Head to head
Buffer vs Sked Social
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
Sked Social started life as Schedugram, the Instagram scheduler, and grew into a broader agency tool: a visual feed planner, bulk scheduling, a unified inbox, listening, and reporting across ten networks. Flat plans run from $24 a month on annual billing, with profile and user add-ons.
- From
- $24 /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. Sked Social fits Instagram-led agencies and brands that plan visually better, and it adds bulk upload that Buffer leaves out.
Buffer starts cheaper, $5 per channel / mo against $24 a month for Sked Social. They bill on different units, so the real gap depends on how much you run. Sked Social adds bulk upload that Buffer leaves out.
Key differences
Where the two actually diverge, before the full tables.
- Buffer has a free plan; Sked Social doesn't, though it offers a 14-day trial.
- Buffer starts at $5 per channel / mo, Sked Social at $24 a month.
- Buffer posts to 11 networks, Sked Social to 10.
- Only Buffer reaches Bluesky and Mastodon.
- Only Sked Social reaches Snapchat.
- Sked Social has bulk upload; Buffer doesn't.
Features compared
| Feature | Buffer | Sked Social |
|---|---|---|
| AI captions | Yes | Yes |
| Basic analytics | Yes | Yes |
| Advanced reports | Partial | Yes |
| Bulk upload | No | Yes |
| Evergreen recycling | No | No |
| Team roles | Yes | Yes |
| Approvals | Yes | Yes |
| Link in bio | Yes | Yes |
Platforms compared
| Network | Buffer | Sked 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 |
| Snapchat | No | Auto |
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.
Free plan available.
- 1 channel
- $6/mo~$5/mo annual
- 9 channelsTypical
- $54/mo~$45/mo annual
Cheapest plan: Essentials.
No free plan; 14-day trial.
- Cheapest paid plan
- $24/mo
Whole-plan price; it doesn't scale per unit.
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.
Sked Social
Basic
$24/mo billed annually
- Seats
- 1
- Accounts
- 1
- Scheduled posts
- Unlimited
- $29/mo, $24 on annual
- 1 profile per platform, 1 user, unlimited scheduling
- Visual planner, AI captions, social inbox, analytics
Grow
Popular$58/mo billed annually
- Seats
- 3
- Accounts
- 6
- Scheduled posts
- Unlimited
- $69/mo, $58 on annual
- 6 profiles (extra at $8/mo), 3 users
- Adds collaboration, team workflows, and basic approvals
Accelerate
$166/mo billed annually
- Seats
- 6
- Accounts
- 10
- Scheduled posts
- Unlimited
- $199/mo, $166 on annual
- 10 profiles (extra at $10/mo), 6+ users (extra at $15/mo)
- Adds advanced approvals, external review portals, role-level permissions, dedicated support
Custom
- Seats
- Unlimited
- Accounts
- Unlimited
- Scheduled posts
- Unlimited
- From $299/mo, custom profiles and users
- Enterprise support and onboarding
- Flat, quota-bundled plans: each tier bundles social profiles and users. Extra profiles are about $8 a month on Grow and $10 on Accelerate, and extra users about $15 a month.
- There's no free plan, only a 14-day trial, no card required.
- Annual billing is roughly 17% cheaper (two months free): Basic works out to about $24 a month, Grow $58, Accelerate $166.
- Sked's plan names and prices have shifted over time, so older listings vary; these are the current Basic / Grow / Accelerate / Custom figures.
- Prices are USD; the live page also offers AUD, GBP, and EUR.
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
Sked Social
- Strong Instagram visual feed planner
- Bulk scheduling, unified inbox, listening, and competitor monitoring
- Approvals and external client review portals on Accelerate
- Ten networks, including Snapchat and Google Business
- No evergreen recycling
- Plan names and prices have shifted over time
- Profiles and users cost extra on top of the plan
- Mid-range pricing for the fuller feature set
Buffer vs Sked Social: FAQ
- Is Buffer or Sked Social cheaper?
- Buffer is cheaper to start, from $5 against $24 for Sked Social. The unit each one charges by differs, so the real bill depends on how many channels or seats you run.
- Does Buffer or Sked Social have a free plan?
- Buffer has a free plan; Sked Social does not, though it offers a 14-day trial.
- Which is better, Buffer or Sked Social?
- Buffer is the stronger pick for solo creators, while Sked Social is the better fit for Instagram-led agencies and brands that plan visually. We don't score them; the right call comes down to how you post.