Buffer vs Zoho Social
We give Buffer a 2.8 GPA and Zoho Social a 2.6, out of 4.0. Buffer grades higher on the free plan and ease of use. Zoho Social 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
Zoho Social
Social media scheduler priced per brand, with agency plans
How we grade them
| 2.8GPABufferGood | 2.6GPAZoho SocialGood | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | CPremium is $40 a month billed yearly for one brand with 3 team members, the inbox and approvals; Professional plus a $10 member comes to the same $40. That's between this category's $29 middle and $58 dearer quarter. One person on Standard pays $10. |
| 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 free plan covers 1 brand of 6 channels but only posts straight away, with no scheduling or calendar. There's also a 15-day trial with no card, and that's what earns the C. |
| 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. | BA calendar and queues for 14 networks, monitoring, an inbox with assignment rules, custom reports, approvals, and leads and tickets sent to Zoho CRM and Desk. Nothing in the listing shows a gap in the core job; most of it sits on Premium. |
| 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. | B4.7 from 700 App Store ratings, which clears the bar for a B. An A needs 1,000 ratings or more behind it. |
| 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, iPhone, Android and a browser extension, with Zoho CRM, Zoho Desk, Canva and Bitly. No desktop app, which an A needs, and the list of outside integrations is short. |
| Best for | paying only for the channels you use | Zoho users posting to many networks |
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 Zoho Social. 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. Zoho Social starts at $10 a month and scores 3.0.
They score the same, and Buffer starts $5 a month lower. Of the other social media schedulers on the chart, none scores higher than Buffer for less, and none scores higher than Zoho Social 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). Zoho Social starts at $10 per month for 1 brand (14 channels), billed annually ($15 monthly).
- Buffer also covers templates.
- Zoho Social also covers shared inbox.
At a glance
| Buffer | Zoho Social | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $5 per channel / month, billed annually ($6 billed monthly) | $10 per month for 1 brand (14 channels), billed annually ($15 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. | 1 brand of 6 channels (X, Instagram, Facebook Page, LinkedIn profile and page, Google Business Profile) and 1 member. Posts go out at once; no scheduling. |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial of the paid plans | 15-day free trial of all features, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Buffer | Zoho Corporation |
| Price read from | buffer.com | zoho.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
Zoho Social
- Small businesses with one account on each of many networks
- Teams already using Zoho CRM or Zoho Desk
- Agencies managing 10 to 20 client brands with a client portal
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.
Zoho Social
- A brand holds one account per network, so two Instagram accounts need two brands; Professional can add up to 5 brands at $14.50 a month each.
- The free plan only publishes straight away; scheduling, drafts and the calendar start at Standard.
- Standard and Professional include 1 team member; extra members cost $10 a month each billed yearly, on Professional and Premium only.
- The full inbox, approvals, custom reports and the Zoho CRM and Desk links need Premium.
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.
Zoho Social
- Publishing calendar and queues
- From Standard, see planned and published posts on one calendar and reschedule by dragging. Queues post into set time slots, and SmartQ on Premium picks times from audience activity.
- Inbox
- Direct messages from X, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn pages start on Professional. Premium adds a full inbox with assignment rules, saved replies and WhatsApp and Telegram.
- Listening dashboard
- Columns track mentions, brand keywords and reviews across networks, with a live stream of new engagement. Monitoring starts on Professional.
- Reports
- Summary reports from Standard, post stats and hashtag reports from Professional, and custom, exported and scheduled reports on Premium. Agency plans brand reports as the agency's own.
- Team approvals
- Premium adds custom roles, draft approvals and discussion threads, plus chat and audio or video calls between team members.
- Zoho CRM and Desk links
- On Premium, social contacts become Zoho CRM leads and social messages can be turned into Zoho Desk tickets.
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.
Zoho Social
Free$0
1 brand of 6 channels and 1 team member. Posts publish right away, with no scheduling or calendar. Accounts move here after the trial.
Standard$10
per month for 1 brand (14 channels), billed annually ($15 monthly)
1 team member, all 14 networks, scheduling, drafts and the calendar, Stories and Reels, summary reports and 40 AI credits.
Professional$30
per month for 1 brand (14 channels), billed annually ($40 monthly)
1 team member, plus bulk and repeat scheduling, RSS feeds, post insights, direct messages and monitoring. Up to 5 extra brands.
Premium$40
per month for 1 brand (16 channels), billed annually ($65 monthly)
3 team members, WhatsApp and Telegram, the inbox, approvals, SmartQ, custom reports and Zoho CRM and Zoho Desk integrations.
Agency$230
per month for up to 10 client brands, billed annually ($320 monthly)
5 team members, Premium features, client invites, a client portal and agency-branded scheduled reports. 5 more clients cost $76 a month.
Agency Plus$330
per month for up to 20 client brands, billed annually ($460 monthly)
Everything in Agency for 20 client brands and 5 team members, with 80 AI credits.
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.
Zoho Social
- Annual discount
Save 33% with yearly billing
Yearly billing brings Standard from $15 to $10, Professional from $40 to $30 and Premium from $65 to $40 a month.
- Nonprofit
Discounts for nonprofits
The pricing FAQ says Zoho Social offers discounts to nonprofits, NGOs and government institutions; terms are given on request.
