Buffer Pricing
Source: https://buffer.com/pricing Buffer is a social media management tool to build a library of content ideas, plan and schedule posts across social platforms, measure performance, and engage with your community.
How Pricing Works
- You pay per channel. A channel is one social account you connect to Buffer: a single Instagram profile, Facebook page, LinkedIn page, TikTok account, and so on. You only pay for the accounts you actually manage.
- Paid plan prices are per channel. The listed monthly and yearly prices are for 1 channel; you can connect more.
- Billing is monthly or annual. Annual billing saves 20% (described as "save 2 months"). You can switch between monthly and annual billing at any time, and any necessary prorations or refunds are automatically applied.
- Volume discounts apply to channels: channels 1 to 10 are priced at the standard rate, and any channels above 10 cost less per channel, so your average cost per channel goes down as you grow.
- Paid plans include a 14-day free trial. During the trial you can upgrade to a paid plan or switch to the Free plan at any time.
- A Start Page counts as a channel towards your plan.
- Nonprofit and charity organizations receive a 50% discount on paid plans.
- Accepted payment methods: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, JCB, Discover, and Diners Club. PayPal, checks, and bank transfers are not accepted.
- Pricing was last updated in November 2025.
Plans
Free: $0 forever
Connect up to 3 channels.
- 10 scheduled posts per channel: Refill anytime. Once a post is published, the slot becomes available again, up to the 10-post maximum per channel.
- 100 ideas
- 1 user account
- AI Assistant
- Basic analytics
- API access: 1 API key, 3,000 requests/month.
- Community inbox
- World-class customer support
Essentials: $5/month per channel (recommended)
$60 billed yearly per channel (save 2 months).
- Unlimited scheduled posts per channel: Subject to a fair use policy capping usage at 5,000 posts per channel.
- Unlimited ideas
- 1 user account
- AI Assistant
- Advanced analytics
- API access: 3 API keys, 7,500 requests/month.
- Community inbox
- Hashtag manager
- First comment scheduling
- World-class customer support
Team: $10/month per channel
$120 billed yearly per channel (save 2 months).
Everything in Essentials, plus:
- Unlimited team members
- API access: 5 API keys, 15,000 requests/month.
- Access levels
- Content approval workflows
Feature Comparison
Content creation
| Feature | Free | Essentials | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ideas | 100 ideas | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Tags | 3 tags | 250 tags | 250 tags |
| Drafts | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Templates | Included | Included | Included |
| AI Assistant | Included | Included | Included |
| Board view | Included | Included | Included |
| Browser extension | Included | Included | Included |
Publishing
| Feature | Free | Essentials | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scheduled posts per channel | 10 | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Threaded posts | 1 | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Queue | Included | Included | Included |
| Visual content calendar | Included | Included | Included |
| Reminder notifications | Included | Included | Included |
| Start Page | Included | Included | Included |
| Duplicate posts | Included | Included | Included |
| Link shortening | Included | Included | Included |
| First comment scheduling | Not included | Included | Included |
| Channel groups | Not included | Included | Included |
| Hashtag manager | Not included | Included | Included |
| Custom video covers | Not included | Included | Included |
Community
| Feature | Free | Essentials | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reply to comments | Included | Included | Included |
| Comment score | Included | Included | Included |
| AI replies | 5 suggestions per week | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Saved replies | 1 saved reply | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Comment insights | Included | Included | Included |
| Turn comments into posts | Included | Included | Included |
Analytics
| Feature | Free | Essentials | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic analytics | 30-day history | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Performance overview | Not included | Included | Included |
| Custom analytics | Not included | Included | Included |
| Best time to post | Not included | Included | Included |
| Audience demographics | Not included | Included | Included |
| Reports | Not included | Included | Included |
| Custom UTM parameters | Not included | Included | Included |
| Branded reports | Not included | Not included | Included |
Collaboration
| Feature | Free | Essentials | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Included users | 1 | 1 | Unlimited |
| Two-factor authentication | Included | Included | Included |
| Notes | Not included | Included | Included |
| Approval workflows | Not included | Not included | Included |
| Custom access and permissions | Not included | Not included | Included |
Integrations
| Feature | Free | Essentials | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canva | Included | Included | Included |
| Unsplash | Included | Included | Included |
| Dropbox | Included | Included | Included |
| Google Drive and Photos | Included | Included | Included |
| One Drive | Included | Included | Included |
| Zapier | Included | Included | Included |
| IFTTT | Included | Included | Included |
| WordPress | Included | Included | Included |
| Feedly | Included | Included | Included |
| Included | Included | Included | |
| Bitly | Included | Included | Included |
API
| Feature | Free | Essentials | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| API Keys | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| App Clients | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| 15-min limit | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| 24-hr limit | 100 | 250 | 500 |
| 30-day limit | 3,000 | 7,500 | 15,000 |
Support
| Feature | Free | Essentials | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Self-service knowledge base | Included | Included | Included |
| Email support | Included | Included | Included |
Supported Channels
| Channel | Automatic Publishing | Notification Publishing (Reminders to post) | Basic Analytics | Advanced Analytics | Community Engagement |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bluesky profiles | Included | Not included | Included | Not included | Included |
| Facebook pages | Included | Not included | Included | Included | Included |
| Facebook groups | Not included | Included | Included | Not included | Not included |
| Google Business Profiles | Included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Included |
| Instagram business accounts | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included |
| Instagram creator accounts | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included |
| Instagram personal profiles | Not included | Included | Not included | Not included | Not included |
| LinkedIn pages | Included | Not included | Included | Included | Included |
| LinkedIn profiles | Included | Not included | Included | Not included | Included |
| Mastodon profiles | Included | Not included | Included | Not included | Included |
| Pinterest business accounts | Included | Not included | Included | Not included | Not included |
| Pinterest personal accounts | Included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Not included |
| Start Page | Included | Not included | Included | Not included | Not included |
| Threads profiles | Included | Not included | Included | Not included | Included |
| TikTok business profiles | Included | Included | Included | Not included | Included |
| YouTube (Shorts) | Included | Included | Included | Not included | Included |
| X / Twitter free profiles | Included | Not included | Not included | Included | Included |
| X / Twitter premium profiles | Included | Not included | Included | Included | Included |
FAQs
Does Buffer work for agencies or businesses managing multiple brands?
Yes. Buffer is built to manage as many accounts as you do, whether those are your own brands or your clients'. Each social account connects as a channel, you manage them all from one dashboard, and you pay per channel rather than per brand or per client, so a portfolio of 30 accounts costs the same whether it's one brand or 15. You can also invite teammates to draft, schedule, and review posts together.
What counts as a channel?
A channel is one social account you connect to Buffer: a single Instagram profile, Facebook page, LinkedIn page, TikTok account, and so on. You're billed per channel, so you only pay for the accounts you actually manage. If you run five brands with an Instagram and a Facebook page each, that's 10 channels.
What are the billing options for Buffer's paid plans?
You can choose to pay for your plan on a monthly or annual basis. By selecting annual billing, you'll receive a 20% discount. You can switch between monthly and annual billing at any time. If you switch billing frequencies, any necessary prorations or refunds will be automatically applied.
What payment methods does Buffer accept?
We accept credit and debit card payments from Visa, Mastercard, American Express, JCB, Discover, and Diners Club. Unfortunately, we cannot accept PayPal, checks, or bank transfers at this time.
Does Buffer have a free trial?
Yes, we offer a 14-day free trial for our paid plans. During the trial, you can upgrade to a paid plan or switch to our Free plan at any time. You can also start using Buffer for free right away by signing up for our Free plan without needing a trial period.
What happens at the end of the 14-day trial?
If you decide to continue with a subscription after your trial, simply enter your payment details under the "Billing Method" section in your account settings. If you don't wish to upgrade and haven't entered your payment details, your account will automatically be downgraded to the Free plan. Any scheduled posts will still be published after the trial ends, provided the connected social channels are not locked. Channels will be locked if you exceed the three-channel limit for the Free plan.
Can I keep my three free channels if I upgrade from Buffer's Free plan to a paid plan?
If you decide to upgrade to a paid plan, you will pay for each channel, including any channels you had while on the Free plan. This is because paid plans offer unlimited usage and advanced features for all channels you've connected to Buffer.
What is the scheduled post limit for each plan?
The Free plan allows 10 scheduled posts per channel. Once a post is published, the slot becomes available again, up to the 10-post maximum per channel. For paid plans, you have unlimited scheduled posts per channel. Unlimited scheduling is subject to our fair use policy, which caps usage to 5000 posts per channel. We describe this as "unlimited" because no one has ever exceeded this cap.
Does Buffer offer a discount to nonprofit organizations and charities?
Yes, Buffer proudly offers a 50% discount on paid plans for nonprofit and charity organizations.
Does Buffer charge Value-Added Tax (VAT) to customers?
Buffer applies the local standard Value-Added Tax (VAT) rate for B2C customer located in the United Kingdom. B2B customers may be eligible for VAT exclusion through reverse charge. You can enter your VAT number to have VAT excluded from your invoice.
When were the prices of Buffer's plans last updated?
Our pricing was last updated in November 2025.
How does Buffer's new pricing help me save as I grow?
Buffer uses volume discounts for channels. That means your price per channel gets lower once you manage more channels, so adding more social profiles scales more affordably. In practice, channels 1 to 10 are priced at the standard rate, and any channels above 10 cost less per channel. Your total may increase as you add channels, but your average cost per channel goes down as you grow. This was designed for creators, teams, and agencies who manage lots of social accounts and want predictable, scalable pricing, without the cost jumping linearly forever.