What Publer Is and What It Does Well
Publer is a social media scheduler. You write posts, attach media, and Publer publishes them on a calendar or from a queue. According to Publer's list of supported networks, it covers 13 destinations as of October 2026: Facebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Google Business Profile, YouTube, TikTok, Threads, Bluesky, Mastodon, Telegram and WordPress.
Its reputation rests on two things. The first is price: the paid plans start at $5 a month for one social account. The second is automation for people with a lot of content. On paid plans you can upload up to 500 posts at once from a CSV file, connect RSS feeds so new blog articles are shared for you, and on the Business plan recycle evergreen posts on a schedule. Publer's plans and pricing article lists what each plan includes.
If you run a blog, a newsletter, a shop or several client accounts, those features save real hours and Publer is hard to beat for the money. An app founder is usually in a different situation: you build an app, you have accounts on a few networks, and there is nothing in the queue to automate. Spreadcast is built for that case. It designs the posts, writes the captions and publishes them for you.
Why App Founders Look for a Publer Alternative
Every automation in Publer starts from content that already exists. Bulk scheduling needs a spreadsheet of finished captions and media links. Recycling needs a library of evergreen posts. RSS needs a feed of articles. Per Publer's guide to RSS feeds, the automation picks up new articles from a blog or news feed and then posts or schedules them, each one once.
An indie app rarely has any of those. What it has is events. A new version goes live with release notes that Apple lets you write up to 4,000 characters long, per App Store Connect's version information. A stranger leaves a 5 star review. The rating count passes 1,000. Each one is a reason to post, and each one needs a designed image and a short caption before any scheduler can touch it.
That design step is where founders stall. Writing release notes people read is already extra work, and turning them into a square or portrait graphic with the app's screenshot is another half hour. Publer's AI Assist can draft the caption, but someone still has to notice the release, open Publer, describe it in a prompt and attach an image. Spreadcast does every one of those steps for you: it notices the release, designs the post, writes the caption and publishes it.
Publer vs Spreadcast: Feature by Feature
Publer facts come from Publer's help center and plans page, checked on October 11, 2026. The rows start with the work of making a post, because that is where the two tools differ most.
| Publer | Spreadcast | |
|---|---|---|
| What the tool does | Schedules and publishes posts you create, one at a time or hundreds at once. | Spreadcast checks your App Store listing every day, designs a post for each app event and publishes it for you. |
| Who makes the post | You, a CSV file you prepared, an RSS feed of articles, or your own recycled posts. | Spreadcast designs the post and writes a caption for each network, from a new version, a new 5 star review, a rating milestone, or a feature of the app in a week with no update. |
| The image | You bring it. Publer has a photo editor, a Canva button and AI image generation from a prompt. | Spreadcast designs it from the icon, screenshots and colors on your listing, as a 1080 by 1350 still image. |
| Your time per post | You notice the release, write the caption, make or prompt the image and schedule it. | One tap to approve, or nothing on full autopilot. |
| AI help | AI Assist writes and rewrites text and generates images from your prompt. It is active on Business, or on other plans with your own OpenAI account. | No prompt needed, on every plan. Spreadcast writes and designs the post from the release notes, the review or the milestone. |
| Price for 8 networks | $32 a month on Professional or $56 on Business for 8 accounts billed monthly, and $25.60 or $44.80 billed yearly. You still make every post. | $29 a month flat on Pro for 1 app, with design, captions and publishing to all 8 networks included. |
| Setup | Connect each account, then write posts, prepare a CSV or point it at an RSS feed. | Paste one App Store link and connect your accounts. No SDK, no code and no access to your developer account. |
| Free plan | 3 social accounts (X excluded), 10 scheduled posts per account at a time, publishing included. | 1 app, with no end date. Spreadcast designs a post for every update, review and milestone, ready to download with a small Spreadcast mark. Publishing for you starts on Pro. |
| Who approves a post | You or a teammate schedule every post. | You choose: one tap approval for each post, or full autopilot. A post that quotes a reviewer always waits for you. |
| Bulk upload and recycling | Yes. Up to 500 posts from a CSV on paid plans, and post recycling on Business. | Not needed, there is nothing to upload: Spreadcast makes each post as the event happens. |
| Networks | 13, including YouTube, Google Business Profile, Telegram, Mastodon and WordPress. | 11, all included in the one price: Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook, Threads, Pinterest, Bluesky, Mastodon, Telegram and Discord, plus YouTube for video posts. |
| Teams and clients | Unlimited workspaces on paid plans, extra members for a fee, approval workflows on Business. | Studio covers 5 apps, each with its own brand, and 3 seats for $79 a month. Approval is one tap inside your team. Keep Publer Business if clients have to sign off. |
| Analytics | Yes, on the Business plan: reports, best times to post and competitor analysis. | Basic post stats. Keep Publer Business beside it if you need reports. |
Publer Features in 2026: What Each One Does and What Spreadcast Does Instead
Publer's features fall into seven areas. Each card gives the specifics from Publer's help center as of October 2026, the plan the feature sits on, and what an app founder gets from Spreadcast for the same job.
Bulk Scheduling: Up to 500 Posts at Once
Paid plans can create up to 500 posts in one go, and Publer's bulk scheduling guide lists six ways to do it: blank posts, a bulk upload of up to 500 photos, videos or GIFs that each become a post, a CSV file, the media library, an RSS feed and trending articles. The Free plan creates 5 posts at a time. All six start from material you already have. Spreadcast starts from an event on your App Store listing and designs one post for it, so there is no file to prepare.
RSS Automations: New Blog Articles Shared for You
From the Professional plan you can connect as many feeds as you like. Publer picks up each new article and posts it or schedules it, once per article, and only articles published after you connect the feed are automated, per Publer's guide to RSS feeds. That suits a blog well. A new app version is not a blog article, so it reaches a feed only if you also write it up on your site. Spreadcast reads the version history and the release notes on the listing itself.
Recycling and Recurring Posts: Evergreen Content on Repeat
Both are Business plan features. A recycled post returns to your posting schedule every week, month or year, and it can be paused or set to expire after a number of shares. A recurring post repeats at an exact time, daily at most, and needs a start and an end date. Publer's comparison of recycling and recurring posts adds two limits: neither works for YouTube, TikTok or WordPress, and X, Pinterest and Google Business Profile need 10 or more text variations of a post. Spreadcast does not repeat old posts. In a week with no update it drafts a new one about a feature of the app.
AI Assist: Text and Images From Your Prompt
AI Assist opens as a chat panel beside the composer. It generates text, rephrases or completes what you wrote and generates images, and a reply runs to about 1,300 characters by default. Publer's AI Assist article says it is switched on with the Business plan, or on Free and Professional once you connect your own OpenAI key. Either way you describe the update in a prompt and check the picture. Spreadcast takes the facts from the listing and places your real screenshots in the design, so the image shows the app as it is.
Analytics: Reports, Best Times and Competitors
Analytics are part of Business. Publer pulls metrics through each network's official API, includes posts published outside Publer once they are synced, and exports reports as PDF, Excel or CSV, per Publer's analytics overview. A best times chart reads your posts of the past week and suggests slots, and separate views cover hashtags and competitors. Publer does more here. Spreadcast shows basic post stats, so keep Publer Business beside it if reporting is part of your job.
Workspaces, Member Roles and Approval Workflows
Paid plans allow any number of workspaces, one per brand or client, each with its own accounts, members and media. Members are Editors, Admins or Clients, and a Client can be limited to reading and approving posts, per Publer's guide to member roles. Roles, permission levels and approval workflows are listed under Business. Spreadcast Studio is simpler: 5 apps, each with its own brand, 3 seats, and one tap to approve a post.
Linkie: Publer's Link in Bio Page
Linkie is a link in bio page you can connect to each social account, and the Free plan includes it. Posts you publish through Publer can be added to the page with their own destination link, per Publer's Linkie article. Seeing Linkie insights inside Publer needs a Linkie Plus plan. An app usually needs one link in the bio, the one to its App Store page.
Video: How to Schedule Posts in Bulk With Publer's CSV File
Publer's own walkthrough of the bulk scheduling card above, column by column.
A Worked Week: Your App Ships Version 2.4 on Tuesday
An example with an invented app. The Publer column uses the tools Publer's help center describes: the composer, the Canva button, AI Assist and AutoSchedule. The Spreadcast column assumes you pasted your App Store link and connected your accounts beforehand.
| When | What you do in Publer | What happens in Spreadcast |
|---|---|---|
| Tuesday: version 2.4 is live | Publer has no way to know. Its RSS automations watch blog feeds, and the release is not in one. | Spreadcast checks the listing that day, sees the new version and reads its release notes. |
| Tuesday: the image | You open the Canva button or the photo editor and build a portrait graphic around a screenshot, or prompt AI Assist for a picture on Business. | Spreadcast lays out your own screenshot, your icon and your colors as a 1080 by 1350 image. |
| Tuesday: the caption | You write it, or describe the release to AI Assist, then adjust the text for each network in the composer. | Spreadcast condenses the notes to two or three points and writes one caption per network. |
| Tuesday: scheduling | You select your 8 accounts and pick a time, or let AutoSchedule use your posting schedule. | The post lands in the next open slot on the calendar. One tap approves it, and full autopilot skips the tap. |
| Thursday: a 5 star review comes in | You find it in App Store Connect, get the reviewer's permission, design a quote card and schedule it. | Spreadcast drafts the review post and waits for you, since it quotes a reviewer. |
| Saturday: the average rating reaches 4.8 | Nobody is watching the number on a weekend. | Spreadcast makes a thank you post. Showing the rating alone needs no approval. |
| Next week: no release | Recycling on Business can repeat an old post. A new one needs you. | Spreadcast drafts a post about one feature of the app. |
Version 2.4, the review and the 4.8 average are an example. For what a finished post of this kind looks like, see our app update announcement examples.
Publer Pricing in 2026 Next to Spreadcast Pricing
Publer prices by the number of social accounts you connect, and the price covers scheduling and publishing. Spreadcast prices by the number of apps, includes all 8 networks, and the price covers designing the post, writing the captions and publishing. Publer Professional costs less for a few accounts. From 8 accounts on Professional ($32 a month) or 5 accounts on Business ($35 a month), Publer costs more than Spreadcast Pro at $29 on monthly billing, before anyone has made a post.
| Plan or setup | Publer | Spreadcast |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | $0: 1 user, 3 social accounts without X, 10 scheduled posts per account, 25 drafts, 24 hour post history | $0: 1 app. Every post designed for you, ready to download, with a small Spreadcast mark |
| First paid plan | Professional: from $5 a month for 1 account. Unlimited scheduling, X, bulk scheduling, RSS automations. 7 day trial | Pro: $29 a month flat. 1 app, clean posts, with design, captions and publishing to all 8 networks included |
| Next plan up | Business: from $10 a month for 1 account. Adds analytics, recycling, unlimited AI prompts, approval workflows. 14 day trial | Studio: $79 a month. 5 apps, each with its own brand, 3 seats |
| Discounts | 20% off with yearly billing, and every 10th account is free | One flat price per plan |
Starting prices, trials and discounts are from Publer's plans and pricing article. The totals by number of accounts are in the next table. Spreadcast plans are on the Spreadcast pricing page.
Publer Pricing by Number of Social Accounts: Monthly and Yearly
Publer pricing is set by a selector: you choose a plan and a number of social accounts, and the total updates. These are the totals it showed in US dollars on October 11, 2026, before tax. The yearly columns give the price per month when you pay for 12 months at once, which takes 20% off. Spreadcast Pro sits in the second column for the same number of networks.
| Social accounts | Spreadcast Pro, posts designed and published | Publer Professional, monthly | Publer Professional, yearly | Publer Business, monthly | Publer Business, yearly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $29 flat, or $0 on Free with drafts to download | $5 | $4 | $10 | $8 |
| 3 | $29 flat | $12 | $9.60 | $21 | $16.80 |
| 5 | $29 flat | $20 | $16 | $35 | $28 |
| 8 | $29 flat for all 8 networks | $32 | $25.60 | $56 | $44.80 |
| 10 | $29 flat, covers its 8 networks | $36 | $28.80 | $63 | $50.40 |
Ten accounts cost the same as nine because every tenth account is free. Publer's help center says subscribers keep the price they signed up at if prices rise later, and its list of accepted payment methods covers cards, PayPal, purchase orders and wire transfers. Extra team members are priced separately in the same selector.
What 8 Networks Cost on Publer Against Spreadcast Pro at $29 Flat
Spreadcast Pro publishes to 8 networks for $29 a month. Connect the same 8 accounts to Publer and the selector showed $32 a month on Professional billed monthly. That is $3 more than Spreadcast ($32 minus $29), or $36 over a year ($3 times 12), for publishing alone.
Professional has no analytics, and no AI Assist unless you bring your own OpenAI key. The Publer plan that includes both is Business, at $56 a month for 8 accounts: $27 above Spreadcast Pro each month ($56 minus $29) and $324 above it over a year ($27 times 12).
Yearly billing is where Publer wins on dollars. Professional for 8 accounts billed yearly works out to $25.60 a month, $3.40 under Spreadcast Pro, while Business is $44.80, still $15.80 over. For 1 to 5 accounts Professional is cheaper on either billing cycle, at $20 a month for 5.
So compare what each price buys. Publer's buys a place to schedule posts that already exist. Spreadcast's $29 buys the posts themselves: the design, a caption for each network and the publishing. If each post would otherwise take you half an hour, that time is the real price, and the real cost of designing social posts by hand adds it up.
Publer Free Plan Next to Spreadcast Free Plan
Both tools are free to start and neither free plan expires. Publer Free schedules posts you made. Spreadcast Free designs the posts for you, which makes it the better free Publer alternative when the queue is empty.
| What you get for $0 | Publer Free | Spreadcast Free |
|---|---|---|
| Made for | Scheduling posts you already wrote | Spreadcast designs every post about your app for you |
| Who designs the image | You | Spreadcast, from your App Store listing |
| Accounts or apps | 3 social accounts | 1 app |
| X accounts | Not on the free plan | Drafts work anywhere, since you post them yourself |
| Publishing for you | Yes, up to 10 scheduled posts per account at a time | Starts on Pro. On Free you download the finished post and publish it yourself |
| Branding on posts | None | A small Spreadcast mark |
| Bulk upload by CSV | 5 posts at a time | Not needed, Spreadcast makes each post for you |
Publer limits are from Publer's free plan article and its note on CSV uploads. On the free plan Publer also asks that a Pinterest account have 100 followers or a claimed website before you connect it.
Publer Pros and Cons in 2026
A fair Publer review comes down to three things: low prices, strong bulk tools, and analytics and AI kept for the higher plan. Each line below is taken from Publer's own help center, so you can check it.
| Area | Publer pros | Publer cons |
|---|---|---|
| Price | From $5 a month for one account, $12 for 3 and $20 for 5 on Professional, and every tenth account is free | The total rises with each account: 8 accounts are $32 on Professional and $56 on Business |
| Free plan | 3 accounts with 10 scheduled posts each and no end date, plus the Canva button, a photo editor and a link in bio page | No X accounts, 25 drafts, and published posts are kept for 24 hours |
| Making the post | AI Assist writes text and generates images | It needs the Business plan or your own OpenAI key, and it starts from your prompt |
| Bulk and automation | 500 posts per upload, RSS automations, recycling and recurring posts | Recycling and recurring posts need Business, and Publer applies daily post limits to each account |
| Networks | 13 destinations, with Telegram, WordPress, Mastodon and Bluesky | X needs a paid plan, and on the Free plan a Pinterest account needs 100 followers or a claimed website |
| Analytics | Reports in PDF, Excel or CSV, best times to post, hashtag and competitor analysis | All of it sits on Business, from $10 a month for one account |
| Teams | Any number of workspaces on paid plans, with Editor, Admin and Client roles | Each extra member is paid, and approval workflows are listed under Business |
| Billing | A pause of 1 to 3 months, a full refund within 14 days of a web payment, and PayPal accepted | A trial needs a card or PayPal, and dropping to Free deletes every scheduled post |
| API | An API and an MCP server for Business customers in good standing | No public API open to every customer |
Plan contents are from Publer's plans and pricing article and Publer's Business plan article, read on October 11, 2026. The billing rows are explained in the cancelling section below.
How Spreadcast Makes a Post From Your App Store Listing
There is no SDK to add and nothing to install in the app. The whole setup is a link and a few account connections.
- Step 1
Give It the Link to Your App
Paste your App Store link on the start page. Spreadcast reads what anyone can see on the listing: icon, screenshots, description, version history, ratings and reviews. It never asks for access to your developer account. Google Play is planned next and does not work yet.
- Step 2
It Builds Your Look From the Listing
Colors are read from the icon and your own screenshots are placed in the design. If the app has a website, the logo and fonts come from there. The brand kit screen shows the logo, colors and screenshots it will use.
- Step 3
A Release, Review or Milestone Becomes a Post
Spreadcast checks the listing daily. A new version turns into an update announcement with the release notes cut to two or three points. A new 5 star review or a mark such as a 4.8 average turns into a thank you post. If a week passes with no update, it drafts a post about one feature of the app.
- Step 4
You Approve, or You Let It Publish
Every post lands in the next open slot on the calendar with a separate caption for each network. Choose approve first to tap yes on each one, or full autopilot to skip that step. Posts that only show your rating can go out without you. Posts that quote a reviewer's words always wait.
Can You Use Publer and Spreadcast Together?
Yes. They do different jobs, so running both is a sensible setup for a small app studio. Each tool publishes only what sits on its own calendar, and both can be connected to the same Instagram or LinkedIn account.
A split that works: Spreadcast Pro posts everything that comes from the app, and Publer shares everything else. If you write a blog, point Publer's RSS automation at it. If you have a set of tips, load them with a CSV. Publer Professional for 3 accounts plus Spreadcast Pro came to $41 a month at the prices above ($12 plus $29). Check both calendars now and then so an update announcement and a blog link do not go out in the same hour. A shared social media content calendar habit helps here.
You can also start at $0. Spreadcast Free designs the post and gives it to you as a download, and Publer Free will schedule it on up to 3 accounts. Three things to know: no X on Publer's free plan, 10 scheduled posts per account, and a small Spreadcast mark on the image.
Whichever tool sends the post, Apple's rule on reviews applies. Its ratings and reviews guidance allows your current rating in marketing and allows a customer's review only when the reviewer has given permission. Spreadcast holds review quotes for your approval because of that rule. Our guide on how to get App Store reviews explains how to ask.
Publer API Pricing and the Publer MCP Server
Publer API pricing has no line of its own. Publer's API documentation says the API is available exclusively to Business and Enterprise customers, so what the API costs is what Business costs: from $10 a month for one account billed monthly, and $56 a month for eight, per the table above. You generate a key in Settings, under Access & Login, then API Keys. Each request carries the key as a Bearer API token, some also need a workspace ID header, and the limit is 100 requests every 2 minutes per user.
The Publer MCP server arrived on September 28, 2026. Publer's MCP announcement says it comes with the Business plan, so Free and Professional users upgrade first. You open Settings, go to AI & Automations, then MCP, generate an API key, copy the server address and add it as a connection in ChatGPT, Claude or another assistant that speaks MCP. From the chat, the assistant can read your calendar, find gaps, draft posts in your saved tone of voice, schedule them, compare performance across accounts and periods, and pull competitor data into a report. The announcement adds that your social account credentials are not shared with the assistant, and that you can disconnect it at any time.
Spreadcast has an MCP server too, at spreadcast.app/api/mcp, and the two answer different questions. Publer's MCP lets an assistant run a calendar of posts you already have and read their numbers. Spreadcast's lets Claude or ChatGPT design posts and carousels in your app's brand, with your icon, colors, fonts and screenshots in an iPhone frame, write a caption for each network and save them as drafts for you to approve. See the social media MCP server page for the tools it exposes, and the best social media MCP servers for the other servers worth comparing.
Video: Managing Publer From ChatGPT With Publer MCP
How to Cancel Publer or Switch From Publer to Spreadcast
These steps follow Publer's help center as of October 11, 2026. Read the first one before you click anything, because a downgrade in Publer deletes scheduled posts.
- Step 1
Know What a Downgrade Deletes
When a paid plan ends and the account drops to Free, all scheduled posts are lost. Moving from Business to Professional removes recycling and recurring posts. Copy anything you want to keep before you start. Both warnings are in Publer's guide to upgrading and downgrading.
- Step 2
Consider a Pause Instead
A paid subscription can be paused for 1, 2 or 3 months. Nothing is charged, posts and data are kept, and the plan resumes by itself after a reminder 7 days ahead. A trial cannot be paused, and neither can a subscription bought through Apple, per Publer's guide to pausing a subscription.
- Step 3
Cancel Under Settings, Then Billing
Open the profile menu, go to Settings, then Billing, click Cancel or pause subscription, choose Cancel Subscription and confirm. The plan keeps working until the end of the paid period, and for 24 hours you can resubscribe without losing data, per Publer's cancellation guide. A subscription bought in the mobile app is cancelled through Apple or Google.
- Step 4
Ask for a Refund by Email or Live Chat
Publer's refund policy gives a full refund within 14 days of each web payment. After that you can still get the unused remainder back, prorated and without the yearly discount. Refunds are issued by hand, so you write to support. Purchases made through Apple are refunded by Apple, and Google Play purchases only within 14 days.
- Step 5
Delete the Account if You Want Everything Gone
Go to Settings, then Account, then Delete account. An active subscription is cancelled with it. Publer keeps a 7 day grace period: log in again within a week and the account is restored with its data. Posts already published stay on your social profiles, per Publer's guide to deleting an account.
- Step 6
Paste Your App Store Link Into Spreadcast
Spreadcast does not import a queue, because it makes its own posts. Paste the link at the start page, connect your accounts and pick approve first or full autopilot. The Free plan drafts every post, so you can set the designs next to what you were making for Publer before you pay.
Is Publer Safe and Legit?
Publer is a paid scheduling product with public prices, a refund policy in writing and a help center that dates each article. Whether Publer is safe for your accounts comes down to a few things you can check yourself.
Start with the login. Publer supports two factor authentication with an authenticator app and backup codes, and the owner of a workspace can require it for every member, per Publer's guide to two factor authentication. Web payments are processed by Paddle and PayPro Global and payments in the mobile apps by Apple and Google, per Publer's list of accepted payment methods. Support answers by live chat and email around the clock from Monday to Friday, with limited cover on weekends and holidays, per Publer's support article.
Two cautions. A free trial needs a card or a PayPal account. And as the steps above explain, dropping to the Free plan deletes scheduled posts, so pause the subscription if you plan to come back. On the App Store side, Spreadcast reads only your public listing and never asks for access to your developer account.
Publer Free Video Downloader and Media Downloader: What It Is and Is It Safe?
Many searches for Publer are not about scheduling. People look for the Publer free video downloader, the media downloader, or a way to download YouTube videos, Shorts, Instagram Reels or TikTok videos with Publer. That tool is real. Publer's guide to its free media downloader says it works with Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, LinkedIn, X and YouTube as well as other media sites, and needs only the address of a public post: you paste it and press Download. It saves one file at a time, cannot save photos from Facebook, only videos, and some YouTube and Instagram media stays blocked by privacy settings. The quality you get is whatever the network allows. Inside a Publer account the same links can be pasted in bulk as media for new posts.
Is Publer safe to download videos with? The downloader asks only for a public link, not for a login to your accounts, so the real question is the files. YouTube's Terms of Service do not allow anyone to download content except where YouTube itself offers it or with permission from YouTube and the rights holders, and a creator's TikTok or Reel stays theirs after you save it. So use a downloader for your own posts, for media you have a license to, or for clips you have permission to reuse, and leave the rest alone, whichever tool you use.
For an app founder a downloader solves the wrong problem, because the media you share about your own app should come from your own listing anyway. Spreadcast takes the screenshots from your App Store page, so there is nothing to download, and our free App Store screenshot size checker tells you whether a file you made yourself fits Apple's sizes.
For a ranked list of other tools people move to from Publer, with prices from each vendor, see the best Publer alternatives, and for the most common pairing, Publer vs Buffer.
When to Choose Publer Instead of Spreadcast
Publer is the better pick in a few specific cases, and in most of them the two tools work side by side: keep Publer for the content you already have and let Spreadcast run the recurring app posts.
You Have a Backlog of Content
Fifty tips, a year of blog posts, a folder of product photos. Publer's CSV upload and queue will schedule all of it in an afternoon. Spreadcast makes new posts from your app, so the backlog stays with Publer.
You Publish a Blog or a Newsletter
Publer's RSS automations share each new article for you. Spreadcast watches your App Store listing, so run Publer for the blog and Spreadcast for the app.
You Manage Clients or Many Brands
Unlimited workspaces, paid member seats and approval workflows are built for agencies. Spreadcast Studio covers 5 apps and 3 seats.
You Need Video or YouTube
Publer schedules videos, Reels and Shorts and reaches 13 destinations. Spreadcast makes still image posts for 8 networks, so keep Publer for the videos you film.
Publer vs Buffer: Which Scheduler to Pick if You Want a Scheduler
Plenty of people comparing Publer alternatives are really choosing between Publer and Buffer. If you have content and need a scheduler, these are the differences that matter, as of October 2026.
| Question | Publer | Buffer |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan size | 3 social accounts, 10 scheduled posts each | 3 channels, 10 scheduled posts each |
| X on the free plan | No | Yes |
| Price for one account, billed monthly | $5 on Professional | $6 on Essentials |
| Analytics | Business plan, from $10 a month | 30 days of history on Free, full history and reports on Essentials |
| AI writing help | On Business, or with your own OpenAI account | Included on every plan, the free one too |
| RSS automations | Yes, on paid plans | Through a Zapier connection, per Buffer's note on RSS feeds |
| Bulk upload by CSV | Up to 500 posts on paid plans, 5 on Free | Up to 100 posts per channel per file on paid plans, 10 on Free, text and single image posts only |
| Price for 8 accounts, billed monthly | $32 on Professional, $56 on Business | $48 on Essentials, $96 on Team |
| What happens to your queue when you cancel | Scheduled posts are deleted when the account drops to Free | Queued posts on your 3 active channels still publish |
| API | Only for approved Business and Enterprise customers | On every plan, with 3,000 requests a month on Free |
| Networks | 13, with Telegram and WordPress | 12, with Substack |
| Extra teammates | Paid per added member | Unlimited users on the Team plan |
Buffer facts are from Buffer's pricing page, Buffer's bulk upload guide and Buffer's guide to downgrading. Publer's API terms are in Publer's Business plan article. Short version: pick Publer for bulk work, RSS and the lowest price per account. Pick Buffer for X on the free plan, AI and analytics without the higher tier, and an open API. We compare Buffer on its own page: Buffer alternative.
Publer vs Metricool, Hootsuite, Later, SocialBee and Sprout Social: Short Answers
The other head to head searches around Publer alternatives, answered in one line each. Starting prices come from each vendor's own pricing page, read on October 11, 2026. Spreadcast, which we make, is in the first row.
| Comparison | What the other tool costs to start | Stay with Publer if | Pick the other tool if |
|---|---|---|---|
| Publer vs Spreadcast | A free plan that drafts every post, then $29 a month flat with design, captions and publishing to 8 networks | You have a backlog, a blog feed or videos to schedule | You have an app on the App Store and want the posts designed and published for you |
| Publer vs Metricool | Free for 1 brand and 20 posts a month without LinkedIn or X, then from $25 a month billed monthly, per Metricool's pricing page | You count accounts and dollars, or you upload in bulk | Analytics on a free plan matter most. See our Metricool comparison |
| Publer vs Hootsuite | $99 per user a month on annual billing, with no free plan, per Hootsuite's plans page | One or two people schedule the posts | A team shares one inbox for messages and needs monitoring. See our Hootsuite comparison |
| Publer vs Later | $25 a month billed monthly for 1 social set and 30 posts per profile, per Later's pricing page | You post to X, Bluesky, Telegram or Mastodon, which Later does not list | Instagram and TikTok come first and you plan the grid by eye. See our Later comparison |
| Publer vs SocialBee | $29 a month billed monthly for 5 profiles, with no free plan, per SocialBee's pricing page | You want a free plan or the lowest price: 5 accounts are $20 on Professional | Evergreen posts sorted into recycling categories are the core of your plan |
| Publer vs Sprout Social | From $79 per seat a month on annual billing for up to 5 profiles, and $199 per seat for the Standard plan, per Sprout Social's pricing page | Your budget is counted in tens of dollars a month | A larger team wants a shared inbox, keyword monitoring and review management in one suite |
For more schedulers in this price range, including two open source tools, see our roundup of the best Buffer alternatives.
Publer vs RecurPost: Which Is the Better Publer Alternative for Recycling?
RecurPost is the Publer alternative Google suggests by name, and the two differ most on evergreen posts. Publer recycles post by post on Business, while RecurPost is built around libraries that repeat. RecurPost facts come from RecurPost's pricing page and Publer facts from the tables above, read on October 17, 2026.
| Question | Publer | RecurPost |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes: 3 accounts, 10 scheduled posts per account, no X | No permanent free plan |
| Trial | 7 days on Professional, 14 on Business, with a card or PayPal | 14 days on every self serve plan, no card |
| Entry price | From $5 a month for 1 account on Professional | $9 a month for 2 accounts on Starter |
| 5 accounts, billed monthly | $20 on Professional, $35 on Business | $25 on Personal, with 20 posts per account a day |
| Evergreen recycling | Business only: a post repeats every week, month or year, not on YouTube, TikTok or WordPress | Evergreen libraries on every plan, with CSV imports on every plan too |
| Extra accounts | Priced by the selector, every tenth account free | $4 a month each |
| Approvals | Business, with member roles | Agency at $79 a month, for 20 accounts and 3 users |
| Pick it if | You want a free plan, the lowest price for 1 to 5 accounts, or bulk uploads of 500 posts | A library of evergreen posts is the core of your plan and you want it on the cheapest plan |
Neither tool designs posts for an app. If the thing you post about is a release or a review, Spreadcast makes the post from your App Store listing, and our best SocialBee alternatives page compares RecurPost with the other recycling tools in more depth.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Publer?
Publer is a social media scheduling tool. You create posts and it publishes them to 13 destinations, including Facebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn, TikTok, Pinterest, YouTube, Threads and Bluesky. It is known for bulk scheduling from a CSV file, RSS automations and a low price per social account. Publer's plans and pricing article describes each plan.
Is Publer free?
Yes, Publer has a free plan with no end date. It includes 1 user, 3 social accounts, 10 scheduled posts per account at a time, 25 saved drafts and a 24 hour history of published posts. X accounts cannot be connected on the free plan, and analytics, RSS automations and full bulk scheduling are paid features, per Publer's free plan article.
How much does Publer cost?
Professional starts at $5 a month and Business at $10 a month, each for one social account and one user, and the total rises with each account you add. On October 11, 2026 the selector on Publer's plans page showed $32 a month for 8 accounts on Professional and $56 on Business. Yearly billing takes 20% off and every tenth account is free. For comparison, Spreadcast Pro is $29 a month flat for 8 networks with the posts designed, captioned and published.
Is there a free Publer alternative?
If your account is for an app, start with Spreadcast Free: it designs a post for every update, review and milestone and gives it to you to download. For scheduling posts you made yourself, Buffer's free plan is the closest: 3 channels, 10 scheduled posts each, and X is allowed. Metricool's free plan covers 1 brand and 20 scheduled posts a month but leaves out LinkedIn and X, according to Metricool's pricing page. Our Buffer alternatives roundup covers more free and open source options.
Is Publer better than Buffer?
Publer is better for bulk uploads, RSS automations, recycling and price per account ($5 against $6 for one account billed monthly). Buffer is better if you want X on the free plan, AI help and analytics without moving to a higher tier, or an API on every plan. Both free plans cover 3 accounts with 10 scheduled posts each.
Is Publer safe and legit?
Publer is a paid scheduling product with public prices and a written refund policy. It supports two factor authentication, which a workspace owner can require for every member, per Publer's guide to two factor authentication, and web payments run through Paddle and PayPro Global. The thing to watch is your data: dropping from a paid plan to Free deletes all scheduled posts.
How do I cancel my Publer subscription?
Go to Settings, then Billing, click Cancel or pause subscription, choose Cancel Subscription and confirm. The plan stays active until the end of the paid period, and scheduled posts are lost once the account drops to Free, per Publer's cancellation guide. You can pause for 1 to 3 months instead, and web payments are refundable in full for 14 days.
Can Spreadcast replace Publer?
Yes, for everything that comes from your app. Spreadcast designs the update, review and milestone posts, writes the captions and publishes them to 8 networks, which is the work a Publer queue waits for. If you are an indie developer whose Publer queue has been empty for months, it does the part you were missing. It makes still image posts for apps on the App Store, so keep Publer for a content backlog, RSS, recycling or video.
Prices, plans and features change. This comparison describes each product as its own site described it on the date shown under Sources. Check the vendor's site before you decide. Product names are trademarks of their owners.
Where These Facts Come From
Every outside number, rule and price on this page links to the page it was taken from.
- What are Publer's plans and pricing, help center articlePubler
- What is included in Publer FreePubler
- What is included in Publer Business, with API termsPubler
- What social networks are supported by PublerPubler
- RSS feeds in PublerPubler
- What is the Publer AI AssistPubler
- Why the CSV file uploads only 5 posts on the free planPubler
- Buffer pricing, plans and supported channelsBuffer
- Metricool pricingMetricool
- Ratings, reviews and responses on the App StoreApple Developer
- Platform version information in App Store Connect HelpApple Developer
- How to schedule in bulk with PublerPubler
- The difference between recycling and recurring posts in PublerPubler
- What are Publer AnalyticsPubler
- Member roles and permission levels in PublerPubler
- What is Publer's LinkiePubler
- Will Publer increase my price in the futurePubler
- Payment methods Publer acceptsPubler
- What are the daily post limits in PublerPubler
- Upgrading or downgrading a Publer subscriptionPubler
- How to pause a Publer subscriptionPubler
- How to cancel a Publer subscriptionPubler
- Publer refund policyPubler
- How to delete a Publer accountPubler
- Two factor authentication in PublerPubler
- What kind of customer support Publer offersPubler
- How to upload posts in bulk to BufferBuffer Help Center
- Automating RSS feeds in Buffer using ZapierBuffer Help Center
- What happens when you downgrade to the Buffer Free planBuffer Help Center
- Hootsuite plans and pricesHootsuite
- Later pricingLater
- SocialBee pricingSocialBee
- Sprout Social pricingSprout Social
- Publer API documentation: access, authentication and rate limitsPubler
- Meet Publer MCP: plans, setup and what it can doPubler
- How to download social media photos and videos for free with PublerPubler
- YouTube Terms of Service, permissions and restrictionsYouTube
- RecurPost pricing and plansRecurPost
- Video: bulk scheduling with Publer's CSV filePubler
- Video: managing Publer from ChatGPT with Publer MCPPubler
Researched and written by Spreadcast. Last checked on October 17, 2026.