Buffer vs Later: per channel or per set of profiles, compared
Buffer charges per channel, Later per set of 8 profiles with a post cap: the bill for real setups, X and Bluesky, approvals and AI agents, with sources.
By Mellow · UpdatedThe short answer
Buffer charges per channel, $6 a month each for the first ten ($5 billed yearly), with no cap on posts and a free plan for three channels. Later charges per “social set” of 8 profiles, one per network: Starter is $25 a month ($18.75 billed yearly) with a cap of 30 posts per profile a month, Growth $50 with 180. For one brand that posts once a day, Later Starter is the cheaper; for more posts, X or Bluesky, or an AI assistant that publishes, Buffer is the one that fits.
Later no longer publishes to X, has never published to Bluesky and documents no MCP server or API. Buffer publishes to both and its MCP server works on every plan, the free one included. Later’s strengths are Instagram-first: a link-in-bio page on every plan and Snapchat publishing.
Disclosure: Mellow publishes this page and makes Mellow Hub, shown as a third column. Every Buffer and Later cell links to that company’s own page, read on 7 November 2026; Hub’s column comes from its own pricing configuration and code. Where a vendor’s pages do not say something, the table says so.
Buffer vs Later, side by side
US dollars a month; “yearly” is the monthly price when billed for a year. Checked on 7 November 2026.
| Buffer | Later | Mellow Hub (ours) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Priced per | channel | plan (sets of 8 profiles) | brand profile |
| Cheapest paid plan | Essentials: $6 a channel a month, $5 yearly, for the first 10 channels; less per channel above that. Sources: pricing, tiers | Starter: $25 a month, $18.75 yearly; 8 profiles, 30 posts per profile a month, 1 user. Source: pricing | Solo: $19 a month, or $190 a year; 1 brand profile and unlimited publishing, with a fair-use ceiling of 900 publications a month. Source: pricing |
| Free plan or trial | Free: 3 channels, 10 scheduled posts per channel at a time, 1 user. 14-day trial of paid plans, no card. Source: pricing | Free: 8 profiles, 12 posts per profile a month, 1 user. The 14-day trial of paid plans takes a card. Sources: plans help, trial help | No free plan. A new account starts with a 7-day free trial of a monthly plan: it takes a card, charges $0 that day and nothing if cancelled before it ends. A yearly plan is charged the day it is chosen. Source: pricing |
| X and Bluesky | Both included. Source: pricing | Neither: X support ended on 28 August 2025, and Bluesky is not supported. Sources: X help, platforms | Both included. Source: networks |
| AI agents: MCP and API | MCP server and API on every plan, Free included: create, schedule and manage posts. Sources: MCP, API | No MCP server or public API documented. Source: pricing | Hosted MCP server and REST API. Each key or OAuth grant carries its channels, review or autopilot, a daily ceiling and an expiry, and every action goes in a journal. Source: MCP guide |
| Approvals | Team plan: $12 a channel a month, $10 yearly. Source: pricing | From Growth: $50 a month, $37.50 yearly. Source: pricing | Review mode: an agent’s posts wait for a signed-in person to approve them. No team seats. Source: MCP guide |
What each costs for your setup
Monthly billing first, yearly billing after the slash where both vendors publish it. Buffer’s tiers: $6 a channel for the first 10, $4 for 11 to 25, $3 for 26 to 50. Later: a set is 8 profiles; Growth and Scale take extra sets at $15 a month each ($11.25 yearly), Starter takes none. A brand here is one account on each network.
Sources: Buffer tiers, Later pricing
| Setup | Buffer | Later | Mellow Hub (ours) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 brand on 5 networks, a post a day | $30 / $25 (Essentials). | $25 / $18.75 (Starter: 30 posts per profile a month). | $19 a month, or $15.83 billed yearly (Solo, 1 brand). |
| 1 brand on 5 networks, two posts a day | $30 / $25 (Essentials, no post cap). | $50 / $37.50 (Growth: Starter stops at 30 a profile). | $19 a month, or $15.83 billed yearly (Solo, 1 brand). |
| 3 brands on 5 networks (15 channels) | $80 a month (Essentials). | $65 / $48.75 (Growth and one extra set). | $49 a month, or $40.83 billed yearly (Studio, up to 3 brands). |
| 10 brands on 5 networks (50 channels) | $195 a month (Essentials). | $170 / $127.50 (Scale and 4 extra sets). | $99 a month, or $82.50 billed yearly (Scale, up to 10 brands). |
Where they differ
How the bill grows
Buffer’s bill follows channels, and every paid plan posts without a cap. Later’s follows sets of 8 profiles and caps posts per profile: 12 a month on the free plan, 30 on Starter, 180 on Growth, none on Scale at $110 a month. Starter cannot take extra sets, users or AI credits.
Sources: Buffer pricing, Later pricing, Later plans
Networks
Both publish to Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn, Threads, Pinterest and YouTube Shorts. Buffer adds X, Bluesky, Google Business Profile, Mastodon and Substack Notes. Later adds Snapchat; it ended X on 28 August 2025 and lists Bluesky, Google Business Profile and Reddit as unsupported.
Sources: Buffer channels, Later platforms, Later and X
Free plan and trial
Buffer’s free plan: 3 channels, 10 scheduled posts per channel at a time, one user; its 14-day trial of paid plans works without a card. Later’s free plan: 8 profiles, 12 posts per profile a month, one user; its 14-day trial asks for a card.
Sources: Buffer pricing, Later plans, Later trial
Team, inbox and approvals
Buffer’s comment inbox is on every plan; approvals and unlimited members come with Team, $12 a channel. Later’s inbox and approvals start on Growth, which includes two users; Scale has four, and extra users are $5 a month.
Sources: Buffer pricing, Later pricing
AI agents, MCP and API
Buffer’s MCP server is on every plan, the free one included, and can create, schedule or publish a post; its API is on every plan too. Later documents no MCP server and no public API, so an assistant or your own code cannot post through it.
Sources: Buffer MCP, Later pricing
Which one to choose
Choose Buffer if
- You post more than once a day, or to X, Bluesky, Google Business Profile or Mastodon.
- You want Claude, ChatGPT or an automation to schedule and publish for you.
- You want a trial without a card, or a free plan for three channels.
Choose Later if
- You run one Instagram-first brand, post about once a day, and want its link-in-bio page.
- You publish to Snapchat.
- A small team of two needs approvals and an inbox for one price, on Growth.
A third option: where Mellow Hub fits, and where it does not
Mellow Hub publishes one post to 10 networks at once, by hand in its composer or through an AI agent, and checks every network’s rules before anything is sent. It is built for agents that publish: each key or OAuth grant is limited to the channels, the mode, the daily ceiling and the expiry its owner chose, and every action is recorded where the owner can revoke it. It is weaker in these ways:
- No free plan. Publishing needs a plan. A new account starts with a 7-day free trial of a monthly plan, which takes a card; a yearly plan is charged the day it is chosen.
- 10 networks. No Google Business Profile, Mastodon, Reddit or Snapchat.
- No inbox and no listening. No shared inbox, comment moderation or monitoring. On Instagram it answers by keyword: a comment gets a public reply and one private message, a direct message gets an answer (comment-to-DM). Analytics are per post.
- No team seats. One owner’s brand profiles, without roles or client logins.
- Newer. Mellow has published live, with public links, to Instagram, YouTube, X, LinkedIn, Threads, Bluesky, Pinterest and Facebook. On TikTok, uploads are accepted but, on our test accounts, visible only to their owner.
See the plans, each network’s rules, or the comparison of publishing APIs if an agent or your own code will do the posting.
Questions
Is Later cheaper than Buffer?
For one brand on five networks posting once a day, yes: Later Starter is $25 a month ($18.75 billed yearly) against Buffer’s $30 ($25). Past 30 posts per profile a month, or with X or Bluesky, Buffer costs less or is the only one of the two that can do it. Prices checked on 7 November 2026.
Does Later post to X or Bluesky?
No. Later ended its support for X on 28 August 2025, and lists Bluesky as unsupported. Buffer publishes to both on every plan, the free one included.
How many posts does Later allow?
Per profile a month: 12 on the free plan, 30 on Starter, 180 on Growth, and no limit on Scale. Buffer’s paid plans have no post cap; its free plan holds 10 scheduled posts per channel at a time.
Can ChatGPT or Claude post through Buffer or Later?
Through Buffer, yes: its MCP server is on every plan and can create, schedule or publish posts. Later documents no MCP server or public API.
Does Buffer have a link in bio like Later?
Buffer offers a Start Page among its channels. Later includes its link-in-bio page on every plan, the free one included.
Sources and more comparisons
Each cell links to the page it was read on, 7 November 2026. Prices change; check the vendor’s page before you buy. Figures marked as reviews come from G2’s summaries of its users’ reviews, not from the vendor.
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