Head to head
Buffer vs Loomly
Last updated 13 October 2026
Buffer offers a free three-channel plan with ten queued posts per channel, plus per-channel paid plans. It suits a solo publishing routine; teams should check its client-access limitations before using one organization for separate clients.
- From
- Free
- Free scheduling
- Yes
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
- $49a month, billed yearly
- Free scheduling
- No
Bottom line
Buffer is the pick for solo creators, and it's the only one of the two with a free scheduling plan. Loomly fits teams and agencies that need approval rounds and client sign-off better.
Buffer has a free plan and paid plans from $5 per channel a month, billed yearly, and Loomly starts at $49 a month, billed yearly. They bill on different units, so the real gap depends on how much you run. Buffer adds a link-in-bio page and a posting queue that Loomly leaves out.
Key differences
Where the two actually diverge, before the full tables.
- Buffer has a free scheduling plan; Loomly doesn't, though it offers a 15-day trial.
- Paid plans start at $5 per channel a month, billed yearly on Buffer and $49 a month, billed yearly on Loomly.
- Buffer posts to 12 networks, Loomly to 9.
- Only Buffer reaches Bluesky and Mastodon.
- Buffer has a link-in-bio page; Loomly doesn't.
- Buffer has a posting queue; Loomly doesn't.
Features compared
| Feature | Buffer | Loomly |
|---|---|---|
| AI captions | Yes | Yes |
| Basic analytics | Yes | Yes |
| Advanced reports | Partial | Yes |
| Bulk upload | Yes | 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 | Not confirmed |
| Auto | Auto | |
| TikTok | Auto | Auto |
| Auto | Auto | |
| YouTube | Auto | Auto |
| Threads | Auto | Auto |
| Bluesky | Auto | No |
| Google Business | Auto | Auto |
| Mastodon | Auto | No |
| Snapchat | Not assessed | Reminder |
| Substack Notes | Auto | Not assessed |
Pricing
Prices use each tool’s billing unit. Annual equivalents are labeled as billed yearly; scaling rows show monthly costs and available annual rates.
Free plan available.
- 1 channel · Essentials
- $6/mo~$5/mo annual
- 9 channels · EssentialsTypical
- $54/mo~$45/mo annual
Lowest priced plan at each shown workload. Check the plan's included features before choosing it.
No free plan; 15-day trial.
- Lowest public entry price
- $49 a month, billed yearly
Whole-plan price; it doesn't scale per unit.
Buffer
Free
- Seats
- 1
- Accounts
- 3
- Scheduled posts
- 10
- 3 connected channels
- 10 scheduled posts waiting per channel, replenished after publication
- One user; unlimited drafts
Essentials
Popular$5 per channel a month billed annually
- Seats
- 1
- Accounts
- 1
- Scheduled posts
- Unlimited
- $6 per channel/mo, $5 on annual
- Analytics
- Engagement tools
Team
$10 per channel a month billed annually
- Seats
- Unlimited
- Accounts
- 1
- Scheduled posts
- Unlimited
- $12 per channel/mo, $10 on annual
- Unlimited team members
- Approvals
- Free has three channels and ten queued posts per channel at a time. It is not a ten-post monthly allowance.
- Paid plans charge for every connected channel, including the original free three. Rates above ten channels are marginal volume bands.
- The annual figures are monthly equivalents of annual channel tariffs; the yearly Essentials rate for channels 51+ is $20, not twelve times its $1 monthly rate.
- Paid scheduling is subject to a 5,000 queued-post fair-use ceiling per channel. Prices exclude applicable taxes.
What it really costs
Monthly cost by channel count. Per-unit tiers grow with usage; flat tiers keep their whole-plan price within the published allowance, 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 a month 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 a month 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.
Pros and cons
Buffer
- Free three-channel plan with replenishing queues
- Wide network coverage including Substack Notes
- Paid plan volume bands and Team approvals
- API/MCP and automation integrations
- Per-channel pricing adds up quickly
- CSV import supports text and single images; create videos and carousels in the composer
- 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
- Current directory covers eight direct networks and Snapchat notifications
- 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
Buffer vs Loomly: FAQ
- Is Buffer or Loomly cheaper?
- Buffer has a free entry plan. Loomly starts at $49 a month, billed yearly. The plans may cover different workloads, so check the required accounts and features.
- 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.