Overview
Zoho Social is a popular social media management software offering tools for scheduling posts, keeping a check on brand mentions, examining social media performance, and engaging with your followers. The tool lets you connect multiple social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Google Business Profile.
Zoho Social is a well-suited software for small to medium-sized businesses, digital marketing agencies, bloggers, and individuals. When armed with the useful features of the software, you can develop a strong social presence and catapult the growth of your business.
Today, businesses opt for Zoho Social as it allows users to schedule posts with ease. The tool offers the feature of automated posting to publish the post at the set time. Another useful feature of Zoho Social is that it enables you to collaborate with team members for the purpose of creating content or simply for approval.
Zoho Social also offers features for social media monitoring and listening. You can easily keep a track on keywords and brand mentions across different social media networks. The tool also offers reporting and analytics tools to check for any areas of improvement and to measure social performance.
What is Buffer Used For?
Buffer is a social media management tool that is well-suited for businesses, non-profits, mid-stage startup teams, and solopreneurs. The social media platforms that Buffer supports are Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Facebook, and Google Business Profile.
You can use Buffer to schedule and publish content across different social media platforms and effectively maintain a solid presence on them. A user can create content in advance and schedule it for posting at a later stage. In all, when you decide to use Buffer, you get to post consistently on different social media platforms. You can even choose the best times for audience engagement while scheduling the posts.
Apart from these features, Buffer provides analytics tools to track social media post performance. You get valuable information on reach, engagement, and much more.
All in all, Buffer is a user-friendly social media management tool that helps individuals and businesses manage their social accounts from a single dashboard, saving loads of effort and time.
Best Suitable for
Zoho Social
Start with $15
Individual marketers, medium-sized businesses, marketing agencies
Buffer
Start with $6
Professionals and SMBs
SocialPilot
Start with $30
Marketing Agencies, SMBs, Multi-Location Brands & Professionals
At a Glance
What users feel about any product sheds a lot of light on its effectiveness. So let’s compare Zoho Social vs. Buffer when it comes to user ratings.
Zoho Social has more overall star ratings than Buffer. The quality of support that Zoho Social offers is also rated more than Buffer. However, both the tools are rated the same in ease of use and ease of setup.
Note: It’s worth mentioning that SocialPilot, a great Buffer and Zoho Social alternative, has received more scores for its quality of support as compared to these two tools.
For a more clear understanding, take a look at the ratings for all three tools in the comparison table down below.
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Zoho Social |
Buffer |
SocialPilot |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Reviews | 2630 | 1006 | 814 |
| Overall Star Rating | |||
| Ease of Use | |||
| Quality of Support | |||
| Ease of Setup | |||
| Minimum Pricing | $15/Month | $6/Month | $30/Month |
| Number of Social Accounts | 10 | 1 | 10 |
| Number of Team Members | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Scheduling & Publishing |
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| Analytics |
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| Social Inbox |
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| Collaboration |
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| Whitelabel |
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| Best For | Individual marketers, medium-sized businesses, marketing agencies | Professionals and SMBs | Marketing Agencies, SMBs, Multi-Location Brands & Professionals |
| Learn More | Learn More | 14 Days Trial |
When comparing Zoho Social vs. Buffer, it’s essential to consider the main features that differentiate the two social media management tools.
One notable difference between these two tools is the price point. Zoho Social’s agency plan will cost you $200 more per month than Buffer’s plan for agencies.
Despite the difference in price, both platforms offer capabilities such as publishing, analytics, inbox, and collaboration. However, Zoho Social is available in more languages as compared to Buffer. It also offers the important feature of white-labeling, that Buffer lacks.
Note: SocialPilot offers the important feature of white-labeling. It is also priced less than Zoho Social or Buffer when it comes to its plans for agencies, which is $100 per month.
For a quick comparison of the most important features of Zoho Social, Buffer, and SocialPilot, check the below table.
|
Zoho Social |
Buffer |
SocialPilot |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Can't Miss to Compare | |||
| Minimum Pricing | $15/Month | $6/Month | $30/Month |
| Number of Accounts | 10 | 1 | 10 |
| Number of Team Members | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Number of Posts that Can Be Scheduled | 350 | 2000 | Unlimited |
| Core Capabilities | |||
| Scheduling & Publishing |
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| Analytics |
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| Inbox |
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| Collaboration |
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| Competitor Tracking |
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| Whitelabel |
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| Localization | German, English, French, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish | English & Spanish | German, English, French, Portuguese, Spanish |
| Support | Email, FAQs, Webinars, Product Guide, Forum | FAQs, How-To-Guides, Video Tutorials, Social Media Support & Email Support | Email, Chat, Social Media, Phone |
| Learn More | Learn More | 14 Days Trial | |
Review
Positive
- Buffer offers valuable insights into the performance and engagement of each individual post, allowing users to optimize their content strategies and measure their success.
- It offers a powerful, interactive platform that brings all the necessary features for running successful campaigns in the fast-paced world of social media, all in one centralized location.
- Buffer allows for the customization of posts for each individual platform by enabling users to utilize specific tags and hashtags, which can effectively increase the reach of their posts and increase engagement.
Negative
- One potential drawback of Buffer is that its analytics capabilities are limited. Users have noted that the platform should offer a more in-depth analysis of each post's performance and engagement levels.
- Buffer lacks support for various hashtags and limitations in the analytics capabilities, making it more challenging for users to optimize their social media strategies fully.
- Buffer requires you to have the app installed in order to receive reminders to publish Instagram posts manually at a designated time, as scheduling posts directly on Instagram is not possible.
Positive
- Zoho Social's seamless integrations enable users to edit creatives using tools like Canva. This feature makes it easy to create eye-catching graphics and designs.
- Zoho Social has an efficient content approval process that saves a lot of time from back and forth communication, when working with a team.
- Zoho Social's collaborative features make it easy for team members to work together on social media planning and allow better flexibility and adaptability.
Negative
- Most advanced features and services in Zoho Social are only available to users who pay for a subscription or access a paywall, limiting the functionality and value for free users.
- The lack of a preview feature in Zoho Social can be a drawback for users who value visual consistency and may want to make minor tweaks to social media posts before publishing to ensure optimal appearance and messaging.
- The slight delay in scheduling posts on Zoho Social can be frustrating for users who prioritize efficiency and need to publish content quickly and consistently.
Positive
- SocialPilot can schedule posts in advance on multiple platforms at once while customizing the post for each one of them for the scheduler.
- SocialPilot allows users and clients to collaborate efficiently and save a great deal of time managing social networks.
- You can prevent delays and ensure that everything gets published according to schedule. As a result, with SocialPilot, your consistency on social networks remains uninterrupted.
Negative
- Although the Bitly integration is convenient, you'd like to see all these features built natively within SocialPilot or have automated workflows that create UTM links for all campaigns and other variables.
- Users have reported that accounts may occasionally become disconnected, resulting in failed scheduled posts. However, it is a simple process to reconnect the account and reschedule the post, as all posts get saved.
- Some users have reported receiving error messages with scheduled posts. However, they acknowledge that this issue is not unique to SocialPilot and is also present in other social posting platforms. It is simply a minor inconvenience at times.
Pricing
Pricing is a vital factor to consider while carrying out a Zoho Social vs. Buffer comparison.
So, which one is less costly? Zoho Social or Buffer?
Zoho Social’s agency plan is priced at $320 per month, allowing you to schedule 350 posts. In contrast, Buffer’s plan for agencies costs $120 per month, allowing you to schedule 2000 posts. So, the latter is less costly than the former and offers a significant amount of more posts to be scheduled.
SocialPilot’s plans for agencies are easier on the pocket as compared to Zoho Social or Buffer plans. The plan cost $100 per month. You can also schedule unlimited posts under this plan.
Let us weigh the plans of Zoho Social vs. Sendible, alongside SocialPilot, for a clearer take on the pricing front:
|
Zoho Social |
Buffer |
SocialPilot |
|---|---|---|
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Standard
$15/per month
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Free
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Essentials
$30/per month
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Professional
$40/per month
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Essential
$6/per channel
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Standard
$50/per month
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Premium
$65/per month
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Team
$12/per channel
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Premium
$100/per month
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Agency
$320/per month
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Agency
$120/per channel
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Ultimate
$200/per month
|
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Agency Plus
$460/per month
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15 Days Free Trial
Credit Card Required
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14 Days Free Trial
No Credit Card Required
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14 Days Free Trial
No Credit Card Required
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| Learn More | Learn More | Start Your free Trial |
In-depth Scheduling and Publishing Capabilities Comparison
In our Buffer vs. Zoho Social comparison, it is important that we compare the scheduling and publishing capabilities of both the tools.
Both the tools come with smart and advanced scheduling. They also let you customize posts for each platform. You also get URL shortener and the feature to integrate Canva in both the tools.
But, Zoho Social doesn’t offer post preview, which Buffer does.
Some of Zoho Social’s features, such as content curation and auto publishing from RSS, are not offered by Buffer.
Note: From post preview to content curation, SocialPilot offers a fantastic set of scheduling and publishing capabilities. It is considered a strong contender when it comes to alternatives of Zoho Social or Buffer.
Look at the comparison table below to compare Buffer vs. Zoho Social along with SocialPilot and know in detail about their scheduling and publishing capabilities.
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Zoho Social |
Buffer |
SocialPilot |
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|---|---|---|---|
| Smart & Advanced Queueing |
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| Customize Post for Each Platform |
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| Post Preview |
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| Canva Integration |
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| Unsplash Integration |
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| Slack Integration |
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| URL Shortener |
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| Visual Post Support (Image, Video, GIF) |
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| UTM Parameters |
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| Cloud Storage |
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| Hashtag Suggestions |
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| Advance Publishing Capabilities | |||
| Save Draft Posts |
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| AI Assistant |
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| Watermark on Images |
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| Bulk Scheduling |
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| Auto publishing from RSS |
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| Social media calendar |
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| Mobile App |
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| Browser Extension |
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| Advance Facebook Publishing Capabilities | |||
| Reel Scheduling |
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| Support Album Posts |
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| Support Carousel Posts |
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| Alternate Text on Image |
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| Support Facebook First Comment |
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| Audience Targeting |
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| Boost Post Scheduling |
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| Support Mention and Hashtags |
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| Advance Twitter Publishing Capabilities | |||
| Location Tagging |
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| Support Mention and Hashtags |
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| Support Multiple Image Posts |
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| Threads Scheduling |
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| Advance Instagram Publishing Capabilities | |||
| Reel Scheduling |
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| Story Scheduling |
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| Tag Profiles on Images |
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| Location Tagging |
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| Support Instagram First Comment |
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| Instagram Grid |
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| Advance LinkedIn Publishing Capabilities | |||
| Audience Targeting |
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| Support LinkedIn First Comment |
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| Advance YouTube Publishing Capabilities | |||
| Shorts Scheduling |
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| Mention of Other YouTube Accounts |
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| Learn More | Learn More | 14 Days Trial | |
In-depth Analytics Capability Comparison
Marketers require data and trends to make informed decisions. To gain this information, marketers need access to analytics data.
So, now it’s time we check the analytics and reporting capabilities in our Zoho social vs. Buffer comparison to know which tool scores more.
Both these tools offer custom report builder and whitelabel downloadable reports in PDF format. But, Buffer fails to offer the feature to email PDF reports to clients, and to auto schedule reports with team and client – things that Zoho Social does offer.
Note: You will find SocialPilot as a contender in the list of Buffer alternatives because it offers analytics features that Buffer lacks, such as emailing PDF reports to clients and the ability to auto schedule reports with team and client.
Herein is a comprehensive comparison of all analytics features of both the tools, with SocialPilot as a reference point.
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Zoho Social |
Buffer |
SocialPilot |
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|---|---|---|---|
| Whitelabel Downloadable Report in PDF Format |
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| Email PDF Report to Client |
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| Auto Schedule Report with Team and Client |
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| Custom Report Builder |
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| Learn More | Learn More | 14 Days Trial |
In-depth Inbox/Listening Capability Comparison
Active engagement with your audience and engaging content creation are two of the most important things that social media management tools should help you in. For this, the tool needs to have in-depth listening capability.
Let’s see which one out of the two tools – Zoho Social or Buffer, scores more in regards to their listening capability. Zoho Social clearly wins between the two as it allows you to reply to messages. It also allows you real-time listening while letting you respond to visitor posts, reviews, and questions. Buffer, on the other, lacks all these features.
Note: SocialPilot is an alternative to Buffer you can consider going for as it offers all the essential inboxing and social listening capabilities.
Take a look at the comparison below, and compare Buffer vs. Zoho Social along with SocialPilot to learn all about their inbox and listening capabilities.
|
Zoho Social |
Buffer |
SocialPilot |
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|---|---|---|---|
| Can Reply to Messages |
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| Can Reply Questions and Reviews |
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| Can Reply on Visitor Posts |
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| Learn More | Learn More | 14 Days Trial |
Team collaboration is important for sending on-time replies to inquiries and maintaining consistent brand messaging. It even lets you create better content. As checking the collaboration capacity of a social media management tool has become more important than ever, let’s do a Zoho Social vs. Buffer to see which one is better in this regard.
Both Zoho Social and Buffer allow per-post multi-user collaboration and free unlimited client onboarding. Both tools also provide content approval workflows. In all, both Zoho Social and Buffer are equally worthy for providing every important collaborative capability, and SocialPilot matches them in every aspect too.
Refer to the comparison below to check all collaboration capabilities offered by Zoho Social, Buffer, and SocialPilot.
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Zoho Social |
Buffer |
SocialPilot |
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|---|---|---|---|
| Free Unlimited Client Onboarding |
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| Per Post Multi-User Collaboration |
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| Access Management |
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| Content Approval Workflow |
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| Learn More | Learn More | 14 Days Trial |
