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ToolGPA

Price against what you get

Best-value social media schedulers

Going by our grades, Hootsuite and Publer give the most for the money among social media schedulers: no tool on this chart scores higher without costing more.

Paid plans start at a middle price of $27.25 a month across the 20 that charge, from $4 (Publer) to $99 (Vista Social). 8 of the 20 score above the category's average while starting at or below its middle price. 6 cost more than the middle price and score below the average.

Set price against

Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged

C2.0B3.0A4.0$2$5$10$20$50$100More for lessCosts more, scores moreCosts less, scores lessCosts more, scores lessHootsuitePublerBufferZoho SocialMetricoolSked SocialPlanable

What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →

  • Nothing scores higher without costing more
  • The best score at each price
  • Has a free plan
  • No free plan
20 of the 20 social media schedulers in this directory. Scores are ToolGPA’s own grades; prices are each vendor’s own, read up to Oct 17, 2026. The lines cross at the middle starting price ($27.25) and the average score (2.6). The data as JSON · The chart as a picture
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Paste this where you want it. The picture links back here and is redrawn whenever a price or a grade changes. Use it freely, with the link left in.

<a href="https://toolgpa.com/charts/social-media"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/charts/social-media/chart.svg" alt="20 social media schedulers by starting price and by ToolGPA score" width="1200" height="675" style="max-width:100%;height:auto"></a>

The best at every price

Each step is the highest score social media schedulers reach at that price or below. Nothing on the chart beats these without costing more.

  1. $4

    a month to start · scores 3.0 of 4

    • Publer$4 per month for 1 social account, billed yearly ($5 billed monthly)CAB

  2. $99

    a month to start · scores 3.3 of 4

    • Hootsuite$99 per user / month, billed annuallyBAB

Paying more for less

The social media schedulers that the most others beat on both counts: a higher score and a lower starting price.

  1. Sked SocialStarts at $58 a month and scores 2.3 of 4.8 of 19 score higher for lessCCB
  2. PlanableStarts at $33 a month and scores 2.3 of 4.8 of 19 score higher for lessCCB
  3. TaplioStarts at $32 a month for each person and scores 2.3 of 4.8 of 19 score higher for lessCCB
  4. SendibleStarts at $29.75 a month and scores 2.3 of 4.8 of 19 score higher for lessCCB
  5. OcoyaStarts at $29 a month and scores 2.3 of 4.8 of 19 score higher for lessCCB

A high starting price often means a product is sold to companies and has no small plan, and a score is three letters, not the whole product. Read a tool’s own page before ruling it out.

The four quarters

Where the tools fall when the chart is cut at the middle price and the average score.

More for less8

Each scores above the category's average and starts at or below its middle price.

Publer, Buffer, Zoho Social, Iconosquare, Later, ContentStudio, Metricool, SocialPilot

Costs more, scores more4

Each scores above the average and starts above the middle price.

Hootsuite, Vista Social, Agorapulse, Sprout Social

Costs less, scores less2

Each scores below the average and starts at or below the middle price.

Tailwind, Hypefury

Costs more, scores less6

Each scores below the average and starts above the middle price.

Ocoya, SocialBee, Sendible, Taplio, Planable, Sked Social

All 20 on the chart

Highest score first, then lowest price. The last column counts the tools that score higher and start lower.

#ToolScoreFeatures, ease, platformsA monthAs its listing states itScore higher for less
1Hootsuite3.3BAB$99$99 per user / month, billed annuallyNone
2Publer3.0CAB$4$4 per month for 1 social account, billed yearly ($5 billed monthly)None
3Buffer3.0CAB$5$5 per channel / month, billed annually ($6 billed monthly)None
4Zoho Social3.0BBB$10$10 per month for 1 brand (14 channels), billed annually ($15 monthly)None
5Vista Social3.0BCA$99$99 per month for up to 15 social profiles, billed monthly ($950 yearly)None
6Iconosquare2.7BCB$10.09€9 per month for up to 3 social profiles, billed annually3
7Later2.7CBB$18.75$18.75 per month for up to 8 social profiles, billed annually3
8ContentStudio2.7BCB$19$19 per month for up to 5 social accounts, billed annually ($29 monthly)3
9Metricool2.7BCB$20$20 per month for up to 5 brands, billed annually ($25 billed monthly)3
10SocialPilot2.7BCB$25.50$25.50 per month for up to 7 accounts, billed annually ($30 billed monthly)3
11Agorapulse2.7BCB$79$79 per user / month, billed annually ($99 billed monthly)3
12Sprout Social2.7BCB$79$79 per seat / month, billed annually ($99 billed monthly)3
13Tailwind2.3CCB$17.99$17.99 per Pinterest account / month, billed annually ($29.99 monthly)4
14Ocoya2.3CCB$29$29 per month for up to 5 social profiles, billed monthly8
15SocialBee2.3CCB$29$29 per month for up to 5 social profiles, billed monthly ($290 yearly)8
16Sendible2.3CCB$29.75$29.75 per month for up to 6 profiles, billed yearly ($35 billed monthly)8
17Taplio2.3CCB$32$32 per seat / month, billed annually ($39 billed monthly)8
18Planable2.3CCB$33$33 per workspace / month, billed yearly ($39 billed monthly)8
19Sked Social2.3CCB$58$58 per month for up to 6 social profiles, billed annually ($69 monthly)8
20Hypefury2.0CCC$5$5 per channel / month, billed annually ($6 billed monthly)1

How social media schedulers grade

Every bar is all the social media schedulers we grade, cut by the letter each got on that count.

  • Value for moneyaverage 1.9
  • Free plan and trialaverage 2.0
  • Featuresaverage 2.5
  • Ease of useaverage 2.4
  • Platforms and integrationsaverage 3.0

An A is worth 4 and an F nothing. C is the ordinary grade. Every social media grade in one table

Common questions

Which social media schedulers give the most for the money?

Hootsuite and Publer. Each is the highest-scoring tool at its price or below: Publer scores 3.0 out of 4 and starts at $4 a month; Hootsuite scores 3.3 out of 4 and starts at $99 a month for each person. This goes by ToolGPA's own grades for features, ease of use and platforms, averaged out of 4, set against the price each tool's paid plans start at.

Which social media schedulers are best for under $5 a month?

Publer and Buffer, with a score of 3.0 out of 4: the highest among the 3 that start at $5 a month or less. Publer starts at $4 a month; Buffer starts at $5 a month.

Which social media schedulers are best for under $10 a month?

Publer, Buffer and Zoho Social, with a score of 3.0 out of 4: the highest among the 4 that start at $10 a month or less. Publer starts at $4 a month; Buffer starts at $5 a month; Zoho Social starts at $10 a month.

Which social media schedulers cost the most for what they offer?

On this chart, Sked Social (starts at $58 a month, scores 2.3 out of 4, and 8 tools score higher for less), Planable (starts at $33 a month, scores 2.3 out of 4, and 8 tools score higher for less) and Taplio (starts at $32 a month for each person, scores 2.3 out of 4, and 8 tools score higher for less). A high starting price often means a product is sold to companies and has no small plan, so check what the price includes before ruling one out.

How much do social media schedulers cost?

The middle starting price is $27.25 a month: half of the 20 social media schedulers with a recurring price start below that and half above. 0 of the 20 in this directory have no paid plan, and 5 of those that charge also have a free plan.

How is the score on this chart worked out?

It is the average of three of the five grades ToolGPA gives every tool: features, ease of use, and platforms and integrations, with an A worth 4 and an F worth 0. The other two grades, value for money and the free plan, are about price, so they are left out and price gets an axis of its own. 20 of the 20 social media schedulers are on the chart.

How this chart is made

  • The score is the average of three of a tool’s five grades: features, ease of use, and platforms and integrations. An A is 4 points and an F none. Value for money and the free plan are left out because they are about price, and price has an axis of its own.
  • The price is what paid plans start at, in dollars a month, on the cheapest way of paying the listing names. A yearly price is divided by twelve, and a price in another currency is converted. A price for each person is shown for one person.
  • A tool with no paid plan sits in the band marked Free. A tool with a free plan beside paid ones is placed at its paid price and drawn as a filled dot.
  • The grades are ToolGPA’s own judgement from each vendor’s pages and from public reviews, not from testing, and no vendor can pay for one. How we grade

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