Loomly vs. Buffer: Which is Better For your Business?

Overview

What is Loomly?

Loomly was founded with the initial objective of simplifying the process of creating and posting content on social media. Initially, it was just a social media calendar, but it has evolved into a full-fledged social media management software.

Loomly integrates all the major social platforms, like Facebook, Google Business Profile, Instagram, Linkedin, Twitter, Youtube, Tiktok, Pinterest, and even the up-and-coming Snapchat. Users can schedule content and view the whole lot’s analytical data from a single dashboard.

One of Loomly’s USPs is its neat and streamlined dashboard, which users prefer over other tools’ elaborate but complicated interfaces. Also, it has retained its signature function, the content calendar.

The social media content calendar provides a bird’s eye view of your upcoming social media posts. This calendar makes planning and scheduling your content in advance easy, ensuring you never miss a post or run out of ideas.

What is Buffer?

Buffer is a multitasking social media management tool that caters to all the needs of solopreneurs and marketing agencies by automating all social media activities. It’s a simple way to efficiently develop your presence online without getting overwhelmed.

Buffer supports multiple social media platforms, including Facebook, Google Business, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, TikTok, Pinterest, and Shopify. Buffer has distinguished itself from Buffer alternatives by integrating the new social platform Mastodon.

It allows users to schedule and publish posts from its dashboard without switching to native platforms. You can access audience insights and content-performance analytics for all platforms from one space. Marketing teams find the tool useful since it streamlines the collaborative workflow of all activities involved and takes virtually no time to get used to.

One of the standout features of Buffer is its Start Page builder, which enables users to create a landing page and share it on their social media. This feature can showcase a brand and its offerings to its target audience without creating an entire website.

Best Suitable for

At a Glance

Let us quickly summarize the results of Loomly vs. Buffer based on user ratings after thoroughly using both.

Overall ratings on users’ experience say that Loomly has left Buffer behind by a considerable margin. When rated for their set-up process and ease of using the tool, both got the same results, quite high.

However, when it came to the quality of support, Loomly passes with shining accolades, leaving Buffer in the dust.

Here are all the user ratings at a glance for Buffer vs. Loomly, along with SocialPilot’s results.

Quick Comparison – Loomly vs. Buffer

Now, we’ll shuffle through all the essential qualities of both social media management tools, which can’t be missed while comparing them. Let us see which one of them, Buffer or Loomly makes a better tool.

Buffer is known to be a very cost-effective tool for small businesses and solo entrepreneurs. But upon calculation, it came to light that both tools cost $360 to allow users to connect 50 social accounts. With Buffer, users have to pay per account after the initial 10, and Loomly gives it all at once at a higher rate.

Also, Buffer has a limit to how many posts can be scheduled from one profile, but Loomly has no such restriction. Also, Buffer does not give its users white-label solutions, but Loomly has it available in its higher plans.

Note: It is a notable fact that Loomly charges $360 to provide a white-label solution to its users for a customized branded experience, but SocialPilot delivers the same at less than a fraction of the exact cost. This makes SocialPilot a good choice amongst other Loomly alternatives.

The table below lists all the essential features to compare Loomly vs. Buffer. Also, we have kept SocialPilot with them for added reference.

Reviews

Pricing – Loomly vs. Buffer

Now let us compare the pricing plans of both the contenders to see which one of them, Buffer or Loomly, gives a better deal to theory clientele.

Buffer has a free plan which requires no veiled payment at all, whereas Loomly’s base price starts at a mere $35 per month. However, we must compare the agency-level plans, which are more used by their client base.

Loomly, at a monthly fee of $360, allows 30 users to connect up to 50 social accounts and posts with no cap on the number. Upon some extrapolation, we find that Buffer allows 50 social accounts to be connected at the same price as Loomly but also has unrestricted team members’ access.

If we compare Buffer to SocialPilot, the latter provides 50 social accounts with unlimited users and clients to be onboarding at just $200. This makes customers consider SocialPilot as a well-matched Buffer alternative.

Look at the table below for a clearer understanding of the pricing plans of Buffer vs. Loomly compared side by side along with SocialPilot.

In-depth Scheduling and Publishing Capabilities Comparison

Scheduling abilities are the bedrock on which the effectiveness of any social media tool depends upon. So now we’ll go over the scheduling and publishing capabilities of Buffer and Loomly.

Both tools have more than sufficient features to be powerful social media scheduling tools. Advanced capabilities include smart queueing, platform-specific post customization, visual content support, cloud content storage, and more.

However, there are some discrepancies between the two tools. For instance, Buffer cannot schedule Facebook reels, carousel posts, or boost posts, while Loomly can.

Also, Buffer does not support YouTube publishing and is unable to give content curation or RSS feed automation. All of these gaps have been filled by Loomly, providing many more advanced scheduling features which Buffer lacks.

Note: Loomly lacks a specific feature which is very much in demand for creating engaging and optimized posts. It does not allow users to schedule the first comment with their Facebook posts. However, you can do that with SocialPilot.

Look at the table below and draw your own conclusions as to which one of them, Loomly vs. Buffer, wins this round of scheduling and publishing. Alongside, we have given the data for SocialPilot as it has very robust scheduling abilities and gives tough competition to the tools in question.

In-depth Analytics Capability Comparison

Analytics is the roadmap that every social media marketer must refer to for creating successful strategies. In this section, we are trying to determine which tools have stronger analytics and reporting features.

Both Buffer and Loomly have similarly sufficient capabilities when it comes to collecting data on how your content is performing on the relevant platforms and the actions it is generating among the users. This data helps you determine your audience’s preferences and prevalent social media trends.

Buffer lacks reporting functionalities because it can’t automatically send the analytics reports it generates to concerned stakeholders, while Loomly can do it. And so can SocialPilot at a much lesser cost!

For better comparison, here are all the analytics and reporting functions, Buffer vs. Loomly, along with SocialPilot.

In-depth Inbox/Listening Capability Comparison

Listening abilities in a social media management tool helps monitor audiences’ opinions of their images and manage all the engagements and reviews.

Loomly has adequate listening abilities where users can reply to messages they receive from their audience on specific platforms. But Buffer seriously lacks in this criteria, missing all essential social inbox or listening capabilities.

Note: SocialPilot has a very capable inbox where users can monitor all the messages and comments they receive on their business pages. They can even see the review and star ratings they get on their Google Business pages. Engagement becomes super easy when all of it can be managed from one integrated and intuitive dashboard.

Here’s a brief look at all the listening capabilities of both Buffer and Loomly with SocialPilot for extra reference.

In-depth Social Media Collaboration Capability Comparison

Now we come to the last but crucial feature of the tool to be discussed. Collaboration functionalities are fundamental for marketing teams to work together on a social media management tool.

Buffer and Loomly both the tools have effective team and client workflows. Users can work and collaborate on a single post, get approval, and admins can decide on permission-based access.

Here is a brief summary in the table for all the collaboration features for Buffer and Loomly, along with SocialPilot.