Buffer includes GraphQL API access on every plan, including Free, with no separate developer fee. The real cost is per-channel subscription pricing plus request ceilings that cap automation volume. This page maps plan tiers, rate limits, MCP access, and when trend-only workflows need a different tool.
Buffer repositioned its developer platform in 2026 around a GraphQL API and a hosted MCP server. API access ships on every plan with no developer surcharge. That headline is accurate. The constraint is channel pricing multiplied by connected accounts, plus request ceilings that do not rise with channel count.
For social management suite comparisons, see Hootsuite API pricing. For the broader listening and publishing API landscape, see the social listening API pricing comparison.
Buffer's developer FAQ states API access is available on all current plans, including Free. There is no per-request credit meter like X's pay-per-use model and no separate "Developer" SKU.
The GraphQL endpoint is https://api.buffer.com. Authentication uses a Bearer token from a personal API key or OAuth app client. Buffer also hosts an MCP server at mcp.buffer.com/mcp with OAuth for Claude and API key auth for Cursor, Raycast, ChatGPT, and Perplexity.
What the API does today:
Analytics and community endpoints are listed as coming. Budget integrations around publishing and planning, not deep performance exports.
Buffer prices by connected social channel. Annual billing saves roughly two months versus monthly checkout. Prices below come from Buffer's public pricing page as of July 2026.
| Plan | Per channel (annual) | Per channel (monthly) | Channels included | Users |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 | Up to 3 | 1 |
| Essentials | $5/month | $6/month | Unlimited connections | 1 |
| Team | $10/month | $12/month | Unlimited connections | Unlimited |
Free allows 10 scheduled posts per channel. Essentials and Team allow unlimited scheduled posts per channel subject to Buffer's fair use policy.
Free also carries a lifetime cap of eight unique channel connections ever linked to the account, even if channels are later disconnected.
API limits are per API key, not pooled across an organization. Only organization owners can create API keys and app clients as of July 2026.
| Limit | Free | Essentials | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| API keys | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| App clients (OAuth) | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| 15-minute window | 100 requests | 100 requests | 100 requests |
| 24-hour window | 100 requests | 250 requests | 500 requests |
| 30-day window | 3,000 requests | 7,500 requests | 15,000 requests |
The 15-minute burst cap is identical on all three plans. Upgrading buys monthly volume, not faster bursts. An agent firing 120 GraphQL mutations in ten minutes hits the ceiling on Team the same way it does on Free.
Exceeding any window returns an API error. There is no published overage purchase path for self-serve accounts. Partners building integrations for resale contact [email protected] for higher limits.
API calls add $0. Channel seats do not.
Solo creator, three networks on Free. $0 per month. API budget: 3,000 requests per 30 days, 100 per day. Enough for a daily automation that makes a handful of GraphQL calls.
Freelancer, five clients, Essentials annual. Five channels at $5 each = $25 per month ($300 per year). API budget: 7,500 requests per 30 days on Essentials. Each scheduled post, idea creation, and channel list fetch consumes one request.
Agency, ten brands, Team annual. Ten channels at $10 each = $100 per month ($1,200 per year). Unlimited team members on Team, but API keys remain owner-only. Five API keys maximum on Team.
Agency, twenty brands, Team annual. Twenty channels at $10 each = $200 per month ($2,400 per year). Same 15,000 monthly request cap as a one-channel Team account. High channel counts do not raise API ceilings.
Compare to Hootsuite Standard at $99 per user per month regardless of channel count, with production API access often gated behind Enterprise sales.
Buffer's MCP server connects AI assistants directly to scheduling workflows. Claude uses OAuth against mcp.buffer.com/mcp. Cursor and Raycast use API key headers.
An AI agent that drafts and schedules five posts per day might consume:
| Action | Approximate requests per week |
|---|---|
| List channels and org | 2 |
| Create five draft posts | 5 |
| Verify scheduled queue | 5 |
| Weekly total | ~12 |
That fits Free tier limits comfortably. An agent that polls queue status every hour, syncs analytics when available, and retries failed mutations can burn through the 100-request daily cap on Free in a single afternoon.
MCP and GraphQL share the same rate limit buckets per API key.
Buffer counts each GraphQL HTTP request as one unit against all three windows. A single mutation to createIdea is one request. A query that fetches organizations, channels, and posts in one round trip is still one HTTP request, though complex queries may hit server-side complexity limits documented in the developer portal.
Typical integration patterns and request burn:
| Workflow | Requests per run | Monthly runs on Free (3,000 cap) |
|---|---|---|
| CMS auto-publish one post | 2 to 4 | ~750 to 1,500 |
| Daily queue audit | 3 to 5 | ~600 to 1,000 |
| n8n/Zapier multi-step with retries | 5 to 10 | ~300 to 600 |
| Hourly status polling | 24 per day | Exceeds Free in ~4 days |
For no-code wiring, Buffer publishes templates for Zapier, Make, and n8n. Those automations still count against the same API limits as custom GraphQL scripts.
Buffer API is a publishing and planning surface, not a trend intelligence layer.
| Capability | Buffer API | Trend data need |
|---|---|---|
| Schedule posts to 11 platforms | Yes | No |
| Create Ideas from external CMS | Yes | No |
| Google Search volume history | No | Yes |
| TikTok hashtag growth | No | Yes |
| Live X trending topics leaderboard | No | Yes |
| Cross-platform growth comparison | No | Yes |
Teams building editorial calendars from search demand signals need a trend source upstream of Buffer. Common pattern: pull keyword growth from a trend API, generate copy in an AI agent, push finished posts into Buffer via GraphQL.
Buffer fits creators and agencies already paying for the dashboard who want programmatic scheduling without maintaining OAuth tokens for Meta, LinkedIn, and X separately.
The model works when:
The model strains when:
Publishing APIs charge per seat or per channel. Trend APIs charge per query.
Trends MCP returns Google Search volume, TikTok hashtags, Reddit growth, YouTube trends, Amazon demand, npm downloads, and 15 live leaderboards through one REST endpoint or MCP connection. The free tier includes 100 requests per month with no credit card.
A weekly trend brief that checks 20 keywords across three sources uses 60 requests. That workflow never touches Buffer pricing because it never schedules a post.
For automation patterns that combine trend pulls with downstream actions, see n8n Trends MCP and Make trend automation. For how free trend tools compare on limits, see the free trends API comparison.
FAQ