The best Buffer alternatives for small teams in 2026
The best Buffer alternatives in 2026 are Publer, Zoho Social, OmniSocials, Metricool, Refract, SocialBee and Agorapulse. Buffer charges per channel, from $6 a month on Essentials and $12 on Team, where unlimited members and approvals live; each pick below changes one part of that deal. Publer suits small teams that like paying per account, as on Buffer, but want a lower price, a free plan and Bluesky, Mastodon and Threads in one calendar. Zoho Social suits small businesses with one brand: a flat price per brand covers 14 channels, including Bluesky, Mastodon and Threads. OmniSocials suits teams that want every feature, approvals and an inbox included, on one plan priced per seat. The inbox covers 7 of its 13 networks, not Bluesky or Mastodon. Metricool suits teams that care most about analytics and want a free plan that never expires. Refract suits small teams that want one note turned into a native post for each of 10 networks, with every version approved before it goes out. SocialBee suits teams that recycle evergreen content by category and want approvals from its middle plan. Agorapulse suits teams whose main job is replying to comments and messages, and who can budget per user.
| Tool | Best for | Starting price | Team approvals | Bluesky | Mastodon | Free plan or trial |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Publer | Per-account pricing with a free plan | $5 per account a month ($4 yearly) | Business plan | Yes, Bluesky-hosted accounts | Yes, any server | Free plan; 7- or 14-day trial |
| Zoho Social | One brand on many networks, low price | $15 per brand a month ($10 yearly) | Premium plan | Yes, paid plans | Yes, paid plans; you can enter any server | Free plan; 15-day trial |
| OmniSocials | Every feature on one per-seat plan | $12 per seat a month ($10 yearly) | Included | Yes | Yes, any server | 14-day trial, card required |
| Metricool | Analytics and reports | $25 a month for 5 brands ($20 yearly) | Advanced plan | Yes, .bsky.social handles | No | Free plan |
| Refract | One note, a native post per network | Plans from $10 a month (billed yearly) | Business plan and up | Yes | Yes | 14-day free trial |
| SocialBee | Evergreen content queues | $29 a month for 5 profiles ($24.2 yearly) | Accelerate plan | Yes | Reminders only | 14-day trial |
| Agorapulse | A shared inbox for comments and DMs | $99 per user a month ($79 yearly) | Professional plan | Yes | No | Free plan; 30-day trial |
1. Publer
A scheduler that plans, previews and auto-publishes posts from one calendar, priced per social account. It adds bulk scheduling of up to 500 posts from a CSV file, RSS automations, post recycling and a link-in-bio page called Linkie.
Best for
Small teams who want per-account pricing, a free plan and a wide network list.
Not ideal for
- Teams that want approvals, analytics or the API on the cheaper plan: those are on Business.
- Teams that reply to comments and messages from one inbox: Publer has no unified inbox, though you can reply to comments on published posts.
- Posting to X on the free plan: X needs a paid plan.
Networks
Facebook pages, groups and profiles, Instagram Business and Creator, TikTok, X (paid plans only), Threads, LinkedIn profiles and pages, Pinterest, Mastodon (all servers), Google Business Profiles, YouTube, Telegram, Bluesky (accounts hosted on Bluesky; custom PDS accounts are not supported yet) and WordPress.
Pricing
Free: 1 user, 3 social accounts (not X), 10 scheduled posts per account. Professional: $5 a month per account, $4 billed yearly. Business: $10 a month per account, $8 billed yearly, with approvals, analytics and API access. Enterprise is quoted. The price grows with each extra account and member, and every tenth account or member is free. Trials: 7 days on Professional, 14 on Business; the Business trial needs a card or PayPal account.
2. Zoho Social
Zoho's social media app for scheduling, publishing, monitoring and reporting, priced per brand (one profile on each network) rather than per channel. It connects to Zoho CRM and Zoho Desk.
Best for
Small businesses that want many networks for one flat price, and teams that already use Zoho.
Not ideal for
- Teams that need approvals on a lower plan: content approvals are on Premium.
- Brands with two accounts on one network: a brand holds one profile per network, and more brands are add-ons.
- Bluesky, Mastodon or Threads on the free plan: it covers six channels without them.
Networks
One brand on Standard and up: X, Instagram, a Facebook Page, a LinkedIn Company Page and profile, Google Business Profile, YouTube, Pinterest, TikTok, Mastodon (pick a listed server or type any other server's name), Threads, Bluesky, Snapchat and Arattai. Premium adds WhatsApp Business and Telegram Business for the inbox.
Pricing
USD prices from the price file Zoho's pricing page loads, since the page shows local currency. Free: 1 brand, 6 channels, 1 member. Standard: $15 a month, $10 billed yearly, 1 member. Professional: $40, $30 billed yearly; extra members $12 a month, $10 yearly. Premium: $65, $40 billed yearly, 3 members, approvals and the inbox. 15-day free trial, no card.
3. OmniSocials
A scheduler with one flat plan per seat that posts to 13 networks and includes an inbox for Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube, X and Threads, analytics, a public API and an MCP server. Each workspace is one brand or client, with one account per network.
Best for
Teams of two or three who want approvals, an inbox and an API without choosing a tier.
Not ideal for
- One brand with several accounts on the same network: a workspace connects one account per platform.
- Long-form YouTube videos: it posts Shorts.
- Frequent X posts with links: those cost credits.
Networks
Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn profile and page, YouTube Shorts, TikTok, X, Pinterest, Threads, Bluesky (including self-hosted servers and custom-domain handles), Mastodon (any server), Google Business, Telegram and Discord.
Pricing
One plan: $12 per seat a month, or $10 billed yearly. Each extra workspace, team member or client seat costs the same. Unlimited scheduled posts. X usage costs credits, for example $0.20 for a post with a link, and every organization starts with 200 free credits. 14-day free trial that needs a credit card; no free plan.
4. Metricool
A planner and analytics tool organized by brands, with one account per network in each brand. Analytics are its core: paid plans keep unlimited history and add PDF and PPT reports.
Best for
Teams that report on results and want analytics next to the calendar.
Not ideal for
- Mastodon: it isn't among the networks you can connect.
- Bluesky accounts on custom domains or other servers: only .bsky.social handles connect for now.
- Approvals on a small budget: approvals and role management are on Advanced.
Networks
Per brand: a Facebook Page, Instagram Business or Creator, Threads, X (paid add-on), Bluesky, LinkedIn (paid plans), Pinterest, TikTok, Google Business Profile, YouTube and Twitch, plus Meta, Google and TikTok Ads.
Pricing
Free: 1 brand, 20 posts a month, 30 days of analytics, no LinkedIn or X. Starter: $25 a month for up to 5 brands, $20 billed yearly. Advanced: $67 a month for 15 brands, $53 billed yearly, with approvals, roles and the API. X is an add-on at $10 a month per account.
5. Refract
A social media scheduler where you write one note and an AI agent for each network writes a version that fits it. You approve each version and Refract schedules it. Per-network voice rules learn from your edits, and Studio makes images and video in each network's shape.
Best for
Small teams who write once and want a version for each network written for them, then reviewed.
Not ideal for
- Teams that answer comments and messages from their scheduler: Refract has no social inbox.
- Teams that want a free plan: there is only the 14-day free trial.
- Teams that write every post by hand: the AI-first workflow may be more than you need.
- Instagram, Facebook, Threads, TikTok, YouTube, LinkedIn, X and Google Business aren't available yet.
Networks
Posts to 10 networks today: Pinterest, Bluesky, Mastodon, Telegram, WordPress, Discord, Tumblr, Slack, Pixelfed and DEV. Coming soon: Instagram, Facebook, Threads, TikTok, YouTube, LinkedIn, X and Google Business.
Pricing
Creator $12 a month ($10 a month billed yearly); Business $29 a month ($24 a month billed yearly); Agency $59 a month ($49 a month billed yearly); Agency Plus $119 a month ($99 a month billed yearly). Unlimited scheduled posts on every plan, a 14-day free trial, and the API, MCP server and webhooks on every plan.
6. SocialBee
A scheduler built around content categories and evergreen recycling, with AI writing, an engagement inbox, analytics and post approval on higher plans.
Best for
Teams that run a steady queue of evergreen posts.
Not ideal for
- Mastodon: it sends you a reminder to post by hand instead of publishing.
- Teams of two or more on a lower plan: Bootstrap and Accelerate include one user.
- Teams that want a free plan: there is a trial only.
Networks
Direct posting to Facebook, Instagram, Threads, LinkedIn, X, Pinterest, TikTok, YouTube, Google Business Profiles and Bluesky. Mastodon, Telegram, WhatsApp and other networks get reminders through its mobile app.
Pricing
Bootstrap: $29 a month, $24.2 billed yearly, 5 profiles, 1 user. Accelerate: $49, $40.8 billed yearly, 10 profiles, approvals. Pro: $99, $82.5 billed yearly, 25 profiles, 3 users. 14-day free trial with no card, and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
7. Agorapulse
A suite for teams and agencies: scheduling, a shared inbox for comments and DMs, listening, reporting and ROI tracking, priced per user.
Best for
Teams that do community management and need a shared inbox.
Not ideal for
- Teams watching the cost per person: paid plans start at $79 per user a month billed yearly.
- Mastodon: it isn't supported.
- More than 10 profiles: each extra profile costs $10 to $15 a month.
Networks
Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn company pages and profiles, TikTok, X, YouTube, Threads, Pinterest, Bluesky and Google Business, plus Reddit for listening.
Pricing
Free: 1 user, 3 profiles, 10 scheduled posts and a basic inbox. Standard: $99 per user a month, $79 billed yearly, 10 profiles. Professional: $149, $119 billed yearly. Advanced: $199, $149 billed yearly. 30-day free trial, no card.
How we evaluated.
We compared each tool on what a small team weighs when it leaves Buffer: how the price grows (per channel, per seat, per brand or per user), how many people each plan includes and where approvals start, which networks it publishes to directly, with Bluesky, Mastodon and Threads checked one by one, and whether there is a free plan or a trial. Every fact about another tool comes from that tool's own pricing page or help center, listed under sources, and was checked again on October 27, 2026.
Buffer is the baseline. Its free plan covers 3 channels and 1 user. Essentials costs $6 per channel a month, or $5 billed yearly, for 1 user. Team costs $12 per channel, or $10 billed yearly, with unlimited members and approval workflows. It publishes to Bluesky, Mastodon, Threads and the other major networks, and every plan has a community inbox for comments and a 14-day trial on paid plans. If that fits your team, staying on Buffer is a fair choice.
Publer ranks first because it keeps the per-account model at a lower price, adds a free plan and publishes to Bluesky, Mastodon (any server) and Threads. Zoho Social is second for its flat per-brand price across 14 channels, though approvals wait until Premium. OmniSocials is third: one per-seat plan with approvals, an inbox for seven networks and an API, which suits a team of two or three but grows with every seat. Metricool is fourth: it trades Mastodon for stronger analytics and a free plan that never expires.
Refract is fifth. It is built around one idea: you write one note, an AI agent for each network writes a native version, you approve each version, and Refract schedules it. Approvals for teams are on the Business plan and up, and unlimited scheduled posts, the API, the MCP server and webhooks are on every plan. It ranks below the first four because it has no social inbox and no free plan, and it posts to 10 networks today. Instagram, Facebook, Threads, TikTok, YouTube, LinkedIn, X and Google Business are coming soon; if one of those is your main network, pick another tool for now.
SocialBee and Agorapulse close the list. SocialBee's lower plans include one user and its Mastodon support is reminder-only. Agorapulse is built around a shared inbox for comments, DMs and reviews, but per-user pricing from $79 a month billed yearly adds up fast for a team. We left out Hootsuite, at $99 per user a month billed yearly, Vista Social, from $99 a month, and Later, which supports neither Bluesky nor Mastodon.
Questions and answers.
What is the cheapest Buffer alternative?
Among the paid plans here, Publer's Professional plan costs $5 per account a month, or $4 billed yearly, and Zoho Social's Standard plan costs $10 a month billed yearly for one brand of 14 channels. Publer, Zoho Social, Metricool and Agorapulse also have free plans.
Which Buffer alternatives post to Bluesky and Mastodon?
Publer, Zoho Social (on paid plans) and OmniSocials publish to both. Metricool and Agorapulse publish to Bluesky but not Mastodon, and SocialBee publishes to Bluesky and sends reminders for Mastodon. Refract on Bluesky: Yes. On Mastodon: Yes, on any server you enter, counted against that server's own character limit.
Is per-channel or per-user pricing better for a small team?
It depends on which number grows. Per-channel pricing, as on Buffer and Publer, suits a few people posting to many accounts. Per-user pricing, as on Agorapulse, suits one or two people with up to 10 profiles. Per-seat plans like OmniSocials' and per-brand plans like Zoho Social's and Metricool's sit between the two.
Which Buffer alternative has approvals on a low-cost plan?
OmniSocials includes approvals in its single plan at $10 per seat a month billed yearly. Publer has them on Business, $8 per account a month billed yearly, and SocialBee on Accelerate, $40.8 a month billed yearly. Refract has approvals on its Business plan and up. On Buffer itself, approvals are on Team.
Does Refract have a free plan or a social inbox?
No. Refract has a 14-day free trial and no free plan, and it has no social inbox or social listening. If replying to comments is part of your daily work, Buffer, Agorapulse or OmniSocials fit better. See pricing for Refract's plans.
Sources
- Buffer pricing
- Publer plans
- Publer: What social networks are supported?
- Publer: What are Publer's Plans and Pricing?
- Publer: Professional vs Business vs Enterprise
- Publer: What is included in Publer Business?
- Publer: Managing Mastodon accounts
- Publer: How to connect Bluesky accounts
- Publer: Managing comments of published posts
- Zoho Social pricing
- Zoho Social price data (USD)
- Zoho Social
- Zoho Social: Connecting your social channels
- Zoho Social: Publishing on Mastodon
- OmniSocials pricing
- OmniSocials pricing (Markdown)
- OmniSocials home page (FAQ)
- OmniSocials docs: Mastodon
- OmniSocials docs: Bluesky
- Metricool pricing
- Metricool: Connect social media and ad platforms
- Metricool: Connect Bluesky
- Metricool: Free and paid plans
- Metricool: API integration guide
- SocialBee pricing
- SocialBee: Universal Posting
- Agorapulse pricing
- Agorapulse integrations
- Agorapulse home page (FAQ)
- Hootsuite plans
- Vista Social pricing
- Later: Supported social platforms