The best social media schedulers in 2026: Buffer for a simple per-channel queue, Metricool for analytics, Hootsuite or Sprout Social for large teams, Publer for a cheap all-rounder, and Upload-Post if you also want an API, n8n/Make or an AI agent to publish for you (free plan, then $24/month, or $16/month billed yearly, for 5 profiles on 22 networks).
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Free plan, entry price, how the bill grows and API access, as each vendor states them.
| Scheduler | Best for | Free plan | Paid from | Billed per | API |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buffer | A simple per-channel queue | 3 channels, 10 scheduled posts each | $6 per channel/mo ($5 billed yearly) | Per channel | Every plan (Free: 1 key, 3,000 requests a month) |
| Metricool | Scheduling plus analytics | 1 brand, 20 posts a month, no LinkedIn or X | $20/mo billed yearly or $25 monthly (up to 5 brands) | Per brand | Advanced plan only |
| Hootsuite | Large teams that need an inbox and listening | No; 14-day trial | $99 per user/mo billed yearly (10 accounts) | Per user | Public API, but it does not publish to TikTok or YouTube |
| Sprout Social | Enterprise teams with reporting and care workflows | No; 30-day trial, no card | $79 per seat/mo billed yearly (Essentials) | Per seat | Advanced plan ($399 per seat) and Enterprise |
| Publer | A cheap all-rounder with bulk CSV | 3 accounts (no X), 10 scheduled posts each | $4 per account/mo, billed yearly | Per account | Business plan |
| Upload-Post | Scheduling from an API, n8n, Make or an AI agent | 10 uploads a month, 2 profiles, no card (TikTok from Basic) | $24/mo, or $16/mo billed yearly (5 profiles, unlimited posts) | Flat per plan, in profiles | Every plan, plus MCP server, n8n, Make and Zapier |
| Later | Instagram-first creators who plan visually | No; 14-day trial | $18.75/mo billed yearly (30 posts per profile a month) | Per social set | Not stated |
| SocialBee | Category queues that recycle evergreen posts | No; 14-day trial | $29/mo or $290/yr (5 profiles) | Per plan, in profiles | No |
| Vista Social | Agencies that want approvals and reporting | No; 14-day trial | $99/mo or $950/yr (15 profiles) | Per plan, in profiles | Enterprise or API add-on |
Entry prices as published on each vendor’s pricing page, checked October 2026. Source links are in each entry below.
The price on the pricing page is for one brand. Four things decide what an agency pays and how much work each client takes.
Per channel (Buffer), per account (Publer) and per user (Hootsuite, Sprout Social) grow with every client, network or teammate. Per brand (Metricool) and per profile (Upload-Post, SocialBee, Vista Social) grow slower.
Ask for an OAuth link, never a password. Upload-Post sends each client a branded connection link; they log in on each network’s own screen and can revoke it at any time.
One profile per client keeps calendars, accounts and analytics apart. In Upload-Post you post for a client by naming their profile, from the dashboard or the API.
If posts come from a spreadsheet, a CMS or an AI tool, a scheduler with an API, n8n or Make saves the copy-paste for every client.
More on this: the scheduler for agencies and how to let clients connect their accounts.
TikTok is where schedulers differ most: some post directly, some send a reminder to your phone for certain posts or account types.
Guides: TikTok scheduler · how to schedule TikTok posts · manage multiple TikTok accounts
What it is, who it suits and where we read the facts.
A calendar and posting queue priced per channel. It auto-publishes to TikTok, Reels and Shorts; posts with TikTok music or polls go out as a phone notification instead. Every channel you connect adds to the bill, so it is cheapest with a few channels.
Source: buffer.com/pricing Buffer alternativesBuffer pricing
Planning, scheduling and analytics in one dashboard, with competitor tracking and reports. TikTok works with every account type, personal ones included, and the CSV import takes video URLs.
Source: metricool.com/pricing/ Metricool alternativesMetricool pricing
A full social media suite: scheduling, a shared inbox, listening, approvals and reports. TikTok needs a Business account, and Instagram Creator profiles get notifications instead of auto-publishing. Every seat is billed, so the price grows with the team.
Source: hootsuite.com/plans Hootsuite alternativesHootsuite pricing
A management suite for larger social teams, with publishing, reporting and, on Advanced, the Sprout API and helpdesk integrations. Every seat is billed, so it gets expensive as the team grows.
Source: sproutsocial.com/pricing/ Sprout Social alternativesSprout Social pricing
Low per-account pricing, a calendar, bulk CSV scheduling of up to 500 posts with media, and cross-posting of TikTok videos to Reels and Shorts. One TikTok account per post, and trending TikTok sounds only work through the notification flow.
Source: publer.com/plans Publer alternatives
Our product, so weigh this entry accordingly. A scheduler with a calendar, queue slots and per-network settings for 22 networks, where the same account also publishes from the REST API, n8n, Make, Zapier and AI assistants such as Claude and ChatGPT. One profile is one account on each network; Professional ($50/month for 25 profiles) adds white-label connection links for clients.
Source: upload-post.com/pricing/ Upload-Post schedulerFor agencies
A visual planner that grew up around Instagram. Notification publishing exists only for Instagram and TikTok; YouTube Shorts always auto-publish.
A scheduler built around content categories that refill the queue with evergreen posts. Shorts are detected automatically; personal Instagram accounts get reminders instead of auto-publishing.
A social media management suite with publishing, approvals and reporting, aimed at agencies. Publishes directly to Reels and Shorts.
One calendar for 22 networks, with the same account available to your code, n8n, Make and AI assistants. Free plan, no card.
It depends on the job. Buffer is the simplest queue for a few channels, Metricool adds analytics, Hootsuite and Sprout Social suit large teams with an inbox and approvals, Publer is a cheap all-rounder, and Upload-Post (our product) fits when you also want to schedule from an API, n8n, Make or an AI agent: free plan, then $24/month, or $16/month billed yearly, for 5 profiles on 22 networks.
Yes. Buffer’s free plan covers 3 channels with 10 scheduled posts each, Publer’s 3 accounts (no X) with 10 posts each, and Metricool’s one brand with 20 posts a month. Upload-Post’s free plan has 10 uploads a month on 2 profiles with the API included, but TikTok starts on the paid Basic plan.
One that does not charge per channel or per seat for every client, keeps each client separate and lets clients connect their own accounts without sharing passwords. Upload-Post gives each client a profile and a branded connection link, with 25 profiles on Professional ($50/month) and 75 on Advanced ($147/month). Vista Social and Hootsuite add approvals and reporting at a higher price.
Look for direct posting rather than reminders, and settings such as privacy and duet decided in advance. Upload-Post, Buffer, Metricool and Publer all auto-publish to TikTok, each with its own limits on music and account types. TikTok scheduling on Upload-Post needs a paid plan, from $24/month, or $16/month billed yearly.
Buffer includes an API on every plan; Metricool, Publer and Sprout Social keep it on higher plans. Upload-Post includes the API on every plan, free included, along with n8n and Make modules and an MCP server for Claude, ChatGPT and other AI agents.
For one person with three channels, per-channel tools such as Buffer are cheap. For a team, per-user pricing such as Hootsuite’s $99 per user adds up fast. For many clients or networks, a flat plan sized in profiles usually wins, because adding a network to an existing client costs nothing extra.
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