Buffer and Planoly are both well-established social media tools, but they are built around completely different mental models. Buffer is a multi-network publishing workspace — broad platform coverage, a per-channel pricing model, and a genuine free tier that appeals to creators and small businesses. Planoly is a visual-first planner that made its name on Instagram grid aesthetics and has since expanded to a broader channel set, staying rooted in the creator and influencer market. This page compares the two honestly — pricing, platforms, publishing modes, and team features as of June 2026 — and notes where SocialKit, a flat EUR scheduler covering all 11 platforms, handles what neither tool does on its own.
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All three tools side by side, grouped by category. Pricing and feature availability as of June 2026.
| Feature | Buffer | Planoly | SocialKit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Platforms | |||
| Platforms supported | All 11 | 8 of 11Also supports: Amazon | All 11 |
| Bluesky | Yes | No | Yes |
| Mastodon | Yes | No | Yes |
| Threads | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Google Business | Yes | No | Yes |
| Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Pricing & trial | |||
| Entry price | $5/mo per channel (Essentials)Free plan: up to 3 channels | $14/mo Starter billed annually ($16/mo monthly per help center)Verified on planoly.com/pricing, June 10, 2026 | €29/mo flat (€17.40/mo billed annually) |
| Pricing model | Per channel — each connected account billed separately | Per social set + per user — extra sets $8–10/mo and extra users $3–5/mo (Growth/Pro only; no add-ons on Starter) | Flat plans — all 11 platforms included, no per-network pricing |
| Social accounts included | Pay per channelChannels beyond 10 cost less per channel | 1 eight-channel “social set” on Starter2 on Growth · 6 on Pro | 15 on Solo · 30 on Team |
| Free trial | 14 days (paid plans) + free plan | 14 days + free mobile tier (10 uploads/mo) | 7 days — €0.00 due today |
| Money-back guarantee | NoNone listed on buffer.com/pricing (June 2026) | Not listedNot mentioned on planoly.com/pricing (verified June 10, 2026) | 7 days |
| Publishing & scheduling | |||
| Scheduled posts | Unlimited on paid plans · 10/channel on Free | Unlimited uploads on all paid plansFree mobile tier capped at 10 uploads/mo | Unlimited on every plan |
| Best-time auto-posting | Via analytics recommendationsAdvanced analytics on paid plans | Not listedNot shown in Planoly’s published plan details (June 2026) | Yes |
| Per-platform customization | Yes | Not listedNot shown in Planoly’s published plan details (June 2026) | Yes |
| First-comment scheduling | Paid plans | Not listedNot shown in Planoly’s published plan details (June 2026) | Yes |
| Calendar view | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Content & AI | |||
| AI assistant | AI Assistant on all plans | Not listedNot shown in Planoly’s published plan details (June 2026) | Every plan (metered credits) |
| Post templates | Not listedNot shown on the Buffer pricing page (June 2026) | Content templates | Yes |
| Content library | Ideas library (100 on Free, unlimited on paid) | Built-in media libraryUnlimited uploads on all paid plans (June 2026) | Yes |
| Thread posts (X, Threads, Bluesky, Mastodon) | Not listedNot shown on the Buffer pricing page (June 2026) | Not listedNo Bluesky or Mastodon; X publishing is reminder-based per Planoly’s own product page (June 2026) | Yes |
| Hashtag manager | Paid plans | Hashtag & user-tag groups | Yes |
| Collaboration | |||
| Team seats | Unlimited on Team plan$10/mo per channel | 1 on Starter (no add-on seats) · 2 on Growth · 6 on Pro (extra users $3–5/mo) | 2 on Team · unlimited on Enterprise |
| Approval workflow | Team plan only$10/mo per channel | Not listedNot shown in Planoly’s published plan details (June 2026) | Team & Enterprise plans |
| Comments on posts | Internal notes on paid plans | Not listedNot shown in Planoly’s published plan details (June 2026) | Team & Enterprise plans |
| Integrations & support | |||
| Analytics | 30-day history on Free · advanced on paid plans | IncludedReviewers say depth could be more comprehensive (G2/Capterra) | Included on every plan |
| API + webhooks | API access on all plansFree plan limited to 1 key, 3,000 requests/mo | Not listedNot shown in Planoly’s published plan details (June 2026) | Every plan, incl. Solo |
| Support | Help center + email | Email support | Email · priority on Enterprise |
| Verdict | |||
| Best for | Solo users with 1–3 channels who want a free plan | Creators planning a visual Instagram/Pinterest feed | Posting to many platforms on one flat EUR plan |
Pricing as of June 2026. Buffer figures per their public pricing page; Planoly 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.
Verified on planoly.com/pricing, June 10, 2026: $14/month billed annually ($16/month monthly, per their help center), 1 user, 1 eight-channel social set, unlimited uploads. A second social set or user requires upgrading to Growth at $24/month billed annually.
billed annually · €29/month billed monthly
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Pricing as of June 2026. Buffer and Planoly 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
The clearest signal in this comparison is platform coverage. Buffer publishes to all 11 major networks including Bluesky, Mastodon, Google Business, and auto-posts to X — which is a concrete functional advantage over Planoly in all four of those cases. Planoly’s counter-argument is not platforms but aesthetics: if a beautiful Instagram or Pinterest grid is the center of your creative process, Planoly’s visual planner is genuinely the best tool for that job. Buffer and SocialKit approach planning from the publishing side, not the grid-aesthetics side. Where SocialKit pulls ahead of both is pricing structure — a flat EUR plan that covers every network, every feature, and every brand without per-channel or per-set billing, plus approval workflows on the Team plan and API access from the first 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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