Buffer vs. Meta Business Manager

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Buffer
Score 8.4 out of 10
Small Businesses (1-50 employees)
Buffer is a social sharing tool. When browsing content, clicking on the Buffer icon automatically stores the content and schedules posts to social media channels throughout the day.
$0
Meta Business Manager
Score 7.9 out of 10
N/A
Meta Business Manager (formerly Facebook Business Manager, or Pages Manager) is a mobile app that supports management of up to 50 Facebook pages from a smart phone or tablet, allowing social media managers to see activity, post updates, and respond immediately to customers.N/A
Pricing
BufferMeta Business Manager
Editions & Modules
Free
$0
Essentials
$6
per month per channel
Team
$12
per month per channel
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
BufferMeta Business Manager
Free Trial
YesNo
Free/Freemium Version
YesYes
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional DetailsA discount is offered for annual billing.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
BufferMeta Business Manager
Considered Both Products
Buffer
Chose Buffer
Buffer is way easier to use and setup than Hubspot and Meta. You'd think Meta would make it easy to post on both Facebook and Instagram, but I have consistently run into issues when uploading files. I've never had an issue with Buffer.
Chose Buffer
Buffer is simple and easy to use and has a great free version.
Chose Buffer
Buffer is much more affordable than Hootsuite. Another benefit is that Buffer allows more accounts to be loaded onto the platform. Hootsuite charges in tiered levels based on how many accounts you want to load onto the software. This makes it difficult to schedule and post for …
Chose Buffer
Buffer's interface when logged in is more beautiful and easier to use than the others I've tried. Especially HighLevel which does a lot of other stuff as well - the difference with Buffer is that it is ONLY for social scheduling so it does that really well and the entire screen …
Chose Buffer
Buffer is way more user-friendly and gets straight to what I need to do. There is no frilly extra stuff—it's straight to the point. Buffer incorporates all the parts of the apps as well.
Chose Buffer
Hootsuite is good if you have the budget for social media baked into your communications budget/a communications budget in and of itself. Buffer is better for small teams, teams that may have a more limited budget or organizations that don't have a large social media …
Chose Buffer
They all solve the same problem. Buffer initially started as a way to post content without worrying about the "when". Just add to the queue, and Buffer would post at a specified cadence. Buffer's price point is very reasonable for the services that it offers. They've grown …
Chose Buffer
I think Sprout Social and Hootsuite provide more comprehensive tools and analytics, but they have more expensive plans that don't cater to businesses of all sizes. Plus, all of that complexity can make it hard to find what you're looking for. That's where Buffer excels. It's …
Chose Buffer
Buffer has a clear, easy to use interface and a reliable scheduling calendar.
Chose Buffer
Buffer had the best free version, but Zoho social had the most social media channels available in the price range.
Hootsuite was the tool we first wanted, but the price was considerably more, for tools we are not sure if we need at this time.
Chose Buffer
In my opinion, Hootsuite has it all, except TikTok, which hopefully will open up some sort of interface soon. It is a much smoother and more customizable experience. I have not had any posts missing after scheduling, like I have had with Buffer in my past experience. Just an …
Chose Buffer
Both software are good, but personally I like Buffer just because it is easy to use and it has good costumer support. Buffer lets me put my updates on a schedule so I can set it up for weeks at a time and then not have to worry.
Chose Buffer
Both of them are great at their own levels but I find Buffer quite easy to go and the way they perform every task is quite like my way of work so I personally like Buffer more, it has helped me save my most of the time hence improved my work efficiency and also the creativity …
Chose Buffer
We tried CloudCampaign and Social Bee (that wasn't on the list above) - and they all are good. Buffer is in a class of its own and super useful to individuals and companies alike.
Chose Buffer
We selected this tool to maintain the activity of publication in social networks at a low cost and good productivity, we consider that it adds to our objectives of brand awareness or discovery, since it allows us to keep our channels active with information and content that we …
Chose Buffer
Buffer and Hootsuite are considered as best tools for managing your social media accounts . The only difference which I feel between the two is Buffer is [more] focused on pre-scheduling and Hootsuite is a advanced version of Buffer you can say it allows you full -fledged …
Chose Buffer
I also used Combin which is easy and free to use. However, Combin only posts when the computer is active and connected to the internet. So, posting while you are not actively using your computer at that moment is not possible, therefore Buffer is much more efficient as you can …
Chose Buffer
Buffer is the first one I have used, and then I tried other platforms like Hootsuite, and HubSpot, but still, the other two haven't matched up to that level of ease and comfort, and the features I like of Buffer. So I switched back to Buffer.
Chose Buffer
Buffer has all the analytics tools and features that allow us to determine whether the result of our marketing is positive or negative. There are more complete alternatives, but Buffer is all I need at the moment.
Chose Buffer
Both Hootsuite and Buffer are excellent tools but they both target different users. If you're an individual user, small firm, or non-profit and you want to simplify your social media challenges, then Buffer is likely your best option. Hootsuite on the other hand is more likely …
Chose Buffer
The reason for selecting Buffer was mainly due to good UI and easy to use functionality. Hootsuite was not that user friendly and a bit complicated. Buffer is more straight forward and easy to use when you compare it with Hootsuite. Also, I like Buffer's mobile friendliness …
Chose Buffer
We have not used any other similar products to manage, organize, schedule, and analyze our social media posting. We have used other posting platforms within the channels themselves, however. Facebook is slightly more advanced than Buffer for posting on Facebook — but that is …
Chose Buffer
The price point is very affordable compared to other products that offer more features but charge a lot more. For my entire team, the price point has made it easy to get a good ROI. More than anything, it allows us to do what's necessary. Hootsuite definitely provides more …
Meta Business Manager
Chose Meta Business Manager
When it comes to B2C marketing, we don't see any alternative as present in India to Meta Business Manager. However, we use youtube Ads to an extent yet we will stack Meta Business Manager higher. When it comes to B2B marketing, we feel Meta Business Manager lacks a bit and we …
Chose Meta Business Manager
Overall, its a great tool that allows you to target to your audience, all the above tools have different audiences and if Meta Business Manager allows you to get to yours then I would advise for you to give it a try. But be sure to use an agency or get help if you are beginner …
Chose Meta Business Manager
Meta Business Manager is far superior to Adobe campaign. As mentioned before Meta Business Manager allows businesses of all size to better manage social media marketing campaigns and quickly evaluate the success of those campaigns. Without this platform one would have to …
Chose Meta Business Manager
Meta Business Manager's targeting capabilities are not as advanced for B2B as LinkedIn, but it drives much more efficient costs and still does a great job at finding your ICP.
Chose Meta Business Manager
LinkedIn Marketing Solutions, X Ads, TikTok for Business and Reddit for Business
Chose Meta Business Manager
Our team actively uses Meta Business Manager, Hubspot, and Active Campaign for different reasons, audiences, and types of content. Of these platforms, Hubspot tends to be my go-to platform. It has effectively the same limitations as Meta Business Manager (limited analytics, the …
Chose Meta Business Manager
Looking at the Business Managers for other social advertising platforms, Meta is the clear business leader and other platforms have clearly copied what they can to get started. In my opinion, Meta Business Manager is one of the top in class Business Managers and I would …
Chose Meta Business Manager
Meta Business Manager is free, and I've heard you get more accurate / better results from Meta Business Manager because it is native to the platforms it services. However, it does not offer platforms outside of Facebook, which is a major downside compared to Hootsuite overall. …
Chose Meta Business Manager
Both Sociamonials and Hootsuite are easier to use.

Meta has the price advantge... It's free
Chose Meta Business Manager
This was a company process already in place.
Chose Meta Business Manager
I use both and frankly Google blows FB out of the water on reporting and diagnostic issues with campaigns. It's also much easier to access customer support should there be any issues with your campaigns or if you need help in setting up a new campaign. FBM is a necessary tool …
Chose Meta Business Manager
Facebook is a well-known platform that has to be utilized. It allows us to reach so many new customers and potential patients for our clients. As well as allows us to interact with them consistently and keep them informed or advertise to a new niche of people. The best part …
Chose Meta Business Manager
I've really only used Facebook Business Manager when running campaigns so I can't compare it to other platforms.
Chose Meta Business Manager
While we looked at different possibilities, it just seemed that this program was designed for our key social media platforms. There really was no point in utilizing a different program when this was designed for these platforms specifically. The mobile app is an added …
Chose Meta Business Manager
While products like Sprout and Hootsuite will manage your Facebook Page along with the rest of your social media presence, using the official Facebook Pages [Manager] is superior when it comes to managing comments, placing ads, and reacting to customers quickly. The mobile app …
Chose Meta Business Manager
LinkedIn Marketing has audience targeting that is much more focused on the professional aspects of a user, such as skills, job title, and company size. Facebook, on the other hand, is more focused on the audience interests. As a B2B business, it is thus hard to choose which …
Chose Meta Business Manager
A pretty robust tool. I liked it but it was way over my budget so I had to cancel it. I think they have gotten even better but pricing remains the same.
Chose Meta Business Manager
I personally found it easier to use and the non-profits I am managing aren't on several other platforms.
Chose Meta Business Manager
I like that I can insert a direct link into a post to my website using Facebook Pages Manager. This feature is lacking in Instagram, e.g., and would be a welcome addition. It would be great to be able to manage the same campaign (and posts) using one platform.
Chose Meta Business Manager
I selected Facebook pages manager because it is an easy product to learn and doesn’t involve having an additional login or account to use. This is simple for busy business owners and takes a little more off of their plate.
Chose Meta Business Manager
I have used Twitter analytics before, and look at my Pinterest analytics now and again. Twitter and Pinterest both have easier interfaces to navigate, which is really nice, but I know they don't have near the data that Facebook does. Additionally, I just started using my …
Chose Meta Business Manager
Facebook Pages Manager is a lot more mobile-friendly in general if you're offering up stats at a meeting, talking to your CEO, or just curious to see how your post is performing over your lunch hour. It's also a lot more convenient when you're handling an above average level of …
Chose Meta Business Manager
We used the Facebook Pages Manager exclusively for managing out pages. We've used Synup as an alternative, but it still requires us to work in Facebook Pages Manager, and Synup has a weak product offering. We've considered using another tool to assist in managing our data for …
Chose Meta Business Manager
Facebook Pages Manager is the native analytics solution for Facebook. We've evaluated others, but found that for the most part, familiarity with this native platform is the best way to achieve ROI. Most other platforms must pull from this data source in one way or another, so …
Chose Meta Business Manager
Not as much learning content available compared to LinkedIn Learning tools.
Features
BufferMeta Business Manager
Publishing
Comparison of Publishing features of Product A and Product B
Buffer
8.6
Ratings
7% above category average
Meta Business Manager
5.9
Ratings
31% below category average
Content planning and scheduling9.00 Ratings7.10 Ratings
Content optimization8.00 Ratings5.80 Ratings
Workflow management8.80 Ratings4.70 Ratings
Audience targeting00 Ratings6.00 Ratings
Reporting/analytics
Comparison of Reporting/analytics features of Product A and Product B
Buffer
8.3
Ratings
5% above category average
Meta Business Manager
5.6
Ratings
34% below category average
Campaign success analytics8.30 Ratings7.20 Ratings
Real-time tracking00 Ratings5.80 Ratings
Competitor analysis00 Ratings3.80 Ratings
Account management
Comparison of Account management features of Product A and Product B
Buffer
9.0
Ratings
12% above category average
Meta Business Manager
6.1
Ratings
27% below category average
Role-based user permissions & privileges9.00 Ratings5.30 Ratings
Mobile access9.00 Ratings7.00 Ratings
Listening/monitoring
Comparison of Listening/monitoring features of Product A and Product B
Buffer
-
Ratings
Meta Business Manager
6.1
Ratings
23% below category average
Boolean keyword searches00 Ratings5.90 Ratings
Filtering out noise/spam00 Ratings5.30 Ratings
Sentiment analysis00 Ratings7.30 Ratings
Broad channel coverage00 Ratings6.00 Ratings
Engagement
Comparison of Engagement features of Product A and Product B
Buffer
-
Ratings
Meta Business Manager
5.9
Ratings
29% below category average
Automated routing and prioritization00 Ratings5.30 Ratings
Customer interaction histories00 Ratings4.60 Ratings
Bulk actions00 Ratings7.80 Ratings
Marketing
Comparison of Marketing features of Product A and Product B
Buffer
-
Ratings
Meta Business Manager
6.1
Ratings
24% below category average
Lead generation00 Ratings4.80 Ratings
Content marketing00 Ratings5.60 Ratings
Paid media management00 Ratings6.20 Ratings
Campaigns and promotions00 Ratings7.60 Ratings
Channel coverage/integration
Comparison of Channel coverage/integration features of Product A and Product B
Buffer
-
Ratings
Meta Business Manager
6.3
Ratings
29% below category average
Twitter00 Ratings4.00 Ratings
Facebook00 Ratings8.10 Ratings
LinkedIn00 Ratings5.90 Ratings
Google+00 Ratings7.30 Ratings
Instagram00 Ratings7.30 Ratings
Pinterest00 Ratings6.00 Ratings
YouTube00 Ratings5.60 Ratings
Best Alternatives
BufferMeta Business Manager
Small Businesses
CoSchedule Marketing Suite
CoSchedule Marketing Suite
Score 10.0 out of 10
CoSchedule Marketing Suite
CoSchedule Marketing Suite
Score 10.0 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
CoSchedule Marketing Suite
CoSchedule Marketing Suite
Score 10.0 out of 10
CoSchedule Marketing Suite
CoSchedule Marketing Suite
Score 10.0 out of 10
Enterprises
Social Suite by Reputation.com
Social Suite by Reputation.com
Score 9.4 out of 10
Social Suite by Reputation.com
Social Suite by Reputation.com
Score 9.4 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
BufferMeta Business Manager
Likelihood to Recommend
8.8
(0 ratings)
10.0
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
8.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Usability
9.0
(0 ratings)
7.6
(0 ratings)
Availability
8.2
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
8.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
6.1
(0 ratings)
6.1
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
8.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Configurability
10.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
8.6
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
BufferMeta Business Manager
Likelihood to Recommend
It is a very interesting tool for entrepreneurs or CEOs of startups who do not have much time to manage social media communication and also have few resources at the beginning of their venture. It can also be convenient for small companies that do not have specific personnel with training in community management and require easy-to-use tools to carry out the basic actions of scheduled publication on social media.
Read full review
When utilizing a Lookalike audience based off a client's Current Customer list, Meta Business Manager does a great job in identifying who our ICP is. Pair that that CAPI and the platform is nearly fool proof. We have generated some of the highest pipeline through Meta Business Manager when done correctly, and the channel has great potential. We find that Lead Generation with Mid-funnel content drives more pipeline than direct response or Demo offers. Webinars and On-Demand webinars perform well on Meta Business Manager as well.
Read full review
Pros
  • I can plan and publish content on social channels.
  • Buffer's interface is quite tidy and generates the necessary facilities to save us time in publishing consistent content.
  • It has a special price; it is pretty affordable.
  • It has the possibility of integrating with other tools to improve its functions.
Read full review
  • Pages Manager allows fans and followers to message your organization privately to resolve issues that may not be right for the public interface
  • Pages Manager gives you a insights into how content is performing, including paid content, in terms of reach and engagement.
Read full review
Cons
  • Analytics-- The analytics on the Pro plan are limited at best. You can simply review your posts from the past 30 days, but you can't access any analysis (or even simple tallying of Likes, Shares, etc.) without upgrading to the Premium or Business plans, which are otherwise more than we need at the moment.
  • Publish+Reply+Analyze-- It's a bit tedious to have these basic social media functions/tools separated out as three distinct products, as well as overkill for a small nonprofit without a dedicated social media team. I imagine each tool is good at its job if you need 'em.
  • Linking to Accounts-- Buffer seems to lose touch with Facebook and LinkedIn somewhat frequently. It's vaguely annoying but very simple to fix, so I just roll with it.
Read full review
  • The only thing I have noticed is when on my device, it calls out a list of names that have shared your post, and it only shows one. On the computer it will let you scroll down and see all of them.
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
Ease of use, affordability, time saved and just love for the app and the team. It's not a miracle tool that will suddenly increase your company's value or leads, you still need to put in quality posts, thoughts and content but when used regularly and with thought, you'll be happy in the long run
Read full review
No answers on this topic
Usability
Easy enough to use even my boss got it right away. It helps to off-set the workload to less active times, and we can preschedule way in advance, which also helps to keep the team on track as we know what we have planned and want to reach our milestones before posts go online.
Read full review
The UI is easy and intuitive for any beginner, but it also has a lot of depth for more advanced users. There have been very few cases where I could not do something I wanted to do regarding media buying. However, there are big limitations regarding account management, admin settings, and user appeals.
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Reliability and Availability
Buffer is always on hand and very reliable, their software suite rarely has outages
Read full review
No answers on this topic
Performance
Buffer performs well on both desktop and mobile platforms. The one area as I have stated before is that it does not always want to automatically push to Instagram and the user will have to go do it manually. Buffer works very well pushing to other platforms. The instagram issue is the only reason buffer does not get a 10 on this section
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No answers on this topic
Support Rating
  1. It really helped to my business to grow online.
  2. I was able to take actions mindfully as the analytics are damn good.
  3. Also used for managing clients social media accounts and it proved to be a best resource.
  4. Clients were really happy as they got high demand and growth on internet and the secret is Buffer.
  5. The user interface is really easy to understand and manage. Support is 24/7 available to help.
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Facebook is notoriously difficult to access for help and FBM is no exception. Only the chat feature will get someone in touch with you and then there is very limited help. The most they do is send links from their 'help section' without really offering much help at all. Business owners and directors need a person on the phone that can understand the problem and help fix it, not 'helpful links that have already been tried.
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Implementation Rating
We were very satisfied with the implementation of Buffer. We had no issues switching from the platform that we were using over to buffer. Our staff did not even miss a beat when it came to posting content. It was an easy transition and I feel that is something that buffer has really done well. They have an "out of the box" usability platform
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No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
Both of them are great at their own levels but I find Buffer quite easy to go and the way they perform every task is quite like my way of work so I personally like Buffer more, it has helped me save my most of the time hence improved my work efficiency and also the creativity they put into my work is outstanding. The support I get whenever I run into problems they provide a quick response every time.
Read full review
When it comes to B2C marketing, we don't see any alternative as present in India to Meta Business Manager. However, we use youtube Ads to an extent yet we will stack Meta Business Manager higher. When it comes to B2B marketing, we feel Meta Business Manager lacks a bit and we go for more specific targetting via LinkedIn Ads and LinkedIn Sales Navigator. Also, for inbound lead generation we use Google Search Ads.
Read full review
Scalability
Buffer does what it say on tin as they say! you can always count on Buffer. Buffer can be scale to 25 social account with 2,000 scheduled post which is enough for most agencies or businesses
Read full review
No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
  • It has saved money by allowing us to automate our social using one person
  • It allows us to connect one channel at a time instead of wasting money on larger account management tools
  • We are making money, because it has already delivered several clients
Read full review
  • Meta Business Manager allows us to see all of our content posted to Instagram and Facebook in one place, which is valuable for basic-level engagement fluctuation data.
  • Meta Business Manager doesn't really have tools to measure overall performance against ourselves or similar institutions, so even with years of content "banked" in its history, we still have to rely on outside tracking to determine our benchmarks.
  • Facebook is still the primary place for our older audience to engage with our institution, so it's nice to be able to do most of our posting on Instagram where our primary audience is and carry over only what is relevant to Facebook through Meta Business Manager.
Read full review
ScreenShots

Buffer Screenshots

Screenshot of The Buffer dashboardScreenshot of Customizable posting scheduleScreenshot of Tailored PostsScreenshot of List or calendar view of scheduled postsScreenshot of Browser extensionScreenshot of Social media analytics