KeepsPosted vs Buffer for Small Business Social Media

Buffer is a low-cost scheduler for many networks; KeepsPosted drafts from your own photos in your voice. Prices, limits and where each wins, dated 10 Nov 2026.

Two simple weekly planners side by side, one with scheduled posts and one with drafted posts
ComparisonsBufferComparisonPricingScheduling

If you only need to schedule posts you have already written, Buffer is cheaper, and it covers more networks. Choose it. If the slow part of your week is deciding what to post and writing it in your own voice, KeepsPosted is built for that, for Instagram and Facebook only.

We make KeepsPosted, so read this with that in mind. Every Buffer fact below comes from Buffer's own pricing page, read on 10 November 2026. Prices and features change, so check the page before you decide.

The short answer

BufferKeepsPosted
Main jobPlan, schedule and publish posts across many channelsLearn your voice from past posts, suggest and draft the week from your own photos, publish what you approve
NetworksMany (see Buffer's channel list)Instagram and Facebook only
Free planYes: up to 3 channels, 10 scheduled posts per channel, 1 userNo free plan
Entry priceEssentials $5 per channel per monthStarter $29 per month for 1 brand
Pricing unitPer channelPer brand (a brand is a business's Instagram and Facebook together)
Team approvalsTeam plan, $10 per channel per monthApproval before anything publishes; see the pricing page for client approval links by plan
Learns from past postsPaid-plan AI replies are described as learning your voiceBuilds an editable playbook from your past Instagram and Facebook posts
Checked 10 November 2026. Prices and features change, so confirm on each vendor's page.

Where Buffer is better

  • Price for plain scheduling. Buffer's Essentials plan is $5 per channel per month, and its Free plan covers up to 3 channels. For a business that already writes its own posts, that is hard to beat.
  • More networks. If you also post to other channels, Buffer handles them in one place. KeepsPosted does not.
  • A free way to try it. The Free plan has limits (10 scheduled posts per channel, one user, 100 saved ideas), but you can use it for as long as you like.
  • Established tool. Buffer has been around for years and is widely used. KeepsPosted is newer.
  • AI help is included. Buffer's AI Assistant is on all three plans and helps you create, refine and repurpose content. It is a real help for caption drafts if you give it good input.
  • Team approvals. The Team plan, at $10 per channel per month, includes approval workflows. Free and Essentials do not.

That list is the reason most single-person shops should look at Buffer first. If you post three times a week and write your own captions, you may not need anything else.

Where KeepsPosted is different

Buffer's strength is publishing and managing the queue. KeepsPosted starts one step earlier: working out what the week's posts should be.

  1. A playbook from your own history

    You connect Instagram and Facebook. KeepsPosted reads your past posts and builds a playbook: how you sound, what you post about, rules and business facts. You can edit every part of it.

  2. Suggestions from your own photos and facts

    It proposes the week's posts from photos you have uploaded and facts you have confirmed, rather than from stock imagery or a blank prompt.

  3. Drafts you approve

    It drafts the caption. You approve it, or a client or boss approves it through a link without needing an account. Nothing publishes until someone approves.

  4. A record of what went out

    It publishes to Instagram and Facebook and keeps a record: what was scheduled, what published, and anything that needs attention.

Buffer's AI helps you write when you ask. The difference is the starting point. KeepsPosted starts from a playbook built from your own past posts and from your own photos, so drafts are meant to sound like you from the first pass. We have no measured result to quote on how much time that saves, so test it on your own week.

What it costs for one business and for three

Buffer charges per channel, and Instagram and Facebook are two channels. KeepsPosted charges per brand, which covers both. Monthly prices, from each vendor's pricing page on 10 November 2026:

SetupBuffer EssentialsBuffer TeamKeepsPosted
1 business, Instagram + Facebook (2 channels)$10 a month$20 a month$29 a month (Starter)
3 businesses, Instagram + Facebook (6 channels)$30 a month$60 a month$79 a month (Studio)
8 businesses, Instagram + Facebook (16 channels)$80 a month$160 a month$199 a month (Agency)
Buffer is cheaper on every row. The comparison is of scheduling alone. KeepsPosted's price also includes the playbook, drafting and approval, which Buffer's does not describe in the same way.

Buffer also says annual billing gives a discount. KeepsPosted's yearly price is two months free. Check each vendor's page for the billing term that applies to you, and compare like for like.

The honest question is whether you value the drafting. If you spend two hours a week writing captions and choosing photos, the price gap may be worth it. If you spend ten minutes, it is not.

Who should pick which

If you...Choose
Already write your posts and just need a calendarBuffer (Free or Essentials)
Post to networks other than Instagram and FacebookBuffer
Want the lowest price per channelBuffer
Need a team approval flow on many networksBuffer Team, or another approval tool
Spend most of your time on what to post and how to word itKeepsPosted
Want captions to follow rules you can see and edit, learned from your past postsKeepsPosted
Run 3 or more local businesses and want one record per brandKeepsPosted
Need analytics, ads or DMs inside the same toolNeither of these alone

If you decide to try KeepsPosted

A one-week trial that tells you something

  • Pick one business and connect its Instagram and Facebook.
  • Read the playbook it builds and fix anything that does not sound like you.
  • Upload the photos you would normally post this week.
  • Approve, edit or reject every draft. Count how many needed a rewrite.
  • Compare the time spent with your usual week, in minutes.
  • Keep your Buffer account until you are sure. They do not conflict.

You can see the plans on the pricing page.

Common questions

Is KeepsPosted a Buffer replacement?

Only for Instagram and Facebook, and only if you want drafting and approvals as well as scheduling. For other networks or the lowest-cost scheduling, Buffer is the better fit.

Does Buffer have AI?

Yes. Buffer's pricing page says its AI Assistant is on all plans and helps create, refine and repurpose content. Paid plans' AI replies are described as learning your voice.

Sources

Written by the KeepsPosted editorial team. Buffer details come from Buffer's own pricing page on the date shown; we did not test Buffer's product for this post. We make KeepsPosted. AI helped draft the text and a person reviewed it.