What Buffer costs in 2026

Read off Buffer's own pricing page on Oct 10, 2026, not from a third-party roundup. Prices change without announcement; the date is here so you know how fresh this is.

Starting price$5/channel/mo (Essentials)What that price covers: 1 user per channel; the free plan has 3 channels and 10 posts per channel
A team of five$50/mo (Team, 5 channels)Team is $10 per channel with unlimited users: five channels are $50, people are free
Free trialYes, time-limited

The number the pricing page does not put in large type

$50/mo (Team, 5 channels): Team is $10 per channel with unlimited users: five channels are $50, people are free. The starting price ($5/channel/mo (Essentials)) covers 1 user per channel; the free plan has 3 channels and 10 posts per channel.

What you buy with Buffer

Buffer is a simple, popular social media scheduler for planning and publishing posts across up to 11 networks including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, X, YouTube, Threads, Pinterest and Bluesky. It offers a clean queue and calendar, an AI Assistant for drafting, own-account analytics, a reply inbox, a link-in-bio page and team approvals. Its permanent free plan (3 channels, 10 posts each) makes it a favourite for solo creators. It is built to publish your content, not to discover viral posts across networks.

Best for

creators and small teams wanting simple, affordable multi-network scheduling.

Where it falls short
  • Per-channel pricing adds up for many accounts
  • No viral/trend discovery, you source content yourself
  • No social listening; deeper features gated to the Team plan

The same job, with the team price in plain sight

ViralHunt charges per plan, not per seat. Creator is $29 a month for one person and one brand. Studio is $99 a month for up to 4 people and 4 brands, and that price does not move when you add people. The free plan never expires, so you can compare before you pay.

$199/moA team of five on ViralHunt: Agency, up to 10 users and 10 brands. Studio is limited to 4 users.
$50/mo (Team, 5 channels)Buffer: Team is $10 per channel with unlimited users: five channels are $50, people are free

How we checked this

Most comparison pages are written from marketing copy. This one is not.

What we did not check, and why

And one that cost us: for months this table said Ahrefs starts at $129/mo. It starts at $29, and they also run a free tier. We were overstating a competitor's price by 4.4x, in the direction that flattered us. We found it while verifying and corrected it. If you spot another one, it is a mistake rather than a tactic.

Frequently asked

Does Buffer have a free plan?
Buffer offers a time-limited free trial, not a permanent free plan. ViralHunt has a free plan that never expires.
How much does Buffer cost for a team of five?
$50/mo (Team, 5 channels): Team is $10 per channel with unlimited users: five channels are $50, people are free. The starting price ($5/channel/mo (Essentials)) covers 1 user per channel; the free plan has 3 channels and 10 posts per channel.
Is there a cheaper Buffer alternative?
ViralHunt from $29 a month for one person, or $99 a month for a team of up to 4 with 4 brands, with a viral-content radar across 12 networks, an editorial board and scheduling. Compare them feature by feature on the comparison page.

Try the Buffer alternative

Free plan, no card, no expiry date. Paid plans start at $29 a month.

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