Straight answer
Best AI social media schedulers for small business and nonprofits
Last checked Nov 12, 2026. Every price comes from the tool's own pricing page.
The short answer
For a free start, use Buffer (up to 3 channels, 10 scheduled posts per channel) or Metricool (1 brand, 20 posts a month); both list AI writing help on their free plans.
For the lowest paid price, Buffer Essentials is $5 per channel per month billed yearly. Later Starter is $18.75 a month billed yearly and Metricool Starter starts at $20 a month billed annually. Hootsuite starts at $99 per user per month and suits larger teams.
Nonprofits: Buffer lists 50% off paid plans and Later lists 50% off its annual Growth plan. Prices were read from each tool's own pricing page on Nov 12, 2026.
Compared, with sources
| Tool | What it does for you | Plans and prices (as shown) | Free plan | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buffer | Schedules posts to your social channels, priced per channel, with an AI Assistant on every plan including Free. | Free $0 (up to 3 channels, 10 scheduled posts per channel) · Essentials $5/mo per channel billed yearly ($6 monthly) · Team $10/mo per channel billed yearly ($12 monthly) | Yes | Pricing page checked Nov 12, 2026 |
| Metricool | Plans, schedules and analyzes posts for one brand or many, including Google Business Profile, with an AI social media assistant on the free plan. | Free $0 (1 brand, 20 posts/mo, 30 days of analytics) · Starter from $20/mo billed annually ($25 monthly) · Advanced from $53/mo billed annually ($67 monthly) | Yes | Pricing page checked Nov 12, 2026 |
| Later | Visual scheduling for Instagram, TikTok and more, with best-time-to-post suggestions, AI caption credits and a link-in-bio page. | 14-day free trial · Starter $18.75/mo billed yearly ($25 monthly) · Growth $37.50/mo billed yearly ($50 monthly) | No | Pricing page checked Nov 12, 2026 |
| Hootsuite | Team social media management: scheduling, one inbox for messages, brand monitoring and AI-drafted posts and images. | 14-day free trial · Standard $99/user/mo billed annually (up to 10 accounts) · Professional $199/user/mo billed annually | No | Pricing page checked Nov 12, 2026 |
Order: free plan first, then lowest paid price. Plans are summarized from each pricing page; open the source for full limits and features.
Questions people ask
Which social media scheduler is free for a small business?
On Nov 12, 2026, Buffer and Metricool both listed free plans. Buffer Free covers up to 3 channels with 10 scheduled posts per channel. Metricool Free covers 1 brand with up to 20 scheduled posts a month and 30 days of analytics, but not LinkedIn or X. Later and Hootsuite listed 14-day free trials instead of free plans.
What is the cheapest paid plan?
Buffer Essentials was $5 per channel per month billed yearly ($6 paying monthly), so three channels cost about $15 a month on yearly billing. Later Starter was $18.75 a month billed yearly ($25 monthly). Metricool Starter started at $20 a month billed annually ($25 monthly) for up to 5 brands. Hootsuite Standard was $99 per user per month billed annually.
Do these tools write posts with AI?
All four list AI help. Buffer includes an AI Assistant on every plan, Metricool lists an AI social media assistant on its free plan, Later includes 5 AI credits a month on Starter and 50 on Growth, and Hootsuite says every plan can generate posts and images with AI.
Are there nonprofit discounts?
Buffer says nonprofit and charity organizations get 50% off paid plans. Later says qualified nonprofits get 50% off its annual Growth plan. Hootsuite says it offers a discounted nonprofit rate on some plans if your organization qualifies. Check each vendor directly; nothing here is a quote.
How were these prices checked?
Each price was read from the tool's own pricing page on Nov 12, 2026 and is linked in the table. Nothing on this page is sponsored, and the order is not for sale.
Sorted for usefulness, not payment: nothing on this page is sponsored. Prices change, so check the tool's own page before you buy. Nothing here is legal, tax or financial advice. How we check prices
New tools and price changes, once a week
One short email. Every price has its source and the date we checked it. At most one sponsor per issue, marked “Sponsored.”
Free guide: 18 AI tools under $20 a month for a small business, every price sourced and dated. No sign-up needed to read it.