Buffer
An AI Assistant helps write and repurpose posts, and AI replies help answer comments, with weekly limits on the free plan and unlimited use on paid plans
A lightweight tool for scheduling posts, replying to comments and tracking results across social channels.
- Starting price
- From $5 / channel / month
- Free trial
- Free plan for up to 3 channels, plus a 14-day free trial on paid plans
- API
- Yes, an API plus integrations with Canva, Google Drive, Zapier, WordPress and others
Overview
Buffer is a social media management tool built around a per-channel model, so you pay for the channels you use rather than for seats. It schedules posts across 11 networks including Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn, X and YouTube, with a visual calendar, a posting queue and link shortening. A community engagement view lets you reply to comments, an AI Assistant helps write and repurpose posts, and analytics report on performance. It is sold as a free plan for up to three channels, plus Essentials and Team plans priced per channel.
Our take
Buffer is the pick when publishing consistently is the whole job and the bill should track the work rather than the headcount: a creator on three accounts is not subsidising an agency on fifty, and the free plan is a permanent tier rather than a countdown to a sales call. That focus is also the ceiling. There is nothing here for listening to a conversation you are not already part of, so a brand that has to watch what is said about it will end up buying a second tool alongside this one. The pricing model inverts once the channel count climbs, which is where an agency should do the arithmetic before committing, and approvals and shared permissions only arrive on the upper tier.
Key Facts
| Category | |
|---|---|
| Starting price | From $5 / channel / month Essentials plan, per channel, billed annually at $60 / year. A free plan covers up to 3 channels. Team is $10 / channel / month. |
| Free trial | Free plan for up to 3 channels, plus a 14-day free trial on paid plans |
| API | Yes, an API plus integrations with Canva, Google Drive, Zapier, WordPress and others |
| Hosting | Cloud (SaaS) |
Screenshots
Placeholders. They are replaced as soon as the vendor sends material, and both open the same short form.
Features
- Networks covered
- Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn, X, YouTube, Threads, Pinterest, Bluesky, Mastodon and Google Business Profile
- Scheduling and calendar
- Yes, a visual calendar, a posting queue and link shortening, with unlimited scheduled posts per channel on paid plans and 10 posts per channel on the free plan
- Engagement inbox
- Yes, reply to comments with comment scoring, with 5 AI replies per week on the free plan and unlimited AI and saved replies on paid plans
- Analytics and reporting
- Yes, performance reports, with 30-day history on the free plan and unlimited history and custom analytics on paid plans
- Approval and collaboration
- Yes, unlimited team members with approval workflows and custom permissions on the Team plan
- Social listening
- Not offered: no keyword or brand monitoring on any plan. The Community view covers comments and replies on the connected channels only
- Integrations and API
- Yes, an API plus integrations with Canva, Google Drive, Zapier, WordPress, Dropbox, OneDrive and others
Integrations
- Canva
- Google Drive
- Zapier
- WordPress
- Dropbox
- OneDrive
- IFTTT
- Bitly
Deployment and Support
- Deployment
-
- Cloud (SaaS)
- Browser-based
- Support
-
- Email helpdesk
- Community forum
- Onboarding
-
- Documentation and knowledge base
- Company size
-
- Freelancers
- Small and mid-sized
Suitability
| Industry | Freelancers | Small and mid-sized | Enterprise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agencies | Stated as a fit | Stated as a fit | Not stated |
| Architecture & Engineering | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| Consulting | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| Media & Creative | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| Technology | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
The table combines the industries the vendor addresses with the company sizes the tool is aimed at. An empty cell means the combination is not stated, not that it is ruled out.
Pros and Cons
Strengths
- Per-channel pricing, so you pay only for the channels you use, with a free plan for up to 3 channels
- Covers 11 networks with a visual calendar and posting queue
- AI Assistant for writing and repurposing posts
- Team plan adds unlimited members with approval workflows and custom permissions
Limitations
- The free plan limits posts to 10 per channel and history to 30 days
- Per-channel pricing can add up for teams that manage many channels
Pricing
-
Free
Free
Up to 3 channels, 10 scheduled posts per channel, 30-day analytics history and 5 AI replies per week.
-
Essentials
From $5 / channel / month
Billed annually at $60 / year per channel. Adds unlimited scheduled posts, unlimited history, custom analytics and unlimited AI replies.
-
Team
$10 / channel / month
Billed annually at $120 / year per channel. Adds unlimited team members, approval workflows and custom permissions.
Best For
Alternatives and Comparisons
FAQ
- How does Buffer's pricing work?
- Buffer prices per channel rather than per seat. A free plan covers up to 3 channels, Essentials is $5 per channel per month billed annually, and Team is $10 per channel per month with unlimited team members. Volume discounts apply for 10 or more channels.
- Which social networks does Buffer support?
- Buffer supports 11 networks: Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn, X, YouTube, Threads, Pinterest, Bluesky, Mastodon and Google Business Profile.
- Does Buffer include AI?
- Yes. An AI Assistant helps write and repurpose posts, and AI replies help answer comments. The free plan allows 5 AI replies per week, while paid plans make them unlimited.
What users say
Reviews
-
0 reviews
- Ease of use
- Not rated yet
- User interface
- Not rated yet
- Onboarding
- Not rated yet
- Support and service
- Not rated yet
- Value for money
- Not rated yet
- Features
- Not rated yet
No reviews yet. Nothing has been published here yet, and no score is shown. How a review is checked before it appears is described below.
How we check reviews
Reviews are not published yet. The form on a tool's page works, and a review reaches us as soon as its author confirms it, but nothing from it appears on this site, so no score here is based on a review. The rules below are the ones that will apply once reviews go live.
Before sending, the author has to confirm three things: that they have used the product themselves, that they work neither for the vendor nor for a competitor, and that nobody is paying them for the review. We also ask whether the vendor invited them to write it. That answer is required, either answer is accepted, and it stays with the review.
Every review is read by a person before it appears. An email address is required and is confirmed: we send a link to it, and a review does not reach us until the author opens that link, so a review has a sender who was reachable at least once rather than being anonymous. Where what somebody writes needs backing, we ask them for evidence that they used the product, and a review that does not get it is not published. We publish positive and negative reviews alike, we pay nothing and offer nothing for a review, and we accept none that was bought or incentivised.
What we cannot do is verify a purchase. There is no shop here and no account, so whether the author really used the tool rests on their own declaration, on whatever we ask them for, and on the plausibility of what they write. We say so rather than implying a check that does not exist.
A vendor cannot buy a review, and cannot have one removed or changed because they dislike it. We remove or edit a review only if it breaks our rules or the law, for example a false statement of fact. Paid placement has no effect on which reviews appear or on any score.
Share your experience
Write a Review
Last verified:
Ready to take a closer look at Buffer
The link goes straight to the vendor. Some links on this site are affiliate links.
Visit Buffer