How we make this list: we compare pricing pages, product documentation and public user reviews. Ratings come from G2, Capterra or Trustpilot, with the date we checked them.
Key takeaways
- Buffer and SocialPilot are the closest like-for-like swaps for Publer, with simple scheduling and clear per-channel pricing.
- Later and Metricool stand out for visual planning and analytics, which suits teams that live on Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest.
- Hootsuite and Sprout Social fit larger teams that need approvals, listening, and reporting in one system.
- Planable and Sendible are strong when clients or teammates must approve posts before they go live.
- Most of these tools offer a free plan or trial, so test the scheduler with your real accounts before paying.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Best for | Starting price | Free plan |
|---|
 Buffer | straightforward scheduling for small teams | See website | Yes |
 Hootsuite | larger teams and enterprise workflows | See website | Free trial |
 Later | visual-first brands on Instagram and TikTok | See website | Yes |
 SocialPilot | affordable scheduling across many accounts | See website | Free trial |
 Sprout Social | reporting, listening, and team collaboration | See website | Free trial |
 Metricool | analytics-led planning and ads tracking | See website | Yes |
 Planable | teams that need client approval before publishing | See website | Yes |
 Sendible | agencies managing many clients | See website | Free trial |
Is your product missing or out of date?
We review this list regularly. Vendors can request a listing, send updated pricing or ask about featured placement.
The best publer alternatives
#1Buffer
Best for: straightforward scheduling for small teams4.3/5 on
G2 (1,041 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit buffer.com
Starting priceSee website
Free planYes
Buffer is the simplest tool on this list, and that is its main strength. You connect your social accounts, build a posting queue, and let Buffer publish on schedule. The interface stays out of your way, which makes it easy for a small team or a solo marketer to keep a consistent posting rhythm without a weekly training session.
Buffer supports the major networks, including Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, LinkedIn, X, and Pinterest, and it includes basic analytics and an AI assistant for drafting. The free plan covers a small number of channels, which is enough to test the workflow. The limits appear when you need deeper reporting, social listening, or complex approval chains, which are the areas where enterprise tools earn their higher prices.
What we like- Clean interface
- Easy queue setup
- Solid free plan
Watch out for- Analytics are basic on lower plans
- Fewer listening features than enterprise tools
#2Hootsuite
Best for: larger teams and enterprise workflows4.3/5 on
G2 (7,433 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit hootsuite.com
Starting priceSee website
Free planFree trial
Hootsuite is the veteran of this category, and it covers nearly every part of social media management. Scheduling, team assignments, approvals, social listening, and detailed reporting all sit in one dashboard. For a marketing team with several people touching content, the permission controls and approval flows prevent the wrong post from going live.
Hootsuite also supports advertising management and inbox handling, so a team can reply to comments and messages without switching tools. The trade-off is price and complexity: solo users and tiny teams may find it more tool than they need, and the cost climbs with team size. If your main need is simple scheduling, Buffer or SocialPilot will feel lighter and cheaper.
What we like- Broad network support
- Team roles and approvals
- Listening and reporting
Watch out for- Higher price than Publer
- Interface can feel heavy for solo users
#3Later
Best for: visual-first brands on Instagram and TikTok4.5/5 on
G2 (384 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit later.com
Starting priceSee website
Free planYes
Later is built around visual planning. You drag posts onto a calendar, preview how your Instagram grid will look, and plan Reels and TikToks alongside static posts. For brands where the feed itself is part of the marketing, that preview is genuinely useful and hard to find elsewhere.
Later also includes a link-in-bio tool, which turns a single profile link into a small landing page for products and posts. The free plan covers basic scheduling, so you can test the visual workflow before paying. The weaker side is text-first networks: teams that live on LinkedIn or X may find Later less complete than Buffer or Hootsuite for those channels.
What we like- Visual calendar and grid preview
- Link-in-bio tool
- Strong Instagram and TikTok support
Watch out for- Weaker for LinkedIn and X power users
- Analytics depth varies by plan
#4SocialPilot
Best for: affordable scheduling across many accounts4.5/5 on
G2 (846 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit socialpilot.co
Starting priceSee website
Free planFree trial
SocialPilot is a popular Publer replacement because the pricing stays low while the feature set stays broad. It supports the major networks, offers bulk scheduling through CSV upload, and includes a content calendar and basic analytics. For a freelancer or a small agency managing many accounts, the per-user price is easier to justify than enterprise plans.
The platform also includes client management, so an agency can group accounts by client and invite clients to view scheduled posts. Bulk scheduling is a real time saver for teams that plan a month of content at once. Analytics are serviceable but not as deep as Sprout Social, and the interface prioritizes function over polish. If your budget is tight and your needs are mainly scheduling, SocialPilot is hard to beat.
What we like- Low price per user
- Bulk scheduling
- Client management features
Watch out for- Analytics are less deep than Sprout Social
- Interface is functional rather than polished
#5Sprout Social
Best for: reporting, listening, and team collaboration4.4/5 on
G2 (6,880 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit sprout.social
Starting priceSee website
Free planFree trial
Sprout Social is the reporting leader in this group. Its reports are clear, shareable, and easy to customize for clients or managers, and its listening tools track brand mentions and trends across networks. The Smart Inbox pulls comments and messages into one stream, which helps a team reply faster without missing conversations.
Team features include task assignments, approvals, and permission levels, so larger teams can run a controlled publishing process. Sprout also offers employee advocacy and review management on higher plans. The price is the main barrier: it sits well above Publer, Buffer, and SocialPilot, and a solo user who only needs scheduling will not use most of what it offers. For teams that report to clients or executives, the reporting quality can justify the cost.
What we like- Excellent reports
- Social listening
- Smart inbox and approvals
Watch out for- Premium pricing
- Overkill for simple scheduling needs
#6Metricool
Best for: analytics-led planning and ads tracking4.5/5 on
G2 (98 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit metricool.com
Starting priceSee website
Free planYes
Metricool stands out for analytics. It tracks performance across social networks, websites, and ad campaigns in one dashboard, and it includes competitor analysis so you can see how rival accounts perform. For a marketer who has to prove what social media delivers, that reporting depth matters more than a slightly prettier calendar.
The scheduler covers the major networks and includes a best-time-to-post suggestion, which helps new accounts find a rhythm. Metricool also supports ads tracking for Meta and Google campaigns, which few scheduling tools do at this price. The scheduler itself is less polished than Later or Buffer, and some analytics features sit on higher plans. If measurement is your priority, Metricool is the strongest pick here.
What we like- Strong analytics
- Ads performance tracking
- Competitor analysis
Watch out for- Scheduler is less refined than Later
- Some features need higher plans
#7Planable
Best for: teams that need client approval before publishing4.6/5 on
G2 (1,125 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit planable.io
Starting priceSee website
Free planYes
Planable is built for one problem: getting posts approved without endless email threads. Teammates and clients comment directly on a post preview, request changes, and approve the final version. The calendar view shows exactly what will publish and when, so nobody is surprised by a live post.
The platform supports the major networks and includes media libraries and hashtag groups. Its free plan is generous enough for a small team to test the approval flow. Analytics are basic compared with Sprout Social or Metricool, and the network list is narrower than Hootsuite. If approvals are your bottleneck, Planable solves that problem better than any general scheduler on this list.
What we like- Approval workflows
- Comment threads on posts
- Clean calendar view
Watch out for- Analytics are basic
- Fewer networks than Hootsuite
#8Sendible
Best for: agencies managing many clients4.5/5 on
G2 (905 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit sendible.com
Starting priceSee website
Free planFree trial
Sendible is designed for agencies. It groups social profiles by client, offers client dashboards where clients can view scheduled content, and includes reporting templates that agencies can brand and send. Bulk scheduling and content queues help an agency keep dozens of accounts active without hiring a scheduler for each one.
Sendible also covers monitoring and engagement, so an agency can reply to comments from the same dashboard. The interface takes a little longer to learn than Buffer, and the price climbs as you add profiles, which is normal for agency tools. For a solo user with three accounts, Sendible is more than needed. For an agency with twenty clients, its client structure saves real admin time.
What we like- Client dashboards
- Bulk scheduling
- Reporting for clients
Watch out for- Learning curve for new users
- Price rises with profiles
How we chose
We compared these tools on scheduling quality, supported networks, pricing, free plans, analytics depth, and team or client features. We checked vendor pricing pages and public comparison guides, and where pricing was not published we wrote See website instead of guessing. We kept the list to tools that a real user can sign up for today, and we left out tools that focus only on one network or that have shut down.
How to pick the right scheduler for your team
Start by counting your accounts and your teammates. A solo marketer with four accounts needs a different tool from an agency with forty clients. If scheduling is your only job, a simple tool like Buffer or SocialPilot will do, and paying for enterprise reporting is wasted money. If clients must approve posts, Planable or Sendible will save more time than any analytics feature.
Next, check the networks you actually use. Most tools cover Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, X, TikTok, and Pinterest, but support for newer networks, Stories, Reels, and first-comment posting varies. Test those specific formats during a free trial, because a scheduler that cannot publish your main format is useless no matter how good its calendar looks.
Finally, look at reporting needs. If you report results to a boss or a client, Sprout Social or Metricool will pay for themselves in saved reporting time. If you only need to know what is scheduled next week, a basic tool is enough. Pick the tool that fits the work you do every week, not the feature list that looks longest.
Frequently asked questions
What is the closest free alternative to Publer?
Buffer and Metricool both offer free plans that cover basic scheduling for a small number of channels. Later also has a free plan focused on visual planning. Test each free plan with your real accounts, because channel limits and format support differ.
Is Buffer better than Publer?
Buffer is simpler and easier to learn, while Publer offers more bulk scheduling and automation options at a low price. If you want the lightest possible scheduler, Buffer wins. If you rely on bulk uploads, recycling, or link-in-bio features, Publer may suit you better.
Which tool is best for agencies?
Sendible and Planable are the strongest agency picks here. Sendible offers client dashboards and branded reports, while Planable offers the smoothest approval workflow. SocialPilot is a good budget agency option when client approvals are less central.
Can these tools auto-publish to Instagram and TikTok?
Yes, all eight support auto-publishing to Instagram and TikTok for most post types, but Stories, Reels, and first comments have limits that vary by tool and by network rules. Check the specific format you use most during a trial.
Do I need social listening, or is scheduling enough?
Scheduling is enough if you only publish content. Listening matters when you need to track brand mentions, watch competitors, or catch customer complaints early. Hootsuite and Sprout Social include listening, while simpler tools do not.
How do I migrate scheduled posts from Publer?
Export or note your scheduled posts and your posting queues, then rebuild them in the new tool, since there is no universal import format between schedulers. Most teams finish a migration in a day or two for a small account set, and bulk upload tools help for larger ones.
Sources we checked (8)
- https://buffer.com
- https://www.hootsuite.com
- https://later.com
- https://www.socialpilot.co
- https://sprout.social
- https://metricool.com
- https://planable.io
- https://www.sendible.com
Is your product missing or out of date?
We review this list regularly. Vendors can request a listing, send updated pricing or ask about featured placement.
Shihab Mia · Founder, Rankite
Shihab has 5+ years in B2B and SaaS SEO. He writes Rankite's software buying guides from pricing pages, documentation and public user reviews. More about Shihab.