Buffer vs Postiz (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, we pick Buffer: it is first in our ranking of social media schedulers, and it grades higher too, 2.8 against 2.4.
Checked Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Buffer grades higher on the free plan and ease of use. Postiz grades higher on features. They get the same grade on value for money 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
Postiz
Social scheduler with an API, MCP server and self-host option
Which one is for you
Pick Buffer if
- Fits if you post to a few channels and want to pay only for those
- Works for one person running up to 3 accounts on the free plan
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you keep adding channels on Team, since every one is $10 a month, including the three that were free
- Too light for teams that live in DMs, as its inbox is described for comments, and there's no competitor tracking on record
- Tight if you're staying free, with 10 queued posts per channel, 1 user and 30 days of analytics
- Not for you if you need approvals or more than one user on Essentials, as those need Team
- Watch out: Instagram personal profiles and Facebook groups get a reminder to post by hand, not automatic publishing
Pick Postiz if
- Fits if you are a developer who wants a posting API
- Works for people who prefer to host their own scheduler
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a permanent free plan on the hosted service
- Tight if you pick Standard: 5 channels and no team members
- Watch out: self-hosting means handling Docker, updates and backups, and the page says the hosted version gets agent features first
- Watch out: refunds cover up to one month of fees, and annual plans are not refundable
How we grade them
| 2.8GPABufferGood | 2.4GPAPostizFair | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | C$23 a month on yearly billing ($29 monthly) for 5 channels, close to the category's $29 middle. The $0 self-hosted edition needs your own server. |
| 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. | CThe self-hosted edition is free, but you run it; hosted has a 7-day trial and no free plan. The listing doesn't say if the trial needs a card. |
| 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. | BCalendar, repeats and delays, plugs, AI, analytics, an API, webhooks and MCP. Standard has no team members. |
| 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. | CNo store rating on record. Hosted is quick to set up, though self-hosting is Docker work. |
| 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. | BWeb, with Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, Reddit and an API. No phone apps. |
| Best for | paying only for the channels you use | a posting API you can host yourself |
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 Postiz. 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. Postiz starts at $23 a month and scores 2.7.
Buffer scores higher and starts $18 a month lower. Of the other social media schedulers on the chart, none scores higher than Buffer for less, and 3 score higher than Postiz 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
- Postiz is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Buffer also covers templates.
At a glance
| Buffer | Postiz | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free trial |
| Starts at | $5 per channel / month, billed annually ($6 billed monthly) | $23 per month for 5 channels, billed yearly ($29 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 on every plan |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Buffer | Postiz |
| Price read from | buffer.com | postiz.com |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
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.
Postiz
- The hosted service has no permanent free plan, only a 7-day trial.
- Standard does not include team members; unlimited members start with Team.
- The self-hosted edition means handling Docker, updates and backups yourself, and the page says the hosted service gets agent features first.
- Refunds cover up to one month of fees per account, and annual plans are not refundable.
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.
Postiz
- Visual calendar
- Posts for more than 30 channels are planned on one calendar with a picture editor, signatures, posting sets and calendar views.
- API, webhooks and MCP
- All hosted plans include a public API, webhooks, a CLI and an MCP server, so tools such as Claude or ChatGPT can schedule posts.
- Repeated and delayed posts
- Evergreen posts can repeat daily, weekly or monthly, and follow-up comments can be scheduled with delays between them.
- Plugs
- Internal plugs repost or comment from other connected accounts, and global plugs trigger actions such as a repost at a like threshold.
- AI generation
- An AI copilot is on every plan, with monthly allowances for AI images, AI videos and clipping long YouTube videos into short clips.
- Analytics
- Impressions, likes, comments and shares are tracked across connected channels on every hosted plan.
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.
Postiz
Standard$23
per month for 5 channels, billed yearly ($29 billed monthly)
5 channels, unlimited posts, AI copilot, 3 AI videos and 60 minutes of AI video clipping a month. Team members are not included.
Team$31
per month for 10 channels, billed yearly ($39 billed monthly)
10 channels, unlimited posts and team members, 100 AI images and 10 AI videos a month.
Pro$39
per month for 30 channels, billed yearly ($49 billed monthly)
30 channels, unlimited posts and team members, 300 AI images and 30 AI videos a month.
Ultimate$79
per month for 100 channels, billed yearly ($99 billed monthly)
100 channels, unlimited posts and team members, 500 AI images and 60 AI videos a month.
Self-hosted$0
Open-source edition under AGPL-3.0; you run it on your own server and handle installation, updates and backups.
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.
Postiz
- Annual discount
About 20% off with yearly billing
Yearly billing brings the plans to $23, $31, $39 and $79 a month, which the pricing FAQ says saves about 20%.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Buffer or Postiz?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Buffer is cheaper to start with: $5 a month, against $23 a month for Postiz. Buffer starts at $5 per channel / month, billed annually ($6 billed monthly), and Postiz starts at $23 per month for 5 channels, billed yearly ($29 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, Buffer or Postiz?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Buffer has a free plan. Postiz does not, though it has a free trial.
Which platforms do Buffer and Postiz run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Buffer lists iOS and Android apps and a browser extension. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.