7 Best Buffer Alternatives Not Priced Per Channel (2026)

The best Buffer alternative for a team that wants to stop paying for every connected channel is PostWharf: it bills per workspace, which is one brand, with unlimited channels, from $15 a month ($10 billed yearly), and every plan includes its REST API, MCP server and CLI. Six other tools also set their price by something other than channel count. Later suits visual Instagram and TikTok planning from $25 a month. Metricool suits several client brands and ad reporting from $25 a month, with a free plan for one brand. Sendible suits agencies that want unlimited users from $35 a month. Agorapulse, Sprout Social and Hootsuite charge per user, from $79 to $99 a month on annual billing, and suit teams that need a shared inbox, listening and approvals. Every price below was read from the vendor's own pages on 16 October 2026.

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The seven side by side

Prices are US dollars per month for the entry plan, with the per-month price on annual billing in brackets. The order is the ranking, explained in the next section.

#	Tool	Price is set by	Entry plan	Channels covered	Free option	Main limit
1	PostWharf	Workspace (one brand)	$15 ($10)	Unlimited	7-day trial	200 scheduled posts a month on Starter
2	Later	Social set (one profile per network)	$25 ($18.75)	8 profiles	14-day trial	30 posts per profile per month on Starter
3	Metricool	Brand tier	$25 ($20) for up to 5 brands	One profile per network, per brand	Free plan for 1 brand	X costs $10 a month per connected account
4	Sendible	Workspace, with unlimited users	$35 ($30)	6 profiles per workspace	14-day trial	More profiles mean more workspaces
5	Agorapulse	User	$99 ($79) per user	10 profiles shared across users	30-day trial	Extra profiles cost $15 each, or $10 on annual billing
6	Sprout Social	User seat	$99 ($79) per seat	5 profiles	30-day trial	Unlimited profiles start at Professional
7	Hootsuite	User seat	$99 per user, billed yearly	Up to 10 accounts	14-day trial	Monthly rate not shown on the plans page

Picks by need

Many channels for one brand at a flat price: PostWharf, whose Starter plan is $15 a month for unlimited channels and 200 scheduled posts a month.
Visual planning for Instagram and TikTok: Later, from $25 a month, with a Link in Bio page.
Several client brands, with ad reporting: Metricool, from $25 a month for up to 5 brands, with reports on Facebook, Google and TikTok ads and a free plan for 1 brand.
An agency with many users: Sendible, which includes unlimited users on every plan, from $35 a month.
A busy inbox of comments, messages and reviews: Agorapulse, from $99 a month per user ($79 on annual billing).
Shared inbox, approvals and case management for a larger social team: Sprout Social, from $99 a month per seat ($79 on annual billing).
More than 10 social accounts, with listening: Hootsuite Professional, $199 per user a month billed annually, with unlimited accounts.

How we chose these 7

This page answers one buying question: which tools replace Buffer without billing for every channel you connect? Buffer itself prices per connected channel, so the test is what sets the price instead.

Source. We recorded twelve social media scheduling tools, Buffer included, from each vendor's own pricing and feature pages. The pages were read on 16 October 2026, and each entry gives that date. This is a desk comparison of published pages, not a hands-on review, and prices change, so check the vendor's page before you buy. The layout follows the checklist in our guide to alternatives and comparison pages: a stated method, a dated source for every price, and the rival's real strengths, which are in the Buffer section below.

The bar. A tool made the list if it is a hosted service with a published subscription price that is set by something other than the number of channels connected: a workspace, a brand, a social set or a user seat. A tool that tiers its plans by the number of accounts or profiles, or charges per account, did not. A tool that sells extra capacity beyond its included allowance still qualified, and its entry says so: Agorapulse sells extra profiles, and Metricool charges for each X account.

The order. First, whether the entry plan puts a cap on connected channels: a plan with no cap ranks ahead of one with a cap. Second, the lowest published monthly price of that entry plan. Ties go to the lower price on annual billing, then to the plan that covers more channels. Only PostWharf's entry plan has no cap, so it comes first. Later and Metricool both start at $25 a month, and Later's annual price is lower. Agorapulse and Sprout Social tie on both prices, and Agorapulse covers 10 profiles against Sprout Social's 5. Hootsuite shows no monthly price, so it goes last.

Left out, and why. Four of the twelve tools price by channel count, so they do not meet the bar:

Publer bills per connected social account, from $5 a month for 1 account, plus a monthly fee for each extra team member.
Postiz prices its hosted plans by channel count, from $29 a month for 5 channels. Its open-source edition can be self-hosted for free with no channel limit, but you run the server and register each network's developer app, so it is not a hosted service.
SocialBee prices by social profiles, from $29 a month for 5 profiles.
SocialPilot prices by social accounts, from $30 a month for 7 accounts, with extra accounts at $4 a month each.

Where Buffer stands

Buffer charges for each connected channel. Its Free plan covers up to 3 channels, with 10 scheduled posts per channel at a time, 1 user and 30 days of insights, so for one to three channels it costs nothing. Essentials is $6 per channel per month ($5 billed yearly) with unlimited scheduled posts and 1 user. Team is $12 per channel per month ($10 billed yearly) and adds unlimited team members, approval workflows and branded reports. On monthly billing, channels 11 to 25 cost $4 each.

At those rates, 10 channels on Essentials cost $60 a month on monthly billing, against $15 for PostWharf's Starter plan, which has no per-channel fee but caps scheduled posts at 200 a month. Buffer's per-channel bill passes that $15 at the third channel ($18). Buffer also includes a community inbox for replying to comments, a public API and an MCP server on every plan, Free included, and it publishes to Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn, X, YouTube, Threads, Pinterest, Bluesky, Mastodon, Google Business Profile and Substack. Its sources: pricing, API and MCP, read 16 October 2026.

1. PostWharf

PostWharf publishes one post to ten networks: Instagram, TikTok, X, LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook, Threads, Pinterest, Bluesky and Telegram. You connect every account a brand runs, write the post once, adjust the wording for each network and publish now or on a schedule. Each brand lives in its own workspace, with its own channels, drafts, queue and history, and plans are billed per workspace, so connecting another channel adds nothing to the bill. Every post is re-checked after publishing, with one row per network, and failed deliveries retry automatically and show the reason in a status feed. Posts drafted through an AI assistant wait for your approval before they go out.

Best for: running several brands without paying for each connected channel; posting from Claude, ChatGPT or another AI assistant through MCP; sending posts from scripts, Zapier, Make or n8n through the API or the command line.
What it costs (read 16 October 2026): Starter is $15 a month ($10 billed yearly) for 1 workspace, unlimited channels and 200 scheduled posts a month. Startup is $29 ($23 yearly) for 3 workspaces and 400 scheduled posts. Plus is $67 ($54 yearly) for 10 workspaces and 1,000 scheduled posts. Pro is $99 ($79 yearly) for unlimited workspaces and 2,500 scheduled posts. Every plan includes the REST API, MCP server and CLI. There is no free plan; Starter has a 7-day free trial, and the card is charged when the trial ends.
Where it falls short: scheduled posts are capped each month, from 200 on Starter to 2,500 on Pro. Reddit, Discord, Snapchat and WordPress are available on request only and cannot be connected yet. Its pages do not describe analytics reports or a social inbox for replies.

Source: PostWharf pricing, home, developers and platform pages, read 16 October 2026.

2. Later

Later is a visual social media planner. Its drag-and-drop calendar auto-publishes to Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Threads, YouTube, Pinterest, LinkedIn and Snapchat, and it adds a Link in Bio page, best times to post and analytics. Each plan includes a set number of social sets, a social set being one profile per network, plus users and posts per profile each month. The Starter price is flat, not per channel.

Best for: Instagram- and TikTok-focused brands that plan content visually; creators and shops that use a Link in Bio page to drive traffic and sales; small teams managing one or two brands across several networks.
What it costs (read 16 October 2026): Starter is $25 a month ($18.75 billed yearly) for 1 social set (8 profiles), 1 user and 30 posts per profile per month. Growth is $50 ($37.50 yearly) for 2 social sets (16 profiles), 2 users, 180 posts per profile per month, approvals and a social inbox; an extra social set is $15 a month and an extra user $5. Scale is $110 ($82.50 yearly) for 6 social sets (48 profiles), 4 users and unlimited posts. There is no free plan, only a 14-day free trial.
Where it falls short: it does not publish to X, Bluesky or Google Business Profile. Monthly post limits per profile are 30 on Starter and 180 on Growth, and Starter has 1 user and no add-ons.

Source: Later pricing, read 16 October 2026.

3. Metricool

Metricool plans, publishes and reports. Its planner has auto publishing, best times to post, autolists and RSS feeds, and its reports cover organic posts and Facebook, Google and TikTok ads. Pricing is tiered by the number of brands, each brand holding one profile per network, so the bill follows brands, not seats or channels. It connects Facebook, Instagram, Threads, Bluesky, Pinterest, TikTok, YouTube, Twitch, LinkedIn and Google Business Profile, with X as an add-on.

Best for: agencies and freelancers managing several client brands on one plan; teams that want organic social and ad reporting in one dashboard; small businesses that want to start on a free plan; connecting AI assistants such as Claude or ChatGPT to social data through MCP.
What it costs (read 16 October 2026): Free is $0 for 1 brand, every network except LinkedIn and X, 20 scheduled posts per month and 30 days of analytics. Starter is $25 a month ($20 billed annually) for up to 5 brands, or $45 ($36 annually) for 10 brands. Advanced is $67 ($53 annually) for 15 brands, $107 ($85) for 25 and $210 ($159) for 50, and adds team and client management, post approvals and the API. Custom is by quote. Prices exclude VAT.
Where it falls short: X is not included: it costs $10 a month, or $120 a year, per connected account on Starter and above, which makes it the one place Metricool charges per channel. The free plan caps scheduling at 20 posts a month. Approvals, team roles and the API need Advanced. Its pricing page lists no free trial.

Source: Metricool pricing and its help centre on plans and add-ons, read 16 October 2026.

4. Sendible

Sendible is built for agencies and multi-location brands. Pricing is by workspace, one for each client, brand or location, and each workspace holds 6 social profiles. Every plan includes unlimited users. It schedules to Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, LinkedIn, YouTube, Threads, Bluesky, Google Business Profile and WordPress, with a shared inbox, client dashboards and approval workflows. Client Connect lets clients link their own profiles without sharing passwords.

Best for: agencies managing many clients that need separate workspaces and client approvals; teams with many users who want to avoid per-seat pricing; multi-location brands posting to Google Business Profile listings.
What it costs (read 16 October 2026): Core is $35 a month ($30 billed yearly) for 1 workspace, 6 social profiles, unlimited users, unlimited scheduling and AI credits, bulk scheduling, an inbox and standard reports; each extra workspace adds $35 a month on Core. Plus is $99 ($84 yearly) for 3 workspaces and 18 profiles. Premium is $199 ($169) for 7 workspaces and 42 profiles. Elite is $299 ($254) for 15 workspaces and 90 profiles. Enterprise is $750 ($638) for 50 workspaces and 300 profiles. There is no free plan; the free trial is 14 days with no card.
Where it falls short: more profiles mean buying more workspaces. Approval workflows start on Plus at $99 a month, and Core publishes up to 100 posts a day per workspace. White label is an add-on that costs extra on Elite and Enterprise. Pinterest is not among its networks, and its pages mention no MCP server.

Source: Sendible pricing, read 16 October 2026.

5. Agorapulse

Agorapulse is an inbox-first management tool: publishing, a unified inbox for comments, messages and reviews, listening and reporting across Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X, TikTok, YouTube, Threads, Pinterest, Bluesky and Google Business Profile. It prices per user, and the self-serve plans share 10 social profiles across all users.

Best for: teams that spend much of their time replying to comments, messages and reviews; agencies that share content calendars with clients for review before publishing; marketers who report social media return on investment with Google Analytics.
What it costs (read 16 October 2026): Standard is $99 per user a month ($79 billed annually) with 10 social profiles, unlimited scheduling and a unified inbox. Professional is $149 ($119 annually) and Advanced is $199 ($149 annually). Custom is by quote and has unlimited social profiles. Extra profiles cost $15 a month each on monthly billing, or $10 on annual billing. There is no free plan; the free trial is 30 days, in two 15-day periods, on the Advanced plan with no card.
Where it falls short: it is the entry here that comes closest to per-channel pricing, because profiles beyond the included 10 are sold one at a time. Each added user pays the full plan rate. Bulk CSV scheduling, queues and shared calendars need Advanced, and X inbox and reporting need the X Plus add-on at $50 per X profile a month.

Source: Agorapulse pricing and its per-user pricing explainer, read 16 October 2026.

6. Sprout Social

Sprout Social is a platform for publishing, a shared inbox, listening, review management and reporting, priced per seat. It connects X, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Pinterest, YouTube, Threads, Bluesky and WhatsApp. Essentials and Standard include 5 social profiles, and Professional and Advanced include unlimited profiles.

Best for: social teams that need a shared inbox, approvals and case management; brands handling customer care and reviews across several networks; teams that report on competitors, tags and social advertising for stakeholders.
What it costs (read 16 October 2026): Essentials is $99 per seat a month ($79 billed annually) for 5 social profiles and publishing. Standard is $249 ($199 annually) and adds the inbox, keyword monitoring and review management. Professional is $399 ($299 annually) with unlimited profiles, bulk scheduling and approvals. Advanced is $499 ($399 annually) and adds the API. Enterprise is custom. There is no free plan; the free trial is 30 days with no card.
Where it falls short: every extra user pays the full seat price, which is $79 to $399 a month on annual billing depending on the plan. Essentials has no social inbox, brand keywords or review management. The API needs Advanced, and its MCP server works only with ChatGPT and covers only TikTok post insights.

Source: Sprout Social pricing and its ChatGPT integration help article, read 16 October 2026.

7. Hootsuite

Hootsuite is a suite for scheduling, a unified inbox, social listening and analytics across Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, X, LinkedIn, YouTube, Threads, Pinterest and Bluesky, billed per user seat. Standard covers up to 10 social accounts, and higher plans allow unlimited accounts.

Best for: brands managing more than 10 social accounts, on Professional and up; teams that combine publishing, a customer-care inbox and social listening in one tool; organisations that need approvals, message routing and single sign-on.
What it costs (read 16 October 2026): Standard is $99 per user a month, billed annually, for up to 10 social accounts. Professional is $199 and gives unlimited social accounts. Advanced is $399 and adds post approval workflows. Enterprise is custom. Monthly billing is offered, but its rate is not shown on the plans page. There is no free plan; the free trial is 14 days with no card.
Where it falls short: it bills per user seat from $99 a month on annual billing, and Standard is capped at 10 social accounts. Trials allow 10 to 20 posts a day per organisation and no bulk scheduling. Approval workflows and internal comments need Advanced, and single sign-on needs Enterprise.

Source: Hootsuite plans and its integrations page, read 16 October 2026.

What to do next

Once you have a shortlist, set each entry plan's cap on channels and users against your own count, then run the trial. If you sell software, lists like this one are among the pages AI engines quote when buyers ask for alternatives. Our guides to getting your SaaS into the lists AI engines quote and getting your SaaS recommended by AI cover how. To see what the seven AI engines say when buyers ask about your category, book a 30-minute call.

Questions buyers ask

Which Buffer alternatives don't charge per channel?

Seven tools here set their price by something else. PostWharf prices by workspace, with unlimited channels. Later prices by social set, Metricool by brand tier and Sendible by workspace with unlimited users. Agorapulse, Sprout Social and Hootsuite price per user. Two of them have per-account extras: Agorapulse sells profiles beyond its included 10 at $15 a month each ($10 on annual billing), and Metricool charges $10 a month for each connected X account.

How much does Buffer charge per channel?

Buffer Essentials is $6 per channel per month, or $5 billed yearly, and Team is $12 per channel per month, or $10 billed yearly, as read on 16 October 2026. Ten channels on Essentials come to $60 a month on monthly billing. Buffer's Free plan covers up to 3 channels.

Is there a free Buffer alternative that doesn't charge per channel?

Metricool has a free plan for 1 brand, covering every network except LinkedIn and X, with 20 scheduled posts per month and 30 days of analytics. The other six on this page offer free trials, not free plans. Postiz, which is not on the list, can be self-hosted for free with no channel limit if you run the server yourself.

Which of these suits an agency with many clients?

Sendible gives each client a workspace with 6 profiles and unlimited users, from $35 a month. Metricool covers up to 5 brands from $25 a month. PostWharf gives each brand a workspace with unlimited channels: Starter covers 1 workspace at $15 a month, Startup covers 3 at $29, and Plus covers 10 at $67.

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