Buffer vs Zoho Social Pricing (2026)
How do these two stack up on price? Here's what each one costs, what you get, and where the value sits.
| Buffer | Zoho Social | |
|---|---|---|
| Starts at | $5/mo | $10/mo |
| Number of plans | 3 | 4 |
| Free plan | ||
| Free trial | ||
| Pricing model | per-seat | per-seat |
Free
- 10 scheduled posts per channel - refill anytime
- 100 ideas
- 1 user account
- AI Assistant
- Insights
- API access
- Community inbox
- World-class customer support
Essentials
Popular- Unlimited scheduled posts per channel
- Unlimited ideas
- 1 user account
- AI Assistant
- Advanced analytics
- API access
- Community inbox
- Hashtag manager
- First comment scheduling
- World-class customer support
Team
- Unlimited scheduled posts per channel
- Unlimited ideas
- Unlimited team members
- AI Assistant
- Advanced analytics
- API access
- Community inbox
- Hashtag manager
- First comment scheduling
- Access levels
- Content approval workflows
- World-class customer support
FREE
- 1 Brand (6 Channels)
- 1 Team Member
- 24/5 email support
- 5 AI credits
- zShare Browser Extension
STANDARD
- 1 Brand (12 Channels)
- 1 Team Member
- 24/5 email support
- 40 AI credits
- Centralized dashboard
- Recent posts
- Multi-channel publishing
- Content scheduling
- Publishing calendar
- Published/Scheduled posts
- zurl link shortner
- Activity log
- User tagging
- Summary Reports
- Drafts
- Image Editor
- Add audio
- Media Optimization
PROFESSIONAL
- 1 Brand (12 Channels)
- 1 Team Member
- 24/5 email support
- 40 AI credits
- Livestream
- Notifications
- CustomQ
- Repeat posting
- Bulk scheduling
- Popular posts
- Post insights
- Bit.ly link shortner
- Media library
- Scheduling reposts
- RSS feeds
- Cloudpicker
- Messages
- Pause/Resume content
- Mute & Block accounts
- Connections
- Monitoring dashboard
- Custom video thumbnail
- Instagram first comment
PREMIUM
Popular- 1 Brand (14 Channels)
- 3 Team Members
- 24/5 email support
- 80 AI credits
- SmartQ
- Inbox (New)
- Content approvals & workflow
- Exporting posts
- Discussing posts
- Collaborate
- Team Member audio/video & chat
- Reports dashboard
- Custom reports
- Share reports
- Manage custom roles
- Content targeting
- UTM parameters
- Zoho CRM integration
- Zoho Desk integration
- CRM leads & contacts
- Lead generation
Buffer vs Zoho Social FAQ
- Which one is cheaper?
- Buffer starts lower at $5/mo, compared to $10/mo for Zoho Social.
- Can I use either one for free?
- Both offer free plans, so you can try each without paying. Start with whichever fits your workflow better and upgrade when you hit the limits.
- How do they charge?
- Both use a per-seat model, so the comparison is straightforward — it comes down to features and limits at each price point.
- Which one is a better deal?
- Depends on what you need. Buffer: This is the budget-friendly, self-serve end of the social media management category — cheap enough for solopreneurs to swipe a card without a sales call, unlike Sprout Social or Hootsuite which chase mid-market and enterprise budgets. Buffer's clearly optimizing for volume over ACV. Zoho Social: Zoho Social sits firmly in budget territory compared to Sprout Social or Hootsuite, which often start north of $99/mo for comparable team tiers. They're clearly going after price-sensitive SMBs and agencies who want Buffer-level affordability but with more Zoho-ecosystem depth.
Still deciding? See the best Buffer alternatives or the best Zoho Social alternatives, ranked with verified pricing.
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