Tool profileBuffer AI Assistant
Post drafting and rewriting inside Buffer's composer, included on every plan
Free tier5 USD a month for 1 channel on Essentials, rising to 10 USD for Team, with a Free plan for up to 3 channels
Overview
Buffer AI Assistant is a feature of Buffer's social publishing tool. It suggests post ideas, rewrites, shortens or expands text and adapts one post to the format of each channel, from the post composer. Buffer lists it on the Free plan, which covers up to 3 channels, and on the Essentials and Team plans, which cost 5 and 10 USD a month per channel. Text typed into it is shared with OpenAI.
Visit Buffer AI AssistantIs Buffer AI Assistant worth it?
- What it is
- Post drafting and rewriting inside Buffer's composer, included on every plan
- Worth a look if
- Buffer AI Assistant fits someone already scheduling social posts who wants drafting help at no extra charge, since it is included on the Free plan for up to 3 channels.
- Skip it if
- You need text kept away from third-party model providers, since entered text goes to OpenAI, or you want AI that works outside the Buffer composer.
- Cost to start
- 5 USD a month for 1 channel on Essentials, rising to 10 USD for Team, with a Free plan for up to 3 channels. Yes. Free plan with up to 3 channels, 10 scheduled posts per channel and the AI Assistant. 14 day free trial on Essentials and Team.
Buffer AI Assistant at a glance
| Job category | Social Media |
|---|---|
| What it replaces | Rewriting each post by hand for every channel |
| Pricing model | Free tier |
| Starting price | 5 USD a month for 1 channel on Essentials, rising to 10 USD for Team, with a Free plan for up to 3 channels |
| Free tier | Free plan with up to 3 channels, 10 scheduled posts per channel and the AI Assistant. 14 day free trial on Essentials and Team. |
| Getting started | Free tier |
| Built for | Solo creators and small brands scheduling to a few channels who want rewriting help in the same screen |
| Company | Not published |
| Last verified | October 2026 |
Buffer AI Assistant pricing and plans
| Plan | Price | What it includes | What that works out at |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | Up to 3 channels, 10 scheduled posts per channel, 100 ideas, 1 user, AI Assistant, Insights, API access (1 key, 3,000 requests a month), community inbox | |
| Essentials (yearly figures shown) | 5 USD a month per channel, 60 USD billed yearly | Unlimited scheduled posts per channel and ideas, 1 user, AI Assistant, advanced analytics, API access (3 keys, 7,500 requests a month), hashtag manager, first comment scheduling | 60 / 12 = 5 USD a month per channel. 3 channels is 15 USD a month and 10 channels 50 USD a month. |
| Team (yearly figures shown) | 10 USD a month per channel, 120 USD billed yearly | Everything in Essentials, unlimited team members, API access (5 keys, 15,000 requests a month), access levels, content approval workflows | 120 / 12 = 10 USD a month per channel. 3 channels is 30 USD a month and 10 channels 100 USD a month. |
- The AI Assistant has no separate charge. It is included on Free, Essentials and Team, and Buffer says it can be used without limits on a free account.
- Because pricing is per channel, the cost of a client with five channels on Essentials is 25 USD a month on these figures.
- Free has 1 saved reply and 3 tags. Essentials and Team list unlimited saved replies and 250 tags.
- The Essentials and Team cards say save 2 months for yearly billing, and a separate monthly figure is not shown in the page text.
- Buffer also offers a public AI social media post generator that can be tried without an account.
Pricing is per channel, set with a channel selector. Essentials shows 5 USD a month per channel (60 USD billed yearly, save 2 months) and Team shows 10 USD (120 USD billed yearly). Monthly and Yearly options are offered, and the monthly-billing price is not given in the page text.
Buffer AI Assistant features: what it does
- Generates post ideas and rewrites, shortens or expands existing text from the post composer
- Adapts one post into formats suited to LinkedIn, Threads, X, Instagram, Bluesky and more
- Adjusts tone (more casual or formal), length, style and structure in a single step
- Runs only when opened in the composer or Create space, and Buffer states its posting and scheduling features are not AI-powered
- Included on the Free, Essentials and Team plans
Buffer AI Assistant limitations
- Text entered into the assistant is shared with OpenAI. Buffer states account details and media files are not shared.
- The Free plan allows up to 3 channels, 10 scheduled posts per channel, 100 ideas, 3 tags and a 30 day insights history.
- Free also limits AI replies in the community inbox to 5 suggestions a week, and Essentials and Team list them as unlimited.
- Buffer bills per channel. The Essentials price of 5 USD and the Team price of 10 USD each cover 1 channel, and the monthly-billing price is not shown beside the yearly totals.
Who Buffer AI Assistant is for
| Your situation | What that means here |
|---|---|
| Solo creator on up to three channels | The Free plan covers 3 channels and includes the AI Assistant, with 10 scheduled posts per channel. |
| Agency with a client who may leave | Billing is per channel at 5 USD (Essentials) or 10 USD (Team) a month, so a dropped client removes its channels from the bill. |
| Team that needs approvals before posts go out | Content approval workflows and access levels are listed on Team only, at 10 USD a month per channel. |
| Organisation with a data-sharing policy for AI vendors | Text typed into the assistant is shared with OpenAI, and account details and media are not. |
| Marketer repurposing one message across networks | The assistant adapts a post for LinkedIn, Threads, X, Instagram and Bluesky from the composer. |
| Team with a deep queue of scheduled posts | Free caps scheduled posts at 10 per channel, and Essentials and Team list unlimited. |
Buffer AI Assistant use cases for marketers
- Rewriting one announcement into channel-specific posts for LinkedIn, X, Threads and Instagram before scheduling.
- Generating caption ideas when a content queue runs dry, then queueing them in the same tool.
Buffer AI Assistant FAQ
Is Buffer's AI Assistant free?
Yes. It is included on the Free plan and Buffer says it can be used without limits on a free account. It is also included on Essentials and Team.
Does Buffer's AI Assistant send my text to OpenAI?
Yes. Buffer says text entered into the assistant is shared with OpenAI and that account details, media files and other parts of a post are not.
Do I have to use the AI Assistant?
No. Buffer says it only runs when the assistant is opened in the composer or the Create space, and that posting and scheduling are not AI-powered.
Buffer AI Assistant sources and references
- The Buffer pricing page lists a Free plan for up to 3 channels with 10 scheduled posts per channel, 100 ideas, 1 user account, the AI Assistant, Insights and API access of 1 API key and 3,000 requests a month; Essentials at 5 USD a month per channel (60 USD billed yearly, save 2 months) with unlimited scheduled posts, 3 API keys and 7,500 requests a month; and Team at 10 USD a month per channel (120 USD billed yearly) with unlimited team members, 5 API keys, 15,000 requests a month, access levels and content approval workflows. Paid plans carry a 14-day free trial, and AI replies are 5 suggestions a week on Free and unlimited on Essentials and Team.buffer.com
- The Buffer AI Assistant page says the assistant helps users brainstorm ideas, rewrite content and craft platform-specific posts for LinkedIn, Threads, X, Instagram, Bluesky and more, and can adjust tone, length, style and structure in the post composer. It says the assistant is optional, that Buffer's core posting and scheduling features are not AI-powered, that responses use OpenAI's language models, and that text entered into the assistant is shared with OpenAI while account details and media files are not.buffer.com
Compiled by Alston Antony from the sources above:how we compile these entries and ouraffiliate disclosure.