Social media management platform
4.5/5 (870 reviews)Buffer is an intuitive, streamlined social media management platform trusted by brands, businesses, agencies, and individuals to help drive meaningful engagement and results on social media.With Buffer, users can manage multiple social media profiles, plan and schedule posts in advance, collaborate with multiple team members, and analyze social media performance. Buffer is keen to constantly introduce new, useful features such as their suggested media feature, our Instagram direct scheduling feature, and more. Native iOS and Android mobile apps give users the flexibility to schedule content on the go.
Other important features include a social media calendar and RSS feed, social analytics, plus a video and GIF uploader and Pablo image creator.
Pros
Buffer makes it easy to schedule out your social media posts ahead of time and you can also manage multiple different accounts from one place.
At our marketing company, it's also easy for clients to understand and use on their own time whether they're on their phone or computer.
Cons
Using Instagram with any social media scheduling app can be a pain and Buffer is no exception to this rule. Some IG posts have to be scheduled manually which defeats the purpose if you're just using Buffer to control IG accounts.
Their pricing structure is also confusing with different prices for publishing, analyzing and replying. It can make it difficult for potential clients to understand exactly what they're paying for.
The best thing about Buffer is the number of accounts and posts that can be added. Next up the ability to see the overall potential of posts in the analytics gives a good insight as to who your fans are, who they're fans are and what they like sharing. Overall, Buffer is a must have for Social Media users who can't spend every waking hour posting.
Pros
I have been using Buffer for around two years and still think it is a must-have for any social media users who are needing to automate their posts.
Top pros for this software are:
Relatively low cost.
Run multiple profiles.
Ability to schedule damn near unlimited posts.
Scheduling options and queue are presented well and easy to use.
The way the analytics are presented.
The content feed is also a brilliant feature, although it can also do with some significant improvements.
This is by far one of the best low cost/free software's for Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn posting.
Cons
As above, the content feed needs some improvement, as it does not always pull the most recent links. Addition of a filter for the content feed would be an A* feature.
Sometimes hashtag lists do not display correctly and errors can be shown when tagging someone's profile.
Need to be able to create a permanent, possibly arranged list of regularly used hashtags.
Instagram posts need to be monitored as direct posting is not available, instead, you are notified to 'ok' the post first. This wouldn't be a problem IF the notifications actually were pushed on time, plus it does kind of defeat the purpose of the automation.
Hi, Nathaniel, thank you so much for the kind feedback and suggestions. Your suggestions are really helpful in helping us improve the product. I personally really like the idea of filtering the content feed.
I'm glad to share that you can now schedule and automatically publish your Instagram posts to your Instagram Business profiles without needing the notifications. Here's more information: https://buffer.com/instagram.
-Alfred
If not for Buffer I would not be able to post regularly to social media. I don't get on the various platforms enough to post everyday, and Buffer makes it possible to bring a message to my audience on a consistent basis.
Pros
I love using Buffer to plan out my social media strategy. Here is what I love most about it:
1) It easily integrates with Twitter and Facebook. It works with Pinterest and Instagram, but I only use it for Facebook and Twitter.
2) You get to use it for free for up to 10 scheduled posts at a time (as of this writing) and this allows you to be sure that it works for you and for your needs.
3) The team at behind Buffer is fantastic. The few times I needed to contact support I was helped right away and my issue taken care of just like that. Their emails are funny and you can tell that they love what they do.
Cons
Honestly there isn't a lot I dislike about Buffer. If I had major problems with it I would have switched over to Hootsuite or a similar app.
In the end, here are three things I could Buffer could improve upon.
1) The UI can be a bit clunky at times. I think it could use a makeover. It's not terrible by any means but it can be confusing to figure out.
2) Sometimes the extension doesn't connect right, and it gets stuck in a loading pattern.
3) I often have to go and reauthorize twitter or Facebook to work again. It can get annoying to do this over and over.
Overall, these downsides are only slight and don't stop me from loving Buffer.
Hi, Jordan, thank you so much for the review and feedback. Our engineers and designers have been working hard to rebuild the infrastructure and look of Buffer. I hope that will improve the user interface and minimize those issues. -Alfred
Pros
I started using buffer around 5 years ago and they had a great idea right from the start: how can I schedule social media tasks well in advance so I can set it and forget it?
This has been the core feature ever since: you create your posts, define your posting schedule and let the app do it's magic automatically. Most social media marketers I know care more about the quality of their posts than scheduling each post with an exact date and time and that's where buffer excels.
You can also add different social media accounts like Facebook, Twitter and now even Instagram. The latter is really something most social media apps can't do, so it's great to have.
Buffer is a great tool to "collect" posts from everywhere you go and just put it into your queue with the click of a button. For this they created a browser extension that you can just press when you're reading an article you like and it will be immediately added to your buffer.
Also buffer is the only app I know of that has integrations with lots of blogs and the like that allow you to just add to your buffer with a simple click. Watch out for the "Add to Buffer" button when you browse the web.
The free version allows you not just to thoroughly test the software, but also to use it for your small social media projects where you can schedule up to 10 posts at once.
Oh, and the support is amazing! I once asked for a refund because auto renewal was activated for a customer and they happily refunded it,
Cons
The pricing was way more compelling before with the Awesome plan.
Additional team members are a must when you're collaborating, but they start at 99$ a month which is too much in my opinion.
The buffer is missing some crucial collaboration features of other software that makes it hard to use for working as a team. The current approach is more like "everybody adds their posts and they'll be scheduled automatically" and less "everybody suggests posts and let's discuss them in the team". Thus it's not ideal for agencies that would like to discuss posts internally and send them to the client for approval.
Working in the levels of Community Manager, and Social Media Manager, it is important to try many options for the automation of the accounts of all the clients that trust my marketing vision to manage their presence in the network. With Buffer I have saved a lot of money, activities that several people did in the past, now it is enough to use their platform from cell phones, even in a computer, it is that multiplatform feature that makes me stay loyal to your commercial options. Another element that very few speak is time, for me it is vital, that is why thanks to buffer, I only dedicate the essential to plan all the content and I count on its technology for the fulfillment of the assignments that I seek to generate per day. That is why if you are looking for an effective and very capable option, with buuffer you arrived at the indicated place.
Pros
One of the headaches of every community manager, is the fact of managing all the networks of one or several clients, thanks to Buffer that is a thing of the past. I really like the possibility that it offers me to have everything I need in one place to make my work better and better. Another thing I look for in a platform for the management of social networks, is to be able to measure the scope of each of the issues that are published, thanks to buffer it is possible to obtain it without any problem. Also, I can take the time and the effectiveness of my work, I have received several days to get other customers since I started using this wonderful platform, which translates into higher income for my services supported by Buffer, I daresay that, at present, is the best alternative for the management of social networks.
Cons
I have been using Buffer for several years for the automation of my work and I am very happy with everything that it offers, I can not negatively affect it because I have seen how they constantly correct all the inconveniences that arise, so I do not accompany my criticism with any negative comments the platform. I am sure that soon they will improve the web interface and include many more surprises to increase the number of users.
Free plan: Free forever
Pro plan: $15 per month
Small business plan: $99 per month
Medium business plan: $199 per month
Large business plan: $399 per month
Enterprise: Get in touch ([email protected])
A 14-day free trial is available.
All plans can be paid on either a monthly or yearly basis. If users choose to pay yearly, users would receive a 15% discount, which works out at approximately two months free per year.
All Buffer plans are 50% off for nonprofits.
Below are some frequently asked questions for Buffer.
Buffer offers the following pricing plans:
Starting from: US$15,00/month
Pricing model: Free, Subscription
Free Trial: Available
Free plan: Free forever
Pro plan: $15 per month
Small business plan: $99 per month
Medium business plan: $199 per month
Large business plan: $399 per month
Enterprise: Get in touch ([email protected])
A 14-day free trial is available.
All plans can be paid on either a monthly or yearly basis. If users choose to pay yearly, users would receive a 15% discount, which works out at approximately two months free per year.
All Buffer plans are 50% off for nonprofits.
Buffer offers the following features:
Buffer has the following typical customers:
Freelancers, Large Enterprises, Mid Size Business, Non Profit, Public Administrations, Small Business
Buffer supports the following languages:
English
Buffer has the following pricing plans:
Free, Subscription
Buffer supports the following devices:
Android, iPhone, iPad
Buffer integrates with the following applications:
Bitium, Built.io Flow, CoSchedule, Curata, IFTTT, Klipfolio, ProjectManager.com, Scoop.it, Workato, Zapier
Buffer offers the following support options:
FAQs, Online Support
Buffer helps our clients manage their social media profiles and schedule out their social media messages according to our strategy ahead of time. This tool makes it easy to work ahead and streamline your scheduling process.
The free plan is quite nice as well, as you can connect 3 accounts and schedule out 10 messages ahead of time. This is nice for clients that are just starting to utilize social media management tools!
While the pricing structure seems a bit odd, the frustrations I have with Instagram and social media scheduling apps will exist no matter which app you use!