Late vs Buffer
API-First vs Traditional
Buffer pioneered simple social media scheduling, but Late brings it into the API era. Compare the old guard's UI-first approach with our developer-centric solution.
Head-to-Head Comparison
| Feature | Late | Buffer |
|---|---|---|
| Free Plan | 10 posts/month, 2 profiles | 10 posts/queue, 3 accounts |
| API Access | ✓ Instant, all plans | ✗ Closed to new developers |
| Multi-platform Posting | One API call → all platforms | Separate calls per platform |
| Rate Limits | 600+ requests/minute | 60 requests/minute |
| 50 Profiles Cost | €42/month | $250+/month |
| Usage Options | API + UI both supported | UI-first, limited API |
Buffer's Traditional UI Approach
Buffer's homepage showcases their "social media workspace" with manual scheduling and UI-focused workflow
Buffer's Approach: UI-first design with 194k active users managing manual posting workflows
Overview – Old Guard vs API-First Upstart
Buffer is a household name in social media scheduling – a pioneer loved for its simplicity and clean interface. Late (often just "Late") is the new kid on the block, and it's API-first by design. In other words, Late was built for developers from the ground up, while Buffer started as a user-facing tool with an API as an afterthought.
In this comparison, we'll see how an API-centric platform stacks up against a traditional scheduler in terms of features, pricing, integrations, ease of use, and developer-friendliness. If you're searching for the ultimate social media scheduling API solution (perhaps a Buffer API alternative), read on – this showdown is for you.
Features and Platform Support
Buffer: Well-Rounded for General Users
Buffer offers a well-rounded feature set for general users. It supports a wide range of social networks – from the big ones (Twitter/X, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn) to newer or niche platforms like Pinterest, Threads, Mastodon, and even Bluesky. Buffer's core strength is straightforward post scheduling and a visual content calendar.
Users can queue up posts (up to 10 per social channel on the free plan) and let Buffer publish them at scheduled times. It also provides extras like a basic analytics dashboard and even an AI assistant for generating post ideas (in paid plans). Buffer shines for individual creators or small teams who want a clean UI to plan and publish content without fuss.
Late: Flexible API + UI Excellence
Late, by contrast, focuses on doing one thing extremely well: letting you post to seven major platforms either through a unified API or a simple web interface. Those seven currently include TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, Twitter (X), and Threads.
Instead of a full-blown content studio, Late keeps things lean but flexible. You can use it in two ways: integrate the API and effectively replace seven separate integrations (a single API call can send a post to all connected networks at once), OR use the simple web dashboard for manual posting when you need quick uploads without coding.
Best of Both Worlds: Whether you're a developer who wants to automate everything or a marketer who occasionally needs to post manually, Late supports both workflows without forcing you into one approach.
Pricing Comparison
Buffer: Freemium with Linear Scaling
When it comes to pricing, Buffer uses a freemium model with paid upgrades based on the number of social channels. Buffer's Free plan lets you connect 3 social accounts with 10 posts queued per account at a time. This is great for light usage and trying out the basics.
Paid plans are quite affordable for small needs – the Essentials plan is about $5 per month per social channel (billed annually). That means you can mix-and-match how many profiles you need and pay accordingly. For example, managing 5 channels would run ~$25/month on Essentials.
However, if you manage more than 10 social profiles, Buffer pushes you into custom "get in touch" territory – essentially an enterprise deal. Buffer is very budget-friendly for individuals or small teams, but costs can add up linearly if you're an agency with dozens of profiles.
Late: Flat-Rate Simplicity
Late keeps pricing simple with fixed tiers that include a generous number of profiles. All plans (even free) support all 7 platforms and full API access – the difference is in usage limits. The Free plan costs €0 and allows 10 uploads per month and 2 social profiles, which is enough for testing or a small project.
As you scale up, Basic is €14/month for 120 posts and 10 profiles, and the popular Professional plan is €42/month for unlimited posts and up to 50 connected profiles. Even the Professional tier caps posting frequency (5 posts/day per account) to stay within social networks' fair use, but the overall post count is unlimited.
Value Comparison:
50 social accounts with unlimited scheduling costs €42 on Late, whereas with Buffer that many accounts would require a custom high-tier plan (easily several hundred dollars) or multiple team subscriptions.
API and Integration Capabilities
Here's where the rubber meets the road for developers. Buffer does have an API for scheduling and managing posts – but with a big caveat: new developers currently cannot obtain API keys as freely as in the past.
Buffer's API Roadblock
Buffer shut down new developer access to its public API back in 2019, citing the need to rebuild it for a better dev experience. As of 2025, they have an early-access waitlist for a revamped API, but unless you were grandfathered in, using Buffer's API is not straightforward.
Even if you do get access, Buffer's API has some limitations: it's rate-limited to 60 requests per user per minute and each request generally handles one profile at a time. This means if you want to post the same update to 5 social accounts via Buffer's API, you'd likely need to loop through 5 separate calls (one per profile), each counting against the rate limit.
Late: API-First with UI Flexibility
Late takes a different approach entirely. While the API is the core strength of the platform, it's not exclusively for developers. The entire service is designed as a multi-platform scheduling engine that works both programmatically (via REST API) and manually (via web interface). You can sign up and get an API key within minutes, OR simply use the web dashboard to upload content manually.
The API is uniform across all seven platforms, abstracting away the differences. Whether you're posting via API or the web interface, you don't have to worry about the specific media upload steps for each network – just specify the platforms (or use `"platforms": ["all"]` to broadcast everywhere), and Late handles the rest.
Flexible Usage:
API: "Here's my post text and image, send it to Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram at 5pm" – one payload, one call.
UI: Upload the same content through a simple web form with the same multi-platform power.
Rate Limits and Throughput
For developers concerned with rate limits and throughput, Late's API is built to scale. Depending on your plan, you get generous rate limits (e.g. 600 requests/minute on the Professional plan, up to 1200/minute on higher tiers).
Compare that to Buffer's flat 60/min limit for everyone – a heavy-duty application would hit Buffer's ceiling pretty fast, whereas Late can handle spikes of traffic for bulk scheduling or high-frequency posting in a more accommodating way.
Developer Experience Showdown
Late: Built for Developers
{
"platforms": ["all"],
"text": "Hello world!"
}
- • ⚡ Setup time: 15 minutes
- • 📚 Clear documentation with examples
- • 🔧 SDKs for popular languages
- • 🚀 99.97% uptime, <50ms response time
- • 🎯 Modern REST API design
Buffer: UI-First Approach
- • ⏰ Setup time: Days/weeks
- • 📋 Complex authentication flow
- • 🚫 API access currently restricted
- • 🐌 Rate-limited for bulk operations
- • 🔧 Designed for UI automation, not integration
Pricing Reality Check
👥 Small Team (5 accounts)
🏢 Agency (25 accounts)
🏭 Large Agency (100 accounts)
When to Choose What
Choose Late if:
- • You need API integration (Buffer's is closed)
- • You want manual UI posting with multi-platform power
- • You want to post to multiple platforms at once
- • You manage many social accounts (agencies)
- • You prefer predictable pricing over per-channel costs
- • You value modern, reliable infrastructure
- • You want flexibility between automation AND manual posting
- • You're building an app that needs social features
Choose Buffer if:
- • You prefer manual scheduling via UI
- • You only manage a few social accounts
- • You need Buffer's AI assistant features
- • You want built-in analytics dashboard
- • You're comfortable with Buffer's interface
- • You don't need API integration
- • You prefer Buffer's content planning tools
Real Customer Migrations
📱 SaaS Platform Migration
"We were stuck on Buffer's API waitlist for 8 months. Late got us posting to all platforms in one afternoon. The unified API is a game-changer."
🏢 Marketing Agency Switch
"Buffer was costing us $300/month for 60 client accounts. Late handles the same load for €126/month with better reliability and faster posting."
Technical Specifications
| Specification | Late | Buffer |
|---|---|---|
| API Response Time | <50ms average | Not published |
| Uptime SLA | 99.97% (published) | Not published |
| Rate Limits (Pro plan) | 600 requests/minute | 60 requests/minute |
| Webhook Support | ✓ Native webhooks | Via Zapier only |
| SDKs Available | Multiple languages | Limited (if API access) |
| Bulk Operations | ✓ Batch posting | Sequential only |
Conclusion – The Modern API-First Advantage
Buffer deserves credit for pioneering easy social media scheduling. It remains a great tool for individuals and small teams managing a handful of accounts, especially if they prefer a friendly UI and don't need to heavily customize integration.
But if you're a developer, an agency, or a tech-forward business looking for a modern, API-first solution, Late is a compelling alternative to Buffer. It takes the crown in this showdown by offering something refreshingly different: an all-in-one social media scheduling API that eliminates the headaches of juggling multiple platform APIs or hitting roadblocks with a closed-off developer program.
The tone might be witty in our comparison, but the results are clear-cut – for those who value automation, integration, and scalability, Late is not late to the party; it's arriving right on time.
In Summary:
Late vs Buffer boils down to flexibility and focus. Late provides flexibility through its API (use it how you want, integrate it anywhere) and focuses on reliable post delivery above all. Buffer provides ease through its UI and focuses on a broader feature set for content management.
The Bottom Line
Buffer vs Late: The Verdict
Buffer Strengths:
- • Polished user interface
- • Familiar to marketers
- • Built-in analytics
- • AI assistant features
Late Advantages:
- • Open API access (Buffer's is closed)
- • 75% cheaper for agencies
- • Unified multi-platform posting
- • Modern, reliable infrastructure
If you find yourself craving more automation and less manual work, or you label yourself a "developer first, marketer second," then Late likely aligns better with your needs. It offers the social media scheduling API experience that modern teams are looking for.
Ready to trade in the old way of scheduling for a more programmable, scalable approach? Give Late a try and embrace the future of social scheduling with an API-first mindset.
No credit card required • Get API access instantly • All 7 platforms included