Leaving Buffer? sprkly is US$22.50 a month for one brand on 5 platforms. Buffer Essentials is US$30 for the same five, or US$25 paid yearly (as of October 2026). You can try sprkly with 5 accounts for 14 days, no card, then move over in three steps.
Why people leave Buffer
From our own signup on 2026-10-06. Prices as of October 2026.
- "$5 a channel" is the yearly price. Paid monthly, Essentials is US$6 a channel. Five channels cost US$30.
- The trial covers one channel. It is 14 days of Essentials on one channel, so you cannot test your whole brand.
- Better analytics are paid. Free has basic analytics. The advanced ones are on paid plans.
- To be fair: Buffer's free plan is a good one. It holds 10 scheduled posts per channel and refills. The reasons above are about price, not quality.
Switch in 3 steps
- Reconnect your accounts. Buffer calls a handle a "channel". sprkly calls it an "account". Same thing. Sign up and connect each one. Here is how to connect your accounts.
- Re-queue the next week. Copy only the next 7 days of posts into sprkly. Give each post its own time. Take each one out of the Buffer queue as you go, or it goes out twice.
- Keep Buffer until the first post lands. Wait for one sprkly post to go live on each platform. Then drop Buffer to its free plan or close it.
- Staying on a free plan? sprkly Free works much like Buffer Free. See what sprkly Free includes.
- On Power, we move your queue over for you.
sprkly vs Buffer, for a switch
| sprkly | Buffer | |
|---|---|---|
| Try it | 14 days of Power. 5 accounts, no card. | 14 days of Essentials on one channel. |
| One brand on 5 platforms | US$22.50 a month on Creator. | US$30 a month, or US$25 billed yearly. |
| Free plan | 3 accounts, 10 queued posts each. Refills. | 3 channels, 10 scheduled posts each. Refills. |
| Analytics | 30 days on Free. Up to 2 years and CSV on Creator. | Basic on Free. Advanced on paid plans. |
| Claude and ChatGPT | MCP on Creator, Power and the trial. Free has the REST API. | MCP and API on every plan, Free too. Listed in the Claude connectors. |
| Platforms and team | 5 platforms. No team seats yet. | 12 platforms. The Team plan has unlimited users. |
Prices are per month, billed monthly, as of October 2026. For every feature side by side, read sprkly vs Buffer.
Who should not switch
- You post to X, LinkedIn, Pinterest or Substack. sprkly does not have them. Bluesky is in private testing.
- You work as a team. Buffer's Team plan has unlimited users. sprkly has no team seats yet.
- You want MCP for free. Buffer has it on Free. sprkly has it on Creator and the trial.
- You pay yearly for 5 channels. At US$25, Buffer is close to our US$22.50. The saving may not be worth a move.
- You plan with templates. Buffer has an ideas board and 148 post templates.
Other Buffer alternatives
- Publer: 13 platforms and a free plan with credits to test paid tools. About US$24 for 5 accounts. Analytics and MCP are on Business only.
- Postiz: MCP, a CLI and AI video on every plan. US$29 for 5 channels. You add a card to try it.
- Metricool: prices per brand, not per handle. US$25 (€20) covers up to 5 brands. MCP on every plan, Free too.
FAQ
Is sprkly cheaper than Buffer?
For one brand on 5 platforms, paid monthly, yes: US$22.50 against US$30. Paid yearly, Buffer is US$25.
Does sprkly have a free plan like Buffer?
Yes, the same shape. 3 accounts, 10 queued posts per account, and a slot opens each time one goes out. No card.
Can I post from Claude, like with Buffer?
Yes, on Creator, Power and the 14-day trial. Buffer also has it on Free. sprkly Free has the REST API only.
Start your 14-day free trial. No card.