Buffer vs Later, read from the source
Buffer vs Later for a small business
Which fits a one to three person local business: a posting queue priced per channel, or a visual planner priced per social set? Every figure below was read from buffer.com/pricing and later.com/pricing on 17 September 2026.
The two vendors are priced in different units, so every figure below carries its billing mode, and each one links back to the page it was read from.
Buffer is the pick when the posts are already written and you want the cheapest reliable queue: it prices per channel, and its free plan covers three channels with no expiry.
Later is the pick when you shoot your own photos and want a visual calendar to arrange them: its entry plan is one social set of eight profiles with link-in-bio.
Both tools schedule and measure content you still have to make; neither writes the caption, image or video for you.
Where every number came from
Buffer
- The pricing page opened on the yearly billing toggle with a saving labelled "save 2 months". Billed monthly it listed Free at $0 a month, Essentials at $6 a month per channel and Team at $12 a month per channel. Billed yearly the same plans read $5 and $10 a month per channel, which is $60 and $120 a year per channel. buffer.com/pricing, read 17 September 2026
- The Free plan was described as "Free forever" for up to 3 channels, with 10 scheduled posts per channel, 1 user account and the AI Assistant included, and those caps did not move when the billing toggle did. buffer.com/pricing, read 17 September 2026
- The pricing page listed the AI Assistant on all three plans, Free included, described as "Refine and repurpose your content using AI" with "Unlimited credits". No plan metered it. buffer.com/pricing, read 17 September 2026
- The pricing page listed no image or video generation allowance on any plan. Its one video feature was custom video covers, which pick a frame from a video you supply. buffer.com/pricing, read 17 September 2026
- The feature table put content approval workflows, access levels and custom access and permissions on the Team plan only. buffer.com/pricing, read 17 September 2026
Later
- The pricing page defaulted to yearly billing with a toggle reading "Bill Yearly ... 3 months free | 25% off". Billed monthly it listed Starter at $25 a month, Growth at $50 a month (marked "Most popular") and Scale at $110 a month. Billed yearly the same plans read $18.75, $37.50 and $82.50 a month. The page led with "Manage your entire social media strategy. Free for 14 days" and each plan card read "Start 14-day free trial", so no free plan appeared. later.com/pricing, read 17 September 2026
- Starter carried 1 social set of 8 profiles, 1 user and 30 posts per profile a month; Growth carried 2 social sets of 16 profiles, 2 users and 180 posts per profile a month; Scale carried 6 social sets of 48 profiles, 4 users and unlimited posts. later.com/pricing, read 17 September 2026
- AI content tools were metered as monthly credits: 5 on Starter, 50 on Growth and 100 on Scale. Platform analytics history ran up to 3 months on Starter, up to 1 year on Growth and up to 2 years on Scale. later.com/pricing, read 17 September 2026
- Growth listed "Internal & External collaboration and approvals" and "Custom roles and permissions", features absent from the Starter card. Support ran "Basic customer support" on Starter up to "Priority support" on Scale. later.com/pricing, read 17 September 2026
Buffer vs Later, side by side
Every cell above was read on 17 September 2026 from buffer.com/pricing and later.com/pricing, and the full quotations with links sit in the section above. Buffer prices per channel in two modes and opens on the yearly one; Later prices per social set in two modes and also opens on the yearly one.
| What to compare | Buffer | Later |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price | Essentials is $6 a month per channel billed monthly, or $5 a month per channel billed yearly; Team is $12 a month or $10 a month per channel. | Starter is $25 a month billed monthly, or $18.75 a month billed yearly; Growth is $50 a month and Scale $110 a month. |
| Social accounts | 3 channels free; paid plans add channels one at a time at a per-channel rate. | 1 social set of 8 profiles on Starter, 2 sets of 16 on Growth, 6 sets of 48 on Scale. |
| Scheduling limits | 10 scheduled posts per channel on Free, unlimited on paid plans. | 30 posts per profile a month on Starter, 180 on Growth, unlimited on Scale. |
| AI writing | AI Assistant refines and repurposes your words, unlimited credits, on all plans. | AI content tools metered at 5, 50 and 100 credits a month by tier. |
| Approval flow | Team plan only. | Off on Starter, listed as collaboration and approvals from Growth up. |
| Analytics | 30-day Insights on Free, advanced analytics and reports on paid. | 3 months on Starter, 1 year on Growth, 2 years on Scale. |
| Support | Email support on every plan. | Basic customer support on Starter, priority support on Scale. |
| Free tier | Free forever, 3 channels, 10 scheduled posts each. | None; a 14-day trial instead. |
Source: buffer.com/pricing and later.com/pricing, read 17 September 2026
What actually decides the purchase
Price: per channel versus per social set
Buffer prices each channel separately. On 17 September 2026 Essentials was $6 a month per channel billed monthly, or $5 a month per channel billed yearly, and Team was $12 a month or $10 a month per channel. Later prices per social set: Starter is $25 a month billed monthly, or $18.75 a month billed yearly, then Growth at $50 a month and Scale at $110 a month. The two ladders measure different units, so the cheaper one depends on how many profiles you actually run.
The free tier: a permanent queue versus a 14-day clock
Buffer publishes a free plan that does not expire: up to 3 channels and 10 scheduled posts per channel, with the AI Assistant included. Later publishes no free plan at all; its page leads with a free 14-day trial on every paid tier. Permanence is the difference a small business feels first.
What the AI writes
Buffer's AI Assistant refines and repurposes words you already wrote, with unlimited credits on all three plans, Free included. Later meters AI content tools at 5, 50 and 100 credits a month across its three tiers. Neither pricing page claimed its AI generates the image or the video.
Approvals and team features
Buffer puts content approval workflows, access levels and custom permissions on its Team plan only, so a solo owner on Free or Essentials has none. Later lists internal and external collaboration and approvals from its Growth plan up, and leaves them off Starter. On the entry plans neither gives you a formal approval queue.
Scheduling caps
Buffer caps the free plan at 10 scheduled posts per channel and lifts the cap on paid plans. Later meters the schedule per profile: 30 posts a month on Starter, 180 on Growth and unlimited on Scale. The cap that binds first depends on how many profiles you post to.
Analytics and support
Buffer keeps 30 days of Insights on Free and unlocks advanced analytics and reports on paid plans, with email support on every plan. Later scales platform analytics from 3 months on Starter to 1 year on Growth and 2 years on Scale, and support from basic on Starter to priority on Scale.
What changed recently
On 17 September 2026 this page re-read buffer.com/pricing and later.com/pricing from scratch. Every price matched the 15 September reads already on this site: Buffer still lists Essentials at $6 a month per channel billed monthly or $5 a month per channel billed yearly, and Later still lists Starter at $25 a month billed monthly and $18.75 a month billed yearly.
One heading moved. Buffer's pricing page now opens on the yearly toggle under "Flexible pricing for everyone", where the 15 September read opened under "Only pay for the channels you use". The monthly toggle still shows the older heading, and the prices under both headings are the same.
Both vendors reprice and reshuffle features without notice. Treat the figures on this page as correct for the date printed, and open the two linked pages before any number decides a purchase.
When neither one fits a one to three person shop
Buffer is right when finished posts already exist and all you need is a cheap queue that sends them on schedule. Later is right when you shoot your own photos and want a visual calendar to arrange them. Neither is the obvious fit for the owner who has no drafts and no time to make them.
That gap is where SpeedRun Social sits. It reads your website into a brand kit and generates the caption, image and short video for each post, then publishes after you approve. The free plan is 300 credits a month refilled forever, one free campaign a week (3 posts, 1 video, 1 cross-post), no card, watermarked media on free. Paid plans are $49.99, $99.99 and $199.99 a month, flat per workspace and not per user, per channel or per social set, with image and video generation included on every tier.
We are new and have very few customers, so treat this as a pricing and feature comparison, not a recommendation backed by a large installed base. The links above exist so you can check both vendors, and the signup link exists so you can check ours.
Buffer vs Later, answered
buffer vs later: which is better for a small business?
It depends on who makes the posts. Buffer prices per channel and keeps a free plan for up to 3 channels; on 17 September 2026 Essentials was $6 a month per channel billed monthly. Later prices per social set, with Starter at $25 a month billed monthly and no free plan, only a 14-day trial. If the posts already exist and you want the cheapest queue, Buffer fits. If you shoot your own photos and want a visual calendar, Later fits. If neither description matches, neither tool makes the posts for you.
Which is cheaper, Buffer or Later?
Buffer, at a small roster. Its Essentials plan was $6 a month per channel billed monthly, or $5 a month per channel billed yearly, and its free plan covers 3 channels. Later's Starter was $25 a month billed monthly, or $18.75 a month billed yearly, for one social set of 8 profiles. The two prices buy different units: Buffer's channel price is a queue for content that already exists, Later's set price is a visual calendar for content you still shoot.
Does Later have a free plan?
No. On 17 September 2026 Later's pricing page led with "Manage your entire social media strategy. Free for 14 days" and every plan card read "Start 14-day free trial". No permanent free tier appeared.
Does Buffer have a free plan?
Yes. On 17 September 2026 Buffer's Free plan was listed at $0 a month forever for up to 3 channels, with 10 scheduled posts per channel, 1 user account and the AI Assistant included.
Can Buffer or Later write my posts for me?
Neither writes the post from your business. Buffer's AI Assistant refines and repurposes words you supply, on every plan with unlimited credits. Later meters AI content tools at 5, 50 and 100 credits a month by tier. Neither pricing page claimed it generates the image or the video, which is the part of the job both leave to you.
How many social accounts do I get with each?
Buffer's free plan covers up to 3 channels, and paid plans add channels one at a time at a per-channel rate, so the roster sets the bill. Later's Starter is one social set of 8 profiles, Growth is 2 sets of 16 profiles, and Scale is 6 sets of 48 profiles.
How much does SpeedRun Social cost next to these?
Paid plans are $49.99, $99.99 and $199.99 a month, flat per workspace and not per user, per channel or per social set, with image and video generation included on every tier. The free plan underneath is 300 credits a month refilled forever, one free campaign a week (3 posts, 1 video, 1 cross-post), no card, watermarked media on free. Unlike both tools, the caption, image and video are generated for you rather than assembled from content you produced first.
How current are the figures on this page?
Every number was read on 17 September 2026 from buffer.com/pricing or later.com/pricing, and each claim links back to the page it came from. The two vendors reprice on their own schedules and do not tell us first, so treat this page as a snapshot and recheck their pricing pages before a figure decides for you.
Check the numbers on your own roster
Count your channels and your profiles, then open both pricing pages. Buffer bills per channel, Later bills per social set, and the two links above are there so you can re-read both before deciding.
Every figure on this page was read on 17 September 2026 from buffer.com/pricing and later.com/pricing. Prices move; the links exist so you can check theirs and ours.