Buffer
Creators and small businesses that post to Instagram plus several other networks and want the lowest cost per account, with a free plan for up to 3 channels.
Quick overview
- Pricing
- Free; paid from $5/channel/month billed yearly
- Plans
- Buffer charges per channel (one connected social account is one channel). Free: up to 3 channels, 10 scheduled posts per channel at a time, 1 user. Essentials: $5 per channel/month billed yearly or $6 billed monthly for channels 1 to 10, with lower rates from the 11th channel. Team: $10 per channel/month billed yearly or $12 monthly, with unlimited team members, access levels and approvals. Once you pay, every connected channel is billed, including the first 3. 14-day trial of paid plans. Nonprofits get 50% off.
- G2 rating
- 4.3 / 5.0
- Comparisons
- Featured in 7 comparisons
Key features
- Instagram auto-publishing for images, videos, carousels (up to 10 images), Stories and Reels
- First comment scheduling and a hashtag manager on Essentials and Team
- Start Page link-in-bio page, included on the free plan
- Best-time recommendations from your recent Instagram performance
- Community inbox for replying to Instagram comments on posts and Reels
- Scheduling to 10+ networks, including X, Bluesky and Google Business Profile
Pros
- Usable free plan for 3 channels
- Clear per-channel pricing from $5/month
- Unlimited team members on Team
Cons
- First comment and hashtag manager not on the free plan
- No Instagram grid preview found on Buffer's pages
- Inbox handles comments, not Instagram DMs
Buffer in our comparisons
Best Instagram Scheduling Tools
Later is the best Instagram scheduling tool for most creators and brands: every format auto-publishes, and the feed preview, Link in Bio and per-format best times are on the $18.75/month entry plan. Pick Planoly if grid planning and selling from your bio matter most.
Sarah ChenUpdated October 2026Best Social Media Management Tools
Sprout Social is the best social media management tool for teams that publish, engage and report together, thanks to its Smart Inbox, reporting on every plan and approvals on Professional. Pick Buffer or Metricool if per-seat pricing is out of budget.
Sarah ChenUpdated October 2026Best Social Media Scheduling Tools
Publer is the best social media scheduler for most solo creators and small teams: the lowest cost per account here, with X, approvals and bulk scheduling on its cheapest paid plan. Pick Buffer for the simplest pricing and unlimited users, or Metricool for analytics.
Sarah ChenUpdated October 2026Best Social Media Tools for Small Business
Buffer is the best social media tool for most small businesses: a free plan for 3 channels, paid plans from $5 per channel per month billed yearly and support for every major network, including Google Business Profile. Pick Metricool if analytics and a free inbox matter more.
Sarah ChenUpdated October 2026Buffer alternatives
Publer is the best Buffer alternative for most Buffer users: same per-account pricing, but cheaper, with approvals, bulk scheduling and X on the $4-per-account Professional plan. Pick Metricool for analytics, or Later for Instagram and TikTok.
Sarah ChenUpdated October 2026Hootsuite alternatives
Agorapulse is the best Hootsuite alternative for most teams: the same publishing, inbox and reporting for less per seat, with published monthly prices and a 30-day trial. Choose Buffer if you mainly schedule posts on a small budget.
Sarah ChenUpdated October 2026Sprout Social alternatives
Agorapulse is the best Sprout Social alternative for most teams: a similar inbox, approvals and reporting for $79 to $149 per user per month billed annually. Agencies and large teams should look at Sendible, which includes unlimited users on every plan.
Sarah ChenUpdated October 2026