The best social media scheduling tools for agencies running several brands

What 30 channels costs on each tool

Scheduling tools price in five different ways: per channel, per account, per brand, per user and per plan. Headline prices are close to useless for comparing them, so we priced one realistic setup on every tool: six brands, each on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok and X, which makes 30 channels, on monthly billing. We chose this setup; it's also the example PostWharf uses on its own pricing page, and it suits tools that price per brand, so the result without X is shown too.

Drop X from the mix and the order changes at the top: Metricool's Starter plan covers ten brands for $45 a month, and PostWharf stays at $67. Everything else is unchanged or very close.

How we ranked them

We ranked on one question first: what does the 30-channel setup cost on the cheapest plan that also gives you an API or an MCP server? That access is what lets posts come from an AI assistant, a script or an automation platform instead of someone clicking through a dashboard, which is how agencies now keep six calendars full. We explain that workflow in how to automate social media posting with AI.

Where two tools cost exactly the same, approval workflows would decide the order; none did. Tools with no published API or publishing MCP come last, ordered by price. We didn't score ease of use, analytics depth or support quality, because we haven't tested all ten side by side and won't pretend to. Every price comes from the vendor's own page on 24 September 2026; where a page contradicts itself, we say so.

The 10 tools, one by one

1. PostWharf: best for AI-assisted, multi-brand publishing

Starter $15 · Startup $29 · Plus $67 · Pro $99 a month

Why it's first: it's the cheapest way to cover our 30 channels with programmatic access. Pricing is per brand workspace with unlimited channels: Starter covers one brand for $15, Startup three for $29, Plus ten for $67 and Pro unlimited for $99. There's no per-channel fee and no X surcharge. Every plan includes per-network wording on each post, the REST API, the MCP server, a CLI and webhooks, and every post gets a receipt after publishing that shows what went live and why anything failed. Posts drafted through an assistant don't go out until you approve them.

Where it's weaker: Google Business Profile isn't among its networks, which matters for UAE local businesses; Reddit, Discord, Snapchat and WordPress can't be connected yet (you can only register interest). The pricing page doesn't list multiple users, client approval workflows, a social inbox or analytics, so if your clients sign off inside the tool, look at Metricool Advanced or SocialPilot. Plans also cap scheduled posts (200, 400, 1,000 and 2,500 a month), and the page doesn't say whether one post to five networks counts once or five times.

Choose it if: you run several brands, want X and every other network at one price, and publish through Claude, ChatGPT, scripts or n8n. postwharf.com/pricing

2. Metricool: best value if you don't post to X

Free plan · Starter from $25 · Advanced from $67 a month

Metricool also prices per brand, and its Starter plan covers up to ten brands for $45 a month, the cheapest option here if X isn't in your mix. X is a $10 a month add-on per connected account, which is what takes our setup to $105. Advanced ($67 for up to 15 brands) adds unlimited team members, client management, post approvals, the API, Zapier and Make. MCP is on every plan, with limits on Free and Starter. It also covers Google Business Profile and ad accounts. Weaker: the X surcharge adds up fast for agencies, Starter has no team members or approvals, and white label is Custom-only. metricool.com/pricing

3. SocialPilot: most agency features for the money

Essentials $30 · Standard $50 · Premium $100 · Ultimate $200 a month

Standard includes 15 accounts and three users for $50, and extra accounts are $4 each, so our setup costs $110. Premium ($100 with 25 accounts, $120 for our 30) is built for agencies: unlimited client seats, client approval workflows and white-label reports. An official MCP server is on every paid plan. Weaker: the API is Enterprise-only, and post limits aren't published. socialpilot.co/plans

4. Buffer: simplest to start, with API and MCP even on Free

Free · Essentials from $6 · Team from $12 per channel a month

Buffer charges per channel on a sliding scale, so 30 channels on Essentials is $135 a month. It's the only tool here with both an API and an official MCP server on a free plan (three channels). It also posts to Google Business Profile. Weaker: Essentials has one user; approvals and unlimited users need Team, which is $195 for our 30 channels. Per-channel pricing gets expensive for clients on many networks. buffer.com/pricing If your Buffer bill has grown with your channel count, see Buffer alternatives at 10, 30 and 60 channels.

5. Vista Social: approvals on every plan

Professional $79 · Advanced $149 · Scale $379 a month

Advanced includes exactly 30 profiles and four users for $149, with multi-stage approvals, and every plan has at least single-stage approvals. Scale is positioned for agencies, with white label and client profile connection. Weaker: X is a $29 a month add-on, the page contradicts itself on Scale's price ($379 on the card, $349 in the table), its user counts and which plans include MCP, and no API is listed on the pricing page. vistasocial.com/pricing

6. Publer: cheapest per account at scale

Free · Professional from $5 · Business from $10 per account a month

Publer's calculator prices our 30 accounts at $108 a month on Professional (every tenth account is free), and it posts to Google Business Profile, WordPress and Telegram as well as the usual networks. Weaker: the API and MCP server are on Business only, which is $189 for 30 accounts, and the page quotes two different annual discounts. publer.com/plans

7. Sprout Social: deepest analytics and inbox, priced per seat

Essentials $99 · Standard $249 · Professional $399 · Advanced $499 per seat a month

The most complete suite here, with inbox, listening-style monitoring, review management and strong reporting. Professional is the first tier with unlimited profiles, so one seat for our setup is $399. Weaker: every extra person is another full seat, the API starts on Advanced at $499 a seat, and no MCP is mentioned. sproutsocial.com/pricing

8. Sendible: built around client workspaces

Core $35 · Plus $99 · Premium $199 · Elite $299 a month

Each workspace holds six profiles for one client, with its own calendar, inbox and reports, and every plan has unlimited users. Our six brands need Plus plus three extra workspaces: $189. Weaker: no API or MCP on the pricing page, and its white-label figures conflict between the FAQ and the plan prices. sendible.com/pricing

9. Hootsuite: the best-known name, priced per user

Standard $99 · Professional $199 · Advanced $399 per user a month, billed annually

Standard caps at ten accounts, so our setup needs Professional at $199 per user billed annually. Weaker: month-to-month prices exist but aren't published, approval workflows start on Advanced at $399 per user, and the only MCP listed is an Enterprise listening add-on, not publishing. hootsuite.com/plans Paying per seat already? See Hootsuite alternatives that keep approvals for less.

10. Later: good for visual brands, but no X

Starter $25 · Growth $50 · Scale $110 a month

Later organises accounts in social sets (one profile on each of its eight networks), and Scale's six sets would suit six brands for $110 a month. It's strong for Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest planning. Weaker: it doesn't support X, so it can't run our setup at all, and no API or MCP is published. later.com/pricing

Which one should you pick?

Or skip the tool question entirely: our social media automation service plans, writes and publishes for you, with your approval each month.

Questions people ask

Sources

Every price above comes from these pages, each read on 24 September 2026. Prices change often; check before you buy. Spotted something wrong? Email hello@highstreetagency.com and we'll correct it.

• postwharf.com/pricing and postwharf.com
• metricool.com/pricing
• socialpilot.co/plans
• buffer.com/pricing
• vistasocial.com/pricing
• publer.com/plans
• sproutsocial.com/pricing
• sendible.com/pricing
• hootsuite.com/plans
• later.com/pricing

Drafted with AI assistance from our own research and the sources linked above, and reviewed by the High Street team before publishing. Prices, features and policies change; check the linked source before you act.