A social scheduler is a small, recurring cost line — so the only pricing question that matters for a small team is where the zero-cost door actually opens. We probed the five biggest schedulers against their official pricing pages (research sweep, verified 2026-09-18) and ranked them on four axes: does a genuinely usable free tier exist, what does the cheapest paid entry cost, how the bill grows as you add channels and seats, and where the free tier actually stops. Three of the five run real free plans — Metricool (1 brand, all networks except X/LinkedIn), Buffer (3 channels, 10 scheduled posts) and Publer (flat workspace, unlimited scheduling) — while Later and Hootsuite charge from day one: Later runs from $18.75/mo on the annual Starter plan behind a credit-card 14-day trial, and Hootsuite starts at $99/user/mo annual with no free plan at all. Paid entry points: Metricool Starter $20/mo annual, Buffer Essentials $5/channel/mo annual, Publer Professional $4/account/mo annual — so a solo creator can realistically run a full social stack for under $25/mo. Three of the five open a zero-cost door, and the shape of that door decides the pick. Metricool is the value default for a one-brand solo operator: the free tier already covers 20 posts/mo across every network except X/LinkedIn, and when you upgrade the bill scales by brand, not by seat, so adding a teammate costs nothing. Buffer is the disciplined choice: it bills by channel, the free 3-channel/10-post-per-channel tier is enough for a lean single-person stack, and Essentials at $5/channel/mo annual is the cheapest per-channel entry of the three free-tier schedulers. Publer is the account-bloat hedge: free 3 accounts, no X/Twitter, and Professional at $4/account/mo annual keeps cost flat as you add accounts on the same workspace instead of buying more seats. Later is the Instagram-first visual stack — no free plan at all, a credit-card 14-day trial that auto-charges at expiry, and Starter from $18.75/mo annual; it suits creators who live on a visual grid and are happy paying from day one. Hootsuite is the enterprise pole: the free plan was removed in March 2023, so there is only a no-card 14-day trial, and Standard starts at $99/user/mo annual — that is a team-management tool, not a small-team value play.
The most capable free plan in the set: 1 brand, all networks except X/LinkedIn, 20 posts/mo, 5 competitor tracks and 30-day analytics — free forever, no card. It is the only free tier that includes analytics. Paid entry is Starter at $25/mo monthly ($20 annual), billed by brand.
Free tier: Yes
Paid from: $20/mo (annual) (Metricool bills by brand, not by seat. Free $0 forever: 1 brand, all networks except X/LinkedIn, 20 posts/mo, 5 competitor tracking, 30-day analytics. Starter $25/mo monthly ($20 annual) up to 5 brands (10 brands $36/$45). Advanced $67/mo monthly ($53 annual) up to 15 brands (25 brands $107). X/Twitter costs extra at $10/account/mo. Annual saves up to 24%.)
Metricool is an all-in-one social planner plus analytics platform: schedule across networks, run a content calendar and get built-in analytics and competitor tracking. It bills by brand and has a genuinely useful free tier.
Buffer's free 3-channel plan is the one that includes X/Twitter out of the box, plus 10 scheduled posts per channel and 1 user, free forever. It is the natural free starting point for a generalist feed. Paid entry is Essentials at $5/channel/mo annual, billed per channel.
Free tier: Yes · 14-day paid trial
Paid from: $5/channel/mo (annual) (Buffer bills by channel, not by user. Free $0 forever: 3 channels, 10 scheduled posts per channel, 1 user. Essentials $6/channel/mo monthly ($5 annual, 14-day trial). Team $12/channel/mo monthly ($10 annual) adds analytics and integrations. Each additional channel adds to the bill; there is no per-user charge, so it scales better for many-brand accounts than seat-based rivals.)
Buffer is a social scheduling tool built around one clean idea: queue and schedule posts across Instagram, X, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube and Threads from a single feed. It bills per channel, not per seat, and its free tier is a real standing plan (3 channels, 1 user) rather than a trial.
Publer's free tier covers 3 social accounts with unlimited scheduling on a flat workspace, but excludes X/Twitter and caps posts at 10 per account. The paid entry — Professional $4/account/mo annual — is the cheapest in the cluster.
Free tier: Yes
Paid from: $5/account/mo (annual) (Publer bills per account, flat workspace (unlimited scheduling, no per-user charge on the workspace). Free $0 forever: 3 social accounts, no X/Twitter, 10 scheduled posts/account, 25 drafts. Professional $6/account/mo monthly ($4 annual). Business $12/account/mo monthly ($8 annual) adds analytics. Every 10th account or seat is free. X/Twitter is not on the free tier.)
Publer is a low-cost social planner that bills per account on a flat workspace with unlimited scheduling. Its free tier covers 3 social accounts, and its paid entry is among the cheapest in the cluster when a small team needs many accounts without the per-seat math.
Later has no free plan; the only way in is a 14-day trial that requires a credit card and auto-charges at expiry. It bills by 'Social Set' (Starter $18.75/mo annual = 1 set, 8 profiles, 30 posts). Include it only for the visual Instagram grid.
Free tier: No — trial only · 14-day trial (credit card required, auto-charge at expiry)
Paid from: $18.75/mo (annual) (Later has no free plan — only a 14-day trial that requires a credit card and auto-charges at expiry. It bills by 'Social Set' (1 set = 8 profiles, 30 posts/profile). Starter $25/mo monthly ($18.75 annual) = 1 set, 1 user. Growth $50/mo ($37.50 annual) = 2 sets, 2 users, 180 posts. Scale $110/mo ($82.50 annual) = 6 sets, 4 users, unlimited posts. Extra set $11.25/mo, extra user $3.75/mo. X/Twitter support was removed on 2025-08-28.)
Later is a social-first scheduler built around a visual Instagram-first grid. It has no free plan — only a 14-day trial that requires a credit card and auto-charges — and bills by 'Social Set' (a bundle of profiles and posts) rather than per user.
Hootsuite dropped its free plan in 2023. The trial is 14 days with no card required, but the paid entry — Standard at $99/user/mo annual — is the priciest in the cluster. It is the enterprise platform, not a free option.
Free tier: No — trial only · 14-day free trial (no credit card)
Paid from: $99/user/mo (annual, Standard) (Hootsuite has no free plan (removed March 2023) — only a 14-day trial with no card. It bills per user, annually. Standard $99/user/mo (up to 10 accounts). Professional $199/user/mo (unlimited accounts, inbox automation). Advanced $399/user/mo (approval workflows, routing). Enterprise is custom. Includes Wisdom AI and Talkwalker listening.)
Hootsuite is the established enterprise social management platform: publish, monitor and route a shared inbox across networks, with Wisdom AI and Talkwalker listening. It bills per user and has no free plan.
Bottom line: If you want a free scheduler with the most capability, start with Metricool — it is the only free tier in the set that includes analytics and competitor tracking. If you need X/Twitter for free, Buffer is the pick. If you want the cheapest paid entry and can live without X on the free tier, Publer is the value leader. Later and Hootsuite have no free plan; use them only when the visual grid or the enterprise inbox is worth paying from day one.
Metricool — the free plan is the most capable in the set: 1 brand, 20 posts/mo, 30-day analytics and 5 competitor tracks, free forever. Buffer and Publer have free tiers too, but Buffer's includes X/Twitter and Publer's does not.
Later and Hootsuite. Later offers only a 14-day trial that requires a credit card and auto-charges; Hootsuite offers a 14-day card-free trial but no free plan (its free tier was removed in 2023).
Publer, at Professional $4/account/mo billed annually, on a flat workspace with unlimited scheduling. Buffer's Essentials at $5/channel/mo annual is close, but it bills per channel rather than per account.