# What does it cost a small business to schedule Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn posts with AI-written captions — and which scheduler is cheapest for 3 accounts?

Source page: https://aitools-zh.pages.dev/en/guides/ai-social-media-scheduler-small-business-3-accounts-cost/
Published 2026-11-12 · updated 2026-11-12 · AI Tools by Use Case

## Short answer

For a small business with 3 social accounts, Buffer is the cheapest: its Free plan covers 3 channels with 10 queued posts each and includes the AI Assistant, and unlimited scheduling costs $15/month on Essentials ($5 per channel, billed yearly). FeedHive Creator ($15/month yearly, 4 accounts) adds AI images and credits but caps you at 30 scheduled posts. Predis.ai Core ($19/month yearly) generates the visuals too but has no auto-posting. Ocoya starts at $29/month and Hootsuite at $99 per user/month.

## Comparison

| Tool | Why it fits (from official info) | Pricing | Official pricing | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Buffer](https://aitools-zh.pages.dev/en/tools/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. | 2026-11-12 |
| [FeedHive](https://aitools-zh.pages.dev/en/tools/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. | 2026-11-12 |
| [Predis.ai](https://aitools-zh.pages.dev/en/tools/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). | 2026-11-12 |
| [Ocoya](https://aitools-zh.pages.dev/en/tools/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. | 2026-11-12 |
| [Hootsuite](https://aitools-zh.pages.dev/en/tools/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. | 2026-11-12 |
| [Canva AI](https://aitools-zh.pages.dev/en/tools/canva/) | 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. | 2026-11-06 |

## How to do it with AI

1. 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.
2. 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).
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.
Sources: https://buffer.com/pricing

### 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.
Sources: https://buffer.com/pricing, https://www.ocoya.com/pricing, https://predis.ai/pricing/, https://www.hootsuite.com/plans, https://feedhive.com/pricing

### 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.
Sources: https://feedhive.com/pricing, https://predis.ai/pricing/

### 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.
Sources: https://www.hootsuite.com/plans

### 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.
Sources: https://www.ocoya.com/pricing

### 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.
Sources: https://www.135editor.com/, https://www.135editor.com/charge-service.html

## Sources

- https://buffer.com/pricing
- https://feedhive.com/pricing
- https://predis.ai/pricing/
- https://www.ocoya.com/pricing
- https://www.hootsuite.com/plans
- https://www.canva.com/pro/
- https://www.135editor.com/
- https://www.135editor.com/charge-service.html

Prices and features can change; check each official site. No ratings, no affiliate links.