Schedules and publishes posts to multiple social channels with basic analytics.
Alternatives
Buffer alternatives (free and open source) (2026)
Low-cost per-account scheduler with bulk posting and recycling.
Scheduler and analytics tool with competitor tracking for creators and small teams.
Open-source social scheduler available as cloud or self-hosted under AGPL.
Self-hosted social scheduler sold as a one-time purchase, with free Lite edition.
Visual-first social scheduler with link-in-bio, Instagram planning and trending Reels audio.
Short answer: Buffer's own free plan is already one of the better free schedulers, so switch only for a reason. For a different free plan, use Publer (3 accounts, 10 queued posts each) or Metricool (1 brand, 20 posts a month, much better analytics). For open source, Postiz (AGPL-3.0, hosted from $23/mo yearly or self-hosted) and Mixpost are the two to look at. For Instagram-first visual planning, use Later app.
What Buffer gives you
Buffer Free covers up to 3 channels, 10 scheduled posts per channel, 100 ideas, 1 user and 30 days of insights. Essentials is $5/mo per channel and Team is $10/mo per channel. Buffer auto-publishes to TikTok business profiles and to YouTube (including Shorts), plus Instagram, Facebook, Threads, LinkedIn, X, Pinterest, Bluesky, Mastodon and Google Business Profile. The per-channel price is the main reason people leave: at 8 or 10 channels it adds up.
The best Buffer alternatives
Publer: closest free plan
Per Publer's help center, Free has up to 3 social accounts (not X) and 10 scheduled posts per account at a time, with no expiry. Professional starts at $5/mo for one account. Every 10th account or member is free, which helps at scale.
Metricool: free plan with analytics
Free covers 1 brand, 20 scheduled posts a month, 5 competitor profiles and 30 days of analytics, but not LinkedIn or X. Starter is from $20/mo billed yearly for up to 5 brands, each with its own set of networks. Pick it if reporting matters more than queue size.
Postiz: open source, unlimited posts
Hosted: Standard $29/mo ($23 yearly) for 5 channels, Team $39/mo for 10, Pro $49/mo for 30, Ultimate $99/mo for 100. All plans have unlimited posts and a 7-day trial. Supports TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Reddit, Discord and more. The GitHub repo is AGPL-3.0, so you can run it free on your own server.
Mixpost: one-time payment
Lite is free and open source but only posts to Facebook Pages, X and Mastodon. Pro is $299 one time with a year of updates and a perpetual fallback licence. It adds Instagram, TikTok, YouTube including Shorts, LinkedIn, Threads and more. Pro is source-available, not open source. There is also a hosted Mixpost Cloud.
Later app: visual Instagram planning
No free plan, 14-day trial. Starter is $18.75/mo billed yearly for 8 profiles and 30 posts per profile a month. Growth is $37.50/mo for 16 profiles.
Team suites
Hootsuite and SocialBee are for teams with approval flows. See Hootsuite alternatives.
Free tier and TikTok/Shorts support
| Tool | Starts at | Free plan | Watermark on free | TikTok / Shorts | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buffer | $5/channel/mo | 3 channels, 10 each | Not applicable (scheduler) | Yes (TikTok business profiles) / Yes | Baseline |
| Publer | $5/mo | 3 accounts (not X), 10 each | Not applicable | Not stated in the help articles we read | A similar free queue |
| Metricool | $20/mo yearly | 1 brand, 20/mo | Not applicable | Yes / Yes | Analytics |
| Postiz | $23/mo yearly | Self-host free | Not applicable | Yes / Yes | Open source, unlimited posts |
| Mixpost | $299 once | Lite (no TikTok) | Not applicable | Pro only / Pro only | One-time licence |
| Later app | $18.75/mo yearly | 14-day trial | Not applicable | See Later | Instagram visual planning |
Which to pick
- Stay on Buffer if you have 3 channels or fewer; its free plan already covers TikTok and Shorts.
- Pick Metricool if you want analytics and competitor tracking with your free scheduler.
- Pick Postiz if per-channel pricing is hurting you at 8 to 10 channels: 10 channels cost $50/mo on Buffer Essentials ($5 x 10) and $39/mo on Postiz Team, with unlimited posts.
- Pick Mixpost Pro if you'd rather pay $299 once and run your own server.
Related: free social media schedulers, schedule YouTube Shorts and schedule TikTok posts.
Questions
What is the best free alternative to Buffer?
Publer for a similar free queue, Metricool if you want analytics. Buffer Free is already competitive.
Is there an open-source Buffer alternative?
Yes. Postiz is AGPL-3.0 and self-hostable. Mixpost Lite is open source but limited to three networks.
Postiz or Mixpost?
Postiz if you want open source with TikTok and YouTube for free on your own server. Mixpost Pro if you prefer a one-time $299 licence with a polished app.
Is Buffer free for TikTok?
Yes. A TikTok business profile can be one of the 3 free channels, with automatic publishing.
Sources: Buffer pricing; Publer Free plan (help center); Publer plans and pricing (help center); Metricool pricing; Postiz pricing; Postiz GitHub; Mixpost pricing; Later pricing. Publer details are from its help center. Checked on 13 October 2026. Based on published plans, not a hands-on test.