Two tiers, one difference: whose AI you use. Scheduler ($8/mo) gives you all 8 platforms, unlimited scheduling and the calendar on desktop, web and mobile — bring your own AI. Studio (from $11/mo) adds our AI Writing Studio that writes natively in 50+ languages (300 generations a month) and Sol, the in-app AI help chat. No per-channel fees, no per-seat maths, no watermarks — and every plan includes the desktop app AND the web app (beta).
If Smart Post Studio doesn't work for you within the first 30 days of your first paid charge, email support@smartpoststudio.com and we'll refund it. No questions, no hoop-jumping.Applies to subscription charges. AI top-up credits are one-time purchases and non-refundable except where required by law.
All five tools below let you schedule to Instagram, Facebook, Threads, X, TikTok and YouTube. Here's what 6 connected channels actually cost — LinkedIn pricing varies by tool.
| Smart Post Studio | Buffer Essentials | Later Starter | Metricool Starter | Hootsuite Pro | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost for 6 channels | $11–19/mo | $36/mo $6 × 6 channels |
$25/mo 1 social set |
$20/mo 5 profiles max |
$99/mo per user |
| Pricing model | Flat — everything included | Per channel | Per social set | Profile caps | Per user |
| Platforms included | All 7 (incl. LinkedIn) | Pay per channel | 1 social set / 8 profiles | 5 profiles | 10 channels |
| Media stays on your machine | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Native quality (no transcoding) | Yes | 1080p cap | Compresses | Compresses | Compresses |
| AI Writing Studio | Included | $10/mo add-on | Add-on | Add-on | Add-on |
| Free trial | 14 days | 14 days | 14 days | 15 days | 30 days |
Full head-to-heads: vs Buffer · vs Later · vs Hootsuite · all comparisons
Competitor prices from public pricing pages, current as of June 2026. All comparisons are per single user / single workspace. Enterprise tiers excluded.
No. The trial starts with no card on file. You only enter payment when you decide to keep going — pick a plan, pay, the app keeps working. If you don't pick a plan, the trial just expires and the app stops scheduling new posts. Your data stays put either way.
Every paid plan includes 300 AI generations per month — one generation is one AI request (a caption draft, a rewrite, a translation). The free trial includes 50. Need more? One-time top-up packs ($19) add +800 generations that never expire, roll over month to month, and are spent before your monthly allowance. There are no overage charges, ever: if you run out, the AI features simply pause until you top up or the month resets. Scheduling and publishing are never metered.
30-day money-back guarantee on every paid plan. If Smart Post Studio doesn't work for you within 30 days of your first paid charge, email support@smartpoststudio.com and we refund it. No questions, no hoop-jumping. Applies to subscription charges; AI top-up credits are one-time purchases and non-refundable except where required by law.
Your posts, drafts, brand profile, and connected accounts all live on your computer — not our cloud. Cancel and the data stays on your machine, exactly where it was. Reactivate later (same email, new license) and it's all still there. We only delete your billing record and license key on our end.
On your computer. When you schedule a post, Smart Post Studio publishes the media from your machine at posting time — no cloud storage, no compression, no "your video is processing." A few platform APIs require a brief pass-through relay; those files are deleted automatically (within 24 hours at most, typically minutes), and YouTube uploads go fully direct. Nothing is stored — that's the part that's different from Buffer / Later / Hootsuite, who keep your media in their cloud.
Yes. Cancel your current plan, start a new one on the period you want. A one-click upgrade flow is on the v1.2 roadmap. Until then, the manual swap takes about 90 seconds.
Multi-seat team accounts are on the v2.0 roadmap. Join the waitlist and we'll email you when it ships. Every current plan is single-user.