at a few searches a month
- No public API beyond Zapier
Buffer vs Loomly: FAQ
- Is Buffer or Loomly cheaper?
- Buffer is cheaper to start, from $5 against $49 for Loomly. The unit each one charges by differs, so the real bill depends on how many channels or seats you run.
- Does Buffer or Loomly have a free plan?
- Buffer has a free plan; Loomly does not, though it offers a 15-day trial.
- Which is better, Buffer or Loomly?
- Buffer is the stronger pick for solo creators, while Loomly is the better fit for teams and agencies that need approval rounds and client sign-off. We don't score them; the right call comes down to how you post.