Buffer is a tool for managing the social media of a company or a person. You write your posts in advance, choose the day and time, and Buffer publishes them for you on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and the others. A built-in AI assistant helps you write, shorten, or adapt a text. It was not originally an AI tool: the AI is a writing aid.
Buffer has a free plan. The recommended plan to start with: Free, $0. Prices checked on October 3, 2026 on the vendor’s official page.
BufferPrepare your posts once, and Buffer publishes them on scheduleWho it’s for: people who run social media for a small business, a department, or their own LinkedIn profile, without spending their days on it.
You write a post, check the channels, and adapt the text for each one. It goes out at the next free slot or at the time you set. A calendar shows the week at a glance. Supported networks: Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn, X, YouTube, Threads, Pinterest, Google Business Profile, Bluesky, and Mastodon.
You give a prompt of at least four words, and the assistant suggests a text. It can then rephrase it, shorten it, lengthen it, or change the tone. Nothing is changed unless you open the assistant. It relies on OpenAI’s technology.
The “Create” space keeps your ideas before they become posts: a text, a photo, a link, a PDF. You arrange them in columns and turn an idea into a post in two clicks.
Also
Buffer publishes its prices in dollars. 14-day trial of the paid plans. The price per channel drops from the eleventh onward. Nonprofits get 50% off.
| Plan | Price | Who it’s for |
|---|---|---|
| Free Recommended to start | $0 | One person, up to three channels |
| Essentials | $6 per channel per month ($5 per month if billed yearly) | One person who posts often |
| Team | $12 per channel per month ($10 per month if billed yearly) | A team, with approval |
Up to 3 connected channels, 10 scheduled posts per channel (the allowance refills as soon as a post has gone out), 100 ideas, the AI assistant, 30 days of analytics, and comment replies. One person only.
The free plan is enough for one person and one to three channels. Move to Essentials when the limit of 10 scheduled posts holds you back. Choose Team only if someone needs to approve before publishing. Do the math: the price is multiplied by the number of connected channels.
Your data. US vendor. Only the text you type into the AI assistant goes to OpenAI.
What it does less well
Schedule your first post with the assistant’s helpBufferThe prompt to copy
Write a LinkedIn post announcing that we will be at the Lyon trade show on November 12, booth B14. Warm, simple tone, three sentences, with a question at the end inviting visitors to stop by.
In the starter kit for one job.
More advanced analytics, ready-to-send reports, an interface in French, and data hosted in the European Union.
If your company already tracks its customers in HubSpot and wants to link posts to contacts.
To make the visuals for your posts. Buffer connects to it.
Free: $0; Essentials: $6 per channel per month ($5 per month if billed yearly); Team: $12 per channel per month ($10 per month if billed yearly). Prices checked on October 3, 2026 on the vendor’s official page.
Yes. Up to 3 connected channels, 10 scheduled posts per channel (the allowance refills as soon as a post has gone out), 100 ideas, the AI assistant, 30 days of analytics, and comment replies. One person only.
US vendor. Only the text you type into the AI assistant goes to OpenAI.
Metricool: More advanced analytics, ready-to-send reports, an interface in French, and data hosted in the European Union. HubSpot (Breeze): If your company already tracks its customers in HubSpot and wants to link posts to contacts. Canva: To make the visuals for your posts. Buffer connects to it.
Page checked on October 3, 2026. Brands are named to identify the tools. No affiliation.