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SlateIndex

Buffer

New

Social media management for everyone

Social Media ManagementSan Francisco, California, USA51–200 employeesFounded 2010

#1 of 51 in Social Media Management85,405 customers (per buffer.com)58% positive in AI answers

Track this brand Visit websiteCompare alternatives
Visibility score
57.6%
New vs last week
Weekly run · Nov 2

Data collected ·ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Mode·coverage 100%·next run

  • Buffer ranks #1 of 51 in Social Media Management with an AI visibility score of 57.6 (SlateIndex, Nov 2, 2026).
  • Buffer is most visible on Perplexity (58.7) and least on ChatGPT (56.1).
  • AI engines name Buffer in 28 of the 30 Social Media Management buyer prompts SlateIndex tracks.
  • buffer.com is the source AI engines cite most in answers about Buffer, with 56 citations.

About

Company details for Buffer

Buffer is a social media management tool for scheduling, publishing and analyzing posts across platforms including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, X and Threads. It includes a content idea and drafting area, a community inbox for replies, analytics, and an AI assistant. Plans include a free tier and per-channel paid plans. It ranks #1 of 51 in Social Media Management on SlateIndex and has a visibility score of 57.6 in the latest weekly run.

Founded in 2010 and headquartered in San Francisco, California, USA, the company employs 51–200 people. It has raised about $4M. Its differentiator: per-channel pricing, so customers pay only for the channels they connect and can drop a client's channel when it leaves.

Company size
51–200 employees
Headquarters
San Francisco, California, USA
Founded
2010
Company type
Private, bootstrapped
Funding
Series A · $4M raised
Customers
85,405 · per buffer.com
Pricing
Free; paid from $5 per seat / mo · per seat
Free trial
Free plan available
Deployment
Cloud-based (SaaS)
Platforms
iOS, Android
Support
Help Center, Email support, Discord community, Human support team across time zones
Facebook · facebook.com/bufferapp/LinkedIn · linkedin.com/company/bufferapp/X · x.com/bufferYouTube · youtube.com/bufferappInstagram · instagram.com/buffer

Read from linkedin.com, buffer.com, g2.com, facebook.com, tracxn.com, seedtable.com · refreshed Nov 2, 2026.

AI visibility

Latest weekly run · Nov 2 · next run Nov 9

Visibility score
57.6%
across Social Media Management answers, weighted by position
ChatGPT56.1%
AI Mode58%
Perplexity58.7%
Change
New
vs last week’s run
Category rank
#1 of 51
in Social Media Management
Mentions
63
in this week’s run
Share of voice
11.4%
of AI mentions in Social Media Management

Visibility score trend

Weekly runs over the last 60 days, with up to 7 competitors. Click a name to hide or show its line.

Now57.6%
30-day change—
High · low57.6% · 57.6%
Rank#1
0%25%50%75%100%Nov 2Buffer 58%

Changes appear after the second weekly run in Social Media Management. Buffer leads the category at 57.6%.

Media

Website and product screenshots for Buffer

All media
Home page
Pricing page

AI mentions & citations

Recent answers that name Buffer

All prompts

What are the best Social Media Management tools in 2026?

Solo creators and influencers (Buffer)

ChatGPT · run of Nov 2

Best social media management tool for startups

For most startups, I recommend Buffer or Metricool.

ChatGPT · run of Nov 2

Best social media management tool with AI features

Based on my research of the latest 2026 tools, Buffer, Metricool, Hootsuite, Sprout Social, and Predis.ai are among the strongest social media management platforms with AI capabilities.

ChatGPT · run of Nov 2

Most affordable social media management tool that is still reliable

If you're looking for an affordable social media management tool that's still dependable, I would prioritize Buffer, Publer, and Metricool.

ChatGPT · run of Nov 2

How much does a social media management tool cost per month?

ChatGPT · run of Nov 2

Is there a free social media management tool for small teams?

Buffer website · Pricing

ChatGPT · run of Nov 2

What is the typical pricing model for Social Media Management software?

ChatGPT · run of Nov 2

Which social media management tool has transparent pricing?

Buffer is my top recommendation for transparent social media management pricing in 2026.

ChatGPT · run of Nov 2

Products & features

What Buffer sells

Publish

Schedules and publishes posts to connected social channels, with a queue, visual calendar and reminders.

Create

Organizes ideas, drafts, templates and tags, with a browser extension and Canva integration for creating posts.

Community

Brings comments and replies from supported channels into one inbox for responding.

Insights

Provides analytics on follower growth, engagement and post performance, with reports on higher plans.

Start Page

A landing page that links to a user's content from their social bio.

AI Assistant

Helps brainstorm ideas, rewrite content and craft platform-specific posts.

Mobile app

Lets users manage social media accounts from iOS and Android.

Strengths engines cite

  • simple, user-friendly scheduling and publishing
  • affordable, cost-effective paid plans
  • generous free plan
  • transparent, clear pricing
  • popular with solo creators, small businesses and startups

Target market & buyers

Creators, brands, and agencies

Funding & recent developments

Funding

RoundYearAmount
Angel2011$0M
Seed2011$0M
Series A2014$4M
Latest known roundTotal raised
Series A$4M

Recent developments

  1. Sep 2026ProductSubstack Notes added

    Substack Notes is now available in Buffer.

  2. Aug 2026ProductBulk upload from CSV

    Bulk upload lets users schedule a batch of posts from one CSV on every plan, including Free.

  3. May 2026ProductBuffer API open for building

    Buffer's API is open for building, with API keys and OAuth app clients.

  4. Mar 2026ProductRefreshed design across Buffer

    Buffer introduced a refreshed design across its product.

  5. Mar 2026ProductSmart Scheduling launched

    Buffer's Smart Scheduling feature uses platform-specific insights to recommend optimal posting times.

Competitive landscape

How Buffer compares with its top three alternatives

All alternatives

Buffer most often appears alongside Hootsuite, Sprout Social, Metricool in AI answers.

vsBuffer vs Hootsuite57.6% vs 57.5% visibility · Buffer leadsFull comparison vsBuffer vs Sprout Social57.6% vs 53.5% visibility · Buffer leadsFull comparison vsBuffer vs Metricool57.6% vs 22% visibility · Buffer leadsFull comparison
BrandVisibilityShare of voicevs last weekStarting price
Buffer57.6%11.4%NewFree plan
Hootsuite57.5%10.8%New$99 / seat / mo
Sprout Social53.5%11.3%New$79 / seat / mo
Metricool22%5.3%NewFree plan
HubSpot73.1%13.1%NewFree plan

What AI answers say

Sentiment and themes from the answers that mention this brand

Reviews

Positive 58% · Neutral 32% · Mixed 10% of 60 engine answers that mention Buffer

Praised for

  • simple, user-friendly scheduling and publishing
  • affordable, cost-effective paid plans
  • generous free plan
  • transparent, clear pricing
  • popular with solo creators, small businesses and startups

Criticised for

  • free plan limited to 3 channels and 10 posts per channel, solo use only
  • limited analytics and no deep enterprise features
  • annual billing savings can be limited or absent

Pricing

Per seat pricing with a free plan

Full pricing
Free$0month, up to 3 channels
Essentials$5channel/month ($60/channel billed yearly)
Team$10channel/month ($120/channel billed yearly)

Cite as: SlateIndex, “Buffer AI visibility profile”, https://slateindex.ai/brand/buffer, data of Nov 2, 2026. Licence: CC BY 4.0.