Disclosure: Some links on this page are affiliate links. They never change the order of our ranking, and spots labeled Sponsored are paid and sit outside it. How we rank
Quick answer
Our top picks for free social media scheduling tools are Buffer, Agorapulse and Publer. They lead on results, clear pricing and verified reviews. Compare budgets, pricing models and specialties in the table below to find the right fit.
No matches.Nothing fits that budget and specialty. Try a higher budget or “All”.
“Sponsor rank” buys the labeled Sponsored spot at that position above the list. It never changes the editorial order. Ratings are a review-count-weighted average of Clutch, Google and Trustpilot.
Sponsored spot open
Your company here, above this ranking 1,870 monthly searches for “free social media scheduling tools”. Labeled as Sponsored, 30 days, live the minute you pay.
Long-running social scheduler priced per connected channel, with a free plan covering three channels.
Buffer schedules posts across the major networks and bills per connected channel, which keeps costs low for small accounts. Its free plan covers 3 channels with 10 queued posts each; paid Essentials starts at $5 per channel per month. Reporting and team features are lighter than enterprise suites.
Social media management platform combining scheduling, a unified inbox and reporting, priced per user.
Agorapulse covers publishing, a shared social inbox and reporting for teams. Paid plans run from $79 to $149 per user per month on annual billing, each with 10 profiles, after a 30-day trial. Its pricing page says a free plan remains available afterward but does not list its limits.
Low-cost social scheduler with a free-forever plan for three accounts and paid plans priced per social account.
Publer schedules posts across major networks and prices paid plans per social account, starting at $5/month (Professional) or $10/month (Business) for one account. The free plan covers 3 accounts (excluding X) with 10 scheduled posts each. Its G2 and Trustpilot ratings are both strong.
Scheduling and analytics tool priced by number of brands, with a free plan for one brand and agency features on Advanced.
Metricool pairs scheduling with analytics for social profiles and ads, priced by the number of brands. The free plan covers one brand with 20 scheduled posts a month; Starter starts at $20/month billed yearly and Advanced (up to 50 brands, approvals, report templates) from $53/month. White label sits on the custom plan.
Low-cost cloud accounting from Zoho with a free plan and paid plans from $15/month billed annually.
Zoho Books offers a free plan and paid tiers from $20/month ($15 billed annually) up to $275/month, making it one of the cheapest full ledgers. It is a general small-business accounting tool, so marketplace payout reconciliation usually needs a connector or manual journals.
Open-source social scheduler (AGPL-3.0) that can be self-hosted free, with hosted plans from $23/month billed annually.
Postiz publishes its code on GitHub under AGPL-3.0, so teams can self-host it with Docker at only server cost. The hosted version starts at $29/month ($23 billed annually) for 5 channels, with no permanent free hosted tier. Self-hosting means handling setup, updates and network app approvals yourself.
Meta's free first-party tool for scheduling posts, Reels and Stories to Facebook and Instagram.
Meta Business Suite is free and schedules posts, Reels and Stories to Facebook Pages and Instagram business accounts, alongside an inbox and basic insights. It does not cover TikTok, LinkedIn, X or other networks, and some formats (such as Instagram Reel drafts) are restricted.
Visual social scheduler with a free plan for one social set (15 image posts a month) and a $99 agency tier.
Pallyy is a visual planner for Instagram and other channels. Its free plan covers one social set and 15 scheduled image posts a month, with no video or carousel publishing. Pro is $25/month and Agency $99/month for 10 sets and 3 users.
Visual Instagram-first planner with paid plans from $14/month and a limited free tier on its mobile app.
Planoly offers grid-style visual planning and scheduling. Paid plans start at $14/month (Starter, 1 social set) and go to $47/month (Pro, 6 sets), each with a 14-day trial. The free option is mobile-app only and limited to 10 uploads a month.
Self-hosted social media scheduler with a free open-source Lite edition and one-time paid licenses.
Mixpost is installed on your own server, so there is no recurring SaaS bill. The Lite edition is free and open source; Pro costs $299 and Enterprise $1,199 as one-time payments. It suits teams comfortable running their own hosting.
Free plans are a good way to plan posts without a budget, but each one draws the line in a different place. Usually, the limits cover the number of connected profiles, scheduled posts per channel, team seats and analytics history. Therefore, compare limits against your real posting calendar rather than the headline feature list.
Also check which networks publish automatically on the free tier. Some tools only send a reminder for certain formats, such as Instagram Stories or TikTok videos, which means you still finish the post on your phone.
When a paid plan pays for itself
Free tools work well for one person and a few channels. However, once two or more people post, approvals, shared libraries and inbox features start saving real hours. At that point, a low-cost plan is often cheaper than the time lost juggling accounts.
Mistakes to avoid
First, don’t spread your calendar across three free tools to dodge limits; you will lose track of what is scheduled. Second, avoid tools that add their own branding to your posts. Finally, export your analytics before a free plan’s history window deletes older data.
How to run a fair trial
To begin with, schedule one real week of content in two free plans. Then note every manual step the tool forced on you. After that, check the analytics each plan kept. As a result, you will know which one fits before you ever enter a card.
Building a simple posting routine
To begin with, pick two or three days each week for batching content. Then write captions in one sitting and add them to the calendar. After that, review results every Friday and repeat the formats that worked. As a result, a free plan goes much further than random daily posting.
How we ranked them
Each tool is scored out of 100: results and case studies (40%), specialty fit (25%), pricing transparency (20%) and verified reviews (15%). The score sets the editorial order. Sponsored spots are sold separately and never change it.
Write down the two or three jobs the tool must do every week, and test those first in the free trial.
Check the integrations you rely on (Amazon, Shopify, TikTok Shop, your email and analytics tools).
Price the plan you will actually need in six months, not the entry plan.
Look at how data gets in and out: exports, API access and what you keep if you cancel.
Read recent reviews for support quality and how often the product ships updates.
FAQs: Best Free Social Media Scheduling Tools
Which free social media scheduling tools are the best?
Yes. Several free social media scheduling tools offer a free plan or a free trial; the Price column shows 'Free plan' where one exists. Free plans usually limit volume or features, so check the limits against your monthly needs.
How does this list differ from the main ranking?
This list narrows the ranking to free social media scheduling tools. Every company is scored with the same methodology, with extra weight on fit for this use case, so the order can differ from Best Tools for Scheduling Social Media Posts.
How much do free social media scheduling tools cost?
Most free social media scheduling tools are sold as monthly subscriptions, often with a free plan or trial and higher tiers priced by seats, usage or revenue. The starting price for each tool is in the comparison table above. Check annual-billing discounts and which features sit behind the higher tiers before you commit.