Publer vs SocialBu (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Publer grades higher than SocialBu: 2.6 against 2.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Publer grades higher on ease of use. SocialBu grades higher on features. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Publer
Social media scheduler priced by connected accounts and members
SocialBu
Social media scheduler with inbox, listening and automation
Which one is for you
Pick Publer if
- Fits if you post to less common places like Telegram, Mastodon or WordPress
- Works for one or two accounts, at $4 to $8 an account a month billed yearly
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you answer lots of comments and DMs, as no inbox is listed
- Tight if you're free: no X, 10 queued posts per account and 24 hours of post history
- Pricey if your team keeps growing, because every account and member adds to the bill
- Watch out: analytics, approvals and recycling need Business, and the API goes only to eligible customers
- Watch out: paid plans cap daily posting, and only Enterprise lifts the cap
Pick SocialBu if
- Fits if you want bulk scheduling and RSS automation
- Works for small agencies on the 20-account plan
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay free, as 10 lifetime posts run out fast
- Not for you if you need X on the free plan, as it is paid only
- Skip it if you need an inbox on the cheaper plan, as Starter has none
- Watch out: team seats are 4 on Growth and 8 on Agency, and no desktop or phone apps are named
How we grade them
| 2.6GPAPublerGood | 2.4GPASocialBuFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CBusiness, the plan with analytics and approvals, is $8 an account a month billed yearly, so five accounts are $40, and each extra team member adds to that. That's above this category's $29 middle and under the $58 dearer quarter. Professional is $20 for five. | CStarter is $22 a month on yearly billing for 8 accounts, between the $14 cheaper-quarter line and the $24.99 middle. |
| Free plan and trial | CFree for good with 3 accounts and 10 queued posts each, but no X, 25 drafts and only 24 hours of published-post history, and analytics are a Business thing. Tight for a business. | CA free plan with 3 accounts, but only 10 lifetime posts and no X. There is also a 7-day trial on paid plans. |
| Features | CCalendar, bulk uploads of up to 500 posts, RSS, recycling, AI, competitor tracking and approvals on Business. The gaps it shows: no social inbox in its listing, a daily posting cap only Enterprise lifts, and an API only for eligible customers. | BScheduling, bulk posting, inbox, listening, AI writing, RSS automation and approvals. The listing shows no gap in the core job, though the inbox starts on Growth. |
| Ease of use | AIts iPhone and iPad app averages 4.75 from about 26,600 ratings. | CA web app with accounts, queues and automations to set up. No store rating on record. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iPhone, Android and a browser extension, with Canva, Google Drive, Unsplash, WordPress and Linkie. No desktop app, which an A needs. | BWeb only, with Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube, Google Drive, Dropbox and ChatGPT. |
| Best for | scheduling to lots of networks, priced per account | scheduling with an inbox and automation |
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: Publer and SocialBu. How we grade
Price against what you get
Publer starts at $4 a month and scores 3.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. SocialBu starts at $22 a month and scores 2.7.
Publer scores higher and starts $18 a month lower. Of the other social media schedulers on the chart, none scores higher than Publer for less, and 3 score higher than SocialBu 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
- SocialBu also covers workflow automation.
At a glance
| Publer | SocialBu | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $4 per month for 1 social account, billed yearly ($5 billed monthly) | $22 per month, billed yearly ($29 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | 1 user, 1 workspace, 3 social accounts other than X, 10 scheduled posts per account at a time and 25 drafts. | 3 social accounts and 10 lifetime posts; X (Twitter) is available on paid plans only. |
| Free trial | 7-day free trial of Professional, 14-day free trial of Business | 7-day free trial on every paid plan |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Kalemi | SocialBu |
| Price read from | publer.com | socialbu.com |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Publer
- The Free plan leaves out X, holds 10 scheduled posts per account at a time and keeps published posts for 24 hours.
- Listed prices are for a single social account; each added account and team member raises the total, with every tenth one free.
- Analytics, best times, competitor analysis, recycling, approvals and unlimited AI need Business; the API goes only to eligible Business and Enterprise customers.
- Paid plans schedule without limit but cap daily posting to prevent spam; only Enterprise lifts Publer's daily cap.
SocialBu
- The free plan allows only 10 lifetime posts and excludes X (Twitter).
- Starter has no social inbox and no teams; those start at Growth.
- Team member counts are small: 4 on Growth and 8 on Agency.
- The pricing page lists a web app only; no desktop or mobile apps are named.
Key features
Publer
- Calendar and cross-posting
- Posts for Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, Threads, LinkedIn, Pinterest, YouTube, Bluesky, Mastodon, Telegram, Google Business Profile and WordPress are planned on a drag-and-drop calendar.
- Bulk scheduling and RSS
- Up to 500 posts at once from a CSV file or a bulk media upload, and RSS feeds that auto-schedule new articles, on paid plans.
- Recycling and AutoSchedule
- Posting schedules fill slots automatically on every plan, and Business adds automatic recycling of evergreen posts with Spintax variations.
- Analytics and competitors
- Business adds post and account analytics, downloadable reports, best times to post, hashtag analytics and competitor tracking.
- AI Assist
- AI writes captions, completes text, makes images and suggests comment replies; prompts are unlimited on Business.
- Workspaces and approvals
- Paid plans get unlimited workspaces and roles per social account, and Business adds approval workflows for teams and outside clients.
SocialBu
- Scheduling and bulk posting
- Plan posts on a shared calendar, preview them per network, recycle evergreen posts and bulk import campaigns.
- Social inbox
- Messages, comments, mentions and reviews land in one inbox. The inbox is not included on Starter.
- AI writing
- An AI writer drafts captions and posts for each network, paid for with monthly credits that rise from 500 to 10,000 across the paid plans.
- Listening streams
- Track keywords and mentions with listening streams, each plan capping the streams and matched items per month.
- Automation and RSS
- Auto-post from RSS feeds, trigger webhooks and set up auto replies, with run limits that rise by plan.
- Team approvals
- Teams, roles and content approvals keep client work separate; Growth allows 4 team members and Agency 8.
Plans
Publer
Free$0
3 social accounts (no X), 10 queued posts per account, 25 drafts and 24 hours of published-post history.
Professional$4
per month for 1 social account, billed yearly ($5 billed monthly)
X support, unlimited scheduling and workspaces, bulk scheduling, RSS automations and full post history. Each added account or member raises the price.
Business$8
per month for 1 social account, billed yearly ($10 billed monthly)
Analytics and reports, best times, competitor analysis, post recycling, approvals, unlimited AI and the API. Each added account or member raises the price.
EnterpriseCustom
Volume discounts, 1:1 onboarding, priority support, no daily posting cap from Publer and payment by purchase order or wire.
SocialBu
Free$0
3 social accounts and 10 lifetime posts; no X (Twitter).
Starter$22
per month, billed yearly ($29 billed monthly)
8 accounts, up to 750 posts a month, 1 queue, basic analytics, no teams or social inbox.
Growth$59
per month, billed yearly ($79 billed monthly)
20 accounts, up to 3,000 posts a month, 5 teams, social inbox and advanced analytics.
Agency$149
per month, billed yearly ($199 billed monthly)
50 accounts, up to 100,000 posts a month, 20 teams, 30 queues and the highest AI credit allowance.
Ways to pay less
Publer
- Annual discount
20% off with yearly billing
Publer's help center gives yearly billing a 20% discount: $4 a month instead of $5 for Professional and $8 instead of $10 for Business at one account.
SocialBu
- Annual discount
Save 25% with yearly billing
SocialBu's pricing page lists a 25% saving on paid plans when billed yearly instead of monthly.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Publer or SocialBu?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Publer is cheaper to start with: $4 a month, against $22 a month for SocialBu. Publer starts at $4 per month for 1 social account, billed yearly ($5 billed monthly), and SocialBu starts at $22 per month, billed yearly ($29 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, Publer or SocialBu?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Publer and SocialBu have a free plan.
Which platforms do Publer and SocialBu run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Publer 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.