Buffer comment replies in 2026: the 10 platforms it covers
Buffer's Community inbox answers comments on 10 platforms on every plan, Free included, as of October 2026. It has no DMs, and paid plans bill per channel.
By The Shipping Log staff6 min readUpdated Nov 8, 2026
Buffer replies to comments on ten platforms through its Community inbox in 2026, on every plan from Free up. It doesn't answer DMs. For a local business or creator who wants comments and DMs in one inbox, BetterSocials is the pick, at $29 a month for four accounts.
Buffer Community's reply rules as of October 2026
Every Buffer price and platform below comes from Buffer's own pages as of October 2026. Community is the inbox inside Buffer where comments on your posts land and where you answer them.
Buffer's pricing page lists Community, a comments-only inbox, on every plan and names ten platforms. Comments on ads aren't included, and your DMs stay in each platform's own app.
So Buffer fits when your customers ask their questions in public comments. When they ask in DMs, you need a second place to answer.
From six platforms at launch to ten today
When Buffer announced Community in a launch post, it promised comment management on 6 platforms. Buffer's pricing page now lists ten:
- Instagram professional accounts
- Facebook Pages
- TikTok
- YouTube
- LinkedIn profiles and pages
- Threads
- X
- Bluesky
- Google Business Profiles
- Mastodon
Buffer's Community page frames the inbox around replying to every comment. The list covers comments on your own posts. Comments on ads sit outside it.
BetterSocials's inbox covers six of those platforms: Instagram, Facebook Pages, TikTok, YouTube, Threads and LinkedIn Company Pages.
If you answer comments on X, Bluesky, Mastodon or Google Business Profiles, Buffer is the one that reaches them.
Buffer's 2026 plan prices, per channel
Each plan on Buffer is billed per channel, where a channel is one connected social account. The pricing page lists three:
- Free: $0 for up to three channels, one user and 10 scheduled posts per channel.
- Essentials: $5 per channel a month billed yearly, or $6 per channel month to month, for one user.
- Team: $10 per channel a month billed yearly, or $12 month to month, with unlimited team members.
Paid plans come with a 14-day trial. Community sits on all three plans, so the comment inbox doesn't change your bill.
The channel count does.
Five channels on Essentials come to 5 x $5 = $25 a month billed yearly, or 5 x $6 = $30 month to month. The same five on Team run 5 x $10 = $50 billed yearly, or 5 x $12 = $60 month to month.
What Buffer's free plan allows for comment replies
You can answer comments without paying, because Buffer's Free plan includes Community. The limits are three channels, one user and 10 scheduled posts per channel.
Say you're one person answering comments on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. Free covers that. Past three channels you move to Essentials, and once a second person needs to log in, Team is the plan, at $10 per channel billed yearly.
Buffer and direct messages: what the help center says
Direct messaging is ruled out in Buffer's help center. Your Instagram DMs, Facebook Messenger chats and TikTok DMs stay in each platform's own app while Buffer handles posts and comments.
Add a DM tool next to Buffer and the platforms set its limits. Instagram lets apps reply to a DM only within 24 hours of the person's last message, though you can still answer from the Instagram app itself after that.
YouTube has no DM API, so no tool can send a YouTube DM. On TikTok and YouTube, no tool can turn a comment into a private DM either, which means a reply to a comment there is public.
Four, six and twelve accounts, priced side by side
BetterSocials and Buffer both price by the number of accounts you connect, so the fair test puts the same count on each. Buffer is cheaper at four and six accounts. At twelve with a team, BetterSocials is.
Every figure below is a monthly price. Buffer's are shown billed yearly and month to month, and Buffer is on Essentials for four and six channels and on Team for twelve.
| Setup | BetterSocials plan | BetterSocials monthly | Buffer yearly | Buffer monthly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 accounts, 1 login | Creator | $29, Creator | 4 x $5, Essentials | 4 x $6, Essentials |
| 6 accounts, 1 login | Pro | $49, Pro | 6 x $5, Essentials | 6 x $6, Essentials |
| 12 accounts, a team | Team | $99, Team | 12 x $10, Team | 12 x $12, Team |
Buffer's columns show the per-channel price times the count. Four channels on Essentials come to $20 a month billed yearly and $24 month to month, and six come to $30 billed yearly. At four accounts, Buffer is a few dollars a month cheaper than BetterSocials Creator at $29.
For that gap, BetterSocials adds Instagram, Facebook and TikTok DMs to the same inbox as comments. Its plans also include AI replies in your voice and keyword comment-to-DM, with nothing billed per contact.
The order flips at twelve accounts with teammates. Buffer Team comes to 12 x $10 = $120 a month billed yearly, while BetterSocials Team is $99 a month, with unlimited teammates and 4,000 shared AI credits a month.
Where BetterSocials fits next to Buffer
An AI social media manager for local businesses, creators and small agencies, BetterSocials posts to six platforms and answers comments and DMs from one inbox. It's built for businesses and creators whose comments and DMs bring in customers.
Comments arrive from Instagram, Facebook Pages, TikTok, YouTube, Threads and LinkedIn Company Pages. DMs arrive from Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. A personal LinkedIn profile is posting and analytics only.
AI replies have two sections in BetterSocials, Comments and DMs, each with three settings: Off, Draft for me and Reply in my voice. On Reply in my voice, everyday comments get an answer 1 to 5 minutes later. A DM gets one about a minute after it arrives.
Questions are different. They wait in Needs reply for your approval unless you turn on Answer questions too, and that switch only works once you've written at least one AI rule, such as your prices, hours or booking link. When your rules don't cover what someone asked, the comment or DM waits for you.
Keywords work by platform. A keyword in an Instagram or Facebook comment sends the person a DM with your link. On TikTok, YouTube, Threads and LinkedIn Company Pages, the keyword posts a public reply with the link instead.
TikTok DMs in BetterSocials are reply-only: at most 10 replies within 48 hours of the person's last message. Creator is $29 a month for four accounts and 1,000 AI credits, and every plan starts with a 7-day free trial with a card required.
FAQ
How much does Buffer cost per month?
Buffer charges per channel, and Free covers up to three channels. Essentials is $5 per channel a month billed yearly, or $6 month to month, for one user. Team is $10 per channel billed yearly, or $12 month to month, with unlimited team members.
Does Buffer include comment management on every plan?
Yes. Buffer's pricing page lists Community on Free, Essentials and Team. You can reply to comments on Instagram, Facebook Pages, TikTok, YouTube, LinkedIn, Threads, X, Bluesky, Google Business Profiles and Mastodon. Free stops at three channels, one user and 10 scheduled posts per channel.
Can Buffer reply to Instagram DMs?
No. Buffer's Community is a comments-only inbox, so Instagram, Facebook and TikTok DMs stay in each app. BetterSocials puts those DMs in the same inbox as comments, and its AI replies can draft or send DM answers in your voice, from $29 a month for four accounts.
Does Buffer reply to comments on ads?
No. Buffer's Community covers comments on your posts across its ten platforms, and ad comments aren't included. Plan to answer comments on paid posts where you run the ads.
Does Buffer reply to TikTok and YouTube comments?
Yes. TikTok and YouTube are both on Buffer's Community list, so you can answer video comments from Buffer. On TikTok and YouTube, no tool can turn a comment into a private DM, so a reply there is public. BetterSocials answers comments on both too, with AI drafts in your voice.
Is BetterSocials cheaper than Buffer?
No, not per channel. Four channels on Buffer Essentials are $20 a month billed yearly, against $29 a month for BetterSocials Creator's four accounts. At twelve accounts with a team, BetterSocials Team is $99 a month, Buffer Team comes to $120 billed yearly, and the BetterSocials price adds DMs to the inbox.