Comparison
PublishBuddy vs Buffer
Buffer is simple and priced per channel. PublishBuddy charges one price for 10 accounts and adds an AI agent that writes and schedules your posts.
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The short version
Buffer is the simple, well-known choice. It charges per channel: $6 a month each on Essentials, or $12 on Team, which adds unlimited users and approvals. AI writing help, the API and the MCP server come with every plan, the free one included.
PublishBuddy charges per plan. 10 accounts cost $29 a month on Pro with 5 team members, against $60 on Buffer Essentials for 1 user. At 20 accounts with approvals it's $49 on PublishBuddy Business, against $160 on Buffer Team. Buffer costs less for up to four channels. From five to about 45, PublishBuddy costs less, and the gap grows once a team needs approvals.
PublishBuddy vs Buffer at a glance
| Feature | Buffer | PublishBuddy |
|---|---|---|
| Networks | Facebook Pages, Instagram, X, LinkedIn, Pinterest, TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Google Business Profile, Threads, Bluesky, Mastodon. No Telegram | Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter), LinkedIn, Pinterest, TikTok, YouTube, Telegram, Threads, Bluesky |
| Free plan | Yes: 3 channels, 10 scheduled posts per channel at a time, 30 days of stats | Yes: 3 accounts, 10 scheduled posts per account, 7 days of post stats |
| Free trial | 14 days on the Team plan. You add a card at the end to keep it | 14 days of Pro or Business, no credit card |
| Cheapest paid plan | Essentials, $6/month per channel, 1 user | Pro, $29/month: 10 accounts, 5 team members |
| 10 social accounts | $60/month (Essentials, 1 user), $120 on Team | $29/month (Pro) |
| Team members | 1 on Free and Essentials, unlimited on Team | 5 on Pro, 15 on Business, then $5/month each |
| AI writing help | AI Assistant on every plan, the free one included | AI Assist writes captions and suggests hashtags (Pro and Business) |
| AI agent | No agent inside the app. Its MCP server lets Claude or ChatGPT create and schedule posts | Answers questions about your accounts, and writes and schedules posts by chat. 500 AI credits a month on Pro, 2,500 on Business |
| AI images and video | None listed. The AI Assistant writes text | AI Studio (Pro and Business, uses AI credits) |
| Analytics | Every plan. No best times or demographics since Analyze retired in October 2026 | Analytics page on Pro and Business. Best times, hashtags and demographics on Business |
| Post stats history | 30 days on Free, unlimited on paid plans | 7 days (Free), 365 days (Pro), 2 years (Business) |
| Approval workflows | Team plan only | Required approval on Business |
| Inbox | Comments on every plan, plus Google review replies. No DMs listed | Comments (Engage, Pro and Business). No DMs yet |
| Social listening | None listed | No |
| Link-in-bio page | Start Page, on every plan | No |
| Public API | Every plan, the free one included | Pro and Business |
| MCP server | Every plan, the free one included | Pro and Business. Works with Claude Code, Cursor and other clients that use an API key |
Buffer facts come from Buffer's own website, checked October 25, 2026 (sources at the end of this page). PublishBuddy facts come from our pricing page.
Buffer pricing, checked October 25, 2026
| Plan | Monthly billing | Yearly billing | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 | 3 channels, 1 user, 10 scheduled posts per channel at a time, 30 days of stats, AI Assistant, API and MCP. |
| Essentials | $6 per channel | $5 per channel a month ($60 a year) | 1 user, unlimited stats history, report exports. Channels 11 to 25 cost $4 each. |
| Team | $12 per channel | $10 per channel a month ($120 a year) | Unlimited users, approval workflows. Channels 11 to 25 cost $4 each. |
Source: Buffer pricing page. Last checked: . Prices are in US dollars and change often, so check the source before you buy.
Buffer charges for each channel you connect. On monthly billing, 10 channels cost $60 a month on Essentials and $120 on Team. Buffer's own pricing examples show the same numbers.
For 20 channels, Essentials comes to $100 a month and Team to $160, since channels 11 to 25 cost $4 each. PublishBuddy Business covers 20 accounts, 15 team members and approvals for $49.
Paying yearly saves two months. Buffer's 14-day trial runs on the Team plan, and if you don't add a card at the end, the account drops to the free plan.
PublishBuddy pricing
| Plan | Monthly billing | Yearly billing | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 | 3 accounts, 10 scheduled posts per account, 20 drafts, 7 days of post stats. No AI Assist or AI agent. |
| Pro | $29 | $278 a year | 10 accounts, 5 team members, AI agent and AI Assist (500 credits a month), AI Studio, Brand Kits, Engage, team roles, API and MCP, the Analytics page, 365 days of post stats. |
| Business | $49 | $470 a year | 20 accounts, 15 team members, 2,500 AI credits a month, required approval, best times, hashtag insights, demographics, PDF and scheduled reports, 2 years of post stats. |
Extra accounts are $5 a month each ($48 a year) on Pro and Business. Extra team members are $5 a month each. Pro and Business come with a 14-day free trial, no credit card required.
Where PublishBuddy is stronger
- One price for 10 accounts: $29 a month, against $60 on Buffer Essentials for 1 user or $120 on Team.
- Cheaper approvals: $49 on Business, with 20 accounts and 15 team members. On Buffer, approvals need Team, $160 a month for 20 channels.
- An AI agent inside the app that writes and schedules posts from a chat. Buffer says its posting and scheduling aren't AI-powered.
- AI Studio makes images and video. Buffer's AI Assistant writes text only.
- Best times to post, hashtag insights and demographics on Business. Buffer says its Insights has no best times or demographics since Analyze retired.
- Telegram channels, which Buffer doesn't support.
Where Buffer is stronger
- Cheaper for one or two channels: $6 a month each on Essentials, and a free plan for 3.
- AI writing, the API and an MCP server on every plan, the free one included.
- Start Page, a link-in-bio page with an email sign-up form.
- Mastodon and Substack Notes, plus Google review replies in its Community inbox.
- Unlimited users on Team.
Who should pick Buffer
You post to one or two channels, want the simplest tool around, and like a free plan that already has AI writing and an API. Buffer does that well.
Who should pick PublishBuddy
Your channel count is growing and so is your Buffer bill. You want one price for 10 or 20 accounts with a team included, and AI that writes, schedules and makes images and video.
How to switch from Buffer to PublishBuddy
You can make the whole move yourself. Here are the steps.
- Start a free trial. Pro and Business come with 14 days free and no credit card.
- Connect your accounts through each network's own login. Facebook connects Pages, and Instagram needs a professional account.
- Gather your scheduled posts from Buffer. It has no export for queued posts, so list them with Buffer's API, or copy them from the queue into a spreadsheet.
- Load those posts with a CSV bulk upload (Pro and up). Name the columns Date and Message, and add Link and Media URLs if you have them. One file holds up to 500 posts and goes to the accounts you pick, so make one file per set of accounts.
- Set your queue times so new posts drop into the next open slot.
- Invite your team. Roles are on Pro and Business; making approval required is on Business.
- Delete each post from Buffer once it's scheduled in PublishBuddy, so nothing goes out twice. Cancel Buffer when its queue is empty. Buffer's Start Page won't move over, and PublishBuddy has no link-in-bio page yet, so keep Start Page or another tool for that.
Frequently asked questions
Is PublishBuddy cheaper than Buffer?
At 10 and 20 accounts, yes. 10 accounts cost $29 a month on PublishBuddy Pro, and $60 on Buffer Essentials (1 user) or $120 on Team. For one or two channels Buffer costs less, at $6 a month each, and around 50 channels Buffer Essentials catches up for a single user. Buffer prices were checked on its pricing page on October 25, 2026.
Can I move my scheduled posts from Buffer?
Yes, and you do it yourself. Buffer has no export for queued posts, so list them with Buffer's API, or copy them from your queue into a spreadsheet with Date and Message columns. Then load the file with PublishBuddy's bulk upload on Pro or Business.
Does Buffer have an AI agent?
Not inside the app. Buffer's AI Assistant writes and rewrites text on every plan, and its MCP server lets Claude or ChatGPT create and schedule posts. PublishBuddy's agent lives in the app, answers questions about your accounts, and writes and schedules posts from a chat.
Does Buffer support Threads, Bluesky and Telegram?
Threads and Bluesky, yes. Telegram, no. PublishBuddy supports all three.
Does PublishBuddy have a link-in-bio page like Start Page?
Not yet. Buffer's Start Page comes with every plan, so if you rely on it, keep it running next to PublishBuddy or use another link-in-bio tool.
Which one has approval workflows?
Both, on the higher plan. Buffer's approvals need Team, at $12 a channel. PublishBuddy's need Business, at $49 a month for 20 accounts.
Is there a free plan?
Both have one. Buffer's covers 3 channels and includes AI writing, the API and MCP. PublishBuddy's covers 3 accounts with 10 scheduled posts each, and AI starts on Pro.
Does the trial need a credit card?
PublishBuddy's 14-day trial doesn't. Buffer's 14-day trial doesn't need one to start, and you add one at the end to stay on a paid plan.
The verdict
Buffer is the better pick for one or two channels: simple, cheap per channel, and a free plan with AI writing and an API.
PublishBuddy is the better pick once you pass a handful of accounts or add a team. 10 accounts cost $29 instead of $60 to $120, with an AI agent and AI images and video, and approvals come with Business at $49.
Sources
- Buffer pricing page, checked
- Buffer pricing (Markdown), checked
- Buffer help: pricing and features, checked
- Buffer help: supported channels, checked
- Buffer help: free trials, checked
- Buffer AI Assistant, checked
- Buffer MCP server, checked
- Buffer help: Insights, checked
- Buffer help: Community inbox, checked
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Scheduling, analytics, and an AI agent that writes and schedules for you. 10+ platforms. From $29/mo with 10 accounts included.
14-day free trial. No credit card required.
Already set on leaving Buffer? See Buffer alternatives for more options, or the buyer's guide to match a tool to how you work.