Publer vs Buffer
Which social media tool is right for you? Compare features, pricing, and user reviews to make the best choice.
Publer
Budget-minded small businesses, creators and agencies that want lots of scheduling features per account
Buffer
Solo creators, small businesses and agencies that mainly need simple, affordable scheduling across many channels.
Side by side
| Publer | Buffer | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan (3 accounts); paid from $5/month for 1 account (Professional), about $4/account at 3+ accounts | Free plan (3 channels); paid from $5/channel/month billed yearly ($6 monthly) |
| G2 Rating | 4.7 (524 reviews) | 4.3 (1,041 reviews) |
| Best For | Budget-minded small businesses, creators and agencies that want lots of scheduling features per account | Solo creators, small businesses and agencies that mainly need simple, affordable scheduling across many channels. |
Pros and cons
Publer
Pros
- Very low per-account pricing; every 10th account and member free on yearly billing
- Usable free plan (3 accounts) without a card
- Wide network list including Telegram, Mastodon, Bluesky and WordPress
- Approval workflows already on the $5 Professional plan
Cons
- Analytics, best times and competitor analysis only on Business
- Free plan cannot connect X and keeps post history only 24 hours
- Price grows with every account and member, so totals need a calculator
- Unlimited posting still has daily post limits (Publer says it can waive them on paid plans)
Buffer
Pros
- Real free plan (3 channels) and low entry price ($5 to $6 per channel)
- Team plan includes unlimited users, so cost does not grow with headcount
- Volume discounts make many channels cheaper per channel
- Simple to understand pricing published in full, including a machine-readable page
Cons
- Essentials is single-user; approvals and access levels need Team
- Free plan limits you to 10 scheduled posts per channel and 30 days of insights
- Community inbox handles comments; Buffer does not list DMs or social listening
- Some channels have limited support (for example Instagram personal profiles and Facebook groups are notification-publishing only)
Related comparisons
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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 2026