What is the difference between Buffer and Loomly?

Buffer is best for Small businesses wanting simple social media scheduling, while Loomly is best for Marketing teams and agencies who want organized content calendars with approval workflows. Buffer starts at Free and Loomly starts at $32/mo.

Is Buffer or Loomly cheaper?

Buffer starts at Free with a free tier. Loomly starts at $32/mo with a free tier.

Is there a free alternative to Loomly?

Both Buffer and Loomly offer free tiers.

Buffer vs Loomly

Buffer is social media scheduling and analytics tool for planning and publishing content, while Loomly is social media calendar and management tool designed for marketing teams and agencies. The biggest difference up front: Buffer is free, while Loomly starts at $32/mo. Buffer is built for small businesses wanting simple social media scheduling, whereas Loomly targets marketing teams and agencies who want organized content calendars with approval workflows.

At a glance

	Buffer	Loomly
Best for	Small businesses wanting simple social media scheduling	Marketing teams and agencies who want organized content calendars with approval workflows
Starting price	Free	$32/mo
Free tier	✓	✓
Open source	—	—
Free tier available	✓	✓
Open source	—	—
AI Assistant	✓	—
Analytics	✓	✓
Approval workflows	—	✓
Content calendar	—	✓
Link-in-Bio	✓	—
Post ideas	—	✓
Scheduling	✓	—
Social scheduling	—	✓

Buffer

Strengths

Includes Scheduling as a core feature, purpose-built for social media management workflows
Built-in analytics show open rates, click rates, and conversion data in real time
Free for 3 channels — generous enough for most small teams to get real work done
Established product with 16+ years on the market and a mature ecosystem

Weaknesses

Free plan exists but key features are locked behind the paid upgrade
Fewer built-in features means you may need additional tools to cover gaps
Ecosystem of third-party integrations is smaller than the market leaders in social media management
Limited team/admin features if your organization eventually scales up

Try Buffer → Full review

Loomly

Strengths

Post ideas and inspiration to combat content block
Clean approval workflow for team content review
Audience targeting and post optimization suggestions
Affordable compared to Sprout Social for team use

Weaknesses

Analytics less detailed than Sprout Social
Limited social listening capabilities
No free plan — only a 15-day trial
Fewer integrations than major competitors

Try Loomly → Full review

The bottom line

Pricing: Buffer is completely free (Free for 3 channels), which makes it the obvious pick if budget is the top concern. Loomly starts at $32/mo, but 15-day free trial. That cost buys you a more polished or feature-rich experience, so it comes down to whether the extras justify the spend.

Feature gaps: Buffer offers AI Assistant, Link-in-Bio and Scheduling that Loomly lacks. Loomly brings Approval workflows, Content calendar and Post ideas that Buffer does not have. Both share Analytics.

Where each tool shines: Buffer's biggest strengths are: includes scheduling as a core feature, purpose-built for social media management workflows. built-in analytics show open rates, click rates, and conversion data in real time. Loomly's biggest strengths are: post ideas and inspiration to combat content block. clean approval workflow for team content review.

Watch out for: With Buffer, users commonly note that free plan exists but key features are locked behind the paid upgrade. With Loomly, the main complaint is that analytics less detailed than sprout social.

Choose Buffer if...

You need a tool built for small businesses wanting simple social media scheduling
Budget is a hard constraint — Buffer is free, Loomly is not
You specifically need AI Assistant and Link-in-Bio
You care about built-in analytics show open rates, click rates, and conversion data in real time
The free tier works for you: free for 3 channels

Choose Loomly if...

You need a tool built for marketing teams and agencies who want organized content calendars with approval workflows
You specifically need Approval workflows and Content calendar
You care about clean approval workflow for team content review
The free tier works for you: 15-day free trial