Social media & content automation · By Moonlaunch Studio · Updated October 2026
Buffer vs Publer vs SocialBee
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All three tools schedule posts across major social networks, but they charge in very different ways. Buffer charges per channel, Publer charges per social account (plus optional team members), and SocialBee sells bundled tiers with a set number of profiles. The pricing model is often the deciding factor, so this comparison starts there.
Pricing checked October 2026 from the vendor's site; confirm current pricing on their site.
Quick summary
- Buffer may suit people who want a simple scheduler, pay only for the channels they use, and may want a usable free plan.
- Publer may suit solo creators and small teams who want low entry pricing per account and features like RSS automation (Professional) and post recycling (Business).
- SocialBee may suit people who organize content by category and want a fixed monthly price for a set number of profiles, with agency tiers available.
Pricing compared
| Plan | Buffer | Publer | SocialBee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes. 10 scheduled posts per channel, 1 user; free plan limited to 3 channels | Yes. 1 user, 3 social accounts (X not available on free), 10 scheduled posts per account | No free plan; 14-day free trial |
| Entry paid plan | Essentials: $6/month per channel billed monthly, or $5/month billed yearly ($60/year per channel) | Professional: $5/month for 1 social account billed monthly, or $4/month billed yearly | Bootstrap: $29/month billed monthly, or $290/year (up to 5 profiles) |
| Team / mid tier | Team: $12/month per channel billed monthly, or $10/month billed yearly ($120/year per channel) | Business: $10/month for 1 social account billed monthly, or $8/month billed yearly | Accelerate: $49/month or $490/year (10 profiles); Pro: $99/month or $990/year (25 profiles) |
| Larger accounts | Per-channel price drops for channels above 10 | Every 10th social account free; Enterprise plan with custom pricing | Agency tiers: Pro50 $179/month, Pro100 $329/month, Pro150 $449/month (monthly billing) |
| Trial / guarantee | 14-day free trial on paid plans | 7-day trial (Professional), 14-day trial (Business); 14-day money-back guarantee | 14-day free trial; 30-day money-back guarantee |
| Yearly billing, as the vendor describes it | Plan cards say “billed yearly (save 2 months).” Buffer's FAQ separately calls this a 20% discount; the listed prices ($6 vs $5 a month) work out to about 17% | Billing toggle says “2 months free”; Publer's FAQ calls it a 20% discount, which matches the listed prices ($5 vs $4 a month) | Billing toggle says “Yearly (16% off)”: $290/$490/$990 a year vs $29/$49/$99 a month |
How to read this: Buffer and Publer prices scale with the number of channels or accounts you connect, so the prices above are for a single channel/account. SocialBee's prices are for the whole tier.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Buffer | Publer | SocialBee |
|---|---|---|---|
| First-comment scheduling | Essentials and Team | Paid plans ("schedule 1st comments & threads") | Listed in plan comparison |
| Approval workflows | Team only | Paid plans (Professional, Business, Enterprise) | Accelerate and above |
| Multiple users | Team: unlimited team members | Additional members priced separately | Pro: 3 users per workspace; add-on users $10/month |
| Content recycling | Not listed on pricing page | Post recycling and recurring posts: Business only | Recycle and expire content listed |
| RSS import | Not listed on pricing page | Unlimited RSS automations (Professional) | Import RSS feeds: 10 / 50 / unlimited by tier (content sources: 10 / 30 / unlimited) |
| Analytics history | Free: 30 days; paid: unlimited | Analytics and reports on Business | Bootstrap: 3 months; Accelerate and Pro: up to 2 years |
| AI writing help | AI Assistant on all plans | Unlimited AI prompts on Business | Unlimited AI content generation on all plans |
| API access | All plans, with request limits by tier | Publer API and MCP on Business | Not listed on pricing page; Zapier, Pabbly, and Make integrations listed |
| Engagement inbox | Reply to comments on supported networks | Not listed on pricing page | Comments, mentions, and DMs for supported networks |
Buffer
Pricing model: per connected channel (one social account = one channel). Buffer lists support for networks including Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, Threads, Bluesky, Mastodon, X, and Google Business Profile.
May suit: individuals and small teams with a few channels who want a straightforward queue and calendar, and agencies that want costs to drop when a client's channel is removed.
Pros
- Free plan available (3 channels, 10 scheduled posts per channel)
- Low per-channel entry price
- API access listed on every plan
- 50% discount for nonprofits, according to Buffer
Cons
- Costs grow with each channel you add
- Approval workflows and multi-user access require the Team plan
- Paid "unlimited" scheduling is subject to a fair-use cap of 5,000 posts per channel
Publer
Pricing model: per social account, with optional paid team members; Publer's calculator shows that every 10th account is free. X (Twitter) accounts can only be connected on paid plans. Listed networks include Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, Threads, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Mastodon, Google Business Profiles, YouTube, Telegram, Bluesky, and WordPress.
May suit: solopreneurs and creators who want a low starting price, plus small teams that want RSS automation (Professional) or recycling and recurring posts (Business) without moving to an enterprise tool.
Pros
- Free plan for up to 3 accounts
- Low entry pricing for a single account
- RSS automation on Professional; post recycling and recurring posts on Business
- 14-day money-back guarantee
Cons
- No X/Twitter on the free plan
- Analytics, API, and competitor analysis are on Business, not Professional
- Daily posting limits apply even on paid plans, per Publer's page
How to choose
- Count your accounts. With 1 to 3 accounts, Buffer's and Publer's per-channel/per-account pricing is usually the cheapest place to start, and both have free plans. With 10 or more profiles, compare SocialBee's tier price against Buffer's and Publer's totals for your exact count.
- Decide whether you need teammates. Buffer's Team plan includes unlimited members; Publer charges for additional members; SocialBee's Pro tier includes 3 users per workspace.
- Check your networks. If you need X on a free plan, note that Publer excludes it. If you rely on Telegram or WordPress publishing, Publer lists both.
- Think about evergreen content. If you want old posts to recycle automatically, Publer (Business plan) and SocialBee list recycling features; Buffer's pricing page doesn't.
- Use the trial. All three offer a free plan or trial. Test your actual posting schedule before you pay annually.
Sources
All pricing and feature details above come from these official pages, checked in October 2026. Vendors change plans often, so confirm current details on their sites.
- Buffer pricing: https://buffer.com/pricing
- Publer pricing: https://publer.com/pricing
- SocialBee pricing: https://socialbee.com/pricing/
SocialBee
Pricing model: tiers with a fixed number of profiles (5, 10, or 25 on standard plans; up to 150 on agency plans), plus add-ons for extra users, workspaces, or profiles. Listed networks for direct posting include Facebook, Instagram, Threads, LinkedIn, X, Pinterest, TikTok, YouTube, Google Business Profiles, and Bluesky.
May suit: people who plan content by category (for example, tips, promotions, and blog posts) and want evergreen content to recycle on a schedule, and agencies that want multiple workspaces.
Pros
Cons