# Buffer vs Planable

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Planable at none against Buffer's 12. Planable also leads on iOS requirement (16.6 vs 18.0). Buffer's advantage is review sentiment (55% vs 28%) and ratings volume (34K vs 220). On price, rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Buffer sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Planable asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Buffer against 4.7 for Planable. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Buffer has 34K ratings behind it against 220, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 55% of Buffer's written reviews are positive against 28% of Planable's.

Buffer ships an update weekly, Planable fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Buffer | Planable |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (34K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/buffer-plan-and-schedule-posts/id490474324/reviews) | [4.7 (220 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/planable-social-media-planner/id1437715174/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **34K** | 220 |
| Positive reviews | **54.6% of reviews** | 27.6% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Fortnightly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#132** | — |
| Size | 154 MB | 81 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **16.6** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Buffer, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/490474327) | [Planable Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1437715173) |

## What reviewers say

### Buffer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/buffer-plan-and-schedule-posts/id490474324)

**Currently charting:** #132 Top Grossing · Social Networking (US App Store)

Streamline your social media presence by planning, scheduling, and publishing content across multiple platforms from one app. Engage with your audience and track performance with insightful analytics. Ideal for creators looking to grow their online presence efficiently.

**Highlights:** Cross-platform posting, Content scheduling, Idea organization, Performance analytics, Calendar view, Apple Watch app

**Features:** Apple Watch app

**In-app purchases (11)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Essentials - 1 Channel | $5.99 | per month |
| Essentials+Team: 1 Channel | $11.99 | per month |
| Essentials - 2 Channels | $11.99 | per month |
| Pro for 1 Month | $14.99 | per month |
| Essentials - 3 Channels | $17.99 | per month |
| Essentials - 4 Channels | $23.99 | per month |
| Essentials - 5 Channels | $29.99 | per month |
| Essentials - 6 Channels | $35.99 | per month |
| Small Business | $99.99 | per month |
| Small Business for 1 Month | $99.99 | per month |
| Pro for 1 Year | $144.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 💻 Easy to use
- 🕰️ Convenient scheduling
- 🔍 Helpful for social media management
- 🤖 Automated posting
- 📈 Improved engagement and growth

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Stability issues and bugs
- 🔗 Unreliable platform integrations
- 📸 Limited image/video handling capabilities
- 🔒 Frustrating login/authentication problems
- 💰 Expensive paid plans

**Reported bugs**

- Drafts not registering in visual calendar
- Inability to reorder scheduled posts
- Inconsistent behavior between mobile and desktop versions
- Automatic posting not working as expected
- Issues with image/video quality and formatting

**Requested features**

- Add support for Twitter threads
- Improve visual planning and calendar view
- Integrate with more platforms like Slack and Discord
- Allow more customization and control over posts
- Provide better analytics and performance insights


### Planable

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/planable-social-media-planner/id1437715174)

This app streamlines social media content creation, planning, and scheduling across multiple platforms. It offers collaborative review tools, AI-powered suggestions, and various post preview options to help users manage their social media strategy efficiently.

**Highlights:** Content planning and scheduling, Post preview in multiple views, Publish to 9 platforms, AI-powered content suggestions, Team collaboration and approval, Bulk scheduling, Real-time feedback and comments

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Buffer free?

Buffer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Planable free?

Planable is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Buffer or Planable?

Buffer and Planable are both rated 4.7 out of 5 on the App Store, from 34K and 220 ratings respectively.

### Do Buffer or Planable have ads?

Neither Buffer nor Planable shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Buffer or Planable?

Buffer ships an update weekly, and Planable fortnightly. Most recently, Buffer was updated on September 26, 2026 and Planable on September 23, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*