Buffer alternatives in 2026: 8 schedulers compared by real prices
8 Buffer alternatives priced for 5 Instagram accounts: from ~$20/mo (Publer) to $99 (Hootsuite). Craft: $39, or $19 annual, funnels included.
Buffer is simple and fair: $6 a month per channel, $5 on annual billing. People look for alternatives for three reasons — they want a lower price at more accounts, a network Buffer doesn't cover (like Telegram channels), or something beyond scheduling, such as comment auto-replies and DM funnels.
This list is written by the Craft team, and Craft is on it. To keep it fair, every price comes from the vendor's own pricing page or help center, and we say plainly where another tool beats us — including Buffer itself.
Prices checked on September 21, 2026. If a price changed, message us and we'll fix the page.
Prices at a glance#
| Tool | 1 Instagram account | 5 Instagram, monthly | 5 Instagram, annual | Comment auto-reply + DM funnels |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buffer (baseline) | $6 (free: 3 channels) | $30 | $25 | — |
| Craft | $12 (free: 1 account) | $39 | $19 | ✓ Instagram + Telegram |
| Publer | ≈$5 (free: 3 accounts) | ≈$20 | ≈$16 | — |
| Metricool | free (20 posts a month) | $25 | $20 | — |
| Postiz | $29 | $29 | $23 | — |
| SocialBee | $29 | $29 | $24.17 | — |
| Later | $25 | ≈$95 | $71.25 | — |
| Planable | $39 | ≈$59 | $49 | — |
| Sprout Social | $99 | $99 | $79 | not verified |
| Hootsuite | $99 (annual only) | $99 (annual only) | $99 | not verified |
💡 How we counted. Annual prices are per month, billed yearly. Craft: Solo $12 (1 account), Pro $39 (5 accounts, ~$7.80 each), Agency $249; annual prices are half: $6 / $19 / $125. Publer: about $5 for the first account and $4 for each next — not verified in Publer's calculator, the 5-account figure comes from a third-party review. Metricool: Starter covers up to 5 brands. Postiz: Standard, 5 channels. SocialBee: Bootstrap, 5 profiles. Later: each Instagram needs its own social set, so 5 accounts = Growth ($50) + 3 extra sets ($15 each). Planable: Basic holds 4 pages, so 5 accounts need Pro (about $59). Sprout Social: Essentials, 5 profiles, one user. Hootsuite: Standard, up to 10 accounts, $99 per user, billed annually; no monthly price published. "Not verified" = we didn't confirm the feature on the pages we checked.
How accounts are counted — this changes the price#
- One profile per network per unit: Later's social set and Metricool's brand hold one Instagram each, so 5 Instagram accounts = 5 sets or brands. On Later that pushes the price to about $95. On Metricool it doesn't, because Starter already includes 5 brands. Sources: Later, Metricool.
- Any account counts: Buffer, Publer, SocialBee, Sprout Social and Hootsuite count each connected profile, whatever the network.
- Same network many times: Postiz explicitly allows several accounts of one network (GitHub).
- Craft: one shared limit per plan, any networks — 5 Instagram, or 2 Instagram + TikTok + YouTube + a Telegram bot. The same accounts serve posting and funnels.
The alternatives#
1. Craft — scheduling plus Instagram and Telegram funnels#
Schedules carousels, Reels, videos and photos to Instagram, plus TikTok and YouTube. On the same plan: Instagram comment auto-replies by keyword, DM funnels, Telegram bot funnels, subscription checks, unlimited Telegram broadcasts and a payment step through your own Lava account. Honest: for scheduling only, Craft costs more than Buffer on monthly billing ($39 vs $30 for 5 accounts). It wins on annual billing ($19 vs $25) and when you'd otherwise pay for a funnel tool too — Buffer + ManyChat Pro is $69 a month vs $39. No Facebook, Threads, LinkedIn, Pinterest, X or Telegram channel posting, no team approvals, no deep analytics. Craft vs Buffer
2. Publer — cheapest per account#
About $20 for 5 accounts, Telegram channel posting, free plan for up to 3 accounts. Best if price is all that matters. Craft vs Publer
3. Metricool — scheduling with strong analytics#
$25 for up to 5 brands, a free plan with 20 posts a month, an MCP server on every plan. X costs $10 a month extra since July 2026. Craft vs Metricool
4. Postiz — open source, about 25 networks#
$29 for 5 channels, $23 annually; self-host it for free. API, webhooks, MCP, Telegram channels, Instagram Stories. Craft vs Postiz
5. SocialBee — content categories and recycling#
Bootstrap is $29 for 5 profiles ($24.17 annually). Telegram is available only as "universal posting".
6. Later — visual planning for one brand on many networks#
Starter is $25 for one social set. Great for one brand across networks; expensive for several Instagram accounts. Craft vs Later
7. Planable — collaboration and approvals#
Built around review and approval. Basic holds 4 pages for $39 ($32.50 annually); 5 accounts need Pro, about $59 ($49).
8. Hootsuite and Sprout Social — enterprise suites#
Many networks, reporting, team workflows. $99 a month and up. For a creator with a few accounts that's a lot; for a marketing team it can be worth it. Craft vs Hootsuite · Craft vs Sprout Social
Which one to pick#
- Lowest price for scheduling: Publer, then Buffer or Metricool.
- Telegram channels: Publer or Postiz.
- Analytics: Metricool; for teams, Sprout Social or Hootsuite.
- Approvals: Planable, Buffer Team, Hootsuite, Sprout Social.
- Posting plus comment auto-replies and DM or Telegram funnels in one subscription: Craft.
Schedule posts and build funnels by chatting with Claude or ChatGPT#
Craft has an MCP connector on every plan. Connect Craft to Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor or Claude Code and say "schedule this Reel to Instagram and TikTok for tomorrow at 10:00", then "build a funnel that sends the guide to everyone who comments GUIDE". Metricool and Postiz also offer MCP for scheduling. Setup guide: Connect your Claude.
Want help switching? Message us on Telegram. See the Craft pricing or the full ranking of schedulers.
Frequently asked questions#
What is the cheapest Buffer alternative?#
For scheduling, Publer: about $20 a month for 5 Instagram accounts (our estimate, not verified in its calculator). Metricool is $25 and also has a free plan.
Which Buffer alternative supports several Instagram accounts cheaply?#
Publer, Metricool, Postiz, SocialBee and Craft all fit 5 Instagram accounts for $20–$39 a month. Later is the exception: each Instagram needs its own social set, about $95 for 5.
Is there a Buffer alternative with Instagram comment auto-replies?#
Craft includes comment auto-replies and DM funnels on the same plan as scheduling. The other schedulers here don't list them, so you'd add a tool like ManyChat.
Which Buffer alternative posts to Telegram?#
Publer and Postiz post to Telegram channels. Craft runs Telegram bots — funnels and broadcasts — but doesn't post to channels.
Sources#
- Buffer — https://buffer.com/pricing — checked September 21, 2026
- Craft — https://craftopen.space/#pricing — checked September 21, 2026
- Publer — https://publer.com/pricing — checked September 21, 2026 (calculator not verified)
- Metricool — https://metricool.com/pricing — checked September 21, 2026
- Postiz — https://postiz.com/pricing — checked September 21, 2026
- SocialBee — https://socialbee.com/pricing — checked September 21, 2026
- Later — https://later.com/pricing — checked September 21, 2026
- Planable — https://planable.io/pricing — checked September 21, 2026
- Hootsuite — https://www.hootsuite.com/plans — checked September 21, 2026
- Sprout Social — https://sproutsocial.com/pricing/ — checked September 21, 2026
- ManyChat — https://manychat.com/pricing — checked September 21, 2026