Buffer alternatives in 2026, compared on price, networks and limits

Buffer is a good scheduler, and for one or two channels its per-channel price is hard to beat. People look for alternatives for a handful of reasons: per-channel pricing adds up past five or six channels, they need a network Buffer does not cover, or they want something Buffer's plans do not build in, such as automation flows or repurposing long video. Here are four alternatives, compared on the facts that decide the choice. We make one of them, Publedia, so read that entry with that in mind; every detail about the others comes from their own pricing pages, listed under Sources, as of September 2026.

Buffer, for reference

Buffer charges per channel. As of September 2026: a Free plan for up to 3 channels with 10 scheduled posts per channel at a time; Essentials at $6 per channel per month billed monthly ($5 billed yearly); and Team at $12 per channel per month ($10 billed yearly), which adds unlimited team members and approval workflows. Rates fall for channels beyond 10. It publishes to 12 networks, including Pinterest, Google Business Profile, Mastodon and Substack.

At a glance

Prices are the ones each vendor shows on its pricing page, which can depend on billing period, currency and region. Check the page before you buy.

Publedia

Publedia is a publishing workspace for creators, small businesses, in-house teams and small agencies. It publishes to eight networks: X, YouTube, Bluesky, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Threads.

• Pricing: plans include a number of connected accounts, so adding a channel does not add a charge until you reach the plan's limit. The free Basic plan covers 2 accounts and 10 scheduled posts a month; Pro covers 8 accounts; Ultra covers 15 accounts and 3 seats. Paid plans cost nothing during the current preview.
• Stands out for: a composer that writes one post and adapts it per network with live previews; automation flows with approval steps; repost lists and long-video repurposing on Ultra; separate workspaces per client; and an MCP server with read-only, drafts and full-control keys for AI apps.
• Limits to know: LinkedIn publishing is to personal profiles only; Bluesky takes text and images but not video; there is no Pinterest, Google Business Profile or Mastodon; posts to X are capped each month (5 on Basic, 30 on Pro, 60 on Ultra) unless the workspace connects its own X developer app; analytics and the inbox are in beta.

List prices. Nothing is charged during the current preview.

Hootsuite

Hootsuite is a large social media suite, priced for teams. As of September 2026, its plans start at $99 per user per month billed annually: Standard covers up to 10 social accounts, Professional ($199) unlimited accounts with automation and custom reports, and Advanced ($399) adds approvals and team routing. Enterprise is priced on request. There is a 14-day free trial with no credit card.

• Stands out for: an inbox built for teams (assigning and routing messages), social listening and trend forecasting, and approvals on its higher plans. Its publishing page lists Threads and Bluesky scheduling, including video on Bluesky, and every plan lists an in-app AI assistant and MCP connectors.
• Consider it if you are a team with a budget where listening and customer care matter as much as publishing.
• Think twice if you are a solo creator or a small business: one seat on Standard ($99 a month billed annually) costs more than Later's Scale plan ($82.50 a month billed yearly, for 6 social sets and 4 users).

Later

Later started as a visual planner for Instagram and is priced in "social sets": one profile each on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Threads, YouTube, Pinterest, LinkedIn and Snapchat. As of September 2026, Starter is $18.75 a month billed yearly for 1 social set (8 profiles), 1 user and up to 30 posts per profile a month; Growth is $37.50 a month billed yearly for 2 social sets and 2 users, with collaboration, approvals and an inbox; Scale is $82.50 a month billed yearly for 6 social sets. There is a 14-day free trial.

• Stands out for: visual planning, Instagram-first features and link-in-bio.
• Think twice if X or Bluesky matter to you: neither is in Later's list of supported platforms.

Metricool

Metricool combines scheduling with analytics and is priced by the number of brands. As of September 2026, the Free plan covers 1 brand, 20 posts a month and 30 days of analytics, but not LinkedIn or X. Starter starts from $20 a month (from €16) billed annually, or $25 (€20) billed monthly, for up to 5 brands, with unlimited publishing, LinkedIn and Flows, its automation feature; X comes as an add-on. Advanced starts from $53 a month (from €43) billed annually, or $67 (€54) billed monthly, and adds team and client management and a post approval system. Metricool also lists an MCP server, on every plan including Free.

• Stands out for: analytics depth (competitor analysis, reports, unlimited history on paid plans) and a price that scales by brand rather than by user.
• Consider it if reporting to clients is a large part of your work.

How to choose

1. List your networks. If you need Pinterest or Google Business Profile, Publedia is out; if you need X or Bluesky, Later is out.
2. Count channels and people. Per-channel pricing (Buffer) is cheapest with few channels; per-plan pricing (Publedia, Metricool, Later) is cheaper with many; per-user pricing (Hootsuite) is the most expensive for small teams.
3. Name the one feature you cannot do without, such as automation, listening, visual planning or client reporting, and shortlist the two tools that do it best.
4. Run both free trials or free plans for a week with real posts on real accounts. How a tool feels on a Tuesday morning matters more than a feature table.

For a closer look at the first two choices, see Publedia vs Buffer and Publedia vs Hootsuite.