If you're comparing Postiz with Buffer or looking for a Buffer alternative, here's the short version: for 5 accounts on monthly billing, Postiz is cheapest ($29), Buffer is close ($30) and Craft costs $39. On annual billing the order flips — Craft is $19 a month, Postiz $23, Buffer $25. Below is how each tool counts accounts, what you pay in different setups, including 5 Instagram accounts, and what you get besides scheduling.
This comparison is written by the Craft team. Prices come from each vendor's pricing page. Prices as of September 21, 2026.
Buffer is one of the oldest and simplest schedulers. You pay per channel: $6 a month, or $5 on annual billing. The free plan gives 3 channels and 10 scheduled posts per channel. It covers the major networks (Facebook, LinkedIn, X, Threads, Pinterest among them), has a public API and a Team plan with approvals.
Postiz is an open-source scheduler with around 25 networks, including Telegram channels. The cloud version starts at $29 a month for 5 channels ($23 annual), with unlimited posts. There's no free cloud plan — you get a 7-day trial, or you can host it yourself for free. It has an API, webhooks and an MCP connector.
Craft schedules posts to Instagram, TikTok and YouTube — and on the same plan runs Instagram comment auto-replies, DM funnels and Telegram bot funnels. Free covers 1 account and 3 posts a month; Pro is $39 a month ($19 annual) for 5 accounts with unlimited posts.
All three use the same simple model: one profile = one account, any network, any mix. That's good news if you run several Instagram accounts.
Tools like Later and Metricool count differently — one profile per network in each "set" or "brand" — which changes the math for multiple Instagram accounts. See Buffer alternatives.
| Setup | Buffer, monthly | Buffer, annual | Postiz, monthly | Postiz, annual | Craft, monthly | Craft, annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Instagram account | $6 | $5 | $29 | $23 | $12 | $6 |
| 5 Instagram accounts | $30 | $25 | $29 | $23 | $39 | $19 |
| 2 Instagram + TikTok + YouTube | $24 | $20 | $29 | $23 | $39 | $19 |
| 10 accounts | $60 | $50 | $39 | $31 | $249 | $125 |
💡 How we counted. Annual prices are per month, billed yearly. Buffer Essentials: $6 per channel, $5 annually (Team: $12, or $10 annually). Postiz: Standard $29 for 5 channels, Team $39 for 10, Pro $49 for 30, Ultimate $99 for 100; annual $23 / $31 / $39 / $79. Craft: Solo $12 for 1 account, Pro $39 for 5, Agency $249 for unlimited; annual prices are half — $6 / $19 / $125.
| Paying monthly | Paying annually | |
|---|---|---|
| Buffer | $360 | $300 |
| Postiz | $348 | $276 |
| Craft | $468 | $228 |
In plain words:
| Buffer | Postiz | Craft | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Instagram Reels and multi-photo posts | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Instagram Stories | not verified | ✓ | — |
| TikTok, YouTube | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Facebook, LinkedIn, X, Threads, Pinterest | ✓ | ✓ | — |
| Telegram channel posting | — | ✓ | — |
| Self-hosting | — | ✓ | — |
| Public API | ✓ | ✓ | — |
| MCP connector (Claude, ChatGPT) | not listed | ✓ | ✓ any plan |
| Instagram comment auto-reply + DM funnels | — | — | ✓ |
| Telegram bot funnels and broadcasts | — | — | ✓ |
| Free plan | 3 channels, 10 queued posts each | — (trial or self-host) | 1 account, 3 posts a month |
The last rows are the real difference. If you post to Instagram and also want "comment GUIDE, get the link in DMs", a scheduler alone won't do it — you'd add a separate DM tool on top. On Craft it runs on one of the same 5 accounts at no extra cost. How it works: Comment auto-reply for a funnel.
Detailed one-on-one pages: Craft vs Buffer and Craft vs Postiz. For more tools: Best social media schedulers.
The code is open source, so you can host it on your own server for free. The cloud version has no free plan: a 7-day trial, then from $29 a month for 5 channels ($23 annual).
Among these three, Postiz on monthly billing ($29) and Craft on annual billing ($19 a month). Buffer itself costs $30, or $25 annually.
Yes, all three count each Instagram profile as one account, the same as any other network. Every tool on Meta's official API needs a professional (business or creator) Instagram account.
With Craft's MCP connector, yes — for example, "schedule this video to Instagram and TikTok for tomorrow at 10:00". Setup: Connect your Claude. Postiz also has an MCP connector.
Try it free: https://app.craftopen.space