Social Scheduling
Show up everywhere without living in the apps: schedulers and publishers that queue, cross-post, and report on social content so one person can run many channels.
Start here: comparisons
Reviews
Buffer
Buffer is a clean, low-cost social scheduler with a real free plan for 3 channels and per-channel paid pricing. Light on analytics and engagement, but the easiest tool to just start posting - as long as you count your channels.
Free plan (3 channels, 10 scheduled posts each, 1 user); Essentials $5/mo per channel ($60/yr), Team $10/mo per channel ($120/yr), both billed annually; 14-day trial. X/Twitter posting and analytics are paid-plan only; the engagement inbox is Team-tier; channels past 10 cost less each
Hootsuite
Hootsuite is a capable social suite, but with no free plan, tiers from $99/mo per user, a trial that auto-converts to an annual bill, and a 30-day-only refund window, it is far pricier and stickier than tools that do the same core job. Great for large teams; a trap for most small businesses.
No free plan; Standard $99/mo, Professional $199/mo, Advanced $399/mo (each per user, billed annually), Enterprise custom; 14-day trial that auto-converts to a paid annual plan. Refunds only within 30 days
Metricool
Metricool pairs multi-network scheduling with strong analytics and competitor tracking, priced by number of brands. The best value in the category for agencies - as long as you know X/Twitter is a paid add-on on every tier.
Free plan (1 brand, 20 posts/mo, 30-day analytics); Starter from ~$16/mo billed annually (~$20 monthly), 5 brands scaling to 10; Advanced from ~$43/mo annually (~$53 monthly), 15 brands up to 50; Custom quote beyond. X/Twitter is a paid add-on (~$5 per connected account/mo) on every tier, including Free, and needs your own X Premium
Publer
Publer packs bulk scheduling, post recycling, AI drafting, and a free plan for 3 accounts into an à-la-carte, pay-per-account model. The best value pick for owners who want power features without a Hootsuite bill - once you know analytics and unlimited AI live on the Business tier.
Free plan (3 social accounts, no X, 24-hour post history); Professional from $5/mo (1 account, +$4 per extra account, +$2 per member); Business from $10/mo (1 account, +$7 per extra account, +$3 per member) - Business is where analytics and unlimited AI live; every 10th account/member free; annual billing ~20% off (2 months free)