Buffer is a social media tool for planning and publishing posts. It offers a Free plan; paid plans are priced per channel, meaning one social account connected to Buffer. Essentials starts at $6 per channel each month with monthly billing, or $5 per channel each month when billed annually. Team starts at $12 per channel monthly, or $10 per channel monthly with annual billing.
PressQueue is a free WordPress plugin that sends your posts to Buffer automatically. You need a Buffer account to use it. Your cost depends mainly on how many social accounts you connect and whether you need shared access or approval features.
Buffer plan prices and features
Buffer’s pricing page lists three plans: Free, Essentials, and Team. Paid plans are priced by the number of connected social accounts; the number of brands or clients does not affect the price.
| Plan | Monthly billing | Annual billing | What it includes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | Free | Up to 3 channels, 10 scheduled posts per channel, 100 ideas, and 1 user. It includes Buffer’s AI Assistant, Insights with 30 days of analytics history, API access, and the community inbox. |
| Essentials | $6 per channel per month | $5 per channel per month, billed as $60 per channel per year | 1 user, unlimited scheduled posts and ideas, advanced analytics, a hashtag manager, first-comment scheduling, and 3 API keys. |
| Team | $12 per channel per month | $10 per channel per month, billed as $120 per channel per year | Essentials features plus unlimited team members, access levels, and content approval workflows. It includes 5 API keys. |
Buffer’s pricing information and pricing breakdowns list the monthly rates and annual equivalents for paid plans. Buffer says channels above 10 receive a lower per-channel rate, so the average price per channel decreases as you add more accounts. Check Buffer’s live pricing page for the cost at your channel count before subscribing.
A channel is a single connected social account: one Instagram account and one Facebook page count as two channels, even if they represent the same brand.
What changes when you upgrade
The Free plan suits someone who wants to schedule a modest amount of content across a few accounts. Its limit of 10 scheduled posts per channel means you need to publish or clear posts before adding more to that channel’s schedule.
Essentials removes that scheduling limit and adds advanced analytics and publishing tools, but still allows only one user. Buffer calls paid scheduling unlimited, but sets a fair-use cap of 5,000 scheduled posts per channel. Choose Essentials if one person manages the accounts and needs more scheduling capacity or analytics.
Team adds unlimited team members, access levels, and content approvals. It costs more per channel, but adding teammates does not add a separate per-user charge on this plan. Choose Team when multiple people need access or someone must review content before it goes out.
Buffer offers a 14-day trial of its paid plans. If the trial ends without payment details, Buffer says the account returns to Free; channels beyond the Free plan’s three-channel limit can be locked. Review the trial and plan terms before starting if you rely on more than three channels.
When PressQueue fits alongside Buffer
PressQueue is useful when your site runs on WordPress and you want new or updated posts to go to social accounts through Buffer. PressQueue itself is free and open source. Your only cost is your Buffer plan.
Through Buffer, PressQueue supports LinkedIn, X, Bluesky, Mastodon, Threads and Facebook. It does not support Instagram or Pinterest. To use it, you need a WordPress site that can install plugins and a Buffer account with your social accounts connected.
To try it, download pressqueue.zip from the PressQueue download page, then upload it through Plugins > Add Plugin > Upload Plugin in WordPress. Connect it with a personal API key from your Buffer settings; there is no Buffer login button.
PressQueue starts in test mode, which records what it would share without sending posts. New rules also start switched off, so you can check the results against recent posts before turning a rule on. You can learn more in the PressQueue documentation or review its open-source code.