Head to head
Buffer vs Loomly
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
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 is the pick for solo creators, and it's the only one of the two with a free plan. Loomly fits teams and agencies that need approval rounds and client sign-off better, and it adds bulk upload that Buffer leaves out.
Buffer starts cheaper, $5 per channel / mo against $49 a month for Loomly. They bill on different units, so the real gap depends on how much you run. Buffer brings link in bio that Loomly skips, while Loomly has bulk upload Buffer doesn't.
Key differences
Where the two actually diverge, before the full tables.
- Buffer has a free plan; Loomly doesn't, though it offers a 15-day trial.
- Buffer starts at $5 per channel / mo, Loomly at $49 a month.
- Buffer posts to 11 networks, Loomly to 10.
- Only Buffer reaches Bluesky and Mastodon.
- Only Loomly reaches Snapchat.
- Buffer has link in bio; Loomly doesn't.
- Buffer has posting queue; Loomly doesn't.
- Buffer has API access; Loomly doesn't.
- Loomly has bulk upload; Buffer doesn't.
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
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.
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.
Loomly
Starter
Popular$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
$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
- 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.