9 Best Social Media Schedulers in 2026, Compared
Compare the best social media schedulers by price, free plan and trial: Pubblica ($20/mo flat), Buffer, Hootsuite, Sprout Social, Metricool and 4 more.
The best social media scheduler depends on the unit you pay for and what you need beyond publishing. Pubblica fits posting to many accounts at a flat price: Pro is $20 a month for unlimited accounts. Buffer fits a few channels on a free plan, Hootsuite and Sprout Social fit teams with an inbox and reports, Metricool fits analytics across brands, and Later fits visual planning on Instagram and TikTok.
We make Pubblica, so it comes first. Each of the 9 schedulers below comes with what it's built for and prices from the vendor's official pricing page.
| Tool | Best for | Paid plans from | Free plan | Free trial |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pubblica | Posting to many accounts at a flat price | $20/mo | 20 posts/mo, no X | 7 days, card required |
| Buffer | A few channels on a free plan | $6 per channel/mo | 3 channels | 14 days |
| Hootsuite | Larger teams with an inbox and monitoring | $99 per user/mo, billed yearly | No | 14 days, no card |
| Sprout Social | Social customer care and reporting | $79 per user/mo, billed yearly | No | 30 days, no card |
| Metricool | Analytics across brands | $25/mo for 5 brands | 1 brand, 20 posts/mo | No |
| Later | Visual planning for Instagram and TikTok | $18.75/mo, billed yearly | No | 14 days, card required |
| Publer | Per-account pricing with Telegram | $5 per account/mo | 3 accounts, no X | 7 days |
| Vista Social | Inbox, reviews and DM automations in one plan | $99/mo | No | 14 days, no card |
| Sendible | Agencies with many users | $35/mo | No | 14 days, no card |
How to choose a social media scheduler
- The unit you pay for. Schedulers bill per channel (Buffer), per account (Publer), per user (Hootsuite, Sprout Social), per brand (Metricool), per social set (Later), by profile tier (Vista Social), per workspace (Sendible) or one flat price (Pubblica). Pick the unit that grows slowest for you.
- A free plan or a trial. Pubblica, Buffer, Metricool and Publer have free plans. The others offer trials, and some of them need a card.
- The networks you post to. Check that every network you use is supported, including Telegram if you run a channel, and that X (Twitter) is in the plan price, not an add-on.
- Seats for your team. Per-user tools add a full seat for each teammate, while Buffer Team and Sendible include unlimited users.
- Tools beyond publishing. Suites add an inbox, review management, listening or competitor reports. If your team uses them every day, look at the suites; if you mainly publish, a scheduler covers it.
Pubblica: best for posting to many accounts at a flat price
Pubblica is best for posting to many accounts at a flat price because Pro costs $20 a month for unlimited accounts on all 9 networks, including X and Telegram. You write a post once, pick the accounts and publish it right away or at the time you set, and a calendar shows what's planned.
- Price: Free costs $0 and includes 20 posts a month on every network except X, with no card. Pro is $20 a month for unlimited posts.
- Accounts: unlimited on both plans, including several accounts on the same network. Workspaces group them by brand or project.
- Trial and refunds: Pro has a 7-day free trial, which needs a card, and a 14-day money-back guarantee on payments.
Buffer: best for a few channels on a free plan
Buffer is best for a few channels because its Free plan covers 3 channels, with 10 queued posts each. Paid plans bill per channel from $6 per channel/mo, and the rate per channel drops from the 11th channel. Buffer publishes to 12 networks, including Bluesky, Mastodon and Substack Notes. See Buffer pricing.
Hootsuite: best for larger teams with an inbox and monitoring
Hootsuite is best for larger teams because every plan includes a unified inbox and brand monitoring. It bills per user, from $99 per user/mo, billed yearly, with 10 social accounts on Standard. See Hootsuite pricing.
Sprout Social: best for social customer care and reporting
Sprout Social is best for social customer care and reporting because, from Standard up, its plans add a consolidated inbox and review management, and Professional adds approvals and competitor reports. It bills per user, from $79 per user/mo, billed yearly with 5 profiles on Essentials. See Sprout Social pricing.
Metricool: best for analytics across brands
Metricool is best for analytics across brands because it combines scheduling with analytics for social profiles, websites and ad accounts in one tool. Paid plans start at $25/mo for 5 brands, the free plan covers 1 brand, 20 posts/mo, and X (Twitter) is a paid add-on. See Metricool pricing.
Later: best for visual planning on Instagram and TikTok
Later is best for visual planning on Instagram and TikTok because it's built around a visual Instagram planner and Link in Bio. Plans start at $18.75/mo, billed yearly for one social set, which holds one profile on each of 8 networks. See Later pricing.
Publer: best for per-account pricing with Telegram
Publer is best for per-account pricing with Telegram: it bills per social account from $5 per account/mo, and its free plan covers 3 accounts, no X. It supports 13 networks, Telegram groups and channels among them. See Publer's plans.
Vista Social: best for an inbox, reviews and DM automations in one plan
Vista Social is best for teams that want an inbox, review replies and DM automations in one tool, because it bundles them with scheduling. Plans start at $99/mo for 15 profiles and 2 users, and X (Twitter) is a $29 a month add-on. See Vista Social pricing.
Sendible: best for agencies with many users
Sendible is best for agencies with many users because every plan includes unlimited users. Plans start at $35/mo for a workspace with 6 profiles, and Client Connect and client dashboards are part of the agency toolset. See Sendible pricing.
Which social media scheduler fits your setup
- One person or a small team posting to many accounts: Pubblica, $20 a month flat.
- Three channels or fewer, at no cost: Buffer's Free plan.
- A Telegram channel: Pubblica, on both plans, or Publer.
- A team that answers comments and messages: Hootsuite, with an inbox on every plan, or Sprout Social from Standard.
- Analytics across brands: Metricool.
- Visual planning on Instagram and TikTok: Later.
- An agency with many users: Sendible.
If you mainly publish posts, start with Pubblica, a free social media scheduler.
