# Pricing — what the market charges, and what Postflow should charge

Prices are list prices as of mid-2026, billed monthly (annual billing is usually 15–20 % less). "Channels" = connected social profiles.

## Competitors

### Buffer
| Tier | Price | Channels | Users | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 3 | 1 | 10 scheduled posts per channel, basic analytics |
| Essentials | $6 / channel / mo | per channel | 1 | unlimited scheduling, engagement, AI assistant |
| Team | $12 / channel / mo | per channel | unlimited | approval flows, drafts, notes |
| Agency | $120 / mo | 10 included (+$6 each) | unlimited | agency dashboard |

For a solo creator with 7 channels: **$42 / mo** (Essentials).

### Hootsuite
| Tier | Price | Channels | Users |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | $99 / mo (annual $99) | 5 | 1 |
| Advanced | $249 / mo | unlimited | 1 (+$~100 per extra) |
| Enterprise | custom (≈ $15k+ / yr) | unlimited | 5+ |

No free tier anymore (30-day trial). 7 channels = **$249 / mo** (Advanced).

### Later
| Tier | Price | Social sets | Users | Posts / profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $25 / mo | 1 set (7 profiles) | 1 | 30 |
| Growth | $45 / mo | 3 sets | 3 | 150 |
| Scale | $80 / mo | 6 sets | 6 | unlimited |
| Enterprise | custom | — | — | — |

Visual/Instagram-first. 7 channels = **$25 / mo** but capped at 30 posts per profile.

### Sprout Social
| Tier | Price (per user / mo) | Channels |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | $199 | 5 |
| Professional | $299 | unlimited |
| Advanced | $399 | unlimited |
| Enterprise | custom | unlimited |

Enterprise-grade CRM, listening and reporting. 7 channels = **$299 / mo** minimum.

### Metricool
| Tier | Price | Brands | Users |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 1 (limited networks) | 1 |
| Starter | $22 / mo | 1 brand (all networks) | 1 |
| Advanced | $54 / mo | 15 brands | 3 |
| Custom | $139+ / mo | 100+ | 10+ |

Best value for a single brand with analytics; 7 channels = **$22 / mo**.

### Also worth knowing
- **Publer** — free (3 accounts), Pro $12 / mo per 3 accounts.
- **SocialBee** — $29 / $49 / $99 (5 / 10 / 25 profiles).
- **Zoho Social** — $15 / $40 / $65 (1 brand → 3 brands).
- **Sendible** — $29 / $89 / $199 / $299.
- **Meta Business Suite** — free, but Facebook + Instagram + Threads only.

## Summary for a solo creator with all 7 platforms
| Product | Monthly |
|---|---|
| Metricool Starter | $22 |
| Later Starter | $25 (30 posts / profile cap) |
| Buffer Essentials | $42 |
| Hootsuite Advanced | $249 |
| Sprout Professional | $299 |

Market floor for "connect everything and post everywhere" is **$20–25 / mo**; the comfortable mid-market band is **$25–50 / mo**.

## Proposed Postflow pricing

Postflow's edge is simplicity: one composer, no per-channel maths, every major platform (incl. Threads, TikTok photo posts and YouTube uploads that several rivals still gate behind higher tiers). Price to undercut Buffer for the same channel count while staying above Metricool so it doesn't read as a toy.

| Tier | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| **Free** | $0 | 2 channels, 10 scheduled posts / mo, Postflow watermark-free (it's just a queue) |
| **Creator** | **$15 / mo** (or $144 / yr) | All 7 platforms for 1 brand, unlimited posts, scheduling, media library, 1 user |
| **Studio** | **$39 / mo** (or $390 / yr) | 5 brands, 3 users, approvals, best-time suggestions, basic analytics |
| **Agency** | **$99 / mo** | 20 brands, 10 users, client-facing queue links, white-label |

Add-ons: extra brand $7 / mo, extra user $5 / mo.

### Why these numbers
- $15 is under Buffer's 3-channel price ($18) yet covers 7 channels — a clear "everything for the price of three" story.
- $39 sits between Buffer Team (~$84 for 7 channels) and Metricool Advanced ($54) with a smaller brand count, so it's simpler to explain.
- $99 matches Buffer Agency on the low end of agency tools while beating Hootsuite Standard ($99 for only 5 channels) outright.

### Unit cost check
Platform APIs are free at these volumes (X free tier: 1,500 posts / mo; Meta, TikTok, LinkedIn, Google: no per-call fee). Hosting this Node app for hundreds of users fits on a $20 / mo VPS + ~$5 / mo object storage for media. Gross margin on Creator is > 85 % once past ~10 paying users.

### Launch offer
"Founding creator" — $10 / mo locked for life for the first 100 sign-ups. Cheap to give, strong word-of-mouth lever, and it's still above Metricool's free tier so the product never anchors at $0.