Buffer Pricing 2026: Is It Worth It?
Buffer has 3 plans. Here is what each one includes, what it costs monthly and yearly, and which one fits your business.
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Quick answer
Buffer pricing: Free / from $6/mo per channel. The plans: Free: $0/mo; Essentials: From $6/mo per channel; Team: From $12/mo per channel. The free plan includes Up to 3 channels; AI Assistant (unlimited); 5 AI comment reply suggestions a week. No credit card needed to start.
Buffer plans and pricing
3 plans. Here is exactly what you get on each, and who each one actually suits.
Free
$0/mo
Up to 3 channels; AI Assistant (unlimited); 5 AI comment reply suggestions a week
Best for
Solo businesses posting to a few channels
Hidden cost: None
Essentials
From $6/mo per channel
AI Assistant; unlimited AI comment replies; hashtag manager
Best for
Small businesses that want analytics and engagement tools
Hidden cost: Price is per channel; falls to $4 per channel at 11 to 25 channels
Team
From $12/mo per channel
Everything in Essentials plus team features
Best for
Teams that need collaboration and approvals
Hidden cost: Price is per channel; volume discounts apply
Is the Buffer free plan worth it?
What you get on free
Up to 3 channels; AI Assistant (unlimited); 5 AI comment reply suggestions a week
✓ No credit card needed to start
Who the free plan works for
Solo businesses posting to a few channels
When to upgrade from free
Stay on free if
- ✓You are testing Buffer for the first time
- ✓You run a solo operation with low volume
- ✓Solo businesses posting to a few channels
Upgrade when you need
- → 10-post queue limit on the free plan forces heavy posters to log in every 10 days to refill the queue, removing the set-it-and-forget-it benefit
- → Analytics (post performance data) are shallow compared to competitors: no audience demographics, no competitor benchmarking, no story performance data
- → No built-in AI content generation: you write all posts yourself, while Later, Publer, and Metricool now include AI drafting at comparable prices
Buffer too expensive? Consider these alternatives
See full alternatives comparison →Start free on Buffer. Upgrade only when you need to.
Prices change. Check the plan you pick on Buffer's own pricing page before you buy.
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