As of October 2026, Buffer's Free plan costs $0 for up to 3 channels. Essentials is $5 a month per channel and Team is $10 a month per channel, billed yearly at $60 and $120 per channel. Both paid plans come with a 14-day free trial.
Buffer is the social media scheduler I'd point most solo business owners to first, because it's simple and its pricing grows with you. The thing to understand is that Buffer charges per channel, not per user, so your bill depends on how many social accounts you connect.
Buffer plans and per-channel prices
| Plan | Price per channel | Billed yearly per channel | Users |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 | 1 user, up to 3 channels |
| Essentials | $5 a month | $60 a year | 1 user |
| Team | $10 a month | $120 a year | Unlimited team members |
Buffer shows the yearly price as saving two months. You can also pay monthly, and Buffer says you can switch between monthly and annual billing at any time, with prorations or refunds applied automatically.
What counts as a channel
Buffer defines a channel as one social account: a single Instagram profile, Facebook Page, LinkedIn Page, TikTok account and so on. Its own example: if you run five brands with an Instagram account and a Facebook Page each, that's 10 channels.
For a small business with Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn, that's three channels. On Essentials at $5 a month per channel billed yearly, you're paying for exactly the accounts you post to, nothing more.
Buffer also says it uses volume discounts, so your price per channel gets lower once you manage more channels. That's useful for agencies and anyone running several brands.
What the free plan includes
- Up to 3 channels.
- 10 scheduled posts per channel, which you can refill anytime.
- 100 saved ideas.
- 1 user account.
- The AI Assistant, Insights and the community inbox.
- API access with 1 key and 3,000 requests a month.
The 10-post queue is the real limit. If you batch a month of content in one sitting, Free won't hold it all. If you schedule a week at a time, it can work for a long while.
Essentials and Team compared
Essentials removes the queue limit with unlimited scheduled posts per channel and unlimited ideas, and adds advanced analytics, a hashtag manager, first comment scheduling and API access with 3 keys and 7,500 requests a month. It's still for one person.
Team adds unlimited team members, access levels and content approval workflows, plus 5 API keys and 15,000 requests a month. If a VA drafts posts and you approve them, Team is the plan built for that, because approvals live inside Buffer rather than in a chain of messages.
Buffer's FAQ explains that unlimited posts are subject to a fair use cap of 5,000 posts per channel, which it says no one has ever exceeded.
A simple way to estimate your Buffer bill
Write down every account you post to, including the ones you only touch once a month. Each is a channel. Then decide whether one person or several will be scheduling. One person points to Free or Essentials, more than one points to Team. Finally, decide whether you'll pay monthly or yearly. Those three answers give you the plan and the per-channel price, and Buffer's pricing page will show the total as you add channels.
It's also worth pruning before you pay. Many small businesses have an old Twitter or Pinterest account they never post to. Leave it out, and you won't pay for it.
Discounts and tax
Buffer offers a discount on paid plans for nonprofits and charities, so check its nonprofit page if that's you. It also applies the local standard rate of VAT for consumer customers in the United Kingdom, so UK buyers on a personal account should expect VAT on top of the prices above. Buffer says its pricing was last updated in November 2025.
How to choose a Buffer plan
- List the social accounts you post to. Each one is a channel.
- Three or fewer and you schedule a week ahead: Free.
- You batch content or want analytics and first comments: Essentials.
- Someone else drafts or approves posts: Team.
- Use the 14-day trial before paying, then choose yearly billing once you're settled.
If you're comparing schedulers, my guides to the best post scheduling tool for a solo business owner and choosing a social media management tool will help.
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Buffer compared with all-in-one suites
Buffer sits at the lighter end of social media tools. Suites built for larger teams price per user and add listening, approvals across departments and advanced reporting, which is why their plans start far higher. If your goal is to post consistently to a handful of accounts and see what's working, Buffer's per-channel model is usually the better fit. If you're managing customer service across many accounts with a team, that's where heavier tools earn their price.
If X is the channel that matters most, our Twitter schedulers list has options built for it.
My verdict
For most small businesses, Buffer Essentials at $5 a month per channel billed yearly is excellent value, because you pay only for the accounts you post to rather than a per-person team price. Stay on Free if you only schedule a few posts a week. Move to Team only when another person needs to draft or approve content.
If Pinterest is one of your channels, our Pinterest schedulers list looks at planners built just for Pins.
Frequently asked questions
How much is Buffer a month?
As of October 2026, Buffer lists Essentials at $5 a month per channel and Team at $10 a month per channel, billed yearly at $60 and $120 per channel.
Is Buffer free?
Yes. Buffer's Free plan costs $0 for up to 3 channels, with 10 scheduled posts per channel at a time.
What is a channel in Buffer?
A channel is one social account, such as a single Instagram profile or Facebook Page. Buffer bills per channel.
Does Buffer have a free trial?
Yes. Buffer offers a 14-day free trial on Essentials and Team.
Does Buffer offer a nonprofit discount?
Yes. Buffer says it offers a discount on paid plans for nonprofit and charity organisations.
How many users can use Buffer?
Free and Essentials include 1 user. Team includes unlimited team members.
Does Buffer get cheaper with more channels?
Yes. Buffer says it uses volume discounts, so the price per channel falls as you add more.
Can I switch Buffer between monthly and yearly billing?
Yes. Buffer says you can switch billing frequency at any time, and any prorations or refunds are applied automatically.
