Buffer alternatives

3 tools to consider instead of Buffer, shown against it.

Buffer Later Hootsuite Sprout Social
Vendor Buffer Inc. Later Hootsuite Inc. Sprout Social, Inc.
Pricing model Free tier + paid plans Subscription Subscription Subscription
Free tier Yes No No No
Deployment Cloud Cloud Cloud Cloud
Open source No No No No
Best for Solo creators and small teams wanting simple, low-cost post scheduling. Visual-platform-first brands and creators planning Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest content. Teams that need multi-network scheduling with an established app ecosystem. Marketing and social teams that need publishing, engagement, and reporting in one seat-based tool.
Pricing

Free for up to 3 channels; paid plans are priced per channel, billed monthly or yearly at a discount.

Free $0/month
Essentials $5/month per channel
Team $10/month per channel

Prices read from the vendor's own page on September 21, 2026. Vendors change prices; check the source before you budget.

Monthly subscription tiers billed yearly with 3 months free; a 14-day free trial is offered.

Starter $18.75/month billed yearly
Growth $37.50/month billed yearly
Scale $82.50/month billed yearly

Prices read from the vendor's own page on September 21, 2026. Vendors change prices; check the source before you budget.

Per-user monthly subscription billed annually; both monthly and annual billing options are offered.

Standard $99/user/mo billed annually
Professional $199/user/mo billed annually
Advanced $399/user/mo billed annually
Enterprise Custom pricing

Prices read from the vendor's own page on September 21, 2026. Vendors change prices; check the source before you budget.

Per-seat monthly subscription, cheaper when billed annually; a 30-day free trial is offered on annual billing.

Essentials $79/seat/mo billed annually ($99/seat/mo monthly)
Standard $199/seat/mo
Professional $299/seat/mo
Advanced $399/seat/mo

Prices read from the vendor's own page on September 21, 2026. Vendors change prices; check the source before you budget.

Features
  • Multi-network post scheduling and publishing
  • Post-level engagement analytics
  • Content and idea calendar with drafts
  • Link-in-bio "Start Page" tool
  • Team collaboration and approval flows
  • Per-channel pricing (pay only for channels used)
  • Browser extension for content curation
  • Visual content calendar for Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest
  • Multi-network post scheduling
  • Link-in-bio page builder
  • Post and profile performance analytics
  • Competitive benchmarking (Scale plan)
  • Auto-publish for Reels, Stories, and TikTok
  • Team collaboration and approval workflow
  • Multi-network post scheduling and publishing calendar
  • Unified engagement inbox
  • Owned-channel analytics and custom reporting
  • Team approval workflows
  • App marketplace with third-party integrations
  • Paid social ads management (higher tiers)
  • Social listening add-on
  • Multi-network post scheduling and publishing
  • Unified social inbox for engagement and replies
  • Owned-channel analytics and custom reports
  • Social listening and share-of-voice tracking (Professional+)
  • Social CRM and audience tagging
  • Employee advocacy module (add-on)
  • Paid social ad reporting integration

In the index now