# Buffer vs Captains

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Captains at none against Buffer's 12. Buffer's advantage is chart position (#148 vs unranked) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, update cadence, ads and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

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

Buffer ships an update every 5 days, Captains every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Buffer | Captains |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (35K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/buffer-plan-and-schedule-posts/id490474324/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **35K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 54.2% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 days | **Every 3 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Best chart rank | **#148** | — |
| Size | 154 MB | 8 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **17.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Buffer, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/490474327) | [Simon Luo](https://appshunter.io/developer/1455732464) |

## What reviewers say

### Buffer

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

**Currently charting:** #148 Top Grossing · Social Networking, #209 Top Free · 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


### Captains

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/captains-video-challenges/id6760975485)

**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 Captains free?

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

### Do Buffer or Captains have ads?

Neither Buffer nor Captains shows ads.

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

Buffer ships an update every 5 days, and Captains every 3 days. Most recently, Buffer was updated on October 13, 2026 and Captains on October 3, 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.*