FREE GUIDE
AI social media scheduler for small business: Buffer, Later and Metricool, from each company's own pages
What Buffer, Later and Metricool show on their own pages for scheduling, what each costs, where the AI is (it is listed on all three), a prompt for writing a week of posts with ChatGPT or Claude, and the check to run before you schedule the first post. Free PDF, no sign-up.
Take it with you. The whole thing as a PDF — no sign-up, no email required.
Download the free PDF Download the scheduling prompt + pre-schedule checklistWhy people are searching for this
On November 4, 2026, typing ai social media scheduler into Google autocomplete suggested scheduler free, scheduling tool, planner, post scheduler and content scheduler. Owners and creators want the posting to happen on its own, and they want it free.
Important: this guide was written from each company's own pricing pages, opened on November 4, 2026. None of the tools was tested on a live account for this guide, and plans, prices and limits change often.
Step 1: Buffer
Buffer's pricing page shows three plans. Free is called free forever and connects up to 3 channels. It lists 10 scheduled posts per channel (refill anytime), 100 ideas, 1 user account, an AI Assistant, Insights, API access and a community inbox.
| Plan | Price shown (1 channel, yearly billing selected) | Also listed |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0, up to 3 channels | 10 scheduled posts per channel, AI Assistant |
| Essentials | $5 per month ($60 billed yearly) | Unlimited scheduled posts per channel, unlimited ideas, advanced analytics, hashtag manager, first comment scheduling |
| Team | $10 per month ($120 billed yearly) | Everything above plus unlimited team members, access levels, content approval workflows |
Buffer prices are per channel, and both paid plans list a 14-day free trial. So the free plan is real, but the limit is 10 scheduled posts at a time on each channel, and the paid price grows with every channel you add.
Step 2: Later
Later's pricing page has no free plan. The headline says free for 14 days, which is a trial, and then it shows three plans, with the prices below billed yearly (the page says 3 months free, 25% off).
| Plan | Price shown | Listed |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | $18.75 USD per month, billed yearly | 1 social set (8 profiles), 1 user, up to 30 posts per profile per month, 5 AI credits a month |
| Growth | $37.50 USD per month, billed yearly | 2 social sets (16 profiles), 2 users, up to 180 posts per profile, 50 AI credits, social inbox, collaboration and approvals |
| Scale | $82.50 USD per month, billed yearly | 6 social sets (48 profiles), 4 users, unlimited posts, 100 AI credits |
Later's page explains that 1 AI credit generates 3 ideas or 1 caption, so Starter's 5 credits is 5 captions. Extra AI credits are listed at $3.75 USD a month for 100 credits on Growth and Scale.
Step 3: Metricool
Metricool's pricing page, with the annual price selected, shows a Free plan at $0 per month that lists 1 brand, up to 20 posts per month, 5 competitor profiles, 30 days of analytics and an AI social media assistant.
| Plan | Price shown | Listed |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 per month | 1 brand, 20 posts per month, AI social media assistant |
| Starter | From $20 per month | Up to 10 brands, unlimited content publishing (marked with an asterisk), 100 competitors, LinkedIn connection |
| Advanced | From $53 per month | Up to 50 brands, team and client management, post approval system |
Read the asterisk next to unlimited publishing before you rely on it.
So where is the AI?
This time I found AI listed on all three pricing pages: Buffer lists an AI Assistant (even on the free plan), Later lists AI content tools with monthly credits, and Metricool lists an AI social media assistant. What the pages do not say is how well any of them writes, or whether it sounds like you. Only a test on your own account can show that, and none was run for this guide, so none is rated here.
Step 4: write the week with ChatGPT or Claude (my suggestion)
This step is not a company's feature; it is a way to get a first draft of a week of posts. Paste this into ChatGPT or Claude:
Write seven social media posts for my business, one for each day of the week. My business is [what you do]. My customers are [who they are]. Mix three useful tips, two behind the scenes posts, one customer question, and one simple offer. Keep each post under fifty words. Do not invent prices, discounts, opening hours or customer names. If anything is missing, put it in [square brackets].Two examples I wrote, not from any tool. A tip: Most customers ask the same three questions before they book. Here are the answers, so you can skip the wait. A question: What is the one thing you wish we did differently? Reply and tell us. We read every message.
Why the rules: an AI helper may invent a discount you never offered, make up opening hours, or sound like every other business. You are the one who has to stand behind what it posts.
Step 5: the check before you schedule the first post
- Check every connected channel is the right account.
- Open the preview on your phone and read it the way a customer would.
- Click every link in every post.
- Check the time zone, so 9 in the morning is 9 where your customers are.
- Schedule only one week at first and watch what really goes out.
- Read each post out loud.
Ten minutes, once. A wrong post that goes out at 9 in the morning is a post you cannot quietly take back.
What it costs
| Option | List price on the page |
|---|---|
| Buffer Free (up to 3 channels, 10 scheduled posts per channel) | $0 |
| Buffer Essentials (1 channel) | $5 per month, billed yearly |
| Later Starter | $18.75 per month, billed yearly |
| Metricool Free (up to 20 posts a month) | $0 |
| Metricool Starter | From $20 per month |
Prices are list prices before tax from each company's page on November 4, 2026, and can change.
Honest limits
- None of these tools was run on a live account for this guide.
- This guide cannot rate how well any AI feature writes, because none was tested.
- Plans and prices change often, so open the page before you decide.
- No tool knows which posts get a real reply. That part is yours.
Questions people also ask
Is there a free AI social media scheduler?
Buffer Free and Metricool Free are both listed at $0 on their pricing pages, and both list an AI feature. Later has no free plan, only a 14-day trial.
How many posts can I schedule on Buffer's free plan?
The page lists 10 scheduled posts per channel (refill anytime), for up to 3 channels.
How many posts can I schedule on Metricool's free plan?
The page lists up to 20 posts per month for 1 brand.
What are Later's AI credits?
Later's page says 1 credit generates 3 ideas or 1 caption. Starter lists 5 credits a month, Growth 50 and Scale 100.
Which of these has AI?
All three pricing pages list an AI feature: Buffer an AI Assistant, Later AI content tools, Metricool an AI social media assistant. This guide did not test how well any of them writes.
Can AI write my social media posts for me?
It can draft them. Tell it not to invent prices, discounts or opening hours, then read every post yourself before it goes out.
Sources
What Fynl.io is, and where it fits
Fynl.io is one portal a small business runs itself on, instead of five subscriptions that do not talk to each other.
The AI runs on your own Claude or ChatGPT API key. You keep the key, you pay the model provider directly, and there is no markup on top of it. There is no SMS or phone calling yet, and we would rather say so than let you find out later.
Fynl.io is for the business around the post: one portal for your contacts, calendar, quotes, invoices and email, with AI that runs on your own key. Fynl is not a replacement for the scheduling tools compared in this guide.