Free social media scheduler plans compared against real limits look different from the marketing pages. Buffer, Metricool, Later, Hootsuite, Publer and Ignis all use the word “free” or “trial” differently, and the differences show up fast: channels you can connect, posts you can queue a month, seats on the account, whether the inbox works at all, and how far back analytics go. Checked on 4 September 2026, here is what each one actually gives you before you pay a dirham.
Free social media scheduler plans compared, limit by limit
These are the ceilings on the account today, not the marketing copy above the fold. Screenshot the pricing page before you commit to a workflow, because vendors change free tier limits without much notice.
Buffer Free: 3 channels, 10 posts per channel
Buffer free plan limits are straightforward: three connected social channels and ten scheduled posts per channel, refilling as each post goes out (Buffer pricing). Go past three channels and Buffer locks the extra ones rather than deleting anything. The plan is single user, so a second person needs the paid Team tier to get their own login.
Metricool Free: 1 brand, 20 posts a month, 30 days of history
Metricool free plan limits start with scope: one brand, with one profile per supported network (Metricool pricing explained). Underneath that, Metricool’s own help centre lists 20 posts a month and 30 days of analytics history, with no paid only features unlocked (Metricool help centre). LinkedIn cannot be connected on the free tier either, which is usually the limit people hit before the post count (SocialPilot’s Metricool breakdown).
Does Later have a free plan
Later’s public pricing page lists Starter, Growth and Scale, and none of them is free (Later pricing). Later’s own Help Centre separately describes a continuing Free plan for creators scheduling a limited number of posts a month, so the answer depends on which Later page you’re reading. Neither page publishes one fixed monthly post number for that Free tier as of this check (Later Help Centre), so treat it as unconfirmed until Later’s own pricing page shows it again.
Hootsuite: no free plan, 14 day trial with daily caps
Hootsuite retired its standing free plan in March 2023. What’s on offer now is a 14 day trial that needs no card to start, with daily posting limits of 10 to 20 posts per organisation depending on plan, and bulk scheduling switched off (Hootsuite plans). Some third party trackers describe a 30 day trial rather than 14, so this is one to reverify on Hootsuite’s own page before you plan a client pitch around it.
Publer Free: 3 accounts, 24 hour post history
Publer’s free plan is permanent rather than time limited, and covers up to three social accounts, with one major network unavailable on the free tier (Publer plans). Published posts only stay visible in the free tier for 24 hours before Publer clears them from view.
Ignis Basic: 3 accounts, 30 posts, read only inbox
Ignis Basic is also free: 1 seat, 1 client workspace, 3 connected accounts, 30 posts a month across 3 platforms (Ignis pricing). The inbox is included but read only, so you can watch Instagram DMs, Messenger and WhatsApp messages land without paying, though replying needs the paid Growth plan. There are no automations on Basic. That puts Ignis, Buffer and Publer in the same three account free social media scheduler bracket, with Ignis’s monthly post ceiling landing between Metricool’s 20 and Buffer’s per channel model.
Which free plan fits which use case
If you’re running one account and want to queue posts without a card on file, Buffer Free’s three channels and ten per channel queue covers most solo creators comfortably. If you want the numbers behind those posts, Metricool Free gives you 30 days of history on one brand, but not LinkedIn.
If a client relationship is part of the plan, check whether the free tier separates one client’s accounts from another’s. None of Buffer, Metricool or Publer’s free tiers do, because they weren’t built around clients. Ignis Basic keeps the free tier scoped to one client from the start, so a second client is the exact moment you hit the ceiling rather than something you discover halfway through a workflow.
If you specifically want a free social media scheduler with an inbox, the field narrows fast. Most of the free tiers above don’t mention an inbox at all. Ignis Basic includes one you can read, which is enough to know a message has arrived even before you decide it’s worth paying to reply from inside the tool. More on how that inbox and the reply windows behind it work is in the FAQ.
How fast these numbers move
Every figure above came from each vendor’s own pricing or help page, checked on 4 September 2026. Two of them already disagree with other sources published around the same time: Later’s Help Centre and pricing page don’t agree on whether a Free plan exists, and Hootsuite’s trial length is reported as both 14 and 30 days depending on where you look. None of that means the tools themselves are unreliable. It means free social media scheduling tool 2026 limits are a snapshot, not a guarantee, and a table like this one needs rechecking against the vendor’s own page before you build a client pitch on any single number in it.
For the paid tiers these free plans eventually push you toward, the Buffer, Later, Hootsuite and Metricool priced in dirhams comparison covers what each one costs once you outgrow the ceiling above, and Ignis pricing lays out what Basic doesn’t include.
A free plan is really a way to find out whether a habit sticks before you pay for it. Ignis Basic exists for the same reason: three accounts and thirty posts a month are usually enough to see whether one inbox and one calendar change how you work, before a second client or a second seat makes the maths different.
Questions people ask
Does Later have a free plan in 2026
Later’s public pricing page shows only paid Starter, Growth and Scale tiers, with no free option listed as of 4 September 2026. Later’s Help Centre separately describes an ongoing Free plan for creators, so the two pages don’t agree, and neither publishes one fixed monthly post number for it.
What are Buffer’s free plan limits
Buffer Free covers three connected social channels and ten scheduled posts per channel, which refill as each post goes out. It’s a single user plan, so a second team member needs a paid tier.
Does Metricool’s free plan include LinkedIn
No. Metricool Free is limited to one brand and 20 posts a month with 30 days of analytics history, and LinkedIn cannot be connected on that tier at all.
Is there a free social media scheduler with a working inbox
Most free tiers, including Buffer, Metricool and Publer, don’t include an inbox at all. Ignis Basic includes a read only inbox for Instagram DMs, Messenger and WhatsApp, so you can see messages arrive, though replying from inside the tool needs a paid plan.
Does Hootsuite have a free plan
No. Hootsuite retired its free plan in March 2023 and now offers a trial only, listed on its own plans page as 14 days with daily posting caps of 10 to 20 posts per organisation and bulk scheduling switched off.
Sources
- Pricing | Buffer
- Metricool Pricing
- Main differences between Free and paid plans | Metricool Help Center
- Metricool Pricing in 2026, Plans and Add-On Costs
- Later Pricing Plans for Brands, Agencies & Social Media Managers
- Choose a Later Social Plan, Later Help Center
- Hootsuite Plans, Prices, and Features
- Social Media Management Plans for All Needs | Publer Pricing
- Ignis Pricing
- Metricool pricing explained
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