Scheduler review
Buffer
Simple scheduling for a handful of channels.
Reviewed by BSMS · updated 13 October 2026
- Price
- Free
- Free scheduling
- Yes
- Trial
- 14 days
- Networks
- 12
- Best for
- Solo creators
- Last verified
- 13 October 2026
Verdict
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.
The queue is the useful starting point: choose posting times, add content and refill as it publishes. Essentials starts at $6 per channel on monthly billing or $60 per channel per year for the first ten channels. Team starts at $12 monthly or $120 yearly per channel in that band and adds unlimited members and approvals. Volume pricing changes the bill above ten channels. Automatic publishing depends on the account and format; interactive Stories and chosen TikTok sounds can still need a phone finish. Client approvers have full posting access, and tagged posts can be visible across channel permissions, so an agency should examine those boundaries carefully.
Free plan versus paid plans
Free supports three connected channels with ten posts waiting in each queue. Published posts make room for more; the limit does not cap your monthly output. The worked calendar linked below covers daily posting without repeating the full calculation here.
A paid subscription buys more queue capacity and features, but does not make every native app effect available for automatic publication. Check the publishing method of each format.
Practical scheduling guides
- Buffer free plan limits: can you post daily to Instagram, TikTok and Facebook?
Can Buffer Free handle daily Instagram, TikTok and Facebook posts? See the 10-post queue explained, a 30-day calendar and Metricool's monthly limit.
- CoSchedule Alternatives for Campaigns and Social Promotion
Compare CoSchedule alternatives for editorial review, evergreen queues and social-only publishing, with a launch-move worksheet and switching costs.
- Ocoya Alternatives for AI Content, Automation and Publishing
Compare Ocoya alternatives by creative output, product triggers, evergreen reuse and publishing, with a transparent cost-per-accepted-asset model.
- Pallyy Alternatives for Solo Creators Growing Into Teams
Compare upgrading Pallyy with Buffer, HeyOrca and SocialBee using three client patterns, two editors, approval duties and transparent switching costs.
- Planable vs Buffer vs Hootsuite MCP: drafts, publishing and control
Compare Planable, Buffer and Hootsuite MCP for draft creation, publishing, approvals and analytics, with a workflow checklist for safer automation.
- Rella alternatives for client production and simpler scheduling
Compare Planable, HeyOrca and Buffer as Rella alternatives, with a two-brand workflow checklist covering editors, client approvals, assets and switching costs.
- Can you schedule Instagram Stories with music, links and stickers?
See which Instagram Stories publish automatically, when music, links and stickers need a reminder, and how Buffer, Later and SocialBee compare in 2026.
- What does a social media scheduler cost for five clients and three teammates?
Compare scheduler costs for five clients, 15 social profiles and three teammates, including client approvals, reporting add-ons and annual billing.
- Which schedulers support TikTok photo carousels with music?
Compare Metricool, Buffer and Later for TikTok photo carousels with music, including song selection, automatic sound, image limits and reminders.
Compare the workflow
Pros and cons
The good
- 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
The catch
- 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
Pricing
Priced per channel a month. Verified 14 October 2026.
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.
Who it's for
Best for
- Solo creators
- Small businesses with a few channels
Look elsewhere if
- Agencies juggling many accounts
- Teams that need deep reporting
Platform support and publishing method
- InstagramAuto-publishEligible Business and Creator content auto-publishes; Personal accounts and unsupported creative features use notifications.
- FacebookAuto-publishDirect publishing to Pages. Groups use notifications; personal profiles cannot be connected.
- X (Twitter)Auto-publish
- LinkedInAuto-publishProfiles and Pages count as separate channels. Connecting or refreshing a Page requires a Super Admin. PDF scheduling is web-only: one file, required title, 100 MB and 300-page maximum.
- TikTokAuto-publishPersonal and Business accounts supported. TikTok-library song selection uses notification publishing; photo composer availability differs by device.
- PinterestAuto-publish
- YouTubeAuto-publishYouTube Shorts publishing; do not infer full long-form YouTube coverage.
- ThreadsAuto-publishWeb chains: up to 25 parts with additional Free restrictions. Scheduled quotes and reposts are unavailable.
- BlueskyAuto-publish
- Google BusinessAuto-publish
- MastodonAuto-publish
- Substack NotesAuto-publishSubstack Notes only; not long-form posts or newsletter issues.
Features
Publishing
13- YesContent calendar
- YesPosting queue
- YesBulk uploadCSV upload on every plan including Free. Text and single-image posts only; no videos, carousels or YouTube. Free imports are limited by the ten-post queue; paid uploads allow up to 100 posts.
- YesAuto-publish
- YesReminder publishingFor Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
- YesBest-time schedulingPaid plans.
- NoEvergreen recycling
- YesDuplicate posts
- YesThreads / multi-postMulti-post publishing spans supported networks. Threads web chains support up to 25 parts, with additional Free-plan restrictions; scheduled Threads quotes and reposts are unavailable.
- YesFirst commentPaid plans; Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
- YesChannel groupsChannel groups are listed on Free, Essentials and Team.
- YesLink shortening
- YesCustom video coversPaid plans; Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.
Content & AI
10- YesAI captionsAI Assistant; create, refine, and repurpose.
- PartialHashtag toolsHashtag manager to save and reuse sets; paid plans.
- YesAsset library
- YesPost templates
- YesContent ideas100 on Free, unlimited on paid.
- YesDrafts
- YesContent tagsThree tags on Free and 250 on paid. On Team, organization users can see tagged posts from channels they cannot otherwise access.
- YesBoard view
- YesCanva integration
- YesLink in bioStart Page; counts as a channel.
Engagement
5- YesSocial inboxCommunity supports comments on documented networks and Google Business reviews. It is not a blanket all-network DM inbox.
- YesSaved replies1 on Free, unlimited on paid.
- YesAI replies5 suggestions/week on Free, unlimited on paid.
- YesComment insightsComment score and insights.
- YesComment to post
Analytics
8- YesBasic analyticsAll plans include Insights, with paid extended ranges/custom metrics and branded reports. Availability varies by network; Bluesky publishing does not establish Bluesky analytics.
- YesPerformance overviewPaid plans.
- YesCustom analyticsPaid plans.
- PartialAdvanced reportsLighter than Hootsuite or Metricool.
- YesAudience demographicsPaid plans.
- YesUTM parametersCustom UTM parameters are listed on Free, Essentials and Team.
- YesExport reportsPaid plans; spreadsheet, PDF, or image.
- YesBranded reportsExportable reports with branding on Essentials and Team.
Collaboration
4- YesTeam rolesUnlimited members on Team plan.
- YesInternal notesPaid plans.
- YesApprovalsTeam plan.
- YesCustom permissionsTeam offers channel permissions, but organization users can see tagged posts across otherwise restricted channels. The documented client-approver setup uses Full Posting access.
Access
5- YesMobile app
- YesBrowser extension
- YesTwo-factor auth
- YesAPI accessAPI and MCP post-management tools include draft, scheduling and immediate-publish actions. An API key reaches the account organizations and channels without per-organization scoping; aggregate metrics refresh daily. Monthly API allowances are 3,000 Free, 7,500 Essentials and 15,000 Team requests.
- YesMCP accessAPI and MCP post-management tools include draft, scheduling and immediate-publish actions. An API key reaches the account organizations and channels without per-organization scoping; aggregate metrics refresh daily. Monthly API allowances are 3,000 Free, 7,500 Essentials and 15,000 Team requests.
Sources and verification
- Buffer current plan comparison · checked 14 October 2026
- Buffer queue limits and fair use · checked 13 October 2026
- Buffer agency access limitations · checked 13 October 2026
- Buffer Instagram account and format support · checked 13 October 2026
- Buffer TikTok account support · checked 13 October 2026
- Buffer payment terms: U.S. Dollar fees · checked 13 October 2026
- Buffer CSV bulk upload requirements · checked 13 October 2026
- Buffer Threads chains and scheduled-action restrictions · checked 13 October 2026
- Buffer LinkedIn permissions and PDF limits · checked 13 October 2026
- Buffer tagged-post visibility across channel permissions · checked 13 October 2026
- Buffer MCP tools and scope · checked 14 October 2026
- Buffer channel and feature coverage · checked 14 October 2026
- Buffer company history · checked 14 October 2026
Buffer FAQ
- Is Buffer free?
- Yes. Free connects three channels with ten scheduled posts waiting per channel. It has one user and unlimited drafts.
- How much does Buffer cost?
- For the first ten channels, Essentials is $6 per channel monthly or $60 per channel yearly. Team is $12 monthly or $120 yearly per channel. Every connected channel is charged after upgrading, and volume bands apply above ten.
- Can Buffer publish Instagram and TikTok automatically?
- Eligible professional Instagram content and eligible TikTok content can auto-publish. Account type, device, format and native creative features can require notification publishing.
- Is Buffer suitable for separate agency clients?
- Check its organization permissions first: Buffer documents organization-wide tagged-post visibility and full posting access for client approvers. Those limits can matter when clients must be isolated.
Compare Buffer head to head
Vendor: Buffer, Inc., United States (remote) · founded 2010
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