Tool guide
Buffer for Threads and X: pricing, limits and AI drafts
Short answer
Buffer schedules Threads and X posts, including X threads, from a Free plan with 3 channels and 10 scheduled posts per channel. Paid plans start at $5 a month per channel with yearly billing (as of October 2026). Its AI Assistant is included on every plan. Threadgehog writes drafts in your voice and sends approved posts to Buffer.
At a glance
Facts from the tool's own pages, checked October 2026. Prices are as of October 2026.
- Free plan
- Yes: 3 channels, 10 scheduled posts per channel, 100 ideas, 1 user (as of October 2026)
- Essentials
- $5 a month per channel, $60 billed yearly; unlimited scheduled posts; 14-day free trial
- Team
- $10 a month per channel, $120 billed yearly; unlimited team members and approval workflows
- Threads
- Supported channel; Buffer calls itself an official partner with Threads
- X
- Text, threads, up to 4 images, GIF, video, reposts, quotes and link previews can be scheduled
- Threaded posts
- 1 on Free; unlimited on Essentials and Team
- AI
- AI Assistant on every plan, including Free; built on OpenAI models
- Analytics
- 30-day history on Free; unlimited history and advanced analytics on paid plans
- API
- Free: 1 API key and 3,000 requests a month; Essentials: 3 keys and 7,500 requests
- Platform
- Web app, iOS and Android apps, browser extension
Steps
- 1
Connect your channels
Log in to Buffer and connect your Threads account and your X profile. Each connected account counts as one channel for pricing.
- 2
Open the composer
Click Create Post at the top right of your calendar or queue, then click the avatar of the channel you want at the top of the composer.
- 3
Write the post or thread
Add text, images, links or GIFs. For an X thread, add each post in the composer. Use the AI Assistant if you want ideas or a rewrite.
- 4
Pick how it goes out
Choose Add to Queue, Share Now, Schedule Post or Save as Draft. The queue publishes at the times set in your posting schedule.
- 5
Check your numbers
Open Insights after the post is live to see impressions, engagements and replies, then repeat with what worked.
What Buffer is and who uses it
Buffer is a social media scheduler. You connect channels such as Threads, X, Instagram, LinkedIn, Bluesky and Mastodon, write posts in one composer, and Buffer publishes them at the times you pick. Its pages describe tools for ideas, publishing, analytics and replying to comments in one place.
Buffer prices by channel instead of by seat, so a solo founder with one Threads account and one X account pays for two channels. Its pricing page quotes a customer who likes that she can drop a client's channel when the contract ends. The Free plan has no end date, which is why many people try Buffer first.
On its Threads page Buffer says it is an official partner with Threads and works with the Threads team on creator features. It also shows a trending topics panel inside the composer for Threads posts. Threads itself shows trending topics only in the US and Japan, and Buffer says you can see them from anywhere.
Buffer pricing and plans (as of October 2026)
There are three plans. Free covers up to 3 channels, with 10 scheduled posts per channel that you can refill any time, 100 saved ideas, 1 user, the AI Assistant, Insights and API access. Essentials is $5 a month per channel ($60 billed yearly per channel) and removes the scheduled-post cap. Team is $10 a month per channel ($120 billed yearly) and adds unlimited team members, access levels and content approval workflows.
Both paid plans start with a 14-day free trial. Essentials adds advanced analytics, a hashtag manager, first comment scheduling and unlimited ideas. The monthly cost is the per-channel price times the number of channels you connect.
For a founder posting to Threads and X, that is 2 channels. On Essentials the yearly cost is $120 (2 channels at $60). On the Free plan it is $0, with the limit of 10 scheduled posts per channel at a time.
Buffer's pricing page also links a machine-readable version of its pricing for AI agents, so the numbers here come straight from the live table.
Threads and X support, scheduling and limits
Threads is a supported Buffer channel. The pricing comparison lists threaded posts as 1 on Free and unlimited on Essentials and Team. Buffer's Threads page covers scheduling, analytics, community replies and inspiration from trending topics.
For X, Buffer's X page says you can schedule text-only posts, threads, single images, multi-image posts of up to 4 images, GIFs, video, reposts, quote posts and link previews. Its FAQ confirms you can draft, plan, preview and schedule X threads ahead of time. You can also connect more than one X profile.
Analytics for X include impressions, engagements, engagement rate, likes, reposts, replies, new followers and total followers, plus best day, type and frequency to post. Paid plans add reports you can customize and export.
Each network sets its own post length. See Threads character limit and X character limit for the official numbers.
Buffer's AI Assistant
The AI Assistant lives in the composer and the Create space. Buffer says it helps generate ideas, repurpose existing posts, summarize long content into short posts, and rewrite, shorten or expand text. You can also make a post more casual or more formal and adjust its structure.
Buffer's AI page says you can use the assistant without limits on a free account. It is optional, and Buffer says posts are never generated or changed unless you open the assistant. The AI page also says it is based on OpenAI's API and that what the assistant sends is the text you type, not other account data.
On the Community side, the pricing table lists AI replies: 5 suggestions per week on Free and unlimited on paid plans.
The assistant works on the post you are writing right now. For a comparison with an assistant that builds a voice from your example posts and writes daily batches, read Threadgehog vs Buffer AI Assistant.
Using Buffer together with Threadgehog
Threadgehog is a Mac app that writes Threads posts and X posts in a style it learns from about ten example posts, then waits for your approval. When you approve a Threads post it writes the X version on its own. Approved posts go to Buffer on the schedule you choose: once a day, twice a day, every 6 hours or every hour, while the app is open.
Setup follows the Buffer integration guide: paste your Buffer API key, pick which Buffer channel receives Threads posts and which receives X posts for each project, then choose how often to send. Buffer's Free plan includes API access with 1 key, and Threadgehog shows Buffer's plan limits next to the sending schedule.
Where Threadgehog fits: Buffer holds the queue, publishes and reports analytics. Threadgehog does the drafting and the daily review queue. The two cover different jobs, so you keep Buffer.
Threadgehog is on a waitlist. Join the waitlist and you get the 14-day free trial when it opens. Plans are Solo at $29 a month, Pro at $49 and Unlimited at $79 (see pricing).
Questions
Is Buffer free for Threads and X?
Yes, within limits. Buffer's Free plan connects up to 3 channels and holds 10 scheduled posts per channel at a time, as of October 2026. Paid plans start at $5 a month per channel with yearly billing.
Can Buffer schedule X threads?
Yes. Buffer's X page says you can draft, plan, preview and schedule X threads ahead of time. On the Free plan the pricing table shows 1 threaded post, and Essentials and Team show unlimited.
Does Buffer have AI for writing posts?
Yes. The AI Assistant is included on every plan, including Free. It generates ideas, repurposes and rewrites posts, and adjusts tone and length. Buffer says it uses OpenAI models.
How many channels do I need for Threads and X?
Two: one for the Threads account and one for the X profile. Buffer prices by channel, so two channels on Essentials come to $10 a month with yearly billing (as of October 2026).
Can I use the Buffer API?
Yes. The Free plan includes 1 API key and 3,000 requests a month. Essentials gives 3 keys and 7,500 requests, and Team gives 5 keys and 15,000 requests.
Does Threadgehog work with Buffer?
Yes. Threadgehog sends approved Threads and X posts to your Buffer channels on the schedule you set. It is on a waitlist now, and the 14-day trial starts when it opens.
Sources
- Buffer pricing (checked 2026-10-17)
- Buffer: schedule Threads (checked 2026-10-17)
- Buffer: X (Twitter) scheduling (checked 2026-10-17)
- Buffer AI Assistant (checked 2026-10-17)
- Threadgehog pricing (checked 2026-10-17)