Comparison
PublishBuddy vs SocialBee
SocialBee is built around content categories that recycle your best posts. PublishBuddy is built around an AI agent that writes and schedules new ones, for less per account.
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The short version
SocialBee sorts your posts into categories and can put evergreen posts back in the queue again and again. PublishBuddy doesn't recycle posts. It has an AI agent that writes and schedules posts from a chat, plus a public API and an MCP server.
On price, 10 accounts cost $49 a month on SocialBee Accelerate and $29 on PublishBuddy Pro. At 20 accounts it's $74 to $99 on SocialBee, depending on the plan, and $49 on PublishBuddy Business. SocialBee's DM inbox and evergreen queues are the reasons to pay more.
PublishBuddy vs SocialBee at a glance
| Feature | SocialBee | PublishBuddy |
|---|---|---|
| Networks | Facebook Pages, Instagram, X, LinkedIn, Pinterest, TikTok, YouTube, Google Business Profile, Threads, Bluesky (links and images only). Telegram and Mastodon by phone reminder only | Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter), LinkedIn, Pinterest, TikTok, YouTube, Telegram, Threads, Bluesky |
| Free plan | No | Yes: 3 accounts, 10 scheduled posts per account, 7 days of post stats |
| Free trial | 14 days of Pro, no credit card | 14 days of Pro or Business, no credit card |
| Cheapest paid plan | Bootstrap, $29/month: 5 accounts, 1 user | Pro, $29/month: 10 accounts, 5 team members |
| 10 social accounts | $49/month (Accelerate), or $44 for Bootstrap plus an add-on | $29/month (Pro) |
| Team members | 1 on Bootstrap and Accelerate, 3 per workspace on Pro, then $10/month each | 5 on Pro, 15 on Business, then $5/month each |
| AI writing help | Unlimited AI captions on every plan, under a fair-use rule | AI Assist writes captions and suggests hashtags (Pro and Business) |
| AI agent | No chat agent. AI Copilot drafts a starter plan of categories and 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 | AI images in the post editor. No AI video listed | AI Studio (Pro and Business, uses AI credits) |
| Analytics | Every plan. Advanced analytics on Accelerate and up, branded PDF reports on Pro and up | Analytics page on Pro and Business. Best times, hashtags and demographics on Business |
| Post stats history | 3 months on Bootstrap, 2 years on Accelerate and up | 7 days (Free), 365 days (Pro), 2 years (Business) |
| Approval workflows | Accelerate and up | Required approval on Business |
| Inbox | Every plan: comments and mentions, plus DMs on Facebook and Instagram | Comments (Engage, Pro and Business). No DMs yet |
| Social listening | No. Mentions show up in the inbox | No |
| Link-in-bio page | None listed | No |
| Public API | No public API. Zapier, Make and Pabbly instead | Pro and Business |
| MCP server | None listed | Pro and Business. Works with Claude Code, Cursor and other clients that use an API key |
SocialBee facts come from SocialBee's own website, checked October 25, 2026 (sources at the end of this page). PublishBuddy facts come from our pricing page.
SocialBee pricing, checked October 25, 2026
| Plan | Monthly billing | Yearly billing | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bootstrap | $29 | $24.20 a month ($290 a year) | 5 accounts, 1 user, 3 months of analytics. No approvals or CSV upload. |
| Accelerate | $49 | $40.80 a month ($490 a year) | 10 accounts, 1 user, approvals, CSV upload, 2 years of analytics. |
| Pro | $99 | $82.50 a month ($990 a year) | 25 accounts, 3 users per workspace, 5 workspaces, branded PDF reports. |
| Pro50 | $179 | $149.20 a month | 50 accounts, 5 users per workspace, 10 workspaces. |
| Pro100 and Pro150 | $329 and $449 | $274.20 and $374.20 a month | 100 or 150 accounts, 5 users per workspace, 20 or 30 workspaces. |
Source: SocialBee pricing page. Last checked: . Prices are in US dollars and change often, so check the source before you buy.
For 10 accounts, most people would pick Accelerate at $49 a month. Bootstrap plus a 5-account add-on costs $44, but Bootstrap keeps only 3 months of analytics and has no approvals or CSV upload.
Bootstrap and Accelerate include 1 user, and each extra user is $10 a month. Extra accounts come in sets of 5 for $15 a month. PublishBuddy Pro includes 5 team members.
SocialBee has no free plan. Its 14-day trial opens up SocialBee's Pro plan with no credit card, and paying yearly saves about two months.
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
- Less per account: 10 accounts for $29 and 20 for $49, against $44 to $49 and $74 to $99 on SocialBee.
- More people on the plan: 5 team members on Pro, against 1 user on SocialBee's two cheaper plans.
- An AI agent you talk to. Ask how last month went, then have it write and schedule next week's posts.
- AI Studio makes video as well as images. SocialBee lists AI images only.
- A public API and an MCP server on Pro. SocialBee has neither.
- A free plan for 3 accounts. A SocialBee account locks when its trial ends.
Where SocialBee is stronger
- Evergreen recycling: categories can put your best posts back in the queue on repeat. PublishBuddy has no automatic recycling.
- A DM inbox on every plan for Facebook and Instagram. PublishBuddy's Engage inbox handles comments only.
- Unlimited AI captions and images on every plan, under a fair-use rule. PublishBuddy's AI runs on monthly credits.
- RSS content sources, from 10 on Bootstrap to unlimited on Pro.
- A 30-day money-back guarantee on paid plans.
Who should pick SocialBee
Your posting runs on evergreen content: a library of posts in categories that go out again and again. Or your team lives in Facebook and Instagram DMs. SocialBee covers both, even on its cheaper plans.
Who should pick PublishBuddy
You'd rather have AI write fresh posts than recycle old ones. You need more than one user without paying per seat, or you want API and MCP access. 10 accounts and 5 team members cost $29 a month.
How to switch from SocialBee 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.
- Ask SocialBee for your posts. It has no self-serve export, so email its support team with your category and workspace names, and it sends the posts back as a CSV file.
- 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 SocialBee once it's scheduled in PublishBuddy, so nothing goes out twice. Cancel SocialBee when its queue is empty. PublishBuddy has no evergreen categories, so pick the posts worth keeping and schedule or queue them.
Frequently asked questions
Is PublishBuddy cheaper than SocialBee?
At 10 and 20 accounts, yes. 10 accounts cost $29 a month on PublishBuddy Pro, with 5 team members. On SocialBee they cost $49 on Accelerate, or $44 on Bootstrap plus an add-on, with 1 user. SocialBee prices were checked on its pricing page on October 25, 2026.
Can PublishBuddy recycle evergreen posts like SocialBee?
No. PublishBuddy can reuse a post in one click, but it doesn't put posts back in the queue by itself. If evergreen categories are how you post, SocialBee is the better fit.
Does SocialBee have an AI agent?
Not a chat agent. SocialBee's AI writes captions and makes images in the post editor, and its Copilot builds a starter plan of categories and draft posts. PublishBuddy's agent is a chat that answers questions about your accounts and writes and schedules posts when you ask.
Does SocialBee have an API or an MCP server?
SocialBee's help center says it has no public API, and we found no MCP server. It connects to Zapier, Make and Pabbly instead. PublishBuddy includes a public API and an MCP server on Pro and Business.
Which one handles DMs?
SocialBee. Its inbox covers Facebook and Instagram DMs on every plan. PublishBuddy's Engage inbox handles comments, not DMs yet.
Can I export my posts from SocialBee?
Not by yourself. SocialBee's help center says to email its support team, which sends your content back as a CSV file. You can then load that file into PublishBuddy with a bulk upload.
Does SocialBee post to Telegram?
Only through reminders in its mobile app, so you still post by hand. PublishBuddy posts to Telegram channels directly.
Is there a free plan?
PublishBuddy has one for 3 accounts. SocialBee doesn't. Its 14-day trial needs no card, and the account locks when the trial ends unless you pay.
The verdict
SocialBee is the better fit if recycling evergreen posts is your system, or if you answer Facebook and Instagram DMs every day.
PublishBuddy is the better fit if you want an AI agent to write and schedule new posts, more team members per plan, and API access. It costs less at 10 and 20 accounts: $29 and $49 a month.
Sources
- SocialBee pricing page, checked
- SocialBee help: which pricing plan, checked
- SocialBee help: supported accounts, checked
- SocialBee engagement inbox, checked
- SocialBee help: AI Copilot, checked
- SocialBee help: API and white label, checked
- SocialBee help: exporting content, checked
Try PublishBuddy free
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.
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