Postléfy
Prices checked 27 Oct 2026

The best Buffer alternatives in 2026

Eight real alternatives, with prices and free plans checked on each vendor's own pricing page. We list Postlefy first, because it's ours, and say plainly who it isn't for.

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The 9 tools, compared

1. Postlefy — best for letting AI create and post your content

Postlefy is a social media scheduler for small businesses. Its AI writes captions in your brand voice, designs branded cards and carousels, makes AI images and short AI videos, and can run on autopilot. It posts to 13 platforms: Instagram, Facebook, X, LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube, Threads, Pinterest, Bluesky, Mastodon, Telegram, Discord and Google Business Profile.

Price
Pay per post — no monthly subscription
Free plan
Free to start — 50 free posts, credits never expire
See how Postlefy pricing works →

Who Postlefy is not for

Postlefy is built for small businesses that want content made for them. It's the wrong tool if you are:

  • Agencies managing many client brands. Postlefy is one brand per account today.
  • Teams that need a shared social inbox, social listening or advanced team roles.
  • People who want the deepest analytics. Buffer, Metricool and Sprout Social go further there.

Buffer alternatives at a glance

Prices are in US dollars. Swipe the table sideways on a phone.

Buffer alternatives compared by best use, price and free plan
ToolBest forPriceFree plan
Postlefyletting AI create and post your contentPay per post — no monthly subscriptionFree to start — 50 free posts, credits never expire
SocialPilotsmall agencies on a budgetEssentials $20 / month, or $17 / month billed yearly — 5 accounts, 1 userNo free plan (14-day trial)
Metricoolanalytics-first small businessesPaid plans: see Metricool's pricing pageYes — 1 brand, 20 posts a month; LinkedIn and X are not on the free plan
SocialBeeevergreen content recyclingBootstrap $29/mo, or $290/yr (about $24/mo) — 5 profiles, 1 userNo free plan (14-day trial)
Latervisual Instagram and TikTok brandsStarter $18.75 / month billed yearly — 1 social set, 1 userNo free plan (14-day trial)
Postiztech-comfortable usersStandard $29 / month, or $23 / month billed yearly — 5 channels, no team membersNo free plan listed (7-day trial)
Vista Socialsmall agencies that want an inbox and reviewsProfessional $99/mo, or $950/yr (about $79/mo) — 15 profilesNo free plan (14-day trial)
Hootsuiteteams with a budgetStandard starts at $99 per user / month — up to 10 social accountsNo free plan (14-day trial)
Sprout Socialreporting-heavy teamsEssentials $99 per seat / month, or $79 per seat / month billed yearly — 5 profilesNo free plan (30-day trial)

Prices checked 27 Oct 2026 on each vendor's pricing page. They change, so check theirs too.

The 8 alternatives, one by one

2. SocialPilot — best for small agencies on a budget

Price
Essentials $20 / month, or $17 / month billed yearly — 5 accounts, 1 user
Free plan
No free plan (14-day trial)

Publishes to Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, LinkedIn, Threads, YouTube, Pinterest, Google Business and Bluesky.

Prices checked 27 Oct 2026 — see their pricing page

3. Metricool — best for analytics-first small businesses

Price
Paid plans: see Metricool's pricing page
Free plan
Yes — 1 brand, 20 posts a month; LinkedIn and X are not on the free plan

The free plan includes 30-day analytics, 5 competitor profiles and an AI assistant.

Prices checked 27 Oct 2026 — see their pricing page

4. SocialBee — best for evergreen content recycling

Price
Bootstrap $29/mo, or $290/yr (about $24/mo) — 5 profiles, 1 user
Free plan
No free plan (14-day trial)

Built around category-based content recycling, with AI captions and images.

Prices checked 27 Oct 2026 — see their pricing page

5. Later — best for visual Instagram and TikTok brands

Price
Starter $18.75 / month billed yearly — 1 social set, 1 user
Free plan
No free plan (14-day trial)

Starter allows 30 posts per profile per month.

Prices checked 27 Oct 2026 — see their pricing page

6. Postiz — best for tech-comfortable users

Price
Standard $29 / month, or $23 / month billed yearly — 5 channels, no team members
Free plan
No free plan listed (7-day trial)

An API and MCP server come with every plan, and it supports Reddit, Discord, Telegram and Slack.

Prices checked 27 Oct 2026 — see their pricing page

7. Vista Social — best for small agencies that want an inbox and reviews

Price
Professional $99/mo, or $950/yr (about $79/mo) — 15 profiles
Free plan
No free plan (14-day trial)

Includes 1,000 AI credits a month, AI caption writing and MCP access.

Prices checked 27 Oct 2026 — see their pricing page

8. Hootsuite — best for teams with a budget

Price
Standard starts at $99 per user / month — up to 10 social accounts
Free plan
No free plan (14-day trial)

Generates posts and images with AI.

Prices checked 27 Oct 2026 — see their pricing page

9. Sprout Social — best for reporting-heavy teams

Price
Essentials $99 per seat / month, or $79 per seat / month billed yearly — 5 profiles
Free plan
No free plan (30-day trial)

Priced per seat, so the bill grows with your team.

Prices checked 27 Oct 2026 — see their pricing page

What Buffer costs

Buffer's free plan covers 3 channels, 10 scheduled posts per channel, 1 user. Paid plans are priced per channel. Essentials: $5 per channel / month, billed yearly. Team: $10 per channel / month, billed yearly.

Buffer monthly cost by number of channels, billed yearly
ChannelsEssentials / monthTeam / month
1$5$10
5$25$50
10$50$100

Billed yearly. Prices checked 27 Oct 2026 — see Buffer's pricing page.

Where Buffer is strong

  • Mature analytics
  • A big integration library
  • A public API and an official MCP server

How to choose

You want the content made for you

Pick Postlefy. It creates the post and publishes it, and you pay only for the posts you send.

You just need a free calendar

Buffer or Metricool. Both have a free plan, so check the limits against how many channels and posts you need.

You run client accounts

SocialPilot, Vista Social or Hootsuite are built for several accounts or seats. Postlefy is one brand per account today.

Analytics matter most

Metricool, Buffer or Sprout Social. Sprout Social is priced per seat, from $79 a month billed yearly.

Want the head-to-head? See all the savings against Buffer and Hootsuite → Or try our free social media tools first.

Common questions

What do you get on Buffer's free plan?

3 channels, 1 user and 10 scheduled posts per channel. Paid plans start at $5 per channel per month, billed yearly.

What is the cheapest Buffer alternative?

Of the alternatives' prices shown on this page, SocialPilot's is the lowest: $17 a month billed yearly ($20 month to month) for 5 accounts and 1 user. If you only need a few channels, Buffer itself is cheap: its free plan covers 3 channels, and Essentials is $5 per channel a month, billed yearly. Postlefy has no monthly price at all, because you pay per post.

Which Buffer alternatives have a free plan?

On this list, Metricool has a free plan (1 brand, 20 posts a month, no LinkedIn or X), and Postlefy gives you 50 free posts to start. Buffer's own free plan is the benchmark. SocialPilot, SocialBee, Later, Vista Social, Hootsuite and Sprout Social offer free trials, not free plans, and Postiz lists a 7-day trial.

How much does Buffer cost for 5 or 10 channels?

On Buffer's Essentials plan, billed yearly, 5 channels cost $25 a month and 10 channels cost $50 a month ($5 per channel). On the Team plan, billed yearly, it is $50 and $100 a month ($10 per channel).

Is there a Buffer alternative without a monthly subscription?

Postlefy. You start with 50 free posts, then pay per post with no monthly fee, and your credits never expire. Every other paid plan on this page is a monthly or yearly subscription.

Can AI create and post my social media for me?

Yes. Postlefy is built for it: its AI writes captions in your brand voice, designs branded cards and carousels, makes AI images and short AI videos, and can run on autopilot. It posts to 13 platforms. Several other tools on this list also have AI features, such as AI captions and images in Hootsuite and SocialBee, so check what each plan includes.

Sources

Every price and free plan above comes from the vendor's own pricing page, checked 27 Oct 2026.

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