Head to head
Buffer vs Sked Social
Last updated 4 June 2026
vs
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 and Sked Social both cover the basics; the right one comes down to how you post. Buffer is the stronger pick for Solo creators; choose Sked Social for Instagram-led agencies and brands that plan visually.
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
Buffer
Free
Free
- Seats
- 1
- Accounts
- 3
- Scheduled posts
- 10
- 3 channels
- 10 scheduled posts per channel
Essentials
Popular$6 per channel / mo
$5/mo billed annually
- Seats
- 1
- Accounts
- 1
- Scheduled posts
- Unlimited
- $6 per channel/mo, $5 on annual
- Analytics
- Engagement tools
Team
$12 per channel / mo
$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.
Sked Social
Basic
$29 /mo
$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$69 /mo
$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
$199 /mo
$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
$299 /mo
- 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.