Eight scheduling tools let you connect social accounts and queue posts without paying — six hosted free-forever plans and two open-source applications. Free schedulers are rationed by channels and queued posts, and two of the best-known names, Later and Hootsuite, no longer have a free plan at all. The table leads with the channel count. Prices are USD and were checked on 21 October 2026. How we score · All Kurums Free lists
TL;DR — the free scheduler that fits
- One brand, the most channels free: Zoho Social — six channels including X and LinkedIn for one brand, no card.
- Solo creator with three channels: Buffer — three channels and ten queued posts each, with an AI assistant.
- Analytics as well as scheduling: Metricool — one brand, 20 posts a month and real reporting; no X or LinkedIn on free.
- Technical and want no caps: Postiz (AGPL) or Mixpost Lite self-hosted.
Which social media scheduling tools tools have a free plan in 2026?
Every tool on this page connects to your social accounts and publishes queued posts indefinitely without a subscription. Six are hosted free-forever plans; Postiz and Mixpost are open source and self-hosted. We excluded Later, Hootsuite and SocialBee, which offer only 14-day trials, and Hypefury, whose site states it no longer offers a free plan.
Free schedulers are capped by channels (Zoho Social six, Buffer and Publer three, Metricool and Typefully one brand or set), by queued or monthly posts (Buffer and Publer ten per channel, Metricool 20 a month, Typefully and Planoly ten), and by which networks are allowed — Publer excludes X and Metricool excludes both X and LinkedIn on free. For a B2B account, that last restriction decides the choice.
The table shows the one limit most likely to push you to a paid plan, whether a card is needed to start, and the Free Score. The rows below open into the full Scorecard with every limit, the upgrade trigger, the cheapest paid step and the page we checked.
| Company | Free as | Key limit | Card | Free Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Z |
Free forever | 1 brand · 6 channels · 1 user | No | 88 | Scorecard ↓ |
| B |
Free forever | 3 channels · 10 queued posts each | No | 84 | Scorecard ↓ |
| M |
Free forever | 1 brand · 20 posts/mo · no X/LinkedIn | No | 80 | Scorecard ↓ |
| P |
Free forever | 3 accounts · 10 posts each · no X | No | 78 | Scorecard ↓ |
| M |
Open source | Self-hosted · FB, X, Mastodon | No | 76 | Scorecard ↓ |
| P |
Open source | Self-hosted only · cloud trial 7d | No | 74 | Scorecard ↓ |
| T |
Free forever | 1 social set · 10 posts/mo | No | 62 | Scorecard ↓ |
| P |
Free forever | 10 uploads/mo · mobile only | No | 56 | Scorecard ↓ |
Free tiers verified 21 October 2026 on each vendor’s pricing page (third-party sources named in the Scorecard where the vendor page was silent). Order is by Free Score only; sponsorship never changes it.
What do the free scheduler plans actually include?
Open any row for the eight-field Scorecard. The “Why it ranks here” note under each row explains the score in plain terms.
1Z
Zoho SocialIndia · six channels including X, LinkedIn page and profile, Instagram, Facebook and Google Business for one brand, no cardFree forever1 brand · 6 channels · 1 userNo card88⌄
- What’s free
- Free plan: 1 brand, 6 channels (X, Instagram, Facebook Page, LinkedIn page and profile, Google Business Profile), 1 user; a 15-day all-access trial first
- Hard limits
- 1 brand · 6 channels · 1 user · posting limits not stated
- Time limit
- Unlimited
- Card required
- No. The page states no credit card.
- Upgrade trigger
- Scheduling features beyond the free set, or a second user
- Cheapest paid step
- Standard about $10/month billed annually ($15 monthly) — third-party; the vendor page shows region-based prices with USD blank
- Best free for
- A one-brand business that needs LinkedIn and X covered free
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · zoho.com/social/pricing · socialk.it (Standard price)
2B
BufferUS · three channels, ten queued posts per channel that refill as they publish, one user, AI assistantFree forever3 channels · 10 queued posts eachNo card84⌄
- What’s free
- Free: 3 channels, 10 scheduled posts per channel with slots refilling, 1 user, AI Assistant
- Hard limits
- 3 channels · 10 queued posts per channel · 1 user · 5 AI replies a week
- Time limit
- Unlimited
- Card required
- Not stated.
- Upgrade trigger
- A fourth channel or an eleventh queued post
- Cheapest paid step
- Essentials $5/channel/month ($60 per channel per year)
- Best free for
- A solo creator or small brand with up to three accounts who posts a few times a week
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · buffer.com/pricing
Why it ranks here. The queue refills as posts go out, so ten is a working buffer rather than a monthly cap — a detail that makes Buffer’s free plan more usable than its numbers suggest. The per-channel paid pricing is the fairest step here.
3M
MetricoolSpain · one brand with analytics across every network except LinkedIn and X, 20 scheduled posts a monthFree forever1 brand · 20 posts/mo · no X/LinkedInNo card80⌄
- What’s free
- Free: 1 brand, all networks except LinkedIn and X, up to 20 scheduled posts per month, analytics and reporting
- Hard limits
- 1 brand · 20 posts/month · no LinkedIn or X · no team members
- Time limit
- Unlimited
- Card required
- Not stated.
- Upgrade trigger
- LinkedIn or X, or the 21st post in a month
- Cheapest paid step
- Starter from $20/month billed annually ($25 monthly)
- Best free for
- A consumer brand on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok that wants analytics free
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · metricool.com/pricing
Why it ranks here. The only free plan with real analytics, which is why a consumer brand should pick it. Excluding LinkedIn and X removes it from consideration for most B2B accounts, and the paid step is the second-steepest here.
4P
PublerAlbania · three accounts and ten scheduled posts each free, with the cheapest paid step on the listFree forever3 accounts · 10 posts each · no XNo card78⌄
- What’s free
- Free forever: 3 social accounts excluding X, 10 scheduled posts per account, 1 user, 1 workspace
- Hard limits
- 3 accounts · 10 posts per account · 1 user · no X · 24-hour post history
- Time limit
- Unlimited
- Card required
- Not stated for Free; paid-feature trials need no card.
- Upgrade trigger
- An X account, analytics, or more posts
- Cheapest paid step
- Professional about $4/month per account billed yearly (third-party; the vendor page’s prices did not render)
- Best free for
- A small brand that wants Buffer-like limits and the cheapest upgrade
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · publer.com/pricing · socialchamp.com (Professional price)
Why it ranks here. Buffer’s shape with X removed and a 24-hour post history, which makes reviewing what went out awkward. The paid price did not render on the vendor page and is third-party, flagged.
5M
Mixpost LiteMixpost · free open-source edition with lifetime updates for Facebook Pages, X and Mastodon on your own serverOpen sourceSelf-hosted · FB, X, MastodonNo card76⌄
- What’s free
- Lite: free, open source, lifetime updates; Facebook Pages, X and Mastodon; basic analytics, calendar, media library
- Hard limits
- Platforms limited to Facebook Pages, X and Mastodon
- Time limit
- Unlimited
- Card required
- No. Self-hosted.
- Upgrade trigger
- Other platforms, workspaces, or the API (Pro)
- Cheapest paid step
- Pro $299 one-time with one year of updates and a perpetual fallback license
- Best free for
- A self-hoster whose accounts are on Facebook, X and Mastodon
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · mixpost.app/pricing
Why it ranks here. No caps, no monthly fee, but only three networks on the free edition and a one-time $299 for the rest. The license name is not stated on the pricing page.
6P
PostizIsrael · open-source (AGPL-3) scheduler for self-hosting; the cloud has a seven-day trial onlyOpen sourceSelf-hosted only · cloud trial 7dNo card74⌄
- What’s free
- Self-hosted open-source edition with most networks; the cloud offers a 7-day trial
- Hard limits
- Self-hosted: none stated · no free cloud tier
- Time limit
- Unlimited (self-hosted)
- Card required
- No for self-hosting; not stated for the cloud trial.
- Upgrade trigger
- Wanting the hosted cloud
- Cheapest paid step
- Standard $23/month billed annually ($29 monthly), 5 channels
- Best free for
- A developer who wants a modern scheduler with no channel caps on their own server
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · postiz.com/pricing · github.com/gitroomhq/postiz-app
Why it ranks here. Broader network support than Mixpost Lite and actively developed, with no hosted free tier at all. Scored as what it is: free only if you run it.
7T
TypefullyItaly · a writing-first scheduler for X and LinkedIn, free for ten posts a month on one social setFree forever1 social set · 10 posts/moNo card62⌄
- What’s free
- Free: 1 social set, 1 user, 10 posts per month, no AI
- Hard limits
- 10 posts/month · 1 social set · no AI or analytics
- Time limit
- Unlimited
- Card required
- Not stated.
- Upgrade trigger
- An eleventh post, AI, or analytics
- Cheapest paid step
- Creator $99/year billed yearly only (about $8.25/month)
- Best free for
- An X or LinkedIn writer posting twice a week
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · opentweet.io article dated 17 Oct 2026 (vendor page renders only in a browser)
Why it ranks here. The best writing experience for threads and LinkedIn posts, with a cap that was recently cut from 15 to 10. The vendor page would not render, so every figure is from a competitor’s dated article and the row is flagged.
8P
PlanolyUS · Instagram grid planning on the mobile app, free for ten uploads a monthFree forever10 uploads/mo · mobile onlyNo card56⌄
- What’s free
- Free plan on the mobile app: 10 uploads per month
- Hard limits
- 10 uploads/month · mobile app only · profile cap not stated
- Time limit
- Unlimited
- Card required
- Not stated.
- Upgrade trigger
- An eleventh upload or web access
- Cheapest paid step
- Starter $14/month (annual saves up to 15%)
- Best free for
- An Instagram-first creator planning the grid on a phone
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · planoly.com/pricing
Why it ranks here. A visual planner more than a scheduler, and mobile-only on the free plan. Ranked last for capacity.
Which free scheduler has no credit-card requirement?
Zoho Social states that no card is needed; Mixpost and Postiz are downloads. Buffer, Metricool, Typefully and Planoly do not state a card requirement, and Publer says it only for paid-feature trials, which we record as “not stated”. No free plan here converts to a paid one automatically.
The network question matters more than the card. LinkedIn and X on the free plan: Zoho Social (both), Buffer (both), Typefully (both), Mixpost Lite (X only), Postiz self-hosted (both). Not on free: Metricool (neither), Publer (no X). If you post for a B2B company, that list is the whole decision.
When does the free plan stop being enough?
Kurums Match: which free scheduler fits your situation?
B2B brand on LinkedIn, X and Instagram
Zoho Social. Six channels, one brand, no card.
Solo creator with three accounts
Buffer. Refilling queue and the fairest upgrade.
Consumer brand that wants reports
Metricool. Analytics free; no LinkedIn or X.
Cheapest paid step later
Publer, about $4 an account.
Developer, no caps
Postiz self-hosted; Mixpost Lite if your networks are Facebook, X and Mastodon.
Thread and LinkedIn writer
Typefully, ten posts a month.
How we score free tiers
Duration (30): free forever scores 30, a 30-day-plus trial 15, a trial of 14 days or less 8, credit-based tiers 12. Capacity (30): whether the limits carry a team of three for twelve months. Core job (25): whether the free tier does the category’s main work — here, connecting social accounts and queuing posts to publish on a schedule. Friction (15): no card 15; card but no auto-charge 8; auto-charge 0; self-hosting deducts for setup and maintenance.
Each free tier was checked on the vendor’s pricing page on 21 October 2026; where the vendor page was silent, the Scorecard names the third-party source used. Free tiers change, so this list is re-verified every quarter and a discontinued free plan stays listed for one month with a notice. Order is by Free Score only. Kurums Free sells no placement; sponsorship, affiliate links and vendor requests never change a score, a rank or a label. Vendors can submit corrections through the Update your free tier form.
How did we verify these free tiers?
For each product we opened the pricing page and recorded the free tier’s stated limits, the cheapest paid plan and its billing basis, and the card requirement if stated. Three vendor pages did not render prices to our fetch (Publer, Zoho Social’s USD view, Typefully’s whole page), so those figures come from named third-party sources and are flagged. Buffer’s yearly arithmetic on its own page is inconsistent, which we note without resolving.
Prices are USD. We did not publish through these tools for this list; the score measures the published free tier, not the product’s quality. Later, Hootsuite, SocialBee and Hypefury were checked and excluded for the reasons given above.
Frequently asked questions
Which free scheduler supports the most channels?
Zoho Social, with six channels for one brand including X, LinkedIn and Google Business Profile. Buffer and Publer allow three.
Is Later free?
No. Later offers a 14-day trial; its Starter plan is $18.75 a month on yearly billing. Hootsuite and SocialBee are likewise trial-only, and Hypefury states it no longer offers a free plan.
Which free schedulers support LinkedIn?
Zoho Social, Buffer and Typefully on their free plans, and self-hosted Postiz. Metricool’s free plan excludes LinkedIn and X; Publer’s excludes X.
Which free scheduler has analytics?
Metricool, for one brand. Buffer, Zoho Social and Publer sell analytics in their paid tiers; Mixpost Lite has basic analytics self-hosted.
Are the open-source schedulers really free?
Yes if you host them: Postiz under AGPL-3 and Mixpost Lite (three networks). Neither has a free hosted tier; Postiz Cloud is a seven-day trial.
How is this different from the Best Social Media Management Software comparison?
This list answers ‘where can I schedule posts without paying’. The Best comparison answers ‘which one should I buy’. Both use the same no-sponsorship rule.
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