Three of the scheduling tools we looked at publish a real free plan in October 2026: Buffer, Metricool and Publer. A real free plan is one you can keep using month after month without paying. Each one limits how many accounts you can connect and how many posts you can have scheduled. Most other tools offer a free trial, which ends. WyreIt, our own product, is in that second group: it has no free plan, only a 14-day trial with no card.
This page sets out what each free plan allows, as each company publishes it, so you can tell whether free will be enough for you. It is not a complete list of tools.
A note on who is writing. WyreIt is our own product, so read our view of it with that in mind. Where another tool is the better choice, this page says so.
Free plans compared
| Tool | What is free | Published limits | First paid step |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buffer | Free plan, with no end date | Up to 3 channels, 10 scheduled posts per channel, 1 user | From $5 a month per channel on yearly billing |
| Metricool | Free plan, with no end date | 1 brand, 20 scheduled posts a month, 30 days of analytics. No LinkedIn or X | Starter from $20 a month on annual billing |
| Publer | Free plan, with no end date | 3 social accounts (not X), 10 scheduled posts per account, 1 user, 1 workspace | Depends on accounts added; see Publer's page |
| Planable | A free allowance, not a monthly plan | Your first 50 posts in total, with no time limit and no card | $33 per workspace a month |
| The platforms themselves | Their own scheduling features | Each covers only its own company's platforms | None |
Tools with a trial but no free plan
| Tool | Free plan or trial | Entry paid price |
|---|---|---|
| WyreIt (our product) | No free plan. 14-day trial, no card | £19 a month (Standard), £49 (Pro), £79 (Creator) |
| Later | No free plan. 14-day trial | $18.75 a month, billed yearly (Starter) |
| Hootsuite | No free plan. 14-day trial | $99 per user a month, billed annually (Standard) |
| SocialBee | No free plan. 14-day trial, no card | $29 a month, or $24 on annual billing (Bootstrap) |
| Sendible | No free plan. 14-day trial | Published in USD, GBP and EUR; see Sendible's page for the current figure |
| Sprout Social | No free plan. 30-day trial, no card | $79 per seat a month on annual billing, $99 billed monthly (Essentials) |
Competitor prices and plan details are as published by each company on its own pricing page, October 2026: Buffer, Metricool, Publer, Planable, Agorapulse, Later, Hootsuite, SocialBee, Sendible, Sprout Social. Dollar prices are shown as each company lists them and may exclude VAT. Prices change, so check the page before you buy. This is not a complete list of tools. WyreIt is our own product, and its prices are on our pricing page.
The three real free plans
Buffer
Buffer's free plan covers up to 3 channels with 10 scheduled posts per channel and 1 user. The limit is on posts waiting in the queue, so as one is published you can add another. Its AI Assistant is included on the free plan. Enough for: a sole trader on one to three platforms who schedules a week or so ahead. You will outgrow it when: you add a fourth channel, or want to queue a month in one sitting.
Metricool
Metricool's free plan covers 1 brand with up to 20 scheduled posts a month and 30 days of analytics. It includes every network for that brand except LinkedIn and X. Enough for: a business on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok posting a few times a week in total. You will outgrow it when: you need LinkedIn or X, or more than 20 posts a month across all your platforms.
Publer
Publer's free plan covers 3 social accounts with 10 scheduled posts per account, 1 user and 1 workspace. X cannot be connected on the free plan, and its page says Pinterest accounts need at least 100 followers or a claimed website. Enough for: much the same person as Buffer's free plan, with a different list of networks. You will outgrow it when: you need X or a fourth account.
Other ways to schedule for nothing
The platforms' own scheduling
Most platforms now let you schedule a post from inside their own app or website. Meta Business Suite schedules posts for Facebook and Instagram, and TikTok and LinkedIn each have a scheduling option when you create a post. This costs nothing and has no post limit set by a third party. The catch is that each one only covers its own company's platforms, so three platforms means three places to plan, and three places to check.
Planable's first 50 posts
Planable does not have a monthly free plan. It lets you create your first 50 posts free, with no time limit and no card, and its page says the 50 do not reset. That is a generous way to try it, and it runs out.
A note on Agorapulse
Agorapulse's pricing page mentions a free plan you can stay on after its 30-day trial, but it does not list that plan's limits. We have left it out of the table for that reason; check its page if you are considering it.
What "free" usually leaves out
- A deep queue. Ten scheduled posts per channel is about a week at one or two posts a day.
- Some platforms. X is missing from Metricool's and Publer's free plans, and LinkedIn from Metricool's.
- More than one user. Buffer's and Publer's free plans are for one person.
- History. Metricool's free plan shows 30 days of analytics. Publer's page lists 24 hours of post history on free.
None of that is a criticism. A free plan is a fair trade, and for a business posting to two platforms a few times a week it can be all you ever need. Our guide to scheduling social media posts for a small business shows how little a simple routine requires.
Where WyreIt stands: no free plan
We would sooner say this plainly than have you find out at the checkout. WyreIt has no free plan. It has a 14-day free trial with no card needed, and after that it is a paid product.
WyreIt has four plans. Standard is £19 a month for any 3 platforms, with 3 extra profiles, the inbox, analytics, and AI caption and reply drafting. Pro is £49 a month for all 7 platforms (Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok, LinkedIn, YouTube and Bluesky), with 4 extra profiles, WyreIt AI, Autopilot and 1,000 AI credits a month. Creator is £79 a month with 3,000 AI credits and AI images. Agency is priced by conversation. The price is for the account, not per user or per channel. There is a 14-day free trial with no card needed. The trial does not include any AI.
A word on the sums. Buffer charges $5 a month for each channel, so one to four channels cost less than WyreIt Standard at £19 a month, and up to three can be free. From about five channels upwards, compare your own total with a flat price.
When a free tool is the better choice
- You post to one, two or three platforms, a few times a week.
- You are just starting and do not yet know whether social media will earn its keep.
- You do not need replies gathered in one inbox, or you are happy to answer in each app.
- Your budget for software is nothing, and that is not going to change soon.
In all of those cases, use Buffer, Metricool or Publer, or the platforms' own scheduling, and do not pay us or anyone else.
When paying starts to make sense
Paying is worth it when the limits cost you more time than the fee. The usual signs: you are deleting queued posts to make room, you have added a platform the free plan leaves out, a second person needs access, or you are answering comments in four apps. At that point compare the paid tools on what you need, not on brand. Our guide to social media scheduling tools in the UK and nine tools compared for small businesses cover the paid side.
Frequently asked questions
Which social media scheduling tools are really free?
As published in October 2026, Buffer, Metricool and Publer each have a free plan with no end date. Planable gives your first 50 posts free. The platforms' own scheduling features are free too. There may be others; this is not a complete list.
Does WyreIt have a free plan?
No. WyreIt has a 14-day free trial with no card needed. There is no free plan, and the trial does not include any AI features.
What is the catch with free scheduling tools?
Limits, not tricks. Each free plan caps the number of accounts and scheduled posts, and some leave out particular platforms such as X or LinkedIn. Read the limits against what you actually post.
Is Buffer's free plan enough for a small business?
Often, yes. Three channels with 10 scheduled posts each covers a business posting a few times a week to up to three platforms.
Is a free trial the same as a free plan?
No. A free plan carries on for as long as you stay within its limits. A trial ends after a set number of days: 14 for WyreIt, Later, Hootsuite, SocialBee and Sendible, and 30 for Sprout Social, as published in October 2026.
WyreIt's paid plans are on pricing.
WyreIt is a social media management tool for small business owners and sole traders. Post to Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok, and more from one dashboard — at a fraction of the price of Hootsuite.