Independent head-to-head
Buffer vs Zoho Social
Both are on our shortlist, and most people only need one. Here is where each genuinely wins.
Which fits your work better: Buffer or Zoho Social?
Buffer suits agencies and freelancers managing a handful of client accounts who want simple, predictable per-channel pricing. Zoho Social suits agencies running enough local-service clients that per-channel pricing elsewhere stops making sense — the Agency tiers price by client, not by channel. Buffer is cheaper to start with ($5/month against $15/month), so price alone favours it.
Buffer
Social Media Scheduling ToolsThe simplest scheduler that still scales to client work.
Zoho Social
Social Media Scheduling ToolsBuilt for agencies managing many clients from one login.
Decision view
Compare what changes the answer
| Decision factor | Buffer$5/mo | Zoho Social$15/mo |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $5/mo | $15/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | None | None |
| Best for | Agencies and freelancers managing a handful of client accounts who want simple, predictable per-channel pricing. | Agencies running enough local-service clients that per-channel pricing elsewhere stops making sense — the Agency tiers price by client, not by channel. |
| Not for | Agencies managing many clients at once — per-channel pricing that's clean at 5 channels gets expensive fast at 30. | A single brand or solo operator — the free and Standard tiers work, but you're paying for agency infrastructure you'll never touch. |
Shared answers are dimmed so trade-offs stay visible.
Plan comparison
Published plans as recorded on each vendor’s pricing page on its verification date. Limits and add-ons differ between vendors, so compare at your own volume.
Buffer
| Plan | Monthly | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | Up to 3 channels, 10 scheduled posts per channel |
| Essentials | $5 | Per channel/month — unlimited scheduled posts, advanced analytics |
| Team | $10 | Per channel/month — unlimited team members, approval workflows |
Zoho Social
| Plan | Monthly | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | 1 brand, 6 channels, 1 user |
| Standard | $15 | 1 brand, 12 channels |
| Professional | $40 | Adds livestream, bulk scheduling, monitoring dashboard |
| Premium | $65 | Adds inbox management, content approvals, CRM/Desk integrations — this figure is less consistently reported than the surrounding tiers |
| Agency | $320 | 10 clients, agency-branded reports, client portal |
| Agency Plus | $460 | 20 clients |
Where Buffer wins
- Interface is the cleanest of the schedulers in this category — genuinely fast to onboard a new client on
- Approval workflows on Team make client sign-off a built-in step, not a workaround
- Per-channel pricing is transparent — no seat games or hidden tiers to explain to a client
Where Zoho Social wins
- Agency and Agency Plus tiers price by client count, which scales better than per-channel pricing once a roster grows past a handful of accounts
- Client portal and agency-branded reports are a real time-save over building reports by hand
- Native CRM/Desk integration matters if a client is already in the Zoho ecosystem, which local-service businesses using Zoho Books or Zoho CRM often are
Buffer or Zoho Social?
Buffer suits agencies and freelancers managing a handful of client accounts who want simple, predictable per-channel pricing. Zoho Social suits agencies running enough local-service clients that per-channel pricing elsewhere stops making sense — the Agency tiers price by client, not by channel. Buffer is cheaper to start with ($5/month against $15/month), so price alone favours it.
Agencies and freelancers managing a handful of client accounts who want simple, predictable per-channel pricing.
Agencies running enough local-service clients that per-channel pricing elsewhere stops making sense — the Agency tiers price by client, not by channel.
What decides it
- Entry price
- Buffer starts at $5/month; Zoho Social at $15/month. Compare the plan that matches your real usage, not the entry tier.
- Trial
- Buffer offers a free plan; Zoho Social offers a free plan.
- What each gives up
- Buffer: no dedicated agency/client-portal tier the way Zoho Social has — scaling past a handful of clients means the per-channel cost adds up with no volume discount. Zoho Social: tier structure is genuinely more complex than Buffer's — six named plans with overlapping features is a lot to explain to a client.