Head to head
Buffer vs Maeve Social
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
Maeve Social brings the brief, the content plan, nine-network publishing and client sign-off into one workspace, with an inbox and reporting to carry the work through after publication.
- From
- $20a 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. Maeve Social fits teams keeping briefs, planning, drafts and publishing together better.
Buffer has a free plan and paid plans from $5 per channel a month, billed yearly, and Maeve Social starts at $20 a month, billed yearly. They bill on different units, so the real gap depends on how much you run.
Key differences
Where the two actually diverge, before the full tables.
- Buffer has a free scheduling plan; Maeve Social doesn't, though it offers a 3-day trial.
- Paid plans start at $5 per channel a month, billed yearly on Buffer and $20 a month, billed yearly on Maeve Social.
- Buffer posts to 12 networks, Maeve Social to 9.
- Only Buffer reaches Bluesky and Mastodon.
Features compared
| Feature | Buffer | Maeve Social |
|---|---|---|
| AI captions | Yes | Yes |
| Basic analytics | Yes | Yes |
| Advanced reports | Partial | Yes |
| Bulk upload | Yes | Not assessed |
| Evergreen recycling | No | Partial |
| Team roles | Yes | Yes |
| Approvals | Yes | Yes |
| Link in bio | Yes | Not assessed |
Platforms compared
| Network | Buffer | Maeve Social |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 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; 3-day trial.
- Lowest public entry price
- $20 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.
Maeve Social
Basic
$20 a month billed annually
- Seats
- 1
- Accounts
- 20
- Scheduled posts
- Not confirmed
- $25/month or $240/year ($20/month equivalent)
- 1 user, 2 workspaces, 20 social connections
- 20 GB storage and 800 monthly AI credits
- Workbench, calendar, grid planner, recurring posts, inbox and account analytics
- API, CLI and MCP access; 1 tracked Instagram competitor
Standard
Popular$79.17 a month billed annually
- Seats
- 5
- Accounts
- 50
- Scheduled posts
- Not confirmed
- $99/month or $950/year (about $79.17/month equivalent)
- 5 users, 5 workspaces, 50 social connections
- 50 GB storage and 1,500 monthly AI credits
- Team approvals, guest client reviews, client upload links and shared calendar snapshots
- Aggregate analytics, branded PDFs and scheduled report delivery
- Instagram/Facebook auto-replies; 5 tracked Instagram competitors
Premium
$158.33 a month billed annually
- Seats
- Unlimited
- Accounts
- Unlimited
- Scheduled posts
- Not confirmed
- $199/month or $1,900/year (about $158.33/month equivalent)
- Unlimited users, workspaces and social connections as advertised
- 100 GB storage and 3,000 monthly AI credits
- 15 tracked Instagram competitors and team performance insights
- Advertised dedicated success manager and phone support
- Public USD monthly prices are $25/$99/$199. Annual bills are $240/$950/$1,900, equivalent to $20/about $79.17/about $158.33 per month. The vendor displays rounded annual equivalents of $20/$79/$158. Checkout shows applicable taxes and currency; App Store pricing follows its store listing.
- Whole-plan bundles include users, workspaces and social connections. One account on one network counts as one connection. Premium advertises unlimited users, workspaces and connections, alongside its 100 GB storage, 3,000 monthly AI credits and 15 tracked Instagram competitors.
- Every plan offers a three-day trial, with a card collected at web trial checkout. AI-credit top-ups are available at 50 credits per USD, with a $10 minimum.
- Subscriptions renew automatically. Cancellation generally takes effect at the end of the paid period, with refunds governed by the published terms and applicable law. Apple-billed subscriptions are managed through Apple.
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
Maeve Social
- Nine publishing networks, including Google Business Profile
- Workbench docs, canvas and tables connected to real posts
- Staged approvals and no-login client reviews on Standard
- Branded PDFs and scheduled report delivery on Standard
- API, CLI and MCP access from Basic
- Reusable media, captions and replies, with Canva and Google Drive imports
Buffer vs Maeve Social: FAQ
- Is Buffer or Maeve Social cheaper?
- Buffer has a free entry plan. Maeve Social starts at $20 a month, billed yearly. The plans may cover different workloads, so check the required accounts and features.
- Does Buffer or Maeve Social have a free plan?
- Buffer has a free plan; Maeve Social does not, though it offers a 3-day trial.
- Which is better, Buffer or Maeve Social?
- Buffer is the stronger pick for solo creators, while Maeve Social is the better fit for teams keeping briefs, planning, drafts and publishing together. We don't score them; the right call comes down to how you post.