Per channel, per user
or a flat price?

Three ways of charging

• Per channel, like Buffer and Publer: cheap with few channels, expensive with many.
• Per user, like Hootsuite, Sprout Social and Agorapulse: every extra team member raises the price.
• Per plan, like Socialschedulr, Loomly and Later: a flat price for a number of channels and users.

Worked examples

Freelancer with 3 channels. Buffer Essentials: 3 × $5 = $15 per month. Socialschedulr: free, or Starter €19 if you want to schedule more than 10 posts at a time.

Team of 3 with 10 channels. Buffer Team: about $100 per month. Hootsuite Standard: about $297. Agorapulse Standard: $237. Socialschedulr Pro: €55.

Agency with 8 clients. Per channel or per user this quickly runs into hundreds per month. Socialschedulr Agency: €199 per month for up to 10 companies.

Work it out for a year from now

You usually pick a scheduler for years. So do not only look at what you need now, but also at what you will need a year from now:

• Will channels be added? Start with Facebook and Instagram but want TikTok or YouTube later, and a price per channel rises fast.
• Will people be added? An intern, a freelancer or a client who looks along: with a price per user, every login counts.
• Do you need features from a more expensive plan? At many schedulers, approval or reports only come with a higher plan.

At Socialschedulr every feature is in every plan. You only move to a bigger plan when you need more channels or users, and you can do that at any time.

Also watch out for

• Limits on the number of posts per month or per channel
• Features that only come with a more expensive plan, such as approval or reports
• Add-ons, for example for analytics or X
• Whether you can cancel monthly, and whether a yearly plan can be stopped mid-term
• VAT and currency: many tools charge in dollars without a proper European VAT invoice