Buffer starts at $5/mo and Publer at $5/mo. Buffer is not open source; Publer is not open source. Below: the two side by side, then what each costs at 5, 10, 50 accounts, with fanout alongside. Every number is from each vendor's own pricing page.
| Buffer | Publer | |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $5/mo | $5/mo |
| Billing unit | Per channel | Per social account |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Open source / self-host | No | No |
| Platforms listed | 11: Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn, X (Twitter), YouTube, Threads, Pinterest, Google Business Profile, Bluesky, Mastodon | 13: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X (Twitter), Threads, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Mastodon, Google Business Profile, YouTube, Telegram, Bluesky, WordPress |
| Telegram | No | Yes |
| Gated by plan | Advanced analytics and custom reports above the free plan; Multiple team members and approval workflows on paid plans; First comment scheduling and hashtag manager on paid plans | Twitter/X integration requires a paid plan (not available on Free); Analytics, competitor analysis and unlimited AI prompts on Business and up; Access to the Publer API on Business and up |
Buffer: Essentials, $6 per channel per month billed monthly ($5 billed yearly).
Publer: Professional plan, $5 per social account; every 10th account free.
| Connected accounts | Buffer | Publer | fanout |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | $30 | $25 | $29 |
| 10 | $60 | $45 | $39 |
| 50 | $300 | $225 | $100 |
Cheapest published plan that covers that many accounts, monthly billing unless marked. “—” means that vendor does not price per connected account, so there is no like-for-like number.
| Feature | Buffer | Publer | fanout |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI version per network | Not listed | Not listed | Yes, every plan Rewrites hook, length and hashtags per network; live character limits |
| Post ideas from news & feeds | Not listed | From the Professional plan RSS automations | Yes, every plan Discover: Google News topics, RSS, Telegram and X, ranked by coverage |
| Drafts in your voice | Not listed | Not listed | Yes, every plan Writing styles: instructions, example posts, words to avoid |
| Best time to post | Not listed | From the Business plan | Yes, every plan Heatmap from your own posts’ engagement, one-click best slot |
| Comments inbox | Yes, every plan Community inbox | Not listed | Yes, every plan X, Instagram, YouTube, Threads and Bluesky |
| Analytics | Yes, every plan Advanced reports on Essentials | From the Business plan | Yes, every plan X, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Threads, Facebook and Pinterest |
| MCP for Claude & ChatGPT | Yes, every plan Claude and ChatGPT connectors | From the Business plan Beta, eligible customers | Yes, every plan 8 tools: accounts, posts, schedule, analytics, media |
| First comment scheduling | From the Essentials plan | From the Professional plan “Follow-up comments” | Not yet |
“Not listed” means we could not find it on their pages, not that it does not exist. Checked October 2026.
Nothing in the data above favours Buffer over Publer.
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It depends on the number of accounts. Monthly cost on the cheapest published plan: 5 accounts: Buffer $30, Publer $25, fanout $29; 10 accounts: Buffer $60, Publer $45, fanout $39; 50 accounts: Buffer $300, Publer $225, fanout $100. "—" means that vendor does not price per connected account.
Buffer: a free plan is listed. Publer: a free plan is listed. Open source: Buffer no, Publer no.
Buffer lists 11 platforms and Publer lists 13, per their own pages. Telegram: Buffer no, Publer yes.
fanout is a hosted scheduler for 15 networks, from $29/month for 5 accounts with a 3-day free trial. It is not open source and has no self-hosting, team seats or first-comment scheduling.
Sources: Buffer pricing (checked September 2026) and Publer pricing (checked September 2026) and this page. Tell us if something changed: support@tryfanout.com.
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