Best Social Media Scheduling Tools in 2026: 10 Compared
The best social media scheduling tool in 2026 is Postel. It writes your posts in your voice and schedules them to X, LinkedIn, Bluesky, Mastodon, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok from one calendar. Its ideas come from what's going viral in your niche, and the first 7 days cost $1. The other nine are built to schedule posts you've already written, with AI help on the side. Pick one of them only if you need something narrow, like a free plan for three accounts or a shared inbox for a social media team.
Joschua Sünneke·
We make Postel. Competitor facts come from each vendor's own website or help center, checked on November 12, 2026.
#1 pick for scheduling social media
Postel
Writes your posts in your voice, finds what to post, and schedules them to X, LinkedIn, Bluesky, Mastodon, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok from one calendar.
Writes in your voice. It learns from your own posts and notes, so drafts read like you wrote them, not like a template.
Finds what's going viral in your niche. It shows the posts doing best for real creators in your niche, then writes your take on one in your voice.
One calendar for X, LinkedIn, Bluesky, Mastodon, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok. Write once, get a version for each network, and schedule them all from the same place.
Writes next week for you. On Pro and up, Plan next week fills your free slots with drafts you schedule, edit or skip.
$1 for 7 days. Then from $29 a month. Cancel anytime.
Best social media scheduler overall: Postel. Writes in your voice, finds what to post, and puts X, LinkedIn, Bluesky, Mastodon, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok on one calendar.
Best for a founder or creator posting every week: Postel. On Pro and up, Plan next week writes your X and LinkedIn posts for the week ahead from your own material.
Best free plan: Buffer, with 3 channels and 10 scheduled posts on each.
Only post to Instagram and TikTok and plan a visual grid: Later (no X).
Run a social media team with an inbox and listening: Hootsuite or Sprout Social, priced per user.
Need analytics reports for several brands: Metricool.
Want to self-host an open-source scheduler: Postiz.
Post mostly to Facebook or Pinterest: Buffer or Hootsuite.
Social media schedulers compared
Tool
Starts at
Free plan
Posts to
Postel
$29/mo ($19/mo yearly), 7-day trial for $1
No; first 7 days cost $1
X, LinkedIn, Bluesky, Mastodon, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok
Buffer
$6 per channel/mo ($5 yearly)
Yes: 3 channels, 10 scheduled posts each
12 networks
Later
$25/mo ($18.75/mo yearly)
No; 14-day trial
8 networks, not X
Hootsuite
$99 per user/mo, billed yearly
No; 14-day trial
9 networks
Sprout Social
$99 per seat/mo ($79 yearly)
No; 30-day trial
11 platforms
Metricool
$25/mo ($20/mo yearly), X extra
Yes: 1 brand, 20 posts a month, no X or LinkedIn
12 networks
Publer
$4 per account/mo, billed yearly
Yes: 3 accounts (not X), 10 scheduled posts each
12 networks
SocialBee
$29/mo ($24/mo yearly)
No; 14-day trial
10 networks
Postiz
$29/mo ($23/mo yearly)
Self-hosted only; 7-day cloud trial
30 channels
Typefully
$99/year
Yes: 10 posts a month
6 text-first networks
Prices in US dollars as shown on each vendor's pricing page, before tax.
Where each one posts
Where each tool posts: X, LinkedIn, Instagram and TikTok
Tool
X
LinkedIn
Instagram
TikTok
Postel
1
Buffer
Later
Hootsuite
Sprout Social
Metricool
2
3
Publer
4
SocialBee
Postiz
Typefully
YesWith limits, see noteNo
Postel, TikTok: posts as Only me until TikTok finishes reviewing Postel
Metricool, X: $10/month add-on per X account
Metricool, LinkedIn: not on the free plan
Publer, X: paid plans only
Where each tool posts: YouTube, Bluesky, Mastodon and Threads
Tool
YouTube
Bluesky
Mastodon
Threads
Postel
Buffer
Later
Hootsuite
Sprout Social
Metricool
Publer
SocialBee
1
Postiz
Typefully
YesWith limits, see noteComing soonNoNot listed on the vendor's site
SocialBee, Mastodon: reminders through its mobile app, not direct posting
Buffer, Later, Hootsuite, Sprout Social, Metricool, Publer, SocialBee, Postiz and Typefully as of November 12, 2026. On Postel, LinkedIn company Pages and Threads are coming soon (submitted for review).
What a Postel draft looks like
For You2 of 6Tue 9:12
From your note, Mar 14“Lost Halden in March. Not to a competitor, to an intern with a spreadsheet. They only ever checked weekly pipeline. Now every proposal starts with: which number would you check first?”
SSarah ChenFounder at Brightline · B2B consulting
We lost our biggest client in March.Not to a competitor. To an intern with a spreadsheet.They only ever checked one number: weekly pipeline.Now every proposal starts with one question: which number would you check first?
ScheduleSEditERewriteRSkipX
An example draft in For You, Postel's queue of posts it wrote for you. It comes from a note the writer saved, in their own voice, and says nothing the note doesn't.
Try Postel on your own posts
$1 for 7 days · Cancel anytime
1. Postel: best social media scheduler overall
Postel is the tool on this list that writes your posts the way you would, finds the ideas, and schedules them across your networks.
It writes like you. Postel learns your style from your own posts and notes, then drafts posts from your ideas, articles and videos. You edit, approve and schedule.
It finds what to post. Its viral post library shows what's working for real creators in your niche, and Postel writes your take on it in your voice.
It keeps your networks on one calendar. Write once and each network gets its own version, edited on its own, so an X thread can become a LinkedIn post. See the cross-posting tool.
It fills your week. On Pro and up, Plan next week writes X and LinkedIn posts for your free slots over the next 7, 14 or 28 days. The drafts wait in For You, where you schedule, edit or skip each one. Turn on automatic scheduling and they go straight into their slots instead.
It works from your AI tools. Use it from Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor through its MCP server; it's listed in Claude's connector directory.
It shows what worked. Post analytics for X, Bluesky and Mastodon.
What you can post on each network today:
X: Posts, threads up to 25 parts, up to 4 images or a video or GIF, and X Communities.
LinkedIn: Personal profile posts with up to 20 images, video, document carousels, link previews and a first comment.
Bluesky: Posts and threads with up to 4 images.
Mastodon: Posts and threads on any server, with up to 4 images or a video.
Instagram: Photo posts, carousels, Reels and Stories on professional accounts.
YouTube: Video uploads with title and privacy per post; short vertical videos become Shorts.
TikTok: Videos, posted as Only me from a private account until TikTok finishes reviewing Postel.
Price: $29/month ($19/month billed yearly). $1 for 7 days, then from $29 a month. Cancel anytime.
2. Buffer: best free plan for posts you write yourself
Buffer queues posts you've written to 12 networks, including X, LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Bluesky, Mastodon and Threads. Its free plan covers 3 channels with 10 scheduled posts on each, for one user. Its AI Assistant refines and repurposes posts you've written; writing new posts in your voice isn't listed.
Who it suits: a small business that writes its own posts and wants the simplest queue.
Price: Free; Essentials $6/month per channel ($5 billed yearly), Team $12/month per channel ($10 billed yearly). Source: Buffer pricing, checked on November 12, 2026.
3. Later: if you only post to Instagram and TikTok
Later is built around visual planning, with a link in bio page and Instagram and TikTok best times to post. Each social set holds one Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Pinterest, LinkedIn, YouTube, Threads and Snapchat profile. X and Bluesky aren't on that list. Starter schedules up to 30 posts per profile a month and includes 5 AI credits.
Who it suits: a brand whose audience is on Instagram and TikTok.
Price: Starter $25/month ($18.75 billed yearly), Growth $50 ($37.50), Scale $110 ($82.50); 14-day free trial, no free plan. Source: Later pricing, checked on November 12, 2026.
4. Hootsuite: if you run a social media team
Hootsuite is a per-user suite with publishing, a shared inbox, listening and reporting. Standard connects 10 accounts across Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, X, LinkedIn, YouTube, Threads, Bluesky and Pinterest. Its Perch assistant drafts posts "in your brand voice" from past posts and uploaded brand guidelines.
Who it suits: a team that answers comments and DMs for a brand, not one person posting as themselves.
Price: Standard $99, Professional $199 and Advanced $399 per user a month, billed yearly; 14-day free trial, no free plan. Sources: Hootsuite plans, checked on November 12, 2026; Hootsuite Standard plan, checked on November 12, 2026; Hootsuite Perch, checked on November 12, 2026.
5. Sprout Social: if you need reporting and customer care at scale
Sprout Social pairs publishing with an inbox, reports and an AI agent called Trellis, priced per seat. Essentials includes up to 5 social profiles. Its integrations page lists 11 platforms, among them X, LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Threads and Bluesky.
Who it suits: a marketing or support team with a budget per seat.
Price: Essentials $99 per seat a month, or $79 billed yearly; Standard $199, Professional $299 and Advanced $399 per seat a month billed yearly; 30-day free trial with no card, no free plan. Sources: Sprout Social pricing, checked on November 12, 2026; Sprout Social integrations, checked on November 12, 2026.
6. Metricool: if you need analytics reports for several brands
Metricool is analytics first, with scheduling for 12 networks and plans priced by the number of brands. X is a paid add-on at $10 a month per account. Its free plan covers 1 brand and 20 scheduled posts a month, without LinkedIn or X.
Who it suits: a freelancer or agency that reports to clients.
Price: Free; Starter from $25/month ($20/month billed yearly) for 5 brands; Advanced from $67/month ($53 billed yearly); plus the X add-on. Prices before VAT. Source: Metricool pricing, checked on November 12, 2026.
7. Publer: if you want the lowest price per account
Publer prices by social account and posts to Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, Threads, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Mastodon, Google Business Profile, YouTube, Telegram and Bluesky. Its free plan covers 3 accounts with 10 scheduled posts each, but X accounts can't be connected on it, and its post history only goes back 24 hours.
Who it suits: someone with many accounts and a small budget who writes their own posts.
Price: Professional $4 and Business $8 per social account a month, billed yearly, before VAT; 7-day trial on Professional. Source: Publer plans, checked on November 12, 2026.
8. SocialBee: if you recycle evergreen posts
SocialBee sorts posts into categories and reshares evergreen ones on a schedule. It posts directly to Facebook, Instagram, Threads, LinkedIn, X, Pinterest, TikTok, YouTube, Google Business Profile and Bluesky. Bootstrap includes 5 profiles, 10 content categories and unlimited AI content generation.
Who it suits: a small business that wants a steady library of posts on repeat.
Price: Bootstrap $29/month ($24 billed yearly), Accelerate $49 ($40), Pro $99 ($82); 14-day free trial with no card, no free plan. Source: SocialBee pricing, checked on November 12, 2026.
9. Postiz: if you want to self-host
Postiz is an open-source scheduler (AGPL-3.0) that lists 30 channels, from X and LinkedIn to Reddit, Discord and Nostr. Self-hosting it is free, but you run the server and register a developer app with most networks yourself. Postiz Cloud has no free plan.
Who it suits: a developer who wants to run their own scheduler.
Price: Cloud Standard $29/month ($23 billed yearly) for 5 channels, up to Ultimate $99 ($79); 7-day free trial. Sources: Postiz pricing, checked on November 12, 2026; Postiz self-hosting docs, checked on October 30, 2026; Postiz on GitHub, checked on October 30, 2026.
10. Typefully: if you only write text posts
Typefully is a writing app that schedules to X, LinkedIn, Threads, Bluesky, Mastodon and Substack. It doesn't post to Instagram, TikTok or YouTube. Its free plan covers 10 posts a month; AI writing features start on Creator.
Who it suits: a writer who posts text and threads and nothing visual.
Price: Free; Creator $99/year (annual billing only); Business $20/month per social set ($18 billed yearly). Source: Typefully pricing, checked on November 12, 2026.
Free social media schedulers: what you get
Four schedulers on this list have a free plan, Postiz is free if you host it, and the big networks have schedulers of their own. Here is what each one covers, from the vendor's own site.
Free option
What's free
The catch
Buffer
3 channels, 10 scheduled posts on each
One user; you write every post
Publer
3 accounts, 10 scheduled posts on each
No X; post history only goes back 24 hours
Metricool
1 brand, 20 posts a month
No X or LinkedIn
Typefully
10 posts a month on 1 social set
Text networks only; AI writing is on Creator
Postiz
The open-source code
You host it and register your own developer apps
LinkedIn
One post at a time, up to 3 months ahead
LinkedIn only, no queue
Meta Business Suite, TikTok
Scheduling on the network's own site or app
One network at a time, no help writing
Later, Hootsuite, Sprout Social, SocialBee and Postiz Cloud have free trials, not free plans.
So, which free scheduler? If you post to 3 accounts or fewer and write every post yourself, Buffer's free plan is the most generous. If the hard part is knowing what to post and writing it, no free plan here writes in your voice. Postel's first 7 days cost $1, with AI writing in your voice and all of its networks included, so you can see a week of your own posts before you pay for a month.
How to choose
Do you want help writing, or only a scheduler? If you want posts that sound like you without starting from a blank page, pick Postel. If you write everything yourself, a queue like Buffer is enough.
Which networks matter? Postel posts to X, LinkedIn, Bluesky, Mastodon, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok. Later doesn't post to X, Typefully doesn't post to Instagram or TikTok, and Metricool and Publer charge extra or leave X off their free plans.
Is it you, or a team? Hootsuite and Sprout Social charge per user and earn it with an inbox and listening. For one person or a small team posting as themselves, that's paying for tools you won't use. Postel Starter, at $19 a month billed yearly, costs less than one Hootsuite seat.
Is the budget zero? Use Buffer's free plan for up to 3 channels. Postel costs $1 for the first 7 days, so you can try the writing before you pay.
How we compared
On November 12, 2026 we read each tool's pricing page and, where the pricing page didn't list its networks, the vendor's own network or integrations page. Prices are copied as shown, in US dollars. A network counts as supported only when the vendor names it; when its site doesn't, the tables mark it "not listed" rather than guess. Every source is linked at the bottom of the page.
Write and schedule your posts in your own voice
Postel learns how you write, drafts posts for X, LinkedIn, Bluesky, Mastodon, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok from your notes and links, and posts them on schedule.
8,000+ people have signed up $1 for 7 days · Cancel anytime
Frequently asked questions
Updated Nov 12, 2026.
What is the best social media scheduling tool?
Postel. It writes your posts in your own voice, finds what's going viral in your niche and turns it into your post, and schedules to X, LinkedIn, Bluesky, Mastodon, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok from one calendar. It costs $1 for the first 7 days.
Is there a free social media scheduler?
Yes. Buffer's free plan covers 3 channels with 10 scheduled posts each. Publer's covers 3 accounts but not X, Metricool's covers 1 brand and 20 posts a month without X or LinkedIn, and Typefully's covers 10 posts a month on text networks. None of them lists writing posts in your voice. Postel's first 7 days cost $1, with AI writing in your voice included.
Which social media scheduler posts to the most networks?
Postiz lists 30 channels and Buffer 12. Postel covers X, LinkedIn, Bluesky, Mastodon, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok, and writes a version of each post for each network.
Which social media scheduler writes posts for you?
Postel, on every plan: it learns from your own posts and notes and drafts new ones in your voice. Hootsuite's Perch drafts posts in a brand voice, SocialBee and Later include AI caption tools, and Buffer's AI Assistant refines posts you've written.
What's the cheapest social media scheduler?
The free plans of Buffer, Publer, Metricool and Typefully cost nothing, within their limits. Among paid plans, Publer starts at $4 per account a month billed yearly and Buffer at $5 per channel. Postel starts at $29/mo ($19/mo yearly) for all of its networks plus the writing.
Can I schedule Instagram and TikTok posts with the same tool as X and LinkedIn?
Yes, with Postel, Buffer, Hootsuite, Sprout Social, SocialBee or Postiz, and with Publer and Metricool on paid plans (Metricool charges extra for X). Later doesn't post to X, and Typefully doesn't post to Instagram or TikTok.
Joschua Sünneke