Comparison
| Tool | Why it fits (from official info) | Pricing | Official pricing | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Buffer | Priced per channel, so 3 accounts stay cheap. Free $0: up to 3 channels, 10 scheduled posts per channel at a time (slots refill as posts go out), 1 user, AI Assistant included. Essentials $5/month per channel billed yearly ($60 each) = $15/month for 3 accounts with unlimited scheduling, hashtag manager and first-comment scheduling. Team $10 per channel adds unlimited members and approvals. Nonprofits get 50% off. | Freemium | Official pricing (2026-11-12): Free $0 for up to 3 channels with 10 scheduled posts per channel at a time and the AI Assistant; Essentials $5/month per channel billed yearly ($60 per channel), unlimited scheduled posts; Team $10/month per channel billed yearly ($120 per channel), unlimited team members and approval workflows. Channels above 10 cost less each. | |
 FeedHive | Flat price with more AI built in: Creator $15/month billed yearly ($180) covers 4 social accounts, 2,500 AI credits a month (AI writing, AI images, AI hashtags, AI performance prediction) and 500 automation runs. The catch: only 30 scheduled posts at a time and scheduling up to 14 days ahead. Brand ($22/month yearly) raises that to 10 accounts, 500 posts and 60 days. | Paid | Official pricing (2026-11-12, billed annually): Creator $15/month ($180/year) with 4 social accounts, 2,500 AI credits a month, scheduling up to 14 days ahead and 30 scheduled posts; Brand $22/month ($264/year), 10 accounts, 10K credits; Business $69/month ($828/year), 100 accounts, 50K credits, unlimited scheduling; Agency $239/month ($2,868/year), 500 accounts. The site says starting a trial doubles AI credits for 3 months. | |
 Predis.ai | Best if you want the AI to make the posts themselves (images, carousels, short videos, captions, hashtags), not just schedule them. Core $19/month billed yearly ($230; $32 monthly) gives 1,300 credits, 1 brand and publishing to 10 channels, but the pricing page lists no auto-posting on Core. Rise $40/month yearly. 3-day trial needs a card. | Paid | From the official pricing page (USD): Core $19/month billed yearly ($230/year; monthly price shown as $32) with 1,300 credits/month, 1 brand, publish to 10 social channels, no auto-posting; Rise $40/month billed yearly ($474/year; monthly shown as $79) with 3,200 credits/month and up to 4 brands; Enterprise+ shown around $212/month in the comparison table. Every plan starts with a 3-day free trial (card required; charged when day 3 ends). | |
 Ocoya | For several brands in one account: Starter $29/month (5 channels, 300 AI credits a month shared across brands), Team $79 (20 channels, 1,500 credits). Credits pay for AI generation, automation runs and exports. Yearly billing gives two months free ($290/year). 7-day free trial requires a card and converts to paid unless cancelled. | Paid | Official pricing (2026-11-12): Starter $29/month (5 channels, 300 credits a month); Team $79/month (20 channels, 1,500 credits); Agency $199/month (100 channels, 5,000 credits). Yearly billing gives two months free (Starter $290/year). Prices exclude VAT. 7-day free trial requires a card. | |
 Hootsuite | The heavyweight: Standard from $99 per user/month (annual billing) for up to 10 accounts, with the Wisdom AI assistant, unified inbox, brand and competitor monitoring. Worth it only if you need listening and team reporting; overkill for 3 accounts. 14-day free trial with daily posting limits. | Paid | Official pricing (2026-11-12, annual billing): Standard from $99 per user/month (up to 10 social accounts); Professional $199 per user/month (unlimited accounts); Advanced $399 per user/month; Enterprise custom. Excludes tax; monthly billing is available at a higher rate. 14-day free trial with daily posting limits during the trial. | |
 Canva AI | Not a scheduler, but many small businesses already design their post images in Canva. It has a free plan plus Pro, Business and Enterprise paid plans (check Canva's site for current prices); design there, then schedule with one of the tools above. | Freemium | Free plan plus Pro, Business and Enterprise paid plans; see the official site for prices. |
How to do it with AI
- List the accounts you actually post to (for example Instagram, a Facebook Page and a LinkedIn Page) and how many posts a week each gets. Most schedulers charge by account count, so this decides the price.
- Decide what you want the AI to do: only write and rewrite captions (Buffer, Hootsuite), also make images and hashtags (FeedHive), or design whole posts and short videos (Predis.ai).
- Start free: connect your 3 accounts to Buffer's Free plan and queue one week of posts. If 10 queued posts per account is enough because you refill weekly, you may never need to pay.
- If you want more AI, trial FeedHive or Predis.ai for a week with the same posts and compare the captions with what you would write yourself. Ocoya and Predis.ai trials need a card, so set a reminder to cancel.
- Compare the yearly total at your account count, not the headline price. At 3 accounts: Buffer Free $0 or Essentials $180/year; FeedHive Creator $180/year; Predis.ai Core $230/year; Ocoya Starter $290/year; Hootsuite Standard $99 per user/month on annual billing.
- Keep a short brand voice note (who you sell to, tone, words to avoid, your offer) and paste it into the AI each time so captions sound like you.
- Re-check the pricing page before paying: per-channel rates, credit allowances and trial terms change, and yearly and monthly prices differ.
Brand voice prompt you can paste into any scheduler's AI caption writer (our suggested wording, not a test output)
Write 3 Instagram captions and 1 LinkedIn post for Sunrise Bakery, a small neighbourhood bakery in Portland, Oregon. Audience: local families and office workers nearby. Tone: warm, short sentences, a little playful, no hype words like 'amazing' or 'game-changer'. This week's news: pumpkin sourdough is back on Thursdays and Saturdays, and pre-orders close the day before at 5pm. Each Instagram caption under 60 words with one clear call to action and at most 5 local hashtags. The LinkedIn post under 120 words, aimed at office managers ordering pastries for meetings. Do not invent prices, discounts, awards or customer reviews.
Hands-on log
- 2026-11-12 · Not tested
Not tested hands-on yet. Buffer, FeedHive, Ocoya, Hootsuite and Predis.ai all require creating an account and connecting real social accounts before you can schedule or generate posts (Ocoya and Predis.ai also need a card for the trial), so we did not run them. Facts on this page come from the official pricing pages only; the 3-account yearly totals are our arithmetic from those published rates.
China-made vs Western: 135editor next to Buffer, FeedHive, Predis.ai, Ocoya and Hootsuite
135editor (135editor.com) is listed in our mainland China section. In mainland China a small business's main owned channel is often a WeChat Official Account rather than Instagram or Facebook, and 135editor is an editor for laying out those articles with AI writing, images and one-click layout, not a multi-network scheduler. The Western tools above schedule posts to Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, X, TikTok and others.
| Need | 135editor | Buffer / FeedHive / Predis.ai / Ocoya / Hootsuite |
|---|---|---|
| Main job | Write and lay out WeChat Official Account articles, with AI layout from a prompt or an imported document | Schedule and publish posts to several social networks from one calendar |
| AI features | AI writing, AI images, one-click AI layout; 100,000+ templates and SVG effects | AI caption writing in all five; AI images and hashtags in FeedHive; full AI post and video design in Predis.ai |
| Free way to start | Free member ¥0 with 30 AI uses | Buffer Free (3 channels); FeedHive trial; Predis.ai 3-day trial and Ocoya 7-day trial (card needed); Hootsuite 14-day trial |
| Entry price | Personal Standard from ¥7.8/month; business commercial licence (Super V3) from ¥62/month | Buffer $5 per channel/month yearly; FeedHive $15/month yearly; Predis.ai $19/month yearly; Ocoya $29/month; Hootsuite $99 per user/month |
| Best for | Businesses whose customers read WeChat Official Account posts in mainland China | Small businesses posting to Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and similar networks |
FAQ
What is the cheapest social media scheduler with AI for 3 accounts?
Buffer. Its Free plan connects up to 3 channels, allows 10 scheduled posts per channel at a time and includes the AI Assistant. For unlimited scheduling, Essentials is $5 per channel per month billed yearly, so $15/month for 3 accounts.
Is there a free AI social media scheduler?
Buffer's Free plan is $0 and includes the AI Assistant for up to 3 channels. FeedHive, Ocoya, Predis.ai and Hootsuite offer trials instead of free plans; Ocoya's 7-day and Predis.ai's 3-day trials need a payment card and convert to paid unless cancelled.
Which scheduler has the most AI features for the price?
FeedHive Creator ($15/month billed yearly) includes AI writing, AI image generation, AI hashtags and AI performance prediction with 2,500 AI credits a month for 4 accounts, but limits you to 30 scheduled posts and 14 days ahead. Predis.ai Core ($19/month yearly) goes further by designing images, carousels and videos, but Core has no auto-posting.
Is Hootsuite worth it for a small business?
For 3 accounts it is usually more than needed: Standard starts at $99 per user/month on annual billing for up to 10 accounts. It adds brand and competitor monitoring, a unified inbox and the Wisdom AI assistant. There is a 14-day free trial with daily posting limits.
How do Ocoya credits work?
Credits pay for AI generation, automation runs and analytics exports. Starter includes 300 a month, Team 1,500 and Agency 5,000; they reset monthly and are shared across all brands in the account.
Is there a mainland China alternative?
For WeChat Official Account articles, 135editor (135editor.com) offers AI writing, images and one-click layout, with a free tier (30 AI uses) and paid memberships from ¥7.8/month. See our mainland China section.
Head-to-head comparisons
Related guides
- What does an email newsletter tool with AI writing cost a small business with 1,000 subscribers — and which one is cheapest?
- Best AI tools for Amazon & Shopify product descriptions
- What is the cheapest AI YouTube thumbnail maker for a solo creator who posts a few videos a week — monthly plan vs pay-per-thumbnail, and does it need Canva?
- Which AI logo maker should a small business or solo founder use if you don't want a monthly subscription?