can i fork it?

Head-to-Head Comparison · Alternative to Buffer · 🐦 social media

Buffer vs Publer Free

Three non-X accounts and ten queued posts each; yesterday's history disappears tomorrow. Here is how Publer Free ($0/mo free) stacks up against Buffer ($6/mo) across cost, hosting, data privacy, and real-world trade-offs.

Free Alternative

Publer Free

$0.00/mo · proprietary, free

Buffer vs Publer Free Specification Matrix

facts verified 2026-08-10

DimensionBuffer (Paid)Publer Free (Replacement)
Monthly Price$6 / mo$0 / mo
1-Year Cost (1 seat)$72 / yr$0 / yr (Save $72)
1-Year Cost (5 seats)$360 / yr$0 / yr (Save $360)
1-Year Cost (10 seats)$720 / yr$0 / yr (Save $720)
Source & LicenseProprietary SaaSfree proprietary, free
Where It RunsVendor CloudHosted (their cloud)
PlatformsWeb / Cloud
mobilewebextensionthey host it
GitHub Stars—★ $0 forever

Deep Dive: Switching from Buffer to Publer Free

Trade-offs, installation & data architecture

The Catch vs Buffer

What you trade away

The free plan excludes X and retains published-post history for only 24 hours, which makes meaningful review and reuse markedly worse than Buffer.

Installation

How to deploy Publer Free

Hosted signup plus social-account connections

Data Ownership

Where your data lives

Posts, media, drafts, history, and connected-account metadata live in Publer's cloud; the internal storage format is not disclosed.

Build vs Fork Verdict: KINDA (the core, yes. the polish, no)

Why fork Publer Free instead of vibe-coding a Buffer clone?

Posting to one or two APIs is easy, but maintaining social platform auth, queues, previews, analytics, and API-policy compliance is real ongoing work.

Buffer vs Publer Free FAQ

Is Publer Free a good free alternative to Buffer?+

Yes. Publer Free is a verified free replacement for Buffer. Three non-X accounts and ten queued posts each; yesterday's history disappears tomorrow.

What is the catch when switching from Buffer to Publer Free?+

The free plan excludes X and retains published-post history for only 24 hours, which makes meaningful review and reuse markedly worse than Buffer.

How much do you save switching from Buffer to Publer Free?+

Buffer costs $6/mo ($72/yr) per seat, whereas Publer Free is $0/mo. Switching saves $72/yr for a solo user, $360/yr for a 5-person team, and $720/yr for a 10-person team.

How do I install or self-host Publer Free instead of Buffer?+

Install: Hosted signup plus social-account connections.

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