Buffer vs Ocoya
We give Buffer a 2.8 GPA and Ocoya a 2.0, out of 4.0. Buffer grades higher on the free plan and ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money, features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Buffer
Social media scheduler priced by the channel, with a free plan
Ocoya
AI-assisted social scheduler with a design studio and workflows
How we grade them
| 2.8GPABufferGood | 2.0GPAOcoyaFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CFive channels on Team, which a team needs because Essentials is one user, is $50 a month billed yearly ($10 a channel). That's above this category's $29 middle and under the $58 where the dearer quarter starts. On your own, Essentials is $25 for five. | CStarter is one user, so a team of two or three buys Team: $790 a year, about $66 a month, for 5 users and 20 profiles. That's above this category's $58 dearer quarter but under the $99 dearest tenth. On your own, Starter is $290 a year. |
| Free plan and trial | BFree for good with up to 3 channels, AI help, a comment inbox and 30 days of insights. One person can run three accounts on it. The catch is 10 queued posts per channel at a time and a single user. | DNo free plan, and the 7-day trial needs a card and turns into a paid plan on day 7 unless you cancel. |
| Features | CQueue, calendar, ideas board, AI help, reports and an API across 12 networks. The gaps it shows: the inbox is described for comments only, there's no competitor tracking on record, and Instagram personal profiles and Facebook groups only get a reminder to post by hand. | CAI captions, images and campaigns, a design studio, visual workflows, an inbox, approvals and an API across 20-plus destinations. The gap its listing names: no post analytics or performance reports in its feature pages or help centre. |
| Ease of use | AIts iPhone and iPad app averages 4.7 from about 34,600 ratings, and the free plan needs nothing but your social accounts connected. | CThere's no App Store rating on record for us to go by, and you'll set up a brand profile, channels and posting slots first. So it gets the ordinary grade. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iPhone, Android and a Chrome extension, plus an API on every plan, an MCP server, and Canva, Zapier, Make and WordPress. No desktop app, which is what an A needs. | BA web app you can install on phones and computers from the browser, with Notion, Airtable, WordPress, WooCommerce, Slack, Discord, an API and an MCP server. There are no app-store apps. |
| Best for | paying only for the channels you use | AI-written posts and automated workflows |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Buffer and Ocoya. How we grade
Price against what you get
Buffer starts at $5 a month and scores 3.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Ocoya starts at $29 a month and scores 2.3.
Buffer scores higher and starts $24 a month lower. Of the other social media schedulers on the chart, none scores higher than Buffer for less, and 8 score higher than Ocoya for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Buffer starts at $5 per channel / month, billed annually ($6 billed monthly). Ocoya starts at $29 per month for up to 5 social profiles, billed monthly.
- Buffer has a free plan. Ocoya does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Buffer lists iOS and Android apps.
- Only Buffer lists a browser extension.
- Buffer also covers reports.
- Ocoya also covers shared inbox and workflow automation.
At a glance
| Buffer | Ocoya | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free trial |
| Starts at | $5 per channel / month, billed annually ($6 billed monthly) | $29 per month for up to 5 social profiles, billed monthly |
| Free plan | Up to 3 channels, 10 scheduled posts per channel at a time, 1 user, 100 saved ideas and 30 days of analytics history. | None |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial of the paid plans | 7-day free trial of any plan; a card is required and the plan bills on day 7 unless cancelled |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Buffer | UAB Ocoya |
| Price read from | buffer.com | ocoya.com |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Buffer
- Solo creators and small businesses posting to a handful of accounts
- People who want a free plan for up to three social accounts
- Agencies that add and drop client accounts and want to pay only for those connected
Ocoya
- Small teams that want AI to draft and illustrate most of their posts
- Agencies running many client brands without paying per brand
- Developers adding social publishing to their own product through an API
Worth knowing
Buffer
- The Free plan holds only 10 scheduled posts per channel at a time and keeps 30 days of analytics.
- Essentials allows a single user; approval workflows, access controls and branded reports need Team.
- Upgrading means paying for every connected channel, including the three that were free.
- Instagram personal profiles and Facebook groups get reminder notifications to post by hand, not automatic publishing.
Ocoya
- There is no free plan; the 7-day trial needs a card and turns into a paid plan unless cancelled.
- AI features and workflow runs draw on a monthly credit allowance: 300 on Starter, 1,500 on Team.
- Its feature pages and help center describe no post analytics or performance reports.
- There are no app-store apps; phones and computers install the web app from the browser.
Key features
Buffer
- Queue and calendar
- Posts go into a per-channel queue or onto a visual calendar for Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, X, Threads, Bluesky, Mastodon, Pinterest, YouTube, Substack and Google Business Profile.
- Ideas and AI Assistant
- An ideas board stores drafts and inspiration (100 on Free, unlimited on paid plans), and the AI Assistant helps write and repurpose posts on every plan.
- Community inbox
- Comments from connected accounts can be answered in one place, with saved replies and AI reply suggestions (5 a week on Free).
- Analytics and reports
- Insights cover follower growth, engagement and post performance. Free keeps 30 days of history; paid plans add reports and UTM tags, and Team adds branded reports.
- Start Page
- A link-in-bio page builder is included on every plan, alongside link shortening and a Chrome extension for sharing from any web page.
- API and MCP server
- Every plan includes API keys, from 3,000 requests a month on Free to 15,000 on Team, and Buffer lists a social media MCP server for AI tools.
Ocoya
- Publishing to over twenty destinations
- Facebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Bluesky, Threads, YouTube Shorts, Google Business, TikTok, Telegram and Mastodon, plus Slack, Discord, WordPress and Notion.
- Planner and approvals
- List, board and calendar views of the same posts, posting slots per channel, labels, a shareable calendar and sign-off before a post publishes.
- AI captions, images and campaigns
- Writes captions, images, hashtags and multi-post campaigns from a brand profile. Each AI action uses 1 credit; scheduling and publishing use none.
- Design Studio
- A built-in image editor with templates, brand styling, stock images and AI image generation and editing.
- Workflows and AI agents
- Visual automations that react to a schedule, an RSS item, a new WooCommerce product or a comment, then write and post or reply. Each run uses 1 credit.
- Inbox, API and MCP
- DMs, comments and mentions in one inbox with assignment and labels. A REST API and an MCP server let developers and AI clients create and schedule posts.
Plans
Buffer
Free$0
Up to 3 channels and 1 user, 10 queued posts per channel at a time, the AI Assistant and a comment inbox.
Essentials$5
per channel / month, billed annually ($6 billed monthly)
1 user, unlimited scheduled posts, hashtag manager, first-comment scheduling and reports. The rate per channel drops after 10: $100 a month at 25 channels, billed annually.
Team$10
per channel / month, billed annually ($12 billed monthly)
Unlimited team members, approval workflows, access levels and branded reports. $150 a month at 25 channels, billed annually.
Ocoya
Starter$29
per month for up to 5 social profiles, billed monthly
1 user, unlimited brands and 300 AI credits a month. $290 billed yearly.
Team$79
per month for up to 20 social profiles, billed monthly
5 users, unlimited brands and 1,500 AI credits a month. $790 billed yearly.
Agency$199
per month for up to 100 social profiles, billed monthly
20 users, unlimited brands and 5,000 AI credits a month. $1,990 billed yearly.
CustomCustom
For large businesses that need more than the Agency plan, arranged with sales.
Ways to pay less
Buffer
- Annual discount
About two months free with yearly billing
Yearly billing brings Essentials to $5 a channel a month from $6, and Team to $10 from $12. The pricing page calls it saving two months.
- Nonprofit
50% off for nonprofits and charities
Buffer's pricing FAQ offers nonprofit and charity organizations a 50% discount on its paid plans.
Ocoya
- Annual discount
Two months free with yearly billing
Yearly billing costs ten months instead of twelve: $290 for Starter, $790 for Team and $1,990 for Agency.
