Social media software pricing by user or channel (2026)
A small business that runs social alone should budget $20 to under fifty dollars a month. What Buffer, Metricool, Hootsuite and BetterSocials bill, by unit.
By The Shipping Log staff8 min readUpdated Nov 8, 2026
Most small business owners who run social alone should budget between $20 and fifty dollars a month for social media software in 2026. Buffer fits if you only post, at 4 x $5 = $20 a month billed yearly for four channels as of October 2026. BetterSocials fits if comments and DMs bring in customers, at $29 a month for four accounts. Per-user suites such as Hootsuite start at $99 per user a month billed annually, as of October 2026, before a second person joins.
The bills don't line up because each tool counts something different. Buffer counts channels, Metricool counts brands, and Hootsuite, Sprout Social and Agorapulse count users. SocialBee, Sendible and BetterSocials sell plans with a set number of accounts or logins, so we sorted the market by what each one counts, with prices as of October 2026.
Four billing units, and what each one does to your bill
Buffer bills per channel, which means one connected social account. Its Essentials plan is $5 a channel a month billed yearly, or $6 monthly, for one user, so four accounts cost $20 or $24. Each added account raises the bill by one step, per Buffer's pricing page.
Metricool bills per brand, which is one business with its set of social accounts. The free plan covers one brand and 20 posts a month, and Starter starts at $20 a month for up to five brands. Team members arrive on Advanced, at $53 a month billed yearly or $67 monthly, per Metricool's pricing page.
Hootsuite, Sprout Social and Agorapulse bill per user, also called per seat: one paid login for each person. Hootsuite Standard is $99 per user a month billed annually. Sprout Social Essentials and Agorapulse Standard are each $79 a seat billed yearly, or $99 monthly.
SocialBee, Sendible and BetterSocials sell plans, where one price covers a set number of accounts and logins. Across all four units, a small business lands in one of three bands:
- Mostly posting costs $0 to $25 a month, from Metricool's free plan to Buffer Essentials at four channels and Later Starter at $18.75 billed yearly or $25 monthly.
- Posting plus an inbox for comments and DMs costs from $20 to just under fifty dollars a month, which covers SocialBee Bootstrap, Later Growth and BetterSocials Creator and Pro.
- Per-user suites cost $79 to $199 a seat a month, which is where Hootsuite, Sprout Social and Agorapulse sit.
Schedulers that skip the seat charge, as of October 2026
Buffer, Metricool, BetterSocials, SocialBee and Sendible all price without a charge for every login on at least one plan. Each counts something else, so the pick depends on what grows in your business: accounts, brands or people.
Buffer Team is $10 a channel a month billed yearly, or $12 monthly, with unlimited team members. Pick it if you post to a few accounts and want more people to log in later.
Metricool Advanced is $53 a month billed yearly, or $67 monthly, with unlimited team members and up to 15 brands. Pick it if you run one business, want analytics and can start on the free plan.
BetterSocials Creator is $29 a month for four accounts and one login. Team is $99 a month for twelve accounts and unlimited teammates. Pick it if customers ask prices and book in your comments and DMs.
SocialBee Bootstrap is $29 a month, or $290 a year, for five profiles and one user, and Accelerate is $49 a month, or $490 a year, for ten profiles and still one user. A second person means Pro at $99 a month, or $990 a year, with three users per workspace.
Sendible Core is $30 a month billed yearly, or $35 monthly, with unlimited users on every plan, per Sendible's pricing page. Pick it if several people need to log in and nobody wants a seat bill.
One owner, one login: buy for the job
Buffer lets one owner post to four accounts for 4 x $5 = $20 a month billed yearly. Its inbox covers comments, and Instagram and Facebook DMs stay in the phone apps. That's enough when your customers mostly comment.
BetterSocials Creator costs $29 a month for the same four accounts and one login. Buffer is $9 a month cheaper on yearly billing and $5 cheaper on monthly. What the difference buys is the DM side: Instagram, Facebook and TikTok comments and DMs plus YouTube comments in one inbox, AI replies in your voice and keyword comment-to-DM on Instagram and Facebook.
SocialBee Bootstrap sits close by, at $29 a month or $290 a year for five profiles and one user, with comments and DMs for Facebook Pages and Instagram Business. Later's Conversations inbox starts on Growth at $37.50 a month billed yearly. Hootsuite asks $99 a month billed annually for the one seat a solo owner needs. That's more than three times the $29 a month BetterSocials Creator costs for four accounts.
The second login: two people, four accounts
Hootsuite shows the gap between seat and plan pricing fastest, because two people on Standard pay 2 x $99, close to two hundred dollars a month billed annually. The table shows the monthly bill for two people and four accounts, with rivals on yearly billing, as of October 2026, on each tool's cheapest plan that admits a second login.
| Tool | Plan | Two-person bill | Counts | Logins |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buffer | Team | $10 a channel, x 4 | Channels | Unlimited |
| Metricool | Advanced | $53 a month | Brands, up to 15 | Unlimited |
| BetterSocials | Team | $99 a month | Plan, 12 accounts | Unlimited |
| SocialBee | Pro | $990 a year | Plan, 25 profiles | Three per workspace |
| Agorapulse | Standard | $79 a user, x 2 | Users | One per seat |
| Sprout Social | Essentials | $79 a seat, x 2 | Seats | One per seat |
| Hootsuite | Standard | $99 a user, x 2 | Users | One per seat |
Buffer Team is the cheapest here, and BetterSocials Team costs about two and a half times as much at $99 a month. That buys twelve accounts instead of four, plus the DM inbox and AI replies. Sprout Social puts its inbox on Standard at $199 per seat billed annually, so two people with an inbox pay 2 x $199, nearly four hundred dollars a month.
Agorapulse includes its inbox on every tier, and Hootsuite includes its inbox from Standard.
Buffer, Later, Metricool and Hootsuite at the lowest tier a solo owner can buy
Buffer, Later, Metricool and Hootsuite each start a solo owner at a different price and stop at a different feature. The table lists each entry plan as of October 2026, with BetterSocials Creator beside them for the same owner.
| Tool | Yearly rate | Monthly rate | Users | Inbox |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buffer Essentials | $5 a channel | $6 a channel | One | Comments only |
| BetterSocials Creator | Monthly | $29 for 4 accounts | One | Comments and DMs |
| Later Starter | $18.75 | $25 | One | From Growth, $37.50 yearly |
| Metricool Free | $0, one brand | $0, one brand | One | Included |
| Hootsuite Standard | $99 per user | Not listed | One per seat | Included |
Buffer stops at DMs, which stay in the Instagram and Facebook apps. Later's Conversations inbox starts on Growth and has no YouTube or LinkedIn conversations. Metricool's free plan stops at 20 posts a month and 30 days of analytics, and LinkedIn joins on Starter.
Hootsuite Standard includes its inbox, so the stop there is the price, listed on Hootsuite's plans page at $99 per user a month billed annually. For a business that sells in DMs, SocialBee Bootstrap and BetterSocials Creator both hold comments and DMs together at $29 a month billed monthly.
When the DM side pays for itself
BetterSocials and other DM tools earn their price when customers ask prices and book in DMs. Instagram only lets a business reply within 24 hours of the person's last message, and after that the conversation is closed until they write again. A DM left waiting in the app can close for good.
ManyChat is the other common way to cover DMs, and it bills per active contact. Pro is $39 a month with 2,500 active contacts as of October 2026, and each extra contact costs $0.05 on monthly billing. An account that reaches 4,000 people in a month pays $39 plus $0.05 for each contact past 2,500, or $114.
BetterSocials bills nothing per contact on any plan, so a busy month costs the same as a quiet one: $29 a month for four accounts.
How BetterSocials bills: plans, accounts and logins
BetterSocials sells three plans, priced by accounts and logins. Creator is $29 a month for four accounts and one login. Pro is $49 a month for six accounts and one login, and Team is $99 a month for twelve accounts and unlimited teammates.
Every plan includes unlimited contacts, unlimited DMs and unlimited keyword automations. AI credits meter only the AI writing, and when they run out the AI pauses rather than charging more. One inbox holds comments and DMs from the connected accounts across six platforms.
AI replies run separately for comments and DMs, each with three settings: Off, Draft for me and Reply in my voice. On Draft for me, nothing posts until you approve it. A keyword in an Instagram or Facebook comment sends the person a DM with your link, and on TikTok, YouTube, Threads and LinkedIn Company Pages the keyword posts a public reply with the link instead.
Every plan starts with a seven-day free trial, card required, and a 30-day money-back guarantee on the first paid charge. The trial starts from BetterSocials' pricing page, and its AI social media manager page shows how the inbox works.
FAQ
Is per-channel pricing cheaper than per-user pricing for a small business?
For one owner, usually yes. Buffer Essentials at four accounts is 4 x $5 = $20 a month billed yearly, and Hootsuite Standard is $99 per user a month billed annually before a second person joins. Per-user pricing only comes out ahead when a few people manage many accounts.
How much does Buffer cost for four social accounts in 2026?
Buffer Essentials is $5 a channel a month billed yearly, or $6 monthly, so four channels cost $20 or $24 a month for one user. Team is $10 a channel billed yearly, so four channels cost four times that, with unlimited team members. Its inbox handles comments, and Instagram and Facebook DMs stay in the apps.
Does Metricool charge per user?
No. Metricool prices by brand. The free plan covers one brand and 20 posts a month, Starter starts at $20 a month for up to five brands, and team members come in on Advanced at $53 a month billed yearly or $67 monthly, with unlimited team members.
Do I need a tool that answers DMs, or is a scheduler enough?
If customers only comment, a scheduler with a comment inbox is enough. If they ask prices and book in DMs, you need the DM side too. Instagram only lets a business reply within 24 hours of the person's last message, so a DM left waiting in the app can close for good.
What does BetterSocials cost for a small business?
BetterSocials Creator is $29 a month for four accounts and one login. Pro is $49 a month for six accounts, and Team is $99 a month for twelve accounts and unlimited teammates. Every plan has unlimited contacts and a seven-day trial.
Is there a free social media management tool for a small business?
Metricool's free plan covers one brand, 20 posts a month and 30 days of analytics, which suits an owner testing a schedule. BetterSocials has no free plan, because every connected account costs it money. Every BetterSocials plan starts with a seven-day trial, card required, and a 30-day money-back guarantee.