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For years, marketers fed the Content Monster with nonstop posts. Big names said volume won, so we treated visibility like a numbers game. That playbook’s outdated. Engagement now hinges on quality and clear relevance. According to the GWI study for the Financial...
Dec 11, 2025
If you’ve ever struggled with Instagram disconnects, glitchy scheduling, unhelpful support, or Buffer’s strict per-channel pricing, you’re not alone. Many users find its limits more frustrating than helpful. That’s why I’ve looked at the top Buffer alternatives to help you find a tool that makes your workflow easier.
I’ve spent years testing SMM tools, and in this post, I’ll share some of the best alternatives to Buffer I’ve found, including their key features, pros and cons, and pricing, so you can pick the right one for you.
Below, I’ve rounded up the best Buffer alternatives that offer stronger analytics, smarter scheduling, deeper integrations, and more flexible plans. Let’s explore.
Best for: Agency and client approval workflows
When I examined what Buffer was lacking, particularly in-context collaboration and a flexible approval process, Planable immediately caught my attention. Unlike Buffer, which focuses primarily on scheduling, Planable is built for full content collaboration. This makes it especially well-suited for agencies and in-house teams that need to manage multiple stakeholders or client approvals.
One of the first things I noticed was its visual SMM calendar. Not only is it more aesthetically pleasing than Buffer’s, but it’s also more intuitive and easier to navigate.
Planable makes scheduling Instagram content effortless with its Grid planner and drag-and-drop calendar, while recurring post features let you automatically republish evergreen content.
Interactive Buffer vs. Planable content calendar comparison
However, Planable’s real strength lies in its workflow management. It supports multi-level approvals, so content can move seamlessly through different stages before it’s published.
You can also invite clients directly into the workspace, allowing them to leave clear, contextual feedback without cluttering your email inbox.
Multi-step content approval workflows in Planable
What used to be a messy, error-prone chain of emails and messages becomes a streamlined, transparent process.
For teams that rely on collaboration and structured approvals, Planable doesn’t just replace Buffer, it transforms the way you manage social content.
Planable is a great way to throw ideas in, convert them to content and then have a client approval system that is so easy to use. I love using the labels… At a glance you can see if your social media calendar is balanced. I also love the grid view and planner for my Instagram clients. – Mandy G., Founder & Social Media Strategist.
Integrations: Facebook, Instagram, Threads, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Twitter, TikTok, YouTube, Google Business Profile.
Pricing: You can schedule up to 50 posts for free. Paid plans start at $33/workspace (pricing is dependent on the number of desired workspaces).
Best for: Social listening and team collaboration
While Planable excels at workflow and approvals, I picked Hootsuite because it is the classic, comprehensive enterprise tool.
For organizations with deep pockets that require a vast array of specialized features, particularly social listening, employee advocacy, and bulk scheduling, Hootsuite is the stronger alternative.
It offers powerful, in-depth reports that are crucial for managing a company’s social media presence at scale, and its predefined package pricing structure may be more predictable than Buffer’s per-account model for very large teams.
Many users note that Hootsuite helps them efficiently manage multiple SMM projects at once:
Hootsuite is how it keeps the chaos of agency life under control…I’m juggling content for several clients at once, each with their own tone, their own goals, and sometimes, their own sudden “urgent” posts. Having everything in one place feels like breathing room. I can draft posts, drag them around on the calendar, and actually see the week laid out instead of chasing messages and spreadsheets. – Ritika S., Social Media Marketer & Content Strategist.
But there are also some downsides:
I am frustrated with the lack of a tagging feature in our current team version of Hootsuite. This limitation hampers our ability to efficiently organize and manage content. Additionally, the interface can feel quite clunky at times, making navigation and usability less smooth and intuitive than I would like. – Chuks D., Social Media Manager.
Integrations: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Threads, YouTube, TikTok, and Pinterest.
Pricing: Plans start around $99/month for a predefined package (e.g., for 10 social media accounts, 1 user).
Best for: Client management and bulk scheduling
SocialPilot addresses a very specific agency need that Buffer falls short on: mass content management.
I selected SocialPilot because it offers dedicated agency client management features and bulk scheduling, allowing teams to upload hundreds of posts at once via CSV. This feature alone makes it a massive time-saver for busy agencies handling large campaigns.
For teams managing more than five social accounts, SocialPilot’s package-based pricing quickly becomes a more cost-effective and valuable alternative to Buffer’s per-channel fees.
Many users appreciate the pricing, analytics, and scheduling tools, although there are some limitations:
Some of its advanced features, like content curation and in-depth reporting, are limited in lower-tier plans. – Priyanka S., Digital Marketing Strategist.
Integrations: Instagram, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, Google Business Profile, and Threads.
Pricing: Starts at $42.50/month for the Standard plan (billed yearly).
Best for: Advanced social CRM and reporting
I included Sprout Social because it addresses a different kind of pain point: the need to tie social interactions directly to customer relationships.
Sprout Social is the best alternative for teams where social CRM is a priority. Its built-in social CRM solution allows you to monitor past conversations, store customer information, and turn leads into loyal customers, all within the dashboard.
The platform also offers superior TikTok analytics and deeper reports (competitor performance, team reports) compared to Buffer.
In reviews, users frequently highlight how convenient the reporting feature is. At the same time, they point out that the pricing is quite high:
Sprout Social can feel expensive, especially when you start adding more users or need features beyond the basic plan.- Chelsey S., PR and Social Media Channel Team Lead.
Integrations: Instagram, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), TikTok, LinkedIn, Pinterest, YouTube, Threads.
Pricing: Standard plan starts at $199 per user per month (billed annually, includes 5 social profiles).
Best for: Organizing incoming messages and comments
For brands with high engagement and large volumes of incoming messages, Agorapulse is the best alternative focusing on the social inbox. I picked it because its strength is a robust, centralized inbox feature that allows teams to effectively manage comments, messages, and mentions across multiple platforms.
Other notable features include team performance reports, approval workflows, and calendar notes. But users often point out its pricing:
A bit expensive for what it does… – Justin D., CEO.
Integrations: Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), LinkedIn, YouTube, TikTok, Google Business Profile.
Pricing: A free plan is available for one user, offering 3 social profiles and up to 10 scheduled posts. Paid plans begin at $79 per user per month when billed annually.
Best for: Managing multiple social media accounts
I included Sendible because it’s built to handle multiple social media accounts and client dashboards efficiently.
While Buffer charges per-channel, Sendible’s structure is better suited for high-volume management. Its collaboration tools also include useful features like the ability to leave comments under tasks, offering slightly more structure than Buffer’s basic collaboration.
Many users like the platform’s affordability and functionality, but also the poor quality of the reports:
I think there is room for improvement in the reporting… – Karen S., Social Media and Content Manager.
Integrations: Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, X (Twitter), LinkedIn, Google My Business, YouTube, WordPress.
Pricing: Plans start at $25/month (annually, for one user and 6 social profiles). There’s also a 14-day free trial available.
Best for: Content planning
CoSchedule is a different kind of alternative, best for teams that want to integrate their social media planning directly into their entire marketing strategy. I picked it because it acts as a central calendar for all content, not just social.
If your pain point is coordinating blog posts, emails, and social promotion on a single calendar, CoSchedule provides the unified solution, offering project management features that greatly exceed Buffer’s simple scheduling view.
Other notable features include an email subject line tester, a headline generator, color-coded calendar labels, and an AI-powered writing assistant.
Users value CoSchedule for its convenient scheduling, analytics, and integrations:
It is a comprehensive, centralized marketing calendar with strong content and social media management features, real-time analytics, and integrations with popular tools… – Marlee L., Small Business Owner.
But at the same time, people complain about the high subscription price and the learning curve:
Cons are its high cost, which can be prohibitive for a small business like mine, and a significant learning curve associated with its evergreen feature. But once you learn it, it is great. I wish that you could move the evergreen reposts around instead of just delaying it for two weeks. – Marlee L., Small Business Owner.
Integrations: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, TikTok, Threads, Twitter/X, YouTube, Google Business Profile, Mastodon, Bluesky.
Pricing: A free plan is available for one user with 1 social profile. Paid plans start at $19 per user per month (billed annually) with three social profiles.
Best for: Analytics and basic social media management
Zoho Social is a great alternative for users already entrenched in the Zoho ecosystem or those who need a straightforward tool with a slight emphasis on analytics. It helps marketers track content performance and provides insights into consumer habits, which can be a valuable addition for teams who found Buffer’s analytics lacking.
Both Zoho Social and Buffer offer strong collaboration and post customization features. Zoho Social stands out with its Collaborate tab for team discussions and in-app image editing.
Users love Zoho Social for its effective management of multiple social profiles, but among the drawbacks, people highlight limited access to advanced reporting features, client approval, and an inconvenient mobile app:
While the core features are great, some advanced tools like more detailed reporting or client approval workflows are only available in higher-tier plans. Also, once your team or number of brands grows, the price can ramp up quickly. The mobile app could use improvements in speed and functionality – it feels a bit limited compared to the desktop version…- Swans S., CEO.
Integrations: Instagram, Facebook, X, LinkedIn, TikTok, Pinterest, Google Business Profile, Threads, Mastodon, YouTube, Bluesky, WhatsApp, Telegram.
Pricing: There’s a free version available for one user and 6 social channels. Paid plans start at $10/month (annually).
Best for: Social media content creation and scheduling
Loomly includes a lot of collaboration and post creation functionalities (comments, mockups, content libraries). I picked it because it provides excellent post previews before publishing, ensuring aesthetic consistency across channels.
Its multi-calendar view and media studio simplify the content creation process, making it a powerful tool for teams focused on creative consistency.
Plus, Loomly offers customizable reports and audience demographic insights. It provides the added convenience of automated report scheduling, allowing users to keep stakeholders updated without manual intervention.
Among the pros, users highlight ease of use, as well as the scheduling and approving features, users emphasize the frequent need to reconnect apps and reschedule posts:
Occasionally due to privacy and connected social sites’ log in changes, I will have to reconnect apps and reschedule posts that failed, but that doesn’t happen frequently. – MaryBeth O., Operations Manager.
Integrations: Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, X, YouTube, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Google Business Profile, Snapchat, Threads.
Pricing: Loomly starts at $32/month (annually, for 3 users & 12 social media accounts). There’s a 15-day free trial available.
Best for: Visual-first advanced scheduling
Later is the definitive alternative for creators and brands whose primary focus is on Instagram, Tik Tok and visual content. I included it because it specializes in advanced scheduling features that cater to visual platforms, offering a powerful, visual-first calendar and a seamless link-in-bio tool.
While it’s great for individual creators, it offers a more streamlined, dedicated focus on visual post optimization than the broad approach of Buffer.
Users value Later for its ease of use, but others also note the limitations of its functionality:
What I don’t like about Later is that some features (like analytics and hashtag suggestions) feel limited compared to other tools, and it can be a bit clunky when managing multiple accounts. – Hannah M., Marketing Coordinator.
Integrations: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter (X), Pinterest, Threads, TikTok, LinkedIn, YouTube, Snapchat.
Pricing: Later’s Starter plan is available at $18.75/month (billed annually) for one user and one social set, with a 14-day free trial.
Best for: Creating visual and user-generated content
Sked Social is a niche alternative, best for brands that heavily rely on and want to streamline the process of using user-generated content.
It offers specific features to help allocate UGC through relative hashtags, providing a distinct functional advantage over Buffer for brands with high community interaction. It also offers a visual mockup of the feed to maintain brand aesthetics.
I like that each plan allows unlimited team members, but the limited number of social accounts you get feels restrictive.People also point out some drawbacks:
There are glitches with the Collab feature and it’s not super easy to share Reels. Sometimes the “tag” feature doesn’t work as well. – Verified User in Leisure, Travel & Tourism.
Integrations: Instagram, Facebook, X, LinkedIn, YouTube, TikTok, Pinterest, Google Business Profile, Snapchat.
Pricing: Sked Social starts at $49/month for the Launch plan (when billed annually) and there’s a 14-day free trial available.
To construct this authoritative guide, I focused on core functionality gaps that consistently frustrate Buffer users. The 11 platforms above were selected and ranked based on these five pillars:
SMM software, or Social Media Marketing software, helps businesses and marketers manage, analyze, and optimize their social media presence across platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X (Twitter), TikTok, and others.
It typically enables users to schedule and publish posts, plan content, monitor mentions and hashtags, analyze engagement and reach, manage team collaboration, run ad campaigns, and engage directly with their audiences. These tools help ensure brand consistency and maximize the efficiency of marketing efforts.
If you’re anything like me, you want to invest in a tool that doesn’t just manage your tasks. We don’t just use these platforms to schedule; we use them to build efficient, scalable, and error-free marketing.
The right SMM solution should offer the following main features:
The key to avoiding another costly switch is understanding that no single tool is perfect for everyone. Here’s how you can determine the best tool for you:
In my experience, the collaboration gap is the most common reason for switching, that’s why I recommend Planable.
For most agencies and marketing teams, finding a reliable, visual, and approval-focused tool will provide the most significant and immediate ROI.
Buffer’s pricing is often structured per social channel, which is affordable for a few accounts but quickly becomes expensive and rigid as you scale. Alternatives like Planable (per workspace) or SocialPilot (package-based) often offer better long-term value for growing teams and agencies.
While most tools offer basic analytics, Planable provides cross‑channel performance insights, post-level metrics, audience breakdowns, and easy-to-share reports, all seamlessly integrated with content planning and collaboration tools. You can also consider Sprout Social, which delivers deep, comprehensive reporting, including competitive benchmarking and social CRM insights.
Yes. Some competitors, including Planable, CoSchedule, Zoho Social, and Loomly, offer a permanently free tier with limited functionality. Sprout Social, Hootsuite, and Agorapulse offer a 30-day free trial, while SocialPilot, Later, Sked Social, Sendible, and Buffer provide a 14-day free trial.
Yes, but the ease varies. Planable is explicitly designed for this, with a streamlined client invite feature and multi-level approvals. While other tools offer basic approval workflows, Planable’s approach is the most intuitive and client-friendly, eliminating the need for external communication.
Digital marketing enthusiast, language nerd, and content writer. Horea loves writing about SaaS and anything that involves boosting online presence – from SEO to social media, web design, and more. His content is allergic to fluff and eats research for breakfast.
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