Buffer’s pricing looks simple — a free plan and a $5 entry price. But because every paid plan is billed per connected channel, what you actually pay depends entirely on how many networks you post to. Here is how Buffer’s plans break down, the limits that matter, and what the bill really looks like at multi-platform usage. All figures as of June 2026.
Quick answer
Buffer starts free (up to 3 channels), and paid plans start at $5/month per connected channel on Essentials or $10/month per channel on Team (as of June 2026). At typical multi-platform usage the per-channel model stacks: all 11 major networks list at about $55/month on Essentials — roughly $110/month on Team with approvals.
| Plan | Billed monthly | Billed annually | Key limits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 — free forever | $0 | Up to 3 channels · 10 queued posts per channel · 1 user · 30-day analytics history · API limited to 1 key, 3,000 requests/mo |
| Essentials | $5/month per channel | $60/year per channel | Unlimited scheduled posts · 1 user · advanced analytics · hashtag manager + first-comment scheduling · no approval workflows |
| Team | $10/month per channel | $120/year per channel | Everything in Essentials · unlimited team members · approval workflows · branded reports |
Per-channel billing: every connected social account is billed separately, and channels beyond 10 cost less per channel. Paid plans come with a 14-day free trial; no money-back guarantee is listed on buffer.com/pricing (as of June 2026).
Prices as listed on Buffer’s site, June 2026. Prices may change — see Buffer's current pricing page.
Hidden costs
$5/month sounds cheap because it prices one channel. Connect all 11 networks Buffer supports and Essentials lists at about $55/month — roughly $660/year (channels beyond 10 cost slightly less per channel, so exact totals vary). The more places you post, the more the same workflow costs (as of June 2026).
Approval workflows only exist on the Team plan at $10/month per channel (as of June 2026). A small team that needs a review step pays twice the Essentials rate on every connected channel — approvals across 5 channels means about $50/month, not a one-off add-on.
Free covers up to 3 channels, but caps the queue at 10 scheduled posts per channel, analytics at 30 days of history, and API access at 1 key with 3,000 requests/month. Batch a month of content in one sitting and you hit the queue cap almost immediately.
Paid plans come with a 14-day trial, but Buffer’s pricing page lists no money-back guarantee after billing (as of June 2026) — so an annual per-channel commitment is worth testing thoroughly inside the trial window.
Advanced analytics, first-comment scheduling, and the hashtag manager are paid-plan features (as of June 2026). The free plan works well as an extended demo for a small presence, but most day-to-day workflow features assume you will upgrade.
| Channels | Buffer | SocialKit |
|---|---|---|
| 3 channels | Lists at $15/month on Essentials (3 × $5)Buffer’s free plan also covers up to 3 channels (10 queued posts per channel) | Solo: €29/month flat (€17.40/month billed annually) |
| 5 channels | Lists at $25/month on Essentials (5 × $5)On Team (adds approvals): about $50/month | Solo: €29/month flat — same plan, 15 accounts included |
| 10 channels | Lists at $50/month on Essentials (10 × $5)On Team (adds approvals): about $100/month | Solo: €29/month flat — same plan, 15 accounts included |
Buffer costs are derived from the rates published on their public pricing page as of June 2026 and may change. SocialKit Solo includes 15 social accounts across all 11 platforms at one flat price.
Honest take
Buffer is genuinely worth it if your footprint is small. With 1–3 channels, the free-forever plan is one of the most generous in the category — no card, no time limit — and even paid Essentials at $5/month per channel undercuts most flat-priced tools for a single account (as of June 2026). You also get one of the most established, well-documented products in the space, with a genuinely simple UI and an AI assistant included on every plan.
The math turns against Buffer as you scale. From roughly four channels up, per-channel billing costs more than a flat plan, and adding approval workflows doubles the rate on every channel. Some users also report on Trustpilot and G2 that posts occasionally fail to publish and support can be slow — worth weighing alongside the price. Small presence: keep Buffer. Posting everywhere: do the math first.
If the per-channel math is what brought you here, SocialKit was built for exactly that problem. Every plan includes all 11 platforms Buffer covers — Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, X, Threads, Bluesky, Pinterest, Mastodon, and Google Business — at one flat EUR price. Solo is €29/month (€17.40/month billed annually) with 15 social accounts, so connecting your eleventh network costs the same as your first.
The flat structure carries through where Buffer’s per-channel model bites hardest: approval workflows come with the flat Team plan at €49/month (€29.40/month billed annually, 30 social accounts, 2 seats) instead of $10 per channel, and API + webhooks are included on every plan, even Solo. Honest caveat: with only 1–3 channels, Buffer’s free plan is hard to beat — SocialKit’s case starts at roughly four channels and gets stronger from there. And you can check the math risk-free: 7-day trial, €0.00 due today, plus a 7-day money-back guarantee.
billed annually · €29/month billed monthly
€0.00 due today · cancel anytime · 7-day money-back guarantee
Full plan details on our pricing page.
FAQ
Still weighing it up? These are the answers people look for before they switch.
€0.00 due today · cancel anytime · 7-day money-back guarantee
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