17+ of the Best Buffer Alternatives for Social Media Automation
It’s no easy feat being an all-star social media manager. (cue the Smash Mouth throwback)
The posts start coming and they don’t stop coming: fed to the rules and you hit the ground running.
*record scratch* But if you don’t pick the sharpest tools in the shed for managing client accounts — your client will be the one looking kinda dumb.
Nope. Can’t let that happen.
Truth be told, there are dozens of Buffer alternatives out there. Sure, everybody knows about Buffer and Hootsuite, but sometimes it can help to look around to see if there’s a new, improved, or lifetime deal (LTD) on a tool that will make your life easier. Plus, it’s really common to use multiple social media scheduling tools. Many users tend to designate different use cases for each one, so they can build up a custom social media toolkit that works for their unique case.
So much to do, so much to see. Ready to get your game on, get paid? (We’ll be making our way through the whole song – bear with us.)
Let’s go.
Top Buffer Alternatives for Social Media Managers
In this post, we’ll go through 17 different social media scheduling tools that serve as Buffer alternatives—or at least options that you should consider in conjunction with Buffer. We focus on price as well as features and available social networks relative to Buffer.
- Hootsuite
- Publer
- Crowdfire
- ContentStudio
- PromoRepublic
- Later
- Sociamonials
- MeetEdgar
- Amplifr
- SocialPilot
- SocialBee
- missinglettr
- Kontentino
- Loomly
- Metricool
- Tailwind
- Sendible
1. Hootsuite
Source: Hootsuite
Hootsuite is clearly an enterprise-friendly platform – it serves as a complete social media management solution used by employees at 800+ of the Fortune 1000. In general, this is reflected in the fact that Hootsuite has a broader feature base focused on A-Z social media management. It includes features Buffer doesn’t have, like managing ads or replying directly to comments. (Though Buffer does offer a separate app for that–Buffer Reply.) Buffer has a cleaner UI than Hootsuite, and has a tighter focus on social media scheduling, compared to the deeper management features of Hootsuite.
Chrome extension: Yes
Supported social channels: Facebook pages and groups, Twitter, Instagram business profiles, LinkedIn profiles and pages, Pinterest profiles, WordPress blogs, and YouTube channels
Downsides: No RSS feed monitoring
Pricing: You can use it for free. Paid plans start at $29 per month for up to 10 social profiles and 1 user.
2. Publer
Source: Publer
AppSumo partner Publer lets you customize, preview, and schedule up to 500 posts simultaneously across all major social networks using a multi-post creator, bulk media uploader, CSV file, or RSS feed. To contrast, Buffer’s Pro plan only allows you to have 100 posts in your queue at any given time. Publer also has a feature to automatically recycle posts after a certain time if you want to keep your feed evergreen.
As a Buffer alternative, this tool lets you customize the look of each post for specific social networks right in the platform. Unlike Buffer, Publer allows you to easily add your watermark to images and videos, so you always get credit for your work. Plus, you can add up to 3 team members with even the basic plan, making it easy to collaborate to get your social media work done.
Chrome extension: Not yet
Supported social channels: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google My Business, Instagram, and Pinterest
Downsides: No mobile app; they’re still developing many features and integrations that are coming soon
Pricing: You can get started for free. Paid plans start at $10 per month for up to 5 social media accounts. For a limited time, we have a LTD starting at $39 for up to 30 social accounts and 3 team members
3. Crowdfire
Source: Crowdfire
Known for its Twitter-focused features back in the day, today Crowdfire has a lot of interesting automation tools compared to the more straightforward nature of Buffer. For example, users love Crowdfire’s article curation feature which auto-populates content from around the web that’s relevant to your channel. It also has a similar feature with curated images that you can share. Track and reply to mentions from Facebook with Crowdfire’s social CRM.
Chrome extension: Yes
Supported social channels: Twitter, Instagram*, Facebook Pages, LinkedIn, and Pinterest
Downsides: *No direct posting to IG; best for Twitter account management, but due to API changes some of those key features were removed
Pricing: You can use it for free. Paid plans start at $7.48 per month for 2 linked accounts per social network and 1 user.
4. ContentStudio
Source: ContentStudio
AppSumo partner ContentStudio gives you AI-powered personalized content recommendations, letting you create content for multiple channels, manage UTMs, and optimize for SEO right in the post editor. It’s pretty sophisticated. Using “automation recipes,” you can easily set up evergreen content recycling or configure rules for how you want posts to go out. Plus, with features like white-label reports, a content spinner for quick rewriting, link shortener integrations, and a broader range of publishing platforms, ContentStudio is super agency-friendly.
Chrome extension: No
Supported social channels: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Tumblr, Instagram*, Pinterest, Google My Business, Medium, WordPress, Shopify, and Pocket
Downsides: *No direct posting to IG, added complexity comes with a learning curve
Pricing: Starts at $49 per month for up to 10 social accounts and 1 user.
5. PromoRepublic
Source: PromoRepublic
AppSumo partner PromoRepublic has 7,500+ social media post templates and 100K stock images, PLUS a Canva-like graphics editor. That way, you don’t have to leave the tool for social post inspiration… or creation. Never miss an obscure holiday opportunity with a post ideas library. But PromoRepublic also has the standard post scheduling and calendar view, so you won’t miss out on those go-to automation features as well. Also, note that this tool has special functionality for multi-location brands and franchisors—and it’s super agency-friendly.
Chrome extension: No
Supported social channels: Facebook, Instagram*, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Twitter
Downsides: *No direct posting to IG, some users wish it allowed scheduling further out or more features for evergreen content repurposing
Pricing: Starts at $49 per month for 10 social media pages and 2 team members.
6. Later
Source: Later
Later is known for its direct Instagram-scheduling, but it also allows for management of Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter as well. Create a shoppable feed like the Buffer shop grid, and add multiple links to a single post for a shoppable IG feed. Plus, you can schedule stories on larger plans. On the Pinterest side, schedule image and video pins. Later also allows you to repurpose posts from one platform for the others, so you can really Gary Vee it up with your content.
Chrome extension: Yes
Supported social channels: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest
Downsides: No LinkedIn; it has a couple of contributor/approval features, but some agencies may need more white-label or advanced tools for collaboration; IG stories cannot be scheduled, but Later does have a workaround scheduling + notification system like other tools.
Pricing: You can use it for free. Plans start at $7.50 per month for 1 profile per platform and 100 scheduled posts
7. Sociamonials
Source: Sociamonials
Another AppSumo partner, Sociamonials, focuses on building campaign types with 16 different campaign layouts. A WYSIWYG editor controls all the elements of each post. You can also run sweepstakes, optimize for sharing, upload videos to YouTube, and use the social CRM to manage who downloads or refers prospects for outreach later on. Fill up to a year’s calendar with posts and enjoy integrations with many of the AppSumo tools you already use.
Chrome extension: No
Supported social channels: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube
Downsides: No Pinterest; some users say the UI is a bit dated
Pricing: Starts at $19 per month for 1 user and 10 social profiles
8. MeetEdgar
Source: MeetEdgar
MeetEdgar offers a super handy auto-refilling feature, drawing from a library of automatically saved social posts. It’s also got a smart composer to help you avoid those hours spent trying to figure out “what to say” with each post. Users like the layout of the unlimited content library, automatic post variations for the same piece of content, and ease of managing multiple accounts at once.
Chrome extension: Yes
Supported social channels: Facebook pages and groups, Twitter, LinkedIn profile and company pages, Instagram*
Downsides: *No direct posting to IG, no Pinterest, no multiple users, not super agency-focused
Pricing: Starts at $19 per month for up to 3 accounts
9. Amplifr
Source: Amplifr
AppSumo partner Amplifr has an evergreen scheduling algorithm that helps you keep profiles super fresh with on-brand content. Chats embedded in your workflow tools mean you can easily collaborate with this tool as well. Amplifr also gives you deeper, conversion-focused insights into post performance that can help you optimize for sales—powered in part by the Google Analytics integration, which many tools don’t have.
Chrome extension: No
Supported social channels: Facebook profiles, pages, groups, Twitter, Instagram*, Linkedin, Pinterest, Tumblr, Viber public chats, Telegram public channels, VK.com, and OK.ru
Downsides: *No direct posting to IG, some users have difficulty viewing posts scheduled out in advance, slower development times
Pricing: Starts at $26 per month for 1 user and 5 pages
10. SocialPilot
Source: SocialPilot
SocialPilot is the only Buffer alternative on our list that has a Tik Tok video scheduler (to date). This tool is specifically geared toward agencies that need to schedule and manage social media accounts for clients. SocialPilot offers helpful tools like a mobile app, repeating post feature, advanced audience targeting on Facebook, robust white-label solutions, and a social inbox.
Chrome extension: Yes
Supported social channels: Facebook pages and groups, Twitter, Instagram*, Google My Business, LinkedIn profile and pages, Pinterest, Tumblr, TikTok, and VK
Downsides: *No direct posting to IG; some users say the analytics features could be more in-depth
Pricing: Starts at $25 per month for 3 team members and 25 social media accounts
11. SocialBee
Source: AppSumo
AppSumo partner SocialBee is an all-in-one social media tool that lets you schedule posts, curate content, and grow an audience. Category-based scheduling means you can make sure you’re evenly posting about the topics you or your clients care about—and building evergreen posting into your workflow. Plus, SocialBee has advanced audience tracking features for Twitter, so you can follow the right accounts and unfollow if they don’t return the favor.
Chrome extension: Yes
Supported social channels: Facebook, Instagram*, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest*, Google My Business
Downsides: *No direct posting to IG and Pinterest, but they have automated workarounds that notify you when to post (plus it’s on the roadmap)
Pricing: Starts at $19 per month for 1 user and 5 social profiles.
12. Missinglettr
Source: Missinglettr
Missinglettr, another AppSumo partner, is distinct from other tools on this list—but still worth a quick mention within the realm of social media posting automation and content repurposing. This tool actually takes blog content and automatically turns it into social-ready posts spread out over a year(!!) Many people complain about how time-consuming social media management is, and this tool truly does a lot of the work for you. Using AI and machine learning, Missinglettr creates post copy and adds hashtags, so you can have an easier time with content. Though this tool is geared toward bloggers, it does have agency-friendly features like the ability to directly schedule posts, a drag-and-drop calendar, and a one-click client approval feature.
Chrome extension: No
Supported social channels: Twitter, Facebook pages and groups, LinkedIn personal and company feeds, Google My Business (coming soon)
Downsides: Fewer channels as this is largely a written content-focused automation tool
Pricing: Starts at $7 per month for 1 user and 3 social profiles.
13. Kontentino
Source: Kontentino
Kontentino is a professional tool that aims to help large agencies reduce the amount of time it takes to manage social media. With advanced analytics, approval workflows with version control, and an inspiration calendar for clients, this tool is worth a closer look. Plus, with a big focus on LinkedIn, Kontentino helps you holistically plan content strategy on the business social network, including carousels, videos, and LinkedIn tagging. Bonus: you don’t have to wait until Facebook posts are published to boost them.
Chrome extension: No
Supported social channels: Facebook business pages, Twitter, Instagram*, LinkedIn, and Pinterest
Downsides: *No direct posting to IG; UI is a bit outdated
Pricing: Starts at 49 euros per month (approx. $52) for 3 users and 10 social media profiles
14. Loomly
Source: Loomly
With a crisp UI, integrations with email, push notifications, Slack, and Microsoft Teams, Loomly gives you lots of inspiration for how to create and manage successful social media posts. With agency-friendly features like version logs, post and ad mockups, and an approval workflow, teams can get social media work done and out the door. Interact with comments on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. This tool is great for managing a lot of different clients.
Chrome extension: No
Supported social channels: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Instagram*, and Google My Business
Downsides: *No direct posting to IG
Pricing: Starts at $25 per month for 2 users and 10 social accounts
15. Metricool
Source: AppSumo
AppSumo partner Metricool helps you schedule optimized social media content, analyze metrics, and automatically generate custom white-label reports, monitor competitors, and manage permissions, making this tool super agency-ready. With a wide array of social media site integrations, you can manage all your client social data all in one place. Some users note that Metricool’s planner feature can replace a tool like Buffer Publish, allowing you to schedule posts to go to all your profiles, while also monitoring and creating ad campaigns right from the app.
Chrome extension: No
Supported social channels: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook Ads, Google Ads, Google My Business
Downsides: *No direct posting to IG, no link shortener or Pinterest integrations (yet)
Pricing: You can start using it for free. Paid plans start at $12 for up to five brands.
16. Tailwind
Source: Tailwind
Tailwind is hyper-focused on two networks: Pinterest and Instagram. If you’re looking to optimize your strategy on those two channels, this tool is definitely worth the double-take. Tailwind Tribes for Pinterest allow you to partner with other users. Meanwhile, SmartLoop lets you put repinning on autopilot to help your pins go farther. For Instagram, Tailwind is like an IG assistant in your pocket. It helps you visually plan posts, schedule with hashtags, and integrate with Smart.Bio, so you can get the clicks and conversions from IG you want (much like Buffer’s shop grid feature). Overall, this is a powerful, but niche tool.
Chrome extension: Yes
Supported social channels: Instagram and Pinterest
Downsides: Fewer social networks
Pricing: Starts at $9.99 per account per month
17. Sendible
Source: Sendible
Sendible is focused on advanced brand monitoring. As a super agency-friendly tool, Sendible offers a mobile app that helps you manage engagement across social streams. Users really like the scheduling flexibility and ability to set up repeat posts. It’s also got great customer support.
Chrome extension: Yes
Supported social channels: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Google My Business
Downsides: Some users complain that the mobile app is glitchy; no single post optimization for multiple channels
Pricing: Starts at $24 per month for 1 user and 12 social media connections
Honorable DIY mentions
Finally, I’d like to mention that while it’s possible to set up your own automations using the tools below, Buffer is still the glue that holds many of these zaps or sundry automation recipes together. You might like to check out these how-tos:
Hey now… that you’ve found the best tool: you’re a rock star, get the show on, get paid.
Even if you keep using Buffer (or integrate it to post on certain channels, like Instagram), you may want to layer one of these other tools into your workflow to maximize your social media management.
If you’re looking to up your social media management game without the monthly fee, be sure to check out Buffer alternative Publer, live in the AppSumo store for a limited time.
Also, pro tip: make sure to keep an eye on the AppSumo partner products to see which deals are live in the store — even if one is sold out today, that doesn’t mean it won’t ever come back for a special promotion or Black Friday deal. While it’s definitely not guaranteed, the stars and deals just might align for you.
Good luck, Sumo-lings!
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