Published by the Zolyp team, reviewed by Hammas Ali, Founder & CEO ·
Why do people look for a Buffer alternative?
Buffer is a good, simple scheduler, and for many people it's the right one. The reasons people look elsewhere are usually one of these:
- The bill grows with every channel. Buffer's paid plans are priced per channel, starting at $5 a month per channel on Essentials, so Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and X together cost four times one channel.
- The free plan runs out. It covers up to 3 channels and 10 scheduled posts per channel at a time (refilled as posts go out), which is tight for a business posting most days.
- You still make every post. Buffer queues and publishes what you bring; its AI Assistant helps draft and rewrite text, but planning the week and designing visuals stay with you.
- You need team features: approvals, a shared inbox, or reporting for clients.
Source: Buffer pricing, checked 9 October 2026
Publer: cheaper when you run many accounts
Publer prices by social account: the Professional plan starts at $5 a month for one account ($4 a month billed yearly), and every tenth account is free. It adds unlimited scheduling and drafts, first comments and threads, and X support, which its free plan leaves out.
The free plan covers 3 social accounts (not X) and 10 scheduled posts per account at a time. Like Buffer, it schedules the posts you make; it doesn't plan or design them.
Source: Publer plans, checked 9 October 2026
Metricool: the free plan with analytics
Metricool's free plan manages one brand and schedules up to 20 posts a month, with analytics included, but it excludes LinkedIn and X. Paid plans start at $20 a month (Starter, up to 5 brands); check the plan page for which networks each tier includes.
Pick it if numbers matter as much as scheduling and you mostly post to Instagram, Facebook or TikTok.
Source: Metricool pricing, checked 9 October 2026
Later: for Instagram-first brands
Later grew out of Instagram scheduling and keeps a strong visual calendar and a link-in-bio page. There's no free plan, only a 14-day trial; the Starter plan is $18.75 a month billed yearly for one social set (8 profiles) and up to 30 posts per profile.
Source: Later pricing, checked 9 October 2026
Hootsuite: for teams that need approvals and an inbox
Hootsuite covers the most ground: a unified inbox, approval workflows, listening and reporting. It's also the priciest here: the Standard plan is $99 per user a month billed yearly, for up to 10 social accounts, with a 14-day trial and no card required. It makes sense once several people share one calendar; for a solo owner it's a lot of tool.
Source: Hootsuite plans, checked 9 October 2026
Zolyp: when making the posts is the problem
Zolyp is our product, so weigh this section with that in mind. Every tool above, Buffer included, moves a finished post onto a calendar. If the hard part of your week is deciding what to post and then writing and designing it, a different tool fits better.
Zolyp plans the week across your content themes, writes the captions and designs the visuals against your Brand Brain (your tone, colours and rules, saved once), fits each post to its platform, and publishes to Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google Business, X, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, and Threads. You approve the week in minutes. Lite is $9 a month per brand for scheduling your own posts; the plans that create the posts start at $29 a month, with a 3-day free trial and no card required.
Buffer alternatives side by side
Prices change often. Each figure below was checked on the vendor's own pricing page on 9 October 2026; confirm it there before you switch.
| Tool | Free plan | Cheapest paid plan | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buffer | 3 channels, 10 scheduled posts per channel | Essentials, from $5/mo per channel | Simple scheduling, few channels |
| Publer | 3 accounts (no X), 10 scheduled posts per account | Professional, $5/mo per account ($4 billed yearly) | Many accounts on a budget |
| Metricool | 1 brand, 20 posts/month (no LinkedIn or X) | Starter, from $20/mo (up to 5 brands) | Free scheduling with analytics |
| Later | No (14-day trial) | Starter, $18.75/mo billed yearly | Instagram-first brands |
| Hootsuite | No (14-day trial) | Standard, $99/mo per user billed yearly | Teams needing approvals and an inbox |
| Zolyp | No (3-day trial, no card) | Lite, $9/mo per brand; AI plans from $29/mo | Posts planned, written and designed for you |
Sources: Buffer pricing, checked 9 October 2026; Publer plans, checked 9 October 2026; Metricool pricing, checked 9 October 2026; Later pricing, checked 9 October 2026; Hootsuite plans, checked 9 October 2026
How do you switch from Buffer without missing a post?
A clean switch takes an afternoon:
- Export or write down everything still scheduled in Buffer, with dates and times.
- Connect the same channels in the new tool and check each one can publish.
- Recreate the scheduled posts there, checking the time zone setting first.
- Pause or empty the Buffer queue so nothing goes out twice.
- Watch the first few posts go live before you cancel the Buffer plan.
Common questions
What is the best free alternative to Buffer?
Metricool's free plan (1 brand, 20 posts a month, with analytics) and Publer's free plan (3 accounts, 10 scheduled posts each) are the closest. Neither free plan includes X; Buffer's free plan does.
Is there a cheaper alternative to Buffer?
For many accounts, Publer usually costs less: $5 a month per account ($4 billed yearly), with every tenth account free. For one or two channels, Buffer's own price is already among the lowest.
Which Buffer alternative creates the posts for you?
Most alternatives schedule posts you make. Zolyp (our product) plans the week, writes the captions and designs the visuals, then publishes them after you approve, from $29 a month.
Which Buffer alternatives support X (Twitter)?
Buffer's free plan includes X, Publer includes it on paid plans, and Zolyp publishes to X too. Publer's and Metricool's free plans leave X out. Check each tool's own platform list before you switch.