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Buffer Alternative

Best Buffer Alternatives for Solo Founders

Buffer changed its pricing, dropped its free plan limits, and still doesn't support Mastodon or Bluesky. If you're looking for something better, here are the tools worth trying. We'll start with ours, then list three others honestly.

Why people look for Buffer alternatives

  • Pricing changes

    Buffer went from a generous free plan to $6/channel/mo. If you're on 5 platforms, that's $30/mo for basic scheduling.

  • Missing platforms

    Buffer doesn't support Mastodon or Bluesky. If your audience is on decentralized platforms, Buffer can't reach them.

  • Wanting simplicity

    Buffer added features for agencies and teams. If you're a solo founder, you don't need queue slots, approval workflows, or engagement tools. You just need to draft and post.

The alternatives worth trying

1. Shaflex

Our pick

A scheduling tool for X, Threads, Bluesky, Mastodon, and LinkedIn. Flat pricing, not per channel.

Best for: Solo founders, indie hackers, creators on Mastodon/Bluesky

Pricing: Free plan available. Creator plan $15/mo (8 channels).

Pros

  • Native Mastodon, Bluesky, and Threads support
  • Flat pricing, not per channel
  • Clean draft-to-publish flow
  • Free plan with 3 channels and 30 posts/mo

Cons

  • Newer than other tools on this list
  • Fewer third-party integrations (growing)
  • Smaller team collaboration features

2. Later

Visual-first scheduling focused on Instagram and short-form video content.

Best for: Instagram-heavy creators, visual brands, influencers

Pricing: From $25/mo (1 social set). No free plan.

Pros

  • Strong Instagram and TikTok features
  • Visual content calendar with media library
  • Linkin.bio for driving traffic from Instagram

Cons

  • No Mastodon or Bluesky support
  • Per-social-set pricing gets expensive
  • Weaker on text-first platforms (X, LinkedIn)

3. Publer

Feature-rich scheduler with broad platform support and automation.

Best for: Power users who want advanced scheduling and recycling

Pricing: Free plan (5 accounts). Professional from $12/mo.

Pros

  • Broad platform support including Google Business
  • Post recycling and RSS auto-posting
  • Competitive pricing with a free tier

Cons

  • No Mastodon or Bluesky support
  • UI can feel cluttered
  • Analytics limited on lower plans

4. Metricool

Analytics-first tool with scheduling, ads management, and competitor tracking.

Best for: Data-driven marketers who want analytics and scheduling in one tool

Pricing: Free plan (1 brand). Starter from $22/mo.

Pros

  • Deep analytics with competitor tracking
  • Ad management for Facebook and Google
  • Hashtag tracking and best-time-to-post insights

Cons

  • No Mastodon or Bluesky support
  • Free plan is very limited
  • More complex than needed for simple scheduling

Quick comparison

FeatureShaflexBufferLaterPubler
Mastodon
Bluesky
Free plan
Starting price$15/mo$6/channel$25/mo$12/mo
Pricing modelFlatPer channelPer social setFlat

Deep-dive comparisons

Want a detailed side-by-side breakdown? Check these out:

Shaflex vs BufferShaflex vs HootsuiteShaflex vs LaterShaflex vs PublerShaflex vs MetricoolHootsuite Alternatives

Try Shaflex free

Shaflex is free to try, no credit card needed. If you post to X, Bluesky, Mastodon, Threads, or LinkedIn, give it 10 minutes.

Get started for free

Start posting to five platforms today

Free plan, no credit card. Set up in under 2 minutes.

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