Updated November 2026
5 Publer alternatives to compare in 2026
We compared Postocial, Social Champ, Buffer, Zoho Social and Hopper HQ with Publer on price, free plans, networks, inbox, approvals, link in bio, API and MCP. Every fact links to an official source.
A card is required to start the 7-day free trial. When the trial ends, we charge your card for the plan you picked, unless you cancel before.
About Publer
What is Publer?
Publer charges by the social account, which keeps a one-profile setup cheap, and it offers a free plan. Its network list reaches past the usual set to Telegram, Mastodon and WordPress. Professional starts at $5 a month for 1 account, and analytics, approvals, the API and the MCP server are Business features.
- Category: Social media scheduling
- Starting price: $5/month. Professional, 1 account; about $4 billed yearly
- Free plan: Yes. 3 accounts, no X
- Free trial: 7 days. Professional; 14 days on Business
- Networks listed: 13
Why people switch
Why people look for Publer alternatives
Most reasons come down to price, plan limits and network coverage. This is what Publer's own pages show, as of November 2026.
- Cost rises with every account and member
- Analytics, approval workflows, the API and the MCP server are listed as Business features
- There is no unified inbox; comments are handled per published post
- Link in bio runs through the separate Linkie product
- Its network list does not include Reddit and Tumblr
Alternative 1 of 5
Postocial
Postocial fits Publer users who want team features without a Business plan. Starter includes 5 social accounts, 2 team members, analytics, approvals, the API and MCP for €19.99 a month, and Premium and higher plans add the inbox. Publer stays cheaper for a few accounts and keeps WordPress publishing.
- A unified inbox for comments, DMs and reviews on Premium and higher plans; Publer handles comments per published post
- Analytics, approvals, the API and the MCP server on every plan; Publer lists them as Business features
- Link-in-bio pages inside the same app, on Premium and higher plans; Publer runs link in bio through its separate Linkie product
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Worth knowing
- Publer has a free plan. Postocial does not: its 7-day trial needs a card.
- Publer also lists WordPress, which is not on Postocial's network list.
- On Postocial, X needs your own X API key and pre-funded X developer credits, and there are no X analytics.
More options
Other Publer alternatives
Numbered for reference, not ranked. Each card says how that tool differs from Publer, using facts from its official pages.
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2. Social Champ
Social Champ also prices per profile, $5 a month on Starter, and has a free plan for 3 accounts. Unlike Publer, it has a unified inbox and publishes to WhatsApp Business, but X is a paid add-on.
Postocial vs Social Champ -
3. Buffer
Buffer bills per channel, from $6 a month, and its free plan includes the AI assistant, a comment inbox and MCP access. Approvals and more users come with the Team plan.
Postocial vs Buffer -
4. Zoho Social
Zoho Social is a fuller suite with a free plan, though that plan cannot schedule posts. Standard costs $15 a month for 1 brand, and the inbox and approvals start on Zoho Social Premium.
Postocial vs Zoho Social -
5. Hopper HQ
Hopper HQ prices per account too, $6 a month on Grow, and that plan already includes analytics and link in bio. It has no free plan and lists no social inbox.
Postocial vs Hopper HQ
At a glance
Publer and its alternatives, side by side
Entry prices, trials and the features teams ask about most. On Postocial, the inbox and link in bio come with Premium and higher plans.
| Feature | Postocial | Publer | Social Champ | Buffer | Zoho Social | Hopper HQ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starting priceMonthly billing unless noted | €19.99/monthStarter, or €199.90 a year | $5/monthProfessional, 1 account; about $4 billed yearly | $5/account/monthPay-Per-Profile Starter; $4 billed yearly | $6/channel/monthEssentials, 1 user; $5 billed yearly | $15/monthStandard, 1 brand, 1 member; $10 yearly | $6/account/monthGrow, 1 user; $5 billed yearly |
| Free plan | No | Yes3 accounts, no X | Yes3 accounts, 15 scheduled posts | YesUp to 3 channels | Yes1 brand, 6 channels; no scheduling | No |
| Free trial | 7 daysCard required | 7 daysProfessional; 14 days on Business | 14 daysNo card | 14 daysOn paid plans | 15 daysThen the free plan | 14 daysCard taken at signup |
| NetworksPublishing networks each tool lists | 14X with your own X API key | 13 listedX on paid plans; includes WordPress | 12 listedX as a paid add-on; includes WhatsApp Business | 11 listed | 15 listedOne account per network per brand | 9 listedYouTube Shorts |
| Unified inbox | YesOn Premium and higher plans, with WhatsApp, a Telegram bot, SMS, live chat and chatbots | NoComments handled per post | Yes | YesComments; DMs not mentioned | YesFrom Zoho Social Premium | NoNone listed |
| Post approvals | YesClients approve from a shared link | YesBusiness plan | YesFrom Growth or bundled Standard | YesTeam plan | YesFrom Zoho Social Premium | YesScale plan |
| Link in bio | YesOn Premium and higher plans, with up to 3 custom domains | YesSeparate Linkie product | YesInstagram only | YesStart Page, billed as a channel | NoNone listed | Yes |
| Public API | YesPublishing API and webhooks; Messaging and Link in Bio APIs on Premium and higher plans | YesBusiness, eligible customers | YesAgency ($149) and Enterprise | Yes1 API key on the free plan | Yes | Not confirmed |
| MCP server | YesDrafts and schedules posts | YesBusiness, eligible customers | Yes | YesFree plan included | Not confirmedNot in Zoho MCP services | Not confirmed |
On Postocial, message only people who opted in or wrote to you first, and stop when they ask. Broadcasts go to contacts who opted in and skip anyone who opted out, and on Messenger and Instagram they reach only people who messaged you in the last 24 hours. Meta bills WhatsApp messages to your WhatsApp Business account, and SMS goes through your own Twilio, Plivo or SMS gateway account. Competitor details as of November 2026, from the official pricing, feature and help pages linked here. Plans change often, so check the source before you buy. Sources: Publer: publer.com/plans, publer.com/…/what-are-publers-plans-and-pricing-15…, publer.com/…/professional-vs-business-vs-enterpris…, publer.com/…/how-to-manage-comments-of-published-p…, publer.com/roadmap, publer.com/blog/year-in-review-2025; Social Champ: socialchamp.com/pricing, socialchamp.com/pricing.md; Buffer: buffer.com/pricing, buffer.com/pricing.md, buffer.com/mcp, buffer.com/community; Zoho Social: zoho.com/social/pricing.html, zoho.com/social/pricing.md, zoho.com/…/social-pricing-val.json, zoho.com/social/plan-comparison.md, zoho.com/social/api.html, zoho.com/…/introduction.html, zoho.com/mcp/pricing.md; Hopper HQ: hopperhq.com/pricing.
FAQ
Publer alternatives: questions and answers
Is there a free alternative to Publer?
Social Champ, Buffer and Zoho Social have free plans, as of November 2026. Publer has one too. Postocial has no free plan; every plan starts with a free trial instead. A card is required to start the 7-day free trial. When the trial ends, we charge your card for the plan you picked, unless you cancel before.
Which Publer alternative is closest?
Social Champ is the closest: it also prices per profile and has a free plan. Buffer bills per channel with a free plan, Hopper HQ prices per account, and Zoho Social is a low-cost suite with a free plan.
How did you choose these Publer alternatives?
We picked Social Champ, Buffer, Zoho Social and Hopper HQ because they overlap with Publer, which is a scheduling-first tool. Then we compared starting prices, free plans, trials, networks, inbox, approvals, link in bio, API and MCP using official pricing and feature pages, as of November 2026. Postocial comes first because this is the Postocial site; the other tools are not ranked.
Try Postocial as your Publer alternative
Connect your accounts, schedule a real week of posts and see how it compares with Publer. Free for 7 days.
A card is required to start the 7-day free trial. When the trial ends, we charge your card for the plan you picked, unless you cancel before.