The best Publer alternatives in 2026

Publer is good value for scheduling. People usually look elsewhere because of:

• The free plan leaves out X and keeps published posts for only 24 hours.
• Analytics, best times to post and competitor analysis are on Business ($10 an account a month, or $8 billed yearly), not Professional.
• Team members cost extra: the plan owner is included and each additional member adds to the price.
• Paid plans have daily posting limits to prevent spam, even though scheduling is unlimited.
• Its AI Assist helps write text and create images, but you still plan the week and assemble each post.

Source: Publer plans, checked 14 October 2026

Buffer's free plan covers 3 channels with 10 scheduled posts per channel at a time, and X is included. Essentials is $5 per channel a month billed yearly ($6 monthly), a little more per channel than Publer. Team ($10 per channel) adds unlimited team members and approval workflows, so a growing team doesn't add cost per person. Every plan includes a community inbox for comments and 30 days of insights on Free.

Best for: owners who want X on a free plan, and small teams who'd otherwise pay per member.

Sources: Buffer pricing, checked 14 October 2026; Buffer pricing (machine-readable version, with channel table), checked 14 October 2026

Metricool's free plan covers one brand and 20 scheduled posts a month, with 30 days of analytics and 5 competitor profiles, but not LinkedIn or X. Starter, from $20 a month billed yearly ($25 monthly), manages up to 5 brands with unlimited analytics history, up to 100 competitors, reports and LinkedIn; X is a paid add-on. Post approval starts on Advanced, from $53 a month billed yearly.

Best for: anyone who wants analytics without paying for Publer Business on every account.

Source: Metricool pricing, checked 14 October 2026

Zoho Social prices per brand rather than per account. Standard is $10 a month billed yearly for one brand, covering one account each on networks including Facebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn, Google Business Profile, YouTube, Pinterest, TikTok and Threads. If your brand is on many networks, that can cost less than paying per account. Standard is basic, though: bulk scheduling, first comments and post insights start on Professional ($30), and the inbox and approvals on Premium ($40).

Best for: one business active on lots of networks.

Source: Zoho Social pricing, checked 14 October 2026

SocialPilot has no free plan (a 14-day trial, no card). Essentials is $25 a month billed yearly ($30 monthly) for 7 accounts and one user. Standard, $42 billed yearly ($50 monthly), covers 15 accounts and 3 users with the social inbox, analytics and manager approval. Premium ($85 billed yearly) adds client approval and white label reports for 25 accounts.

Best for: small teams and agencies that need sign-off and replies in one place.

Source: SocialPilot plans, checked 14 October 2026

Zolyp is our product, so weigh this section with that in mind. Publer makes scheduling cheap; the time goes into making what you schedule. Most tools here, like the one you're leaving, move 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 kind of 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.

Decide what Publer is missing for you:

• X on a free plan: Buffer.
• Analytics without a per-account upgrade: Metricool.
• Lots of networks for one brand: Zoho Social.
• An inbox and approvals for a small team: SocialPilot Standard.
• Posts you don't have to make yourself: an AI social media manager.

Prices change often. Each figure below was checked on the vendor's own pricing page on the date shown under Sources; confirm it there before you switch.

Sources: Publer plans, checked 14 October 2026; Buffer pricing, checked 14 October 2026; Metricool pricing, checked 14 October 2026; Zoho Social pricing, checked 14 October 2026; SocialPilot plans, checked 14 October 2026

A few Publer details to sort out first:

• Count accounts and team members: Publer bills both, while other tools bill by channel, brand or seat.
• Save anything you want from your post history; on the free plan Publer keeps published posts for only 24 hours.
• If you use Linkie, Publer's link-in-bio page, set up a replacement before you cancel.

A clean switch takes an afternoon:

1. Export or write down everything still scheduled in your current tool, with dates and times. Download any reports you want to keep, too.
2. Connect the same accounts in the new tool and check each one can publish.
3. Recreate the scheduled posts there, checking the time zone setting first.
4. Pause or empty the old queue so nothing goes out twice.
5. Watch the first few posts go live before you cancel the old plan. On a yearly plan, check when it renews.