Sequence vs Buffer: which fits your social media workflow?

Say a client has approved next week's captions, but the video still needs changes. The designer has one version, the account manager has another, and someone is asking whether Friday's post is ready. A publishing queue only helps once those decisions are settled.

That's the situation we built Sequence for. You can keep the plan, media feedback, approval and publishing status together, so the next person can see what needs to happen.

If your content already arrives ready to publish, the decision looks different. Buffer's calendar and queue may cover what you need without asking you to change the rest of your process.

We make Sequence, so this is our perspective on the choice. The competitor details below come from Buffer's published product and pricing information.

If you're the only person writing and publishing, start by pricing the channels you actually use. Buffer's free plan covers three channels, with ten scheduled posts per channel. Essentials adds paid publishing and analytics for one user. That's a useful option for someone who doesn't need a shared client workspace.

Agencies can use Buffer too. Its Team plan includes unlimited users and approval workflows, alongside its community and analytics tools. If those tools already cover your client process, there may be little reason to move.

The reason to consider Sequence is the work around the draft: who's creating it, which media needs feedback, whether the client has approved it and what the results suggest for next month. If you regularly reconstruct that story from several places, try that exact workflow in Sequence.

✅ Included in the named plan. ❌ Not included in the named plan; the available upgrade is shown alongside it. ◐ Paid option. Check channel, format and capacity limits.

Count accounts and collaborators before comparing the starting prices. An Instagram account and a Facebook page count as two Buffer channels. Essentials is for one user; Team is the relevant plan when colleagues need access and approvals.

Prices checked on 4 September 2026, in USD before tax. Annual monthly equivalents require annual billing. Promotional discounts and negotiated contracts are excluded.

Buffer's listed paid rates apply to the first ten channels. Channels 11 to 25 cost US$4 each per month, or US$40 each per year, on either paid plan. Further volume discounts apply above that. Multiplying all 15 channels by the starting rate would overstate the bill.

Let's use three brands, five accounts per brand and three team members. That's 15 accounts in total.

Sequence Pro: US$69/month, or US$690/year. The annual option works out to US$57.50/month. It includes all 15 accounts and unlimited team members.

Buffer Team: US$140/month, calculated as ten channels at US$12 plus five at US$4. Annual billing is US$1,400/year, equivalent to US$116.67/month.

For this team, Sequence costs less. For one person managing two channels, Buffer Essentials is US$12/month on monthly billing, compared with US$29/month for one Sequence Pro brand. Neither example tells you which workflow you'll prefer, but both are more useful than comparing two headline prices.

Sequence Pro includes approvals, media review, inbox and organic/ads analytics. Extra connected accounts cost US$5/month each; extra storage and AI credit top-ups cost separately.

Take a real post that needs a caption edit, a media change and client sign-off. Ask the people who normally handle those steps to work through it in each tool. Check whether the next person can see what's ready without asking you.

Then check your exact social networks and post formats. Being able to connect an account doesn't mean every publishing, inbox or analytics feature works the same way on that network.

If Buffer gets the post through comfortably, its familiar publishing workflow may be all you need. If the handovers are where time disappears, try Sequence with one client brand and see whether those steps become easier to follow.

Sources: Buffer pricing; Buffer pricing and features; Sequence pricing. Checked 4 September 2026. Confirm the current quote before subscribing.