Publishing to all social networks from one place: tools compared

Once a business is on Facebook, Instagram and then TikTok or LinkedIn too, the same post gets written four times. You log in, attach the image, paste the text, switch accounts and start over. Half an hour of work, and most of it is repetition.

Here's what publishing from one place means in practice, what it doesn't fix, and which tools do it. Every price and channel list was checked on the tool's own site on 16 October 2026.

The short answer

Publishing from one place means you write a post once, pick the channels, and publish or schedule it from a single screen. The tool sends it to each network for you.

If your channels are Facebook and Instagram, Meta's own Meta Business Suite is enough, and it's free. Once TikTok, LinkedIn, X or YouTube come into the picture, you need a multi-network tool. The cheapest way to try one is Buffer's free plan, which covers three channels. For all six networks the gap is wide: six channels on Buffer cost $30 a month on annual billing, Hootsuite's Standard plan is €99 per user. The pricing model often matters more than the sticker price.

What one place doesn't fix

A tool takes away the copying and the account switching. Each network's own rules still apply.

The first limit is account type. Facebook and LinkedIn only let a publishing tool post to Pages and Company Pages, not to personal profiles. On Instagram the account has to be a professional one. That rule applies to every tool equally. We've listed the requirements network by network in what each platform needs before you post.

The second is format. X caps a post at 280 characters, and YouTube needs a video. The same text and image won't always go everywhere as they are. A decent tool tells you what won't go through before you hit publish.

The third is easy to miss: auto-publishing doesn't work on every account. Some tools fall back to a reminder in certain cases. Buffer's own channel table, for example, shows it doesn't auto-publish to personal Instagram profiles or Facebook groups. You get a notification and finish the post in the app. So during a trial, check which posts go out on their own.

Option 1: Meta Business Suite

Meta's own tool is the natural starting point if social media for you means Facebook and Instagram. Meta says so plainly on its own FAQ: "Yes, Meta Business Suite is a free tool." All you need is a Facebook Page for your business.

With it you can publish and schedule feed posts and stories to both without switching accounts. From the same place you answer messages and comments and see your insights.

The limit is the channel list. Meta describes the tool for its own apps: Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, Threads and WhatsApp. TikTok, LinkedIn, X and YouTube don't come up on Meta's pages. If even one of those matters to you, you'll need a second tool, and running two tools eats the benefit you wanted from one place.

Option 2: a multi-network tool

There are dozens of these. We picked the five that come up most often, plus Steadybeat, which is our own product. It's one row in the table like the others.

A few notes behind the table:

• Buffer charges per channel. Three channels are free, and on a paid plan you pay for every channel, the first three included. For a small business on two or three networks it's hard to beat.
• Hootsuite charges per user. Standard covers ten accounts in one calendar, but every extra person costs the full price again.
• Later sells "social sets": one set is one profile on each network it supports. X isn't on Later's list, so if you post there, Later won't cover it on its own.
• Metricool charges per brand, and the free plan covers Facebook, Instagram and TikTok among others. LinkedIn needs a paid plan, and X is a separate add-on even on paid plans.
• Steadybeat covers six networks and no more. There's no Pinterest, Threads or Google Business Profile. On Basic you can post to X 20 times a month, because X's API charges us for every post. There's no free plan, only the trial.

For a broader price comparison that also covers Sprout Social and Agorapulse, see social media tool pricing.

Four things to check before comparing prices

The sticker price doesn't tell you what a tool costs you. Look at these first.

Channels. Write down the networks you actually post to, not the ones you might use someday. This narrows the list fastest. Just Facebook and Instagram: Meta Business Suite. X included: Later drops out. LinkedIn included: Metricool's free plan drops out.

Pricing model. Per channel, per user, per brand or flat. Per-user pricing doesn't hurt a solo owner, but for a three-person team it triples. Per-channel pricing is cheap with two channels and adds up with six.

Number of brands. If you run social media for several businesses or clients, check how many brands or accounts fit in one subscription. The differences here are bigger than in the entry plans.

Currency and tax. Buffer and Later price in dollars, so if you pay in euros the real cost moves with the exchange rate. Compare like with like, too: some tools show the monthly price on annual billing, and paying month to month costs more.

Example: a café, four channels, one person

A café posts to Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and LinkedIn, and the owner does it herself. On annual billing the monthly prices work out like this:

• Meta Business Suite isn't enough, since TikTok and LinkedIn are left out.
• Buffer Essentials: four channels, 4 × $5, so $20.
• Later Starter: $18.75, and all four fit in one set.
• Metricool Starter: €16, since LinkedIn needs a paid plan.
• Steadybeat Basic: €19 excl. VAT.
• Hootsuite Standard: €99 per user.

Add X and the picture changes. Later drops out, Buffer goes up to $25, and on Metricool X is a separate add-on. Steadybeat's price stays the same, but Basic allows up to 20 X posts a month.

That's why the channel list should come before the price comparison. One extra network can change which option is cheapest.

How to set it up

Whichever tool you pick, setup runs in the same order.

The last step is the one people skip. In the first few weeks you'll see whether a channel gets stuck on an expired connection or a missing permission.

What still needs per-network work

One place doesn't mean the exact same text goes everywhere. Scheduling and distribution are mechanical, and a tool should do them. Tone, though, can change from network to network.

Replying to comments is the other thing not to forget. Some tools pull comments into one inbox. If yours doesn't, go through the networks yourself at least once a day.

If you haven't decided yet whether to post right away, schedule, or plan a whole week at once, we've covered the differences in four ways to publish on social media.

Which fits whom

• Facebook and Instagram only: Meta Business Suite. It's free, and it's Meta's own.
• Two or three channels, tight budget: Buffer's free plan, or Metricool's free plan if LinkedIn and X aren't in the mix.
• A larger team that needs reporting: Hootsuite. The per-user price is high, but you get more than publishing for it.
• Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest, no X: Later.
• All six networks at a flat euro price, with AI drafts: Steadybeat, our own product. Judge it on the same criteria as the rest.

A good way to choose is to run two options side by side for a week with the same posts. A week is enough to see which one's quicker to use and whether everything arrives.

Sources

All prices and channel lists checked on each tool's own site on 16 October 2026. Prices change, so check the current price before you subscribe.

• Meta, Meta Business Suite: FAQ. Free to use, Facebook Page required.
• Meta, How Meta Business Suite works. Coverage of Meta's apps.
• Buffer, Pricing. Free plan, per-channel prices, supported channels and the channel feature table.
• Hootsuite, Plans and Integrations. Euro prices on annual billing and supported networks.
• Later, Pricing. Dollar prices and what a social set includes.
• Metricool, Pricing. Euro prices, free plan limits and the X add-on.