Social schedulers count networks in incompatible ways. Buffer and Publer charge by connected account, SocialBee bundles a fixed number of profiles, Metricool prices by “brand,” and Zoho Social bundles channels for each brand. Comparing only the starting monthly price can make the most expensive option look cheapest.
What counts as a channel?
One Instagram profile, Facebook Page, LinkedIn Page, TikTok account or YouTube channel normally counts as one channel or social account. A single company active on five networks therefore uses five channels. Some products call the company and its connected network profiles a brand, which changes the economics dramatically.
The table uses publicly listed US-dollar prices available in 2026 and excludes tax, promotions and optional X/Twitter or analytics add-ons. Vendors change packaging, so confirm the live calculator before purchase.
| Tool and entry paid tier | Included unit | Approximate monthly cost for five channels | Effective cost per channel | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buffer Essentials, monthly | Pay per channel | $30 | $6.00 | Simple publishing and analytics |
| Buffer Essentials, annual | Pay per channel | $25 equivalent | $5.00 | Solo creator committed for a year |
| SocialBee Bootstrap, monthly | 5 profiles | $29 | $5.80 | Evergreen categories and AI creation |
| SocialBee Bootstrap, annual | 5 profiles | About $24.17 equivalent | About $4.83 | One brand on five networks |
| Publer Professional, monthly | Starts with 1 account; extras priced separately | About $21 at listed base rates | About $4.20 | Flexible account-by-account buying |
| Metricool Starter | Up to 5 brands, each with supported profiles | From about $20 on annual billing | Depends on profiles per brand | Analytics-heavy multi-brand work |
| Zoho Social Standard, annual | 1 brand with supported channels | About $10 | About $2 with five connected channels | One business in the Zoho ecosystem |
These figures are not feature-equivalent. Buffer Team costs more because it includes unlimited users and approvals. Metricool may charge separately for certain X and advanced analytics features. Publer’s live calculator should be used because account and member volume changes the total.
Buffer: clearest true per-channel pricing
Buffer defines a channel as one connected social account and publishes a transparent sliding scale. Its free plan currently supports up to three channels and ten queued posts per channel. Essentials is $6 per channel on monthly billing for the first ten channels, or $60 per channel per year. Higher channel counts receive volume discounts. The Team tier begins at $12 per channel monthly for the first ten and includes unlimited team members, permissions and approval workflows.
Buffer includes an AI Assistant for creating, refining and repurposing posts. Its restrained interface is ideal for a creator or small business that wants a queue, calendar, basic analytics and community features without enterprise complexity. It supports major networks including Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, X, YouTube Shorts, Threads, Pinterest, Bluesky, Mastodon and Google Business Profile, with feature differences by network.
The weakness of pure per-channel pricing appears when a business launches many regional or client profiles. Buffer’s volume discounts help, but a brand-based agency plan elsewhere may be cheaper. Also verify whether the needed post type—such as a platform-specific carousel, collaboration tag or first comment—is supported for that network.
Best for: one to ten channels when predictable billing and ease of use matter most.
SocialBee: best for evergreen content categories
SocialBee’s Bootstrap plan lists five social profiles for $29 monthly or $290 annually. Accelerate includes ten profiles for $49 monthly, while Pro includes 25 for $99; annual billing lowers the effective monthly cost. Additional sets of five profiles are available as add-ons under current pricing.
Its differentiator is category-based scheduling and recycling. A consultant can balance educational posts, case studies, promotion and curated material, then expire time-sensitive items. SocialBee also includes an AI Copilot and unlimited AI content generation on its core listed plans, plus post variations and network tailoring.
The five-profile bundle is economical for one brand on five networks. It becomes awkward if the user needs only two profiles or if workspaces and additional users require add-ons. AI can produce many variations, but repetitive recycling can fatigue followers; review the queue and retire stale claims.
Best for: small businesses with a durable evergreen library and a planned content mix.
Publer: best flexible low-cost account bundles
Publer’s free plan supports up to three social accounts with limits and excludes X under the documented free rules. Its Professional plan has listed pricing starting around $5 monthly for one account, with additional accounts and members charged separately; Business adds richer features at higher per-account rates. Publer periodically adjusts discounts and its calculator, so price the exact setup live.
The platform offers scheduling, analytics, best-time suggestions, recycling, hashtag help and AI Assist. It supports a broad set of networks and is attractive to a solo operator who wants to buy exactly five or seven account slots rather than jump to a large agency tier.
Watch history limits, daily posting, X eligibility, workspaces and member charges. The cheapest publishing plan may not include the approval or analytics workflow an agency needs. Test one week of actual formats before migrating a full calendar.
Best for: budget-conscious users who want granular control over account count.
Metricool: best analytics value across brands
Metricool prices around brands rather than individual channels. A brand groups the social profiles and web or advertising properties for one business. The free plan covers one brand with restrictions; Starter currently begins around $20 per month on annual billing for up to five brands, while higher Starter and Advanced options increase brand count and team, approval, reporting or API features.
This model can produce a very low effective price per connected channel. Five brands with five profiles each represent 25 profiles for the same brand-tier fee, although platform-specific add-ons and limits can change that calculation. Metricool’s strong analytics, competitor tracking, reporting and planner are more substantial than many low-cost queues. Its AI assistant uses plan-based credits per brand.
The catch is that a brand is not an unlimited substitute for any account arrangement. Review supported connections, X and advanced-analytics add-ons, team access and whether a client needs separate reports or approvals. The cheapest Starter configuration is typically for one user.
Best for: freelancers and small agencies managing several brands and prioritizing analytics.
Zoho Social: best bundled price for one brand
Zoho Social defines a brand as the set of social channels managed for one organization. Its Standard plan is listed around $10 per month when billed annually, with a higher monthly-billing price. Professional and Premium add capabilities, while Agency plans support multiple brands and team members.
Publishing, monitoring, scheduling, reports and collaboration fit naturally with Zoho CRM. Zia-related AI capabilities and exact availability depend on the plan and current rollout. If one brand connects five supported networks, the apparent cost per channel is low.
The interface and reporting are less minimalist than Buffer, and one-brand plans do not serve a freelancer with several clients. Confirm the exact network and profile type—LinkedIn profile versus Page, for example—and whether the desired AI and approval features are included.
Best for: a single business already using Zoho CRM or other Zoho applications.
Calculate the real channel cost
List every exact connection: personal LinkedIn and company Page are two channels; three regional Instagram profiles are three. Add required users, brands, workspaces and client approvals. Then include optional X access, analytics, listening, link-in-bio and AI credits.
Divide the annual after-discount total by 12 and by the number of active channels. Also calculate cost per published post, because a low per-channel price is meaningless for an inactive profile. Include staff time: a tool that saves two approval hours can beat a cheaper queue.
Test native publishing for platform-specific features. APIs sometimes prevent a scheduler from handling music, stickers, collaboration posts or emerging formats exactly like the native app. A reminder-based post may still require a phone at the scheduled time.
Verdict
Buffer offers the clearest and most predictable per-channel model. SocialBee gives strong value for five to 25 profiles and evergreen automation, Publer is flexible at small account counts, Metricool is unusually economical for multi-brand analytics, and Zoho Social fits one Zoho-centered company. Vista Social is stronger when engagement operations matter.
Our pick: Buffer Essentials for a solo business with up to ten channels; Metricool Starter for a freelancer managing several brands. Recalculate at every renewal, because one extra user, X account or approval requirement can change the winner.