Buffer pricing in 2026: what 10 channels really cost
By PublishBuddy TeamUpdated on 5 min read
Short answer
As of October 25, 2026, 10 Buffer channels cost $60 a month on Essentials or $120 a month on Team. Billed yearly, the same 10 channels cost $600 or $1,200 a year. Buffer charges per channel, and channels 11 to 25 cost $4 a month each on either plan, before tax.
Key points
- Buffer has three plans: Free (up to 3 channels), Essentials and Team. Paid plans charge for each channel.
- 10 channels: Essentials is $60 a month or $600 a year. Team is $120 a month or $1,200 a year.
- Essentials includes one user. You need Team for a second user or for approvals.
- Each channel past 10 costs less: $4 a month for channels 11 to 25, $3 for 26 to 50.
- Yearly billing gives about two months free, which is 16.7% off the monthly price.
All Buffer prices below come from buffer.com and Buffer's help center, checked on October 25, 2026. They're in US dollars and exclude sales tax or VAT. Buffer's pricing page says its prices were last updated in November 2025. Sources are at the end.
How Buffer's pricing works
Buffer charges for each channel you connect. A channel is one social account: one Instagram profile, one Facebook Page, one LinkedIn Page. Buffer's own example: five brands, each with an Instagram account and a Facebook Page, make 10 channels.
A few things count that people miss:
- Start Page counts. Buffer's link-in-bio page takes a channel slot on your plan.
- Brands don't matter, channels do. 30 accounts cost the same whether they belong to one brand or fifteen.
- Leaving Free costs more than you'd think. When you upgrade, you pay for every channel, including the 3 you had for free.
- Tax comes on top. Buffer bills in US dollars wherever you are, and adds tax where it applies.
Buffer's plans at a glance
| Free | Essentials | Team | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price per channel, monthly billing | $0 | $6 a month | $12 a month |
| Price per channel, yearly billing | $0 | $60 a year | $120 a year |
| Channels | Up to 3 | Any number | Any number |
| Users | 1 | 1 | Unlimited |
| Scheduled posts | 10 per channel | Unlimited (fair use) | Unlimited (fair use) |
| Analytics history | 30 days | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Approval workflows | No | No | Yes |
| Branded reports | No | No | Yes |
The per-channel prices are for channels 1 to 10. Every plan, Free included, gets Buffer's AI Assistant, its comment inbox and a Start Page.
What 10 channels cost
| Plan | Monthly billing | Yearly billing |
|---|---|---|
| Essentials | $60 a month ($720 over a year) | $600 a year (works out to $50 a month) |
| Team | $120 a month ($1,440 over a year) | $1,200 a year (works out to $100 a month) |
You can't have 10 channels on Free, which stops at 3.
Yearly billing charges 10 months' price for 12 months. That saves $120 a year on Essentials and $240 on Team, or 16.7% off the monthly price. Buffer calls it "2 months free".
Ten is also the last channel at full price. An 11th channel adds $4 a month on either plan, so 11 channels cost $64 a month on Essentials and $124 on Team.
What changes past 10 channels
Channels above 10 get cheaper in bands. With monthly billing, per channel per month:
| Channels | Essentials | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 10 | $6 | $12 |
| 11 to 25 | $4 | $4 |
| 26 to 50 | $3 | $3 |
| 51 and up | $1 | $2 |
Buffer's own worked examples, with monthly billing: 25 channels cost $120 a month on Essentials and $180 on Team. 50 channels cost $195 and $255.
Channels 11 to 50 cost the same on both plans. So from 10 channels up to 50, Team costs exactly $60 a month more than Essentials.
Essentials or Team?
The question isn't really about features. It's about people.
Essentials has one user. If you run your accounts alone, it covers scheduling, unlimited analytics history, reports and first-comment scheduling.
Team is the plan for a second person. It adds unlimited team members, approval workflows, access permissions per channel and branded reports. If a client, a colleague or a freelancer needs their own login, you're paying the Team price. That's $120 a month for 10 channels with monthly billing.
Billing details worth knowing
- Adding a channel mid-cycle charges a prorated amount right away, for the rest of the billing period.
- Removing a channel lowers your bill from the next billing date. Disconnecting the account isn't enough: you also remove the channel slot in billing.
- The trial lasts 14 days, one per account, on the Team plan. Buffer's help center says you add card details at the end to keep a paid plan. Without them, you move to Free, and channels beyond the first 3 are locked.
- Refunds are available within 7 days of starting a monthly plan, or within 30 days for a yearly plan.
- Nonprofits get 50% off paid plans.
How it compares with PublishBuddy
PublishBuddy is our product, so here's how its prices line up, checked the same day. PublishBuddy charges per plan, with a set number of social accounts included.
| Buffer Essentials | Buffer Team | PublishBuddy Pro | PublishBuddy Business | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 accounts, monthly billing | $60 a month | $120 a month | $29 a month | $49 a month |
| 10 accounts, yearly billing | $600 a year | $1,200 a year | $278 a year | $470 a year |
| 20 accounts, monthly billing | $100 a month | $160 a month | $79 a month | $49 a month |
| Users | 1 | Unlimited | Owner plus 5 | Owner plus 15 per workspace |
| Approval workflows | No | Yes | No | Yes |
PublishBuddy Pro includes 10 social accounts, and each extra account is $5 a month. Business includes 20. Extra team members are $5 a month each.
Buffer gives you more in some places. Its Free plan includes an AI assistant and a comment inbox, while PublishBuddy's Free plan has no AI writing and no inbox. Team has unlimited users. Buffer also has a link-in-bio page and supports Mastodon and Substack Notes. PublishBuddy supports Telegram and includes an AI agent that can work on your posts by chat. See the full PublishBuddy vs Buffer comparison and PublishBuddy's pricing.
Sources
All read on October 25, 2026:
- Buffer pricing page and its text version, buffer.com/pricing.md: plans, per-channel rates, the volume bands and the price calculator at 10 and 11 channels.
- Buffer pricing and features: yearly rates per band.
- Your bill, taxes and VAT explained: currency, tax, adding and removing channels.
- Information about free trials: trial length and plan.
- Refund policy: 7 and 30 days.
Prices change. If you're reading this months later, check Buffer's pricing page before you decide.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Buffer cost per month?
For channels 1 to 10, Essentials is $6 per channel a month with monthly billing, or $5 a month billed yearly. Team is $12 per channel a month, or $10 billed yearly. The Free plan costs nothing for up to 3 channels. Prices checked October 25, 2026, before tax.
Is Buffer's yearly plan cheaper?
Yes. Yearly billing charges 10 months' price for 12 months. For 10 channels on Essentials that's $600 a year instead of $720, and on Team $1,200 instead of $1,440.
Does Buffer have a free plan?
Yes. Free covers up to 3 channels, 10 scheduled posts per channel at a time, one user and 30 days of analytics history.
Does Buffer charge per user?
No. There's no per-seat fee, but the plans differ. Essentials includes one user. Team includes unlimited team members, plus approvals and access permissions.
Does Buffer have a free trial?
Yes. Buffer's trial lasts 14 days and puts you on the Team plan. Buffer's help center says you add card details at the end of the trial to keep a paid plan. Otherwise the account moves to Free.
Written by
PublishBuddy Team
The team that builds PublishBuddy, a social media management tool with a built-in AI agent.
See what 10 accounts cost on PublishBuddy
PublishBuddy Pro is $29 a month with 10 social accounts and 5 team members included. Try Pro or Business free for 14 days.
Try PublishBuddy free14-day free trial. No credit card required.