Best affordable social media schedulers for small business
Five social media schedulers compared by price, free plan, trial and networks — and how to pick the cheapest one that actually fits a small business.
By PostVIA Team
Short answer: for one or two channels, a free plan from Buffer or Metricool may be enough. For several networks, compare the price for all the accounts you need: per-channel pricing adds up quickly, while a flat plan such as PostVIA's covers several accounts for one price. Larger teams that need listening and approvals usually look at Later or Hootsuite.
PostVIA is our product, so we list the facts from each tool's official pricing page and let you compare. Prices were checked on September 27, 2026 and can change — always check the current terms.
What a small business really needs
- publishing to the networks your customers use;
- scheduling ahead and a calendar to see the plan;
- a price that stays predictable as you add accounts;
- a free trial or plan to test before paying.
Features like social listening, a shared inbox or approval workflows matter for bigger teams, but they also raise the price.
1. PostVIA
- Price: from $8.99 per month for the whole plan: 150 publications and up to 5 social accounts.
- Free option: 7-day free trial, no credit card.
- Networks: Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Threads, TikTok, X and YouTube.
- Good for: small businesses and creators who post to several networks and want one flat price, with bulk video scheduling and per-network captions in every plan.
2. Buffer
- Price: from $5 per channel per month on the Essentials plan.
- Free option: a free plan for up to 3 channels with 10 scheduled posts per channel, plus a 14-day trial of paid plans.
- Networks: 12, including Bluesky, Mastodon and Google Business Profile.
- Good for: very small setups with one to three channels, or networks outside PostVIA's eight.
3. Metricool
- Price: paid plans start at roughly $20–25 per month, depending on billing.
- Free option: a free plan for 1 brand with up to 20 scheduled posts per month.
- Networks: Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Threads, Bluesky, Twitch and Google Business Profile; X is an add-on.
- Good for: businesses that want analytics next to scheduling.
4. Later
- Price: from $25 per month on monthly billing, or $18.75 per month billed yearly.
- Free option: 14-day free trial.
- Networks: Instagram, Facebook, Threads, Pinterest, TikTok, LinkedIn, YouTube and Snapchat.
- Good for: brands built around visual content.
5. Hootsuite
- Price: paid plans start at $99 per month.
- Free option: 14-day free trial, no free plan.
- Good for: larger teams that need a full social media suite.
Which one is the cheapest?
It depends on how many accounts you run:
- One to three channels, few posts: Buffer's or Metricool's free plan costs nothing.
- One channel, unlimited scheduling: Buffer Essentials at $5 per month.
- Five accounts across networks: Buffer is $25 per month at $5 per channel, while PostVIA Starter is $8.99 per month for up to 5 accounts.
- A team with approvals and listening: expect the higher-priced suites.
How to choose in 15 minutes
- List the networks and the number of accounts you post to.
- Estimate how many posts you publish per month.
- Calculate each tool's monthly price for exactly that setup.
- Start a free trial of the one or two cheapest options and schedule a real week of posts.
Want to try a flat-priced scheduler for eight networks? Try PostVIA free for 7 days.
