Best Free Social Media Scheduling Tools (2026): 5 Free Plans
Free social media scheduling tools compared: Buffer, Metricool, Publer, Pallyy and Typefully free plans, post limits and paid prices checked October 6, 2026.
The best free social media scheduling tools in 2026 are Buffer, Metricool, Publer, Pallyy and Typefully. Buffer is #1: its free plan connects 3 channels with 10 scheduled posts per channel that refill as they publish. Metricool adds free analytics, Publer covers 3 accounts, Pallyy gives 15 posts a month and Typefully suits writers on X and LinkedIn. Later, Hootsuite and SocialBee offer trials, not free plans.
| Tool | Free plan limit | What the free plan includes | First paid plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buffer | 3 channels, 10 scheduled posts per channel | 100 ideas, 1 user, AI assistant, insights, community inbox | Essentials, $5/channel/mo billed yearly |
| Metricool | 1 brand, 20 posts per month | All networks except LinkedIn and Twitter, 30 days of analytics, 5 competitors | Starter, from $20/mo billed annually |
| Publer | 3 social accounts (no X), 10 scheduled posts per account | 1 user, 1 workspace, 25 saved drafts | Professional, $4/mo billed yearly |
| Pallyy | 1 social set, 15 scheduled posts per month | Image posts only, 1 user, no card needed | Pro, $25/mo |
| Typefully | 1 social set, 10 posts per month | X, LinkedIn, Threads, Bluesky, Mastodon and Substack | Creator, annual billing only |
Sources: each vendor’s official pricing page, fetched October 6, 2026. Prices in USD unless noted.
How did we pick these free scheduling tools?
We started from our social media scheduling category and checked the pricing pages of the best-known schedulers for a free plan you can keep using, not a trial. Then we ranked the free plans on how many channels and scheduled posts they allow, which networks they cover, and how cheap the first paid step is. Every limit and price comes from vendor pages fetched on October 6, 2026.
Our rules:
- Free forever, not a trial. A 7-day or 14-day trial does not count as a free plan.
- It must schedule. A free plan that only lets you post right away does not qualify.
- Limits from the vendor. Channel caps, post caps and history limits come from each pricing page or its FAQ.
- Ranking is editorial. We compared published plan limits; we did not run posting tests on every network.
What are the best free social media scheduling tools in 2026?
1. Buffer: best free social media scheduler overall
Why it’s #1: Buffer’s free plan is the most usable for a small brand. Its pricing page lists Free as “free forever” for up to 3 channels, with 10 scheduled posts per channel that you can refill anytime as posts go out. It also includes 100 ideas, 1 user account, the AI Assistant, insights, a community inbox and API access (1 API key and 3,000 requests a month).
- Best for: a founder or small business posting to two or three channels.
- Free plan limit: 3 channels; 10 scheduled posts per channel at a time; 1 user.
- Paid price: Essentials is $5 per channel per month billed yearly ($60 a year per channel) and removes the scheduled-post cap. Team is $10 per channel per month billed yearly ($120). Both come with a 14-day free trial.
- Trade-off: 10 queued posts per channel means topping up the queue every week or two if you post daily.
Read our Buffer review for fit beyond the free plan.
2. Metricool: best free scheduler with analytics
Verdict: Pick Metricool if you want to see what works, not just publish. Its Free plan is $0 a month for 1 brand and covers all of that brand’s social networks except LinkedIn and Twitter. You can schedule up to 20 posts a month, analyze 5 competitor profiles, and see 30 days of analytics. The AI social media assistant and Metricool MCP are included.
- Free plan limit: 1 brand and 20 scheduled posts a month; no LinkedIn or Twitter.
- Paid price: Starter is from $20 per month billed annually (€16) or from $25 on monthly billing (€20), for up to 5 brands. Starter adds unlimited content publishing, LinkedIn, the X add-on and analytics with unlimited history.
- Trade-off: no LinkedIn or X on Free rules it out for B2B accounts.
3. Publer: best free scheduler for three accounts
Verdict: Pick Publer if you want to test a full-featured scheduler before paying. Its Free plan is “free forever” for 1 user and 1 workspace, with 3 social accounts and 10 scheduled posts per account. Once a scheduled post publishes or is deleted, you can schedule another. You also get 25 saved drafts and free trials of most paid features without a card.
- Free plan limit: 3 social accounts, not including X; 10 scheduled posts per account; published posts stored for only 24 hours.
- Paid price: Professional is $5 per month, or $4 per month billed yearly, with a 7-day trial; it adds unlimited scheduling, unlimited workspaces and the X integration. Business is $10, or $8 billed yearly. Publer prices by the number of social accounts and members you select.
- Trade-off: the 24-hour post history makes Free a scheduler only, not a record of what you published.
4. Pallyy: best free scheduler for image posts
Verdict: Pick Pallyy if you post images for one brand and want a visual calendar. Its free plan includes one social set, 15 scheduled posts a month and image posts only, with no card needed. Pallyy’s plan table lists up to 11 accounts per social set.
- Free plan limit: 1 social set, 1 user, 15 scheduled posts a month; no video, carousel or Reels publishing.
- Paid price: Pro is $25 a month with unlimited posts for 1 social set; each extra set is $10 a month. Pallyy says annual billing saves up to 25%. Paid plans start with a 14-day trial that asks for card details.
- Trade-off: image-only posting is a hard stop for video-led accounts.
5. Typefully: best free scheduler for writers on X and LinkedIn
Verdict: Pick Typefully if you write threads and text posts. Its Free plan is “free for everyone” with 1 social set, 1 user and 10 posts a month, and it publishes to X, Bluesky, LinkedIn, Threads, Mastodon and Substack. Advanced scheduling and the API and MCP are included; media uploads are limited.
- Free plan limit: 10 posts a month; limited media uploads.
- Paid price: Creator raises the limit to 1,000 posts a month and adds X analytics and AI writing features. It is annual billing only; the price did not render in our capture of Typefully’s pricing page, so check it there.
- Trade-off: 10 posts a month suits a weekly cadence, not daily posting.
See our Typefully review.
Which popular schedulers are not free?
Later, Hootsuite and SocialBee do not have free plans; each offers a free trial instead. Zoho Social has a free plan, but its pricing page lists scheduling as a paid feature. Check these before you sign up for a “free” account.
| Tool | Free plan? | What you get instead | First paid plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Later | No | 14-day free trial | Starter, $18.75 USD/mo billed yearly |
| Hootsuite | No | 14-day free trial, no card; trial accounts have daily posting limits | Standard, $99/user/mo billed annually |
| SocialBee | No | 14-day free trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee | Bootstrap, $24/mo billed annually ($29 monthly) |
| Zoho Social | Yes, for posting | Free plan for 1 brand (6 channels) and 1 team member; content scheduling and the publishing calendar are listed as Standard features | Standard, US$10/mo billed annually |
Sources: Later, Hootsuite, SocialBee and Zoho Social pricing pages and Zoho Social’s free edition page, fetched October 6, 2026.
Zoho Social’s free edition page says you can post as much as you want, so it is a good free option for publishing to Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X and Google Business Profile in one place. Its pricing page shows content scheduling, the publishing calendar and drafts among the features Standard adds on top of Free, which is why it is not in our ranking.
See our Later review and Hootsuite review for the paid options.
How much do these tools cost after the free plan?
Publer Professional is the cheapest paid step at $4 per month billed yearly. Buffer Essentials is $5 per channel per month billed yearly, so 3 channels cost $15 a month, or $30 on Team. Metricool Starter is from $20 per month billed annually, and Pallyy Pro is $25 a month. Typefully Creator’s price was not shown in our capture.
Per-channel pricing (Buffer) is cheapest when you post to only a few channels. Per-brand or per-set pricing (Metricool, Pallyy) gets cheaper per channel when one brand posts to many networks.
Which free social media scheduler should you choose?
Choose Buffer if you post to up to three channels and want the simplest free queue. Choose Metricool if analytics and competitor tracking matter and you do not need LinkedIn or X. Choose Publer for three accounts outside X. Choose Pallyy for image posts to one brand. Choose Typefully if you write for X, LinkedIn or Threads.
For the full ranking, including paid-only tools, see our social media scheduling category. Head-to-heads: Buffer vs Typefully, Buffer vs Later and Buffer vs Hootsuite.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best free social media scheduling tool?
Buffer is our top free scheduler. Its free plan connects up to 3 channels with 10 scheduled posts per channel that refill as posts go out, plus an AI assistant, insights and a community inbox. Metricool is the better free pick if you want analytics and competitor tracking, and Publer suits people who schedule to 3 accounts.
Is Buffer still free?
Yes. Buffer's pricing page lists a Free plan that is free forever and connects up to 3 channels, with 10 scheduled posts per channel, 100 ideas and 1 user. Paid Essentials costs $5 per channel per month billed yearly ($60 a year), per Buffer on October 6, 2026.
Does Later have a free plan?
No. Later's pricing page offers a 14-day free trial, not a free plan. After the trial, Starter costs $18.75 USD per month billed yearly for 1 social set and 1 user, per Later's pricing page on October 6, 2026.
Does Hootsuite have a free plan?
No. Hootsuite's plans page offers a free 14-day trial with no credit card required, and trial accounts have daily posting limits. Paid plans start with Standard at $99 per user per month billed annually.
Which free scheduler works with X (Twitter)?
Buffer and Typefully. Publer's free plan cannot connect X accounts, and Metricool's free plan covers all networks except LinkedIn and Twitter. Typefully's free plan publishes to X, LinkedIn, Threads, Bluesky, Mastodon and Substack, with 10 posts a month.
When should I pay for a social media scheduler?
Pay when you hit the post cap or need more channels, team members or analytics history. Buffer Essentials removes the scheduled-post cap for $5 per channel per month billed yearly. Publer Professional starts at $4 per month billed yearly and adds unlimited scheduling and X.
Sources
- Buffer, Pricing, buffer.com/pricing, captured Oct 6, 2026.
- Metricool, Pricing, metricool.com/pricing/, captured Oct 6, 2026.
- Publer, Plans, publer.com/plans, captured Oct 6, 2026.
- Pallyy, Pricing, pallyy.com/pricing, captured Oct 6, 2026.
- Typefully, Pricing, typefully.com/pricing, captured Oct 6, 2026.
- Zoho Social, Pricing, www.zoho.com/social/pricing.html, captured Oct 6, 2026.
- Zoho Social, Free edition, www.zoho.com/social/free-social-media-management-tool.html, captured Oct 6, 2026.
- Later, Pricing, later.com/pricing/, captured Oct 6, 2026.
- Hootsuite, Plans, www.hootsuite.com/plans, captured Oct 6, 2026.
- SocialBee, Pricing, socialbee.com/pricing/, captured Oct 6, 2026.