Buffer
The original scheduler, still simple and now with a free API and MCP server, but per-channel pricing makes it dear at any real scale, approvals are basic, and its Trustpilot has slipped to 3.4.
How we testBuffer (founded 2010, fully remote, ~75 staff, independent and transparent about its finances) charges per connected channel: Essentials $6 per channel monthly or $5 annual for one user, Team $12 / $10 for unlimited users, approvals and branded reports, with volume rates above ten channels. Five channels on Team is $60 a month; ten is $120, before you have anything Metricool doesn't include at €20 for five brands with every network. It supports Facebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn profiles and Company Pages, TikTok, Pinterest, YouTube, Google Business Profile, Threads, Bluesky and Mastodon, has a free plan (3 channels, 10 posts each), and, to its credit, shipped a public GraphQL API, CLI and official remote MCP server (mcp.buffer.com/mcp) in May 2026, free on every plan, alongside an AI assistant that is also free.
What it lacks is depth: approvals are a single approve/reject on Team with no multi-level or guest flow, there is no competitor analysis, no white-label, and analytics stop at cross-channel comparison. Trustpilot is 3.4/5 on 117 reviews with 44% one-star: failed posts and channel disconnections dominate, followed by "does it justify the cost". Pricing is USD only.
First-party: we ran Buffer and found it very expensive for what it is. The field has caught up and overtaken it on functionality, and beats it commercially now too.
Pros
- +Simplest UI in the category
- +Free public API, CLI and MCP server on every plan (May 2026)
- +Widest network list incl. Mastodon
Cons
- −Per-channel pricing gets expensive fast: 10 channels on Team is $120/mo
- −Approvals basic; no competitor analysis or white-label
- −Trustpilot 3.4 with failed-post complaints
Pricing
Minimum commitment: $6 ($6/mo × 1 seat × 1 month (no commitment)). The least you can spend before walking away; excludes numbers, minutes and add-ons.
Essentials (per channel)
$6/mo · month-to-month
$5/mo on an annual commitment
Month-to-month costs 20% more
- ✓Per channel; 1 user, unlimited posts, inbox with AI replies, no approvals (5 channels = $30 monthly / $25 annual)
Team (per channel)
$12/mo · month-to-month
$10/mo on an annual commitment
Month-to-month costs 20% more
- ✓Per channel; unlimited users, approvals, branded reports (5 channels = $60 / $50; 10 = $120 / $100)
Free
$0/mo · no commitment
Same price on any term
- ✓3 channels, 10 scheduled posts per channel, 1 user
Volume (channels 11–25)
$4/mo · month-to-month
$3.33/mo on an annual commitment
Month-to-month costs 20% more
- ✓Per channel; 26–50 $3 / $2.50; 51+ $1–2
Specifications
| Rating | 3.3 |
| Priced per | Channel |
| Profiles on entry plan | 1 |
| Seats on entry plan | 1 |
| Approval workflow | ✓ |
| Inbox | ✓ |
| Competitor analysis | No |
| AI assistant | ✓ |
| API | ✓ |
| MCP server | ✓ |
| LinkedIn Company Pages | ✓ |
| Analytics depth | Basic |
| Trustpilot (reviews) | 3.4 (117) |
| Platforms supported | Facebook, Instagram, X +8 |
| White-label reports | No |
| Commitment for annual rate (months) | 0 |
Researched and drafted with AI assistance; reviewed and approved by Tim Meredith. How we use AI
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