TapToConnectBuffer alternatives.
Seven schedulers side by side.
Buffer is simple and cheap with a few channels. But you pay per channel and approval only comes with Team. Looking for something else? These are seven alternatives, with what they cost and who they suit best.
In short
- Want approval in every plan, an invoice in euros and a Dutch option for your team: Socialschedulr.
- Working mostly with Instagram and Pinterest: Later. Note: Later does not support X.
- Analytics first, ads included: Metricool.
- Just scheduling for as little money as possible: Publer.
- Answering lots of comments and messages as a team: Agorapulse or Hootsuite.
Seven Buffer alternatives side by side
| Lowest paid price | Free plan | Dutch interface | Client approval | Best for | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Socialschedulr | €19 per month (Starter, 5 channels) | Yes: 3 channels | Yes, and English | Yes, in every plan, client without an account | Small businesses, teams and agencies that schedule, approve and report |
| Later | $18.75 per month (Starter, billed yearly) | No, 14-day trial | No (web: English, Spanish, French, German) | From Growth ($37.50 per month) | Instagram, Pinterest and creators. No X |
| Hootsuite | $99 per user per month (Standard, billed yearly) | No, 14-day trial | Not as far as we could find | From Advanced (up to $399 per user) | Large organisations needing an inbox and monitoring |
| Metricool | €16 per month (Starter, 5 brands, billed yearly) | Yes: 1 brand, 20 posts per month, no LinkedIn or X | No (English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, German) | From Advanced (from €43 per month) | Analytics, ads included |
| Publer | $5 per month for 1 account (Professional), plus a fee per extra account | Yes: 3 accounts, no X | No (English, French, German, Spanish, Italian and more) | Approval in Business (from $10 per month for 1 account) | Just scheduling with few accounts, on many platforms |
| SocialBee | $24 per month (Bootstrap, billed yearly) | No, 14-day trial | No, English only | From Accelerate ($40 per month, billed yearly) | Recycling evergreen content in categories |
| Agorapulse | $79 per user per month (Standard, billed yearly) | Yes, a limited free plan after a 30-day trial | No (English, French, Spanish, German) | From Professional ($119 per user) | Teams answering lots of comments and messages |
| Buffer, for reference | $5 per channel per month (Essentials) | Yes: 3 channels | No, English | Only in Team ($10 per channel) | Working alone with a few channels |
Checked on 13 November 2026, excluding VAT, in the maker’s currency. Sources: later.com/pricing, hootsuite.com/plans, metricool.com/pricing, Publer’s help article on pricing, socialbee.com/pricing, agorapulse.com/pricing. Languages from the help pages of Later, Metricool, Publer, SocialBee and Agorapulse.
Why people look for a Buffer alternative
Buffer is a good scheduler. Still, many users run into the same things after a while:
- The price grows per channel. With 3 channels you pay $15 per month on Essentials. With 10 channels on Team it is about $100.
- Approval only comes with Team. If a colleague or client needs to look along, you pay the higher rate for every channel.
- Invoices in dollars, paid by card only.
None of this rings a bell? Then Buffer is probably fine for you. Also read Socialschedulr vs Buffer.
The seven alternatives in brief
Socialschedulr. A scheduler from the Netherlands with fixed plans and every feature in every plan, Free too. Your client approves through a link, without an account. Fewer platforms than Buffer: no Pinterest, Threads or Bluesky. See pricing.
Later. Strong in visual planning for Instagram and Pinterest, with link in bio. There is no X, and approval comes with Growth. Later compared.
Hootsuite. A large suite with a shared inbox and monitoring. Expensive for a small business: you pay per user. Hootsuite compared.
Metricool. Scheduling plus strong analytics, ads included, with prices in euros. The free plan has no LinkedIn or X; approval comes with Advanced. Metricool compared.
Publer. Charges per account like Buffer, with a low entry price and many platforms. Analytics and approval come with Business. Publer compared.
SocialBee. Known for content categories that keep coming back. English only, and multiple users only on Pro. SocialBee compared.
Agorapulse. A strong inbox and white-label reports, paid per user. Agorapulse compared.
When another tool fits better
- Do you also post on Pinterest, Threads or Bluesky? Then Buffer, Publer or Metricool fit better. Socialschedulr does not support those yet.
- Is Instagram your main channel and do you work as a creator? Later is built for that.
- Want to analyse ads and organic posts in one dashboard? Choose Metricool.
- Does your team answer dozens of comments and DMs every day? Then the inbox of Agorapulse or Hootsuite will help you more.
When Socialschedulr fits
If you want to approve with a colleague or client and know in advance what you pay. You schedule Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn (profile and company page), TikTok, X and YouTube from one calendar. With 15 channels and 5 users you pay €55 per month (Pro). For agencies there is the Agency plan: up to 10 companies for €199 per month. You can try everything free for 14 days, without payment details, next to Buffer.
How Socialschedulr works.
A few things you notice straight away when you switch from Buffer.
Your client approves with one click.
Send a link and your client sees the post exactly as it will appear online, per channel. Approving or asking for changes works straight away, without an account.
- No account or password needed for your client
- In two steps: first your colleague, then the client
- Comments land right next to the post
Let your client look along.
Share a link to your schedule. Your client sees what was published in the past week and what is planned for the next two months, per channel, as it will look.
- Read-only link, no account needed
- A realistic preview per channel
- Revoke the link at any time
Your whole month at a glance.
All scheduled and published posts from all your channels in one monthly view. The colour tells you straight away whether something is scheduled, published or still a draft.
- Click a day to schedule a post right there
- Notes on a day, such as ‘campaign starts’ or ‘shop closed’
- Holidays and special days for the Netherlands and Belgium
- Schedule a post on any day from the calendar
Your first post in five minutes.
Spoken and subtitled in English. You will find more videos in the help centre.
See it in action.
A few parts of Socialschedulr that fit this topic, shown with sample data.
One post, six channels
Write it once and see how it looks on each channel.
See what works
Reach, interactions and followers of all your channels, with your best posts.
Frequently asked questions.
What is the best free alternative to Buffer?
That depends on your channels. Socialschedulr Free has 3 channels with every feature, LinkedIn and X included. Metricool Free has 1 brand without LinkedIn and X. Publer Free has 3 accounts without X.
Which Buffer alternative is cheapest?
With one or two accounts, Publer Professional is cheapest. With a team or many channels a fixed plan is cheaper, such as Socialschedulr Pro: €55 per month for 15 channels and 5 users.
Can I bring my scheduled posts from Buffer?
Yes. Put them in a spreadsheet and import up to 200 posts in one go with bulk scheduling.
Read next
Try it yourself.
All your socials in one calendar. Free for 14 days, no payment details. After that, pick a plan or carry on for free.