Buffer vs. Later: Which Social Scheduler Fits a Small Business?
Buffer charges per channel and keeps a free plan. Later bundles profiles into sets and has no free plan, only a trial.
Both tools schedule posts across social networks. The big difference is how you pay: Buffer prices by channel, starting free, while Later sells plans built around sets of profiles, with a free trial but no free plan.
| At a glance | Buffer | Later |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes, 3 channels | No, 14-day trial |
| Starting paid price | $5 a month per channel (Essentials) | $18.75 a month on yearly billing (Starter) |
| How you pay | Per channel | Per plan, with social sets |
| Users | 1 on Essentials; unlimited on Team | 1 on Starter; 2 on Growth; 4 on Scale |
| Scheduled posts | Unlimited on paid plans | 30 per profile on Starter; 180 on Growth; unlimited on Scale |
| Approvals | Team plan | Growth plan and up |
| Standout extra | Hashtag manager, first-comment scheduling | Link in Bio, social inbox, best time to post |
Buffer
- Free plan with up to 3 channels
- Pay only for the channels you use
- Team plan has unlimited team members and approval workflows
- Essentials includes advanced analytics and first-comment scheduling
- Free plan allows only 10 scheduled posts per channel
- Essentials is limited to 1 user
- Costs add up as channels grow
Later
- Starter covers 1 social set of 8 profiles
- Growth adds approvals, a social inbox and custom roles
- Includes Link in Bio and best-time-to-post tools
- Scale adds Meta Ads analytics and competitive benchmarking
- No free plan
- Starter limits you to 1 user and 30 posts per profile
- Prices shown are for yearly billing
Pick Buffer if you manage a few channels and want to start free or keep the bill small. Pick Later if your brand is visual, you manage many profiles, and you want an inbox, approvals and Link in Bio in one place. Buffer's page lists annual prices that do not quite match its own FAQ, so confirm the annual price at checkout.
Prices and features checked November 4, 2026 from each company's own site. They change often, so confirm before you buy. We are not paid by either company.
- Buffer pricing (Buffer)
- Later pricing (Later)
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