Head to head
Buffer vs Planable for Agencies
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
Planable for Agencies is the same Planable, framed for client work. Each client gets a workspace with its own pages and approval flow, comments sit inline on the post, and users are unlimited, so the whole team and the client can pile in at no extra cost. It's priced per workspace.
- From
- Free
- Free scheduling
- Yes
Bottom line
Buffer is the pick for solo creators. Planable for Agencies fits agencies whose bottleneck is client review and approval better.
Buffer has a free plan and paid plans from $5 per channel a month, billed yearly, and Planable for Agencies has a free plan and paid plans from $32.50 per workspace 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.
- Paid plans start at $5 per channel a month, billed yearly on Buffer and $32.50 per workspace a month, billed yearly on Planable for Agencies.
- Buffer posts to 12 networks, Planable for Agencies to 9.
Features compared
| Feature | Buffer | Planable for Agencies |
|---|---|---|
| AI captions | Yes | Yes |
| Basic analytics | Yes | Yes |
| Advanced reports | Partial | Partial |
| Bulk upload | Yes | Not assessed |
| Evergreen recycling | No | Not assessed |
| Team roles | Yes | Yes |
| Approvals | Yes | Yes |
| Link in bio | Yes | Not assessed |
Platforms compared
| Network | Buffer | Planable for Agencies |
|---|---|---|
| Auto | Auto | |
| Auto | Auto | |
| X (Twitter) | Auto | Auto |
| Auto | Auto | |
| TikTok | Auto | Auto |
| Auto | Auto | |
| YouTube | Auto | Auto |
| Threads | Auto | Auto |
| Bluesky | Auto | Not assessed |
| Google Business | Auto | Auto |
| Mastodon | Auto | Not assessed |
| 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.
Free plan available.
- 1 workspace · Basic
- $39/mo~$32.50/mo annual
- 5 workspaces · BasicTypical
- $195/mo~$162.50/mo annual
Lowest priced plan at each shown workload. Check the plan's included features before choosing it.
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.
Planable for Agencies
Basic
$32.50 per workspace a month billed annually
- Seats
- Unlimited
- Accounts
- 4
- Scheduled posts
- 60
- $39/workspace monthly or $390/year ($32.50/month equivalent)
- 60 posts/month and 4 social pages per workspace
- Unlimited users; optional approval
Pro
Popular$49.17 per workspace a month billed annually
- Seats
- Unlimited
- Accounts
- 10
- Scheduled posts
- 150
- $59 per workspace/mo, $49 on annual
- Unlimited users, 10 pages and 150 posts per workspace
- Grid view, required approval, version history
Enterprise
- Seats
- Unlimited
- Accounts
- Not confirmed
- Scheduled posts
- Unlimited
- Custom quote; confirm pages and included add-ons
- Multi-level approvals, SSO and dedicated account manager
- Unlimited posts and campaigns
- USD per workspace, with unlimited users. Basic is $39 monthly/$390 yearly; Pro $59 monthly/$590 yearly. Annual monthly equivalents are $32.50 and approximately $49.17.
- The free allowance is 50 created posts total, without a reset when posts are deleted. X publishing is unavailable on the free allowance; Basic permits one tweet per 24 hours.
- Analytics is $14/month or $140/year, Social Inbox $9/month or $90/year, and Social Listening $99/month or $990/year, each per workspace. Add-on trials require a paid base plan.
- Enterprise entitlements require a quote: current official pages conflict on page limits and whether Analytics/Social Inbox are included. Volume discounts are advertised for five or more workspaces; do not assume a mandatory five-workspace ceiling.
What it really costs
Monthly cost by workspace count. Per-unit tiers grow with usage; flat tiers keep their whole-plan price within the published allowance, with the 5-workspace row marked as a realistic setup.
| workspaces | Basic | Pro |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $39/mo | $59/mo |
| 3 | $117/mo | $177/mo |
| 5Typical | $195/mo | $295/mo |
| 10 | $390/mo | $590/mo |
| 25 | $975/mo | $1,475/mo |
| 50 | $1,950/mo | $2,950/mo |
Monthly billing. Annual billing takes about 2 months off.
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
Planable for Agencies
- A workspace per client with its own approval flow
- Unlimited users and client reviewers at no extra cost
- Inline comments, per-network previews, and version history
- Multi-level approvals on Enterprise
- Per-workspace charges accumulate across clients
- Reporting, inbox and listening can add per-workspace cost
- Bluesky and Mastodon are not in the advertised publishing list
- Recurring posts are not the same as a category-based evergreen queue
Buffer vs Planable for Agencies: FAQ
- Is Buffer or Planable for Agencies cheaper?
- Both Buffer and Planable for Agencies have a free entry plan. Compare their account allowances, publishing limits and any paid features you need.
- Does Buffer or Planable for Agencies have a free plan?
- Both have a free plan, so you can try either one before paying.
- Which is better, Buffer or Planable for Agencies?
- Buffer is the stronger pick for solo creators, while Planable for Agencies is the better fit for agencies whose bottleneck is client review and approval. We don't score them; the right call comes down to how you post.