Buffer and Planable share the same broad mission — publishing content to social media on a schedule — but solve very different problems for very different buyers. Buffer is a flexible solo-and-team scheduler built around a per-channel billing model, with a free-forever tier for small accounts and broad platform support across 11 networks. Planable is a collaboration-and-approval-first tool designed around a visual content calendar and multi-stage sign-off workflows, priced per workspace so each brand or client is billed separately. This page compares the two honestly — pricing, platforms, and team features as of June 2026 — and shows where SocialKit, a flat EUR scheduler, covers the multi-platform posting case without per-channel or per-workspace math.
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All three tools side by side, grouped by category. Pricing and feature availability as of June 2026.
| Feature | Buffer | Planable | SocialKit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Platforms | |||
| Platforms supported | All 11 | 9 of 11 | All 11 |
| Bluesky | Yes | No | Yes |
| Mastodon | Yes | No | Yes |
| Threads | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Google Business | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Pricing & trial | |||
| Entry price | $5/mo per channel (Essentials)Free plan: up to 3 channels | $33/workspace/mo Basic (listed)Per-workspace pricing verified on planable.io June 2026; ~$29.70/mo billed annually (2 months free) | €29/mo flat (€17.40/mo billed annually) |
| Pricing model | Per channel — each connected account billed separately | Per-workspace plans — each brand/workspace billed separately ($33 Basic, $49 Pro, custom Enterprise) | Flat plans — all 11 platforms included, no per-network pricing |
| Social accounts included | Pay per channelChannels beyond 10 cost less per channel | 4 social pages on Basic · 10 on Pro · 50 on Enterprise (per workspace)Per Planable’s pricing page (June 2026) | 15 on Solo · 30 on Team |
| Free trial | 14 days (paid plans) + free plan | Free plan: first 50 posts free, no time limit, no cardPost-capped freemium, not a time-limited trial (June 2026) | 7 days — €0.00 due today |
| Money-back guarantee | NoNone listed on buffer.com/pricing (June 2026) | Not listedNo money-back guarantee found in published plan details (June 2026) | 7 days |
| Publishing & scheduling | |||
| Scheduled posts | Unlimited on paid plans · 10/channel on Free | 60/mo on Basic · 150/mo on Pro · unlimited on Enterprise (per workspace)Per Planable’s pricing page (June 2026) | Unlimited on every plan |
| Best-time auto-posting | Via analytics recommendationsAdvanced analytics on paid plans | Not itemizedBest-time auto-posting not listed in Planable’s published plan details (June 2026) | Yes |
| Per-platform customization | Yes | Per-network previews & customizationCore to Planable’s multi-channel editor (June 2026) | Yes |
| First-comment scheduling | Paid plans | First-comment supportedListed among Planable’s content features (June 2026) | Yes |
| Calendar view | Yes | Feed, Calendar, Grid & List viewsGrid gates to Pro, List to Enterprise (June 2026) | Yes |
| Content & AI | |||
| AI assistant | AI Assistant on all plans | AI content tools includedIn-app AI plus free AI generators (June 2026) | Every plan (metered credits) |
| Post templates | Not listedNot shown on the Buffer pricing page (June 2026) | Not itemizedPost templates not listed in Planable’s published plan details (June 2026) | Yes |
| Content library | Ideas library (100 on Free, unlimited on paid) | Media library includedListed among Planable’s content features (June 2026) | Yes |
| Thread posts (X, Threads, Bluesky, Mastodon) | Not listedNot shown on the Buffer pricing page (June 2026) | Not itemizedNative thread support not specified; no Bluesky/Mastodon publishing (June 2026) | Yes |
| Hashtag manager | Paid plans | Not itemizedIn-product hashtag manager not listed in published plan details (June 2026) | Yes |
| Collaboration | |||
| Team seats | Unlimited on Team plan$10/mo per channel | Unlimited users on every paid planA genuine differentiator — no per-seat charge (June 2026) | 2 on Team · unlimited on Enterprise |
| Approval workflow | Team plan only$10/mo per channel | Multi-level — Required from Pro, multi-level on EnterpriseNone/Optional on Basic; their core strength (June 2026) | Team & Enterprise plans |
| Comments on posts | Internal notes on paid plans | In-context comments on every postA core Planable feature (June 2026) | Team & Enterprise plans |
| Integrations & support | |||
| Analytics | 30-day history on Free · advanced on paid plans | Paid add-on (+$12/workspace/mo)Not bundled; charged per workspace (June 2026) | Included on every plan |
| API + webhooks | API access on all plansFree plan limited to 1 key, 3,000 requests/mo | Public API from Pro planNo API on Basic; Pro lists at $49/workspace/mo (June 2026) | Every plan, incl. Solo |
| Support | Help center + email | Email/chat; dedicated account manager on EnterpriseUsers report on G2/Capterra that pricing feels high for smaller teams | Email · priority on Enterprise |
| Verdict | |||
| Best for | Solo users with 1–3 channels who want a free plan | Agencies & teams that live in approval workflows and a visual calendar | Posting to many platforms on one flat EUR plan |
Pricing as of June 2026. Buffer figures per their public pricing page; Planable figures per their public pricing page. Both may change. SocialKit facts per our own pricing page.
Entry plans compared. SocialKit prices are in EUR; all 11 platforms included — no per-network pricing.
About $55/month with all 11 networks connected (channels beyond 10 cost less per channel). Team plan: $10/month per channel. As of June 2026.
Per-workspace pricing verified on planable.io June 2026: Basic $33/workspace/mo (~$29.70 billed annually), Pro $49/workspace/mo (~$44.10 annually), Enterprise custom. Analytics +$12 and Social Inbox +$7.5 per workspace. Free plan: first 50 posts, no time limit.
billed annually · €29/month billed monthly
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Pricing as of June 2026. Buffer and Planable prices are taken from their public pricing pages (linked above) and may change. Full SocialKit plan details on our pricing page.
Each tool genuinely wins somewhere. Here is the honest split.
Bottom line
These two tools serve genuinely different buyers and the choice is usually clear. Buffer is the practical pick for anyone who wants a free tier, values platform breadth including Bluesky and Mastodon, and is comfortable with per-channel billing at small scale. Planable is the better pick for agencies and in-house teams whose bottleneck is post approvals — its multi-level workflow, visual calendar, and unlimited-user model are built for exactly that. Where both fall short is the case most small-to-mid teams face: posting to many networks with a small budget and no tolerance for per-channel or per-workspace billing surprises. SocialKit is priced for that case — flat EUR plans covering all 11 platforms, analytics bundled in, unlimited posts, and approval workflows on a flat €49/month Team plan.
FAQ
Still weighing it up? These are the answers people look for before they switch.
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Every SocialKit plan includes all 11 platforms, analytics, AI, and API + webhooks — no per-channel meters, no per-seat pricing. Try it free for 7 days.
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