A Buffer API alternative: Refract

Q: Does Refract have an MCP server like Buffer?

Yes. Add https://mcp.refract.social to Claude, Cursor, VS Code or ChatGPT (Business, Enterprise and Edu), sign in, and pick the workspaces and whether the app can only draft or also publish.

Q: Does Refract send webhooks?

Yes, on every plan. Events include post.published, post.failed and approval.requested, signed with a secret and retried when your endpoint fails. See Webhook events.

Both offer an API and an MCP server. Buffer's API is GraphQL, open to any Buffer account, and posts to Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTok today. Buffer also has a CLI but no webhooks. Refract is a REST API with signed webhooks, a CLI, and tokens scoped by role and workspace on every plan, and posts to 10 networks today: Pinterest, Bluesky, Mastodon, Telegram, WordPress, Discord, Tumblr, Slack, Pixelfed and DEV.

Who each one is for.

Refract is best for

Teams and developers who want a REST API, an MCP server, signed webhooks and a CLI on every plan, with tokens that follow the same roles and approval rules as people, on the networks Refract posts to today: Pinterest, Bluesky, Mastodon, Telegram, WordPress, Discord, Tumblr, Slack, Pixelfed and DEV.

Buffer is best for

People who already use Buffer, or who need to post through an API to Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube, Threads, X or Google Business today. Buffer also has a free plan with API access.

Feature by feature.

Buffer and Refract, feature by feature
Feature	Refract	Buffer
API style	REST, JSON:API documents	GraphQL at `https://api.buffer.com`
Who can get API access	Admins create tokens on every plan	Any Buffer account can create an API key in its settings, including the Free plan
Auth model	Per-organization tokens with a role (Editor, Contributor or Viewer), chosen workspaces and an expiry; OAuth 2.0 with PKCE for apps that act for one person	Personal API keys for your own account, and OAuth 2.0 app clients (Authorization Code with PKCE) for apps other people use
MCP server	Yes, `https://mcp.refract.social`, OAuth sign-in, pick workspaces and Draft or Publish level	Yes, `https://mcp.buffer.com/mcp`, most AI tools connect over OAuth, with no API key
Webhooks	Signed events for queued, published, failed, edited and removed posts, approvals and accounts, with retries	None. Buffer's docs say "There are no webhooks", so you poll for changes
CLI	`npm install -g @refract/cli`, browser sign-in, `refract post`	`npm install -g @bufferapp/cli`, API key or `BUFFER_API_KEY`, commands such as `buffer channels list`
Networks you can post to today	Pinterest, Bluesky, Mastodon, Telegram, WordPress, Discord, Tumblr, Slack, Pixelfed and DEV. Coming soon: Instagram, Facebook, Threads, TikTok, YouTube, LinkedIn, X and Google Business.	Instagram, Facebook, X (Twitter), LinkedIn, Pinterest, YouTube, Google Business, Mastodon, TikTok, Threads, Bluesky, Substack and Start Page through the MCP `create_post` tool
Approvals through the API	Tokens follow the workspace's approval rules; Contributor tokens can only send for approval (approvals on Business and up)	Approval workflows on the Team plan; posts can have a `needs_approval` status
Different text per network	One post with `variants` per network: text, post fields and which files to leave off	One post per channel, with service-specific `metadata`
Media	Upload a file or a public link; images up to 50 MB, videos up to 1 GB; WebP and PNG sent as JPEG where a network needs it	Assets attached to a post (image, video, or a document on LinkedIn)
Rate limits	120 requests a minute per token, 30 uploads a minute	100 per 15 minutes; 250 or 500 per 24 hours; 3,000 to 15,000 per 30 days, by plan

What it costs.

Refract

Creator $12 a month, or $10 a month billed yearly; Business $29 a month, or $24 a month billed yearly; Agency $59 a month, or $49 a month billed yearly; Agency Plus $119 a month, or $99 a month billed yearly. Every plan includes the API, the MCP server and webhooks, with a 14-day free trial.

Buffer

Free plan with 3 channels and API access (1 key, 3,000 requests a month). Essentials from $6 a month per channel and Team from $12 a month per channel, lower per channel as you add more channels (monthly billing; yearly billing costs less).

Buffer's pricing page

Last checked October 26, 2026

Where Buffer is stronger

Buffer posts to Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube, Threads, X and Google Business today; Refract posts to Pinterest, Bluesky, Mastodon, Telegram, WordPress, Discord, Tumblr, Slack, Pixelfed and DEV.
Buffer has a free plan that includes API access. Refract has no free plan.
Buffer's MCP server covers post analytics, ideas and templates, beyond posting, and Buffer has a CLI built for scripts and AI agents.
Buffer lists ready-made integrations with Zapier, n8n, Make, Raycast, Notion and more.
Buffer's price per channel goes down as you connect more channels, which can suit many accounts on few networks.

Moving from Buffer

Sign up for Refract and connect the accounts you post to on networks Refract supports today.
In Settings › API and agents › For developers, create a token with the role and workspaces your script needs.
Replace Buffer GraphQL calls with Refract REST calls: list accounts with GET /workspaces/{workspace}/accounts, create a draft with POST /workspaces/{workspace}/posts, then schedule it.
Where you check Buffer for a post's status, add a webhook endpoint for post.published and post.failed instead.
Connect your AI app to https://mcp.refract.social if you used Buffer's MCP server.

Questions and answers.

Is the Buffer API open to new developers?

Buffer's docs say any Buffer account can create an API key in its settings, and apps for other people register an OAuth app client. Check Buffer's developer portal for current terms.

Does Refract have an MCP server like Buffer?

Yes. Add https://mcp.refract.social to Claude, Cursor, VS Code or ChatGPT (Business, Enterprise and Edu), sign in, and pick the workspaces and whether the app can only draft or also publish.

Can I post to Instagram or LinkedIn through the Refract API?

Instagram: Coming soon. LinkedIn: Coming soon. Today Refract posts to 10 networks: Pinterest, Bluesky, Mastodon, Telegram, WordPress, Discord, Tumblr, Slack, Pixelfed and DEV.

Does Refract send webhooks?

Yes, on every plan. Events include post.published, post.failed and approval.requested, signed with a secret and retried when your endpoint fails. See Webhook events.

Can an API token skip approvals?

No. Tokens follow the same approval rules as your team, and a workspace can require approval for everything AI agents and tokens schedule.

Sources

Last checked October 26, 2026

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