Comparison
Pinned vs Buffer: flat price or pay per channel? (2026)
Here's my Pinned vs Buffer breakdown. Full disclosure: I'm the founder of Pinned, so yes, I'm biased. Buffer is a good, honest product, and for plenty of people it's the right call. I'll say who.
The short version: Buffer charges per channel, has a free plan that actually schedules posts, and publishes to more networks today, including TikTok and YouTube Shorts. Pinned charges one flat price, $39/month for up to 15 accounts, and bundles the scheduler with a link in bio page, a media kit and Discord posting. With a handful of channels, Buffer costs less. From about 7 channels on monthly billing, Pinned does.
Pinned vs Buffer at a glance
| What matters | Pinned (mine) | Buffer |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Creators, streamers, small brands | Solo users and small teams who want simple |
| Pricing model | Flat: $39/month or $390/year | Per channel: $6/month, or $5 billed yearly |
| Free plan | Link in bio page, no scheduling | 3 channels, 10 queued posts each |
| Posts to Discord | Yes | No |
| Posts to TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest | Not yet (coming soon) | Yes (YouTube as Shorts) |
| AI included | Business plan, runs on your own AI key | Yes, unlimited, every plan |
| Link in bio and media kit | Both included | Start Page (counts as a channel) |
| Mobile app | Web app that works on phones | iOS and Android |
How Buffer's pricing works
Buffer's model is simple to read and easy to underestimate. You pay for each social account you connect. On Essentials that's $6 per channel/month billed monthly, or $5 billed yearly. Team, which adds unlimited users and approvals, is $12 per channel/month, or $10 billed yearly. Past 10 channels the rate per channel drops.
Buffer's own examples on its pricing page: 3 channels on Essentials cost $18/month month to month, and 10 channels cost $60/month, or $50/month billed yearly. Pinned's Creator plan is $39/month whether you connect 3 accounts or 15.
The real difference
Buffer is a general scheduler for anyone: a queue, a calendar, a comment inbox and analytics, kept deliberately simple. Pinned is built for creators who stream, run a community and need a home page: the scheduler sits next to your link in bio page, your media kit and your stream schedule, all in the same place. If you don't need those extras, Buffer's focus is a feature.
1. Pinned
Mine- Best for
- creators, streamers, gamers and small brands with several accounts
- Price
- Free link in bio; Creator $39/month or $390/year; Business $100/month per brand
- Posts to
- X (Twitter), Instagram, Facebook Pages, Threads, LinkedIn, Bluesky, Discord, Shopify blog
Creator gets you the scheduler for up to 15 accounts with unlimited posts and more than one account per platform. Write once, tweak the caption per network, add a first comment, and post text, images, video or stories. Plan on a month calendar or a social board with columns for notifications, upcoming posts and analytics.
Around it sits a creator's toolkit: a link in bio page with a weekly stream schedule, events with add-to-calendar buttons and a live badge, a media kit with 6 templates, and event reminders that post to your socials and Discord on their own.
The catch: TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest and Google Business Profile are coming but not live. The link in bio page doesn't sell anything. AI agents are on Business and run on your own AI key.
2. Buffer
- Best for
- solo creators, small businesses and small teams who want a cheap, simple scheduler
- Price
- Free for 3 channels; Essentials $6 per channel/month, or $5 billed yearly
- Posts to
- Instagram, Facebook, X, LinkedIn, Threads, Bluesky, TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Pinterest, Google Business Profile, Mastodon, Substack Notes
Buffer does the basics well and keeps adding. The AI Assistant is unlimited on every plan, free included. Community, its comment inbox, covers 10 networks after adding TikTok, YouTube, Google Business Profile and Mastodon in April 2026. Insights, its analytics, was rebuilt the same month, and Substack Notes scheduling arrived in September 2026.
You also get iOS and Android apps, a browser extension, an API on every plan, and an MCP connection for Claude, ChatGPT and Perplexity. Team adds unlimited users, approval workflows and branded reports.
The catch: the bill grows with every account, Essentials is one user, the free plan caps you at 10 queued posts per channel, and there's no Discord publishing.
Where Buffer is better
- Free scheduling. Buffer's free plan posts for you on 3 channels. Pinned's free plan is a link in bio page; scheduling starts at $39.
- Cheaper with few accounts. 3 channels on Essentials cost $15/month billed yearly. Up to about 6 channels, Buffer beats Pinned on monthly billing.
- More networks. TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Pinterest, Google Business Profile, Mastodon and Substack Notes, all live today.
- AI with no key. Buffer's AI Assistant is included. Pinned's AI needs your own key and your provider bills the usage.
- Replying to comments. Community handles comments and X mentions on 10 networks. Pinned's social board covers only X mentions and DMs and Facebook Page comments.
- Native apps. Buffer has iOS and Android apps; Pinned is a web app.
Where Pinned is better
- Flat price at 10+ accounts. 10 channels on Buffer Essentials are $60/month month to month; Pinned is $39 for up to 15.
- Discord. Pinned posts to the Discord channels you pick, no bot needed. Buffer doesn't post to Discord.
- A real creator page. Buffer's Start Page is a landing page with links, and it counts as one of your channels. Pinned's page has stream schedules, events, clips, a Discord invite card, a contact form and auto-synced follower stats.
- Media kit. 6 templates with your stats, shared as a link, included in Creator.
- Event reminders. Create an event once and Pinned schedules the reminder posts.
- Room to grow into marketing (Business). AI agents, an email campaign builder and an SEO tool for Shopify blogs in one plan.
Pricing compared
A solo creator with 3 accounts: Buffer Free costs $0 if 10 queued posts per channel is enough, and Essentials is $18/month month to month. Pinned Creator is $39/month. Buffer wins.
A creator with 10 accounts: Buffer Essentials is $60/month month to month, or $50/month billed yearly ($600 a year). Pinned Creator is $39/month, or $390/year. Pinned wins.
A team of 4 on 10 channels: Buffer Team is $120/month month to month, or $100/month billed yearly, with unlimited users. Pinned Business is $100/month per brand with up to 10 team members, unlimited accounts and the AI agents, plus your AI provider's usage. Roughly a tie on price, so pick on features. Full details are on Pinned's pricing page.
My pick
Pick Buffer if you post to a few accounts, want to start for $0, or need TikTok, YouTube Shorts or Pinterest today. It's also the easier choice if you want AI writing help without managing an API key.
Pick Pinned if you're a streamer, gamer or creator juggling 8 or more accounts, if Discord is where your community hangs out, or if you'd rather have your link in bio page and media kit in the same place as your posts.
Frequently asked questions
Is Buffer cheaper than Pinned?
It depends on how many accounts you connect. Buffer Essentials is $6 per channel/month month to month or $5 billed yearly, so 3 channels cost $15 to $18 a month. Pinned Creator is a flat $39/month for up to 15 accounts. Past about 6 channels on monthly billing, Pinned costs less; with fewer, Buffer does, and Buffer's free plan costs nothing.
Does Buffer post to Discord?
No. Buffer's supported channels include Instagram, Facebook, X, LinkedIn, Threads, Bluesky, TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Pinterest, Google Business Profile, Mastodon and Substack Notes, but not Discord. Pinned posts to Discord server channels you pick in Discord's own connect window, with no bot to install, which is handy for stream alerts and community announcements.
Can Pinned post to TikTok and YouTube like Buffer?
Not yet. Pinned publishes to X, Instagram, Facebook Pages, Threads, LinkedIn, Bluesky, Discord and Shopify blogs today. TikTok is in TikTok's app review, and YouTube, Pinterest and Google Business Profile are coming soon. If short video is your main channel right now, Buffer posts to TikTok and YouTube Shorts already, and that may settle it for you.
Is Buffer's free plan enough for a creator?
For many small creators, yes. Buffer Free covers 3 channels and 10 scheduled posts per channel at a time, refilled as posts go out, with the AI Assistant, a comment inbox and 30 days of analytics. You outgrow it when you add a fourth account, want first comments or longer analytics, or need more than 10 posts queued per channel.
Do I need my own AI key for Pinned's AI features?
Yes. Pinned's AI agents and SEO tool are part of the Business plan and run on a model key you connect from Anthropic, OpenAI, Google or xAI, so that provider bills your usage on top of the plan. Buffer bundles its AI Assistant into every plan with unlimited use. If you want AI help without a second bill, Buffer is simpler.
Try Pinned free
The free link in bio page costs nothing, and the Creator plan starts with a 14-day trial you can cancel any time at no cost. Create your Pinned page and see if the flat price fits how you post. If Buffer fits better, that's a fine answer too.
I checked prices and features for every product here on October 3, 2026. They change often, so double-check before you buy.