Alternatives · last checked Oct 2026
Postiz is a good open-source scheduler with an MCP server and AI video quotas on every plan. People look elsewhere when they want a lower price for the same channels, a free plan, deeper analytics, or content made for them rather than only scheduled.
How we chose: We picked tools people compare with Postiz, read each vendor’s pricing and feature pages in October 2026, and list what each is best at, including where it beats Hookbird. We make Hookbird, so it is listed first; judge the table for yourself.
| Tool | Entry paid plan (monthly billing) | Channels on the entry plan | AI video | AI UGC presenters (talking heads) | MCP server (Claude, ChatGPT…) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hookbird | $23/mo Starter ($19/mo yearly) · 300 credits | 5 (5 / 10 / 30 / 100 by plan) | 5 s / 10 s clips, animated stories (◆ 45 / 90) | 15 s / 30 s talking heads (◆ 120 / 230) | 31 tools; Claude, ChatGPT, OpenClaw, Hermes, Grok |
| Postiz | $29/mo Standard ($23/mo yearly) | 5 (5 / 10 / 30 / 100 by plan) | 3 / 10 / 30 / 60 AI videos per month; AI clipping of long videos | Not listed | Every plan (OAuth; Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, Grok) |
| Buffer | $5/mo per channel (Essentials) | Priced per channel | Not listed | Not listed | Official, since June 2026 (Claude, ChatGPT, Perplexity) |
| Metricool | $25/mo Starter, 5 brands ($20/mo yearly) | 5 brands; X is a $10/mo add-on per account | Not listed | Not listed | Official, every plan incl. Free |
| Publer | From $5/mo per account (Professional) | Priced per account | Not listed | Not listed | Beta: Enterprise and eligible Business |
| SocialBee | $29/mo Bootstrap ($24/mo yearly) | 5 profiles, 1 user | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed |
| Hootsuite | $99/user/mo Standard (billed annually; monthly not listed) | 10 social accounts | Not listed | Not listed | Official: publishing, inbox, listening, advocacy |
| Later | $18.75/mo Starter, billed yearly (monthly not listed) | 1 social set (8 profiles), 30 posts per profile/mo | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed |
Best for: Hook-first content plus scheduling to 30+ networks.
Same 5 / 10 / 30 / 100 channel tiers for $6 less each, plus hook scoring, AI UGC talking heads, slideshows, competitor ads (Radar) and niche benchmarks. Hosted only: no self-hosting.
Best for: Solo creators who want a free or very cheap scheduler.
The simplest swap if you post to only a few channels: a free plan for 3 channels, then $5 per channel. AI is text only.
Best for: Agencies reporting on many brands and their own ads.
Pick it for analytics across many brands, reporting on your own ads, and an official MCP server even on its free plan.
Best for: Bulk scheduling on a tight budget.
Cheapest per account with strong CSV bulk scheduling (500 posts per file) and AI images.
Best for: Recycling evergreen content by category.
Built around recycling evergreen content by category, with unlimited AI captions and images.
Best for: Large teams that need listening, inbox and governance.
For enterprise teams that need inbox, listening, employee advocacy and benchmarks, at $99 per user.
Best for: Visual planning for Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest.
For visual planning on Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest and influencer campaigns.
FAQ
If you want the same channel tiers for less plus content generation, Hookbird ($23/mo for 5 channels vs Postiz $29). If you want a free plan, Buffer. If analytics across many brands matter most, Metricool.
Yes. Hookbird is $6 less on every tier ($23 / $33 / $43 / $89). Buffer and Publer are cheaper for a few channels and have free plans. Self-hosting Postiz itself is free if you run the servers.
Hookbird, Buffer, Hootsuite and Metricool all list official MCP servers; Publer has one in beta. Later and SocialBee do not list one (October 2026).
Of the schedulers here, only Hookbird lists AI UGC talking heads. Postiz lists AI videos and clipping, not AI presenters.
Main pricing source for each tool; each comparison page lists all of its sources.
7 days free. ◆ 50 credits. No card.