Gongong AI vs Buffer
How Gongong AI compares with Buffer for scheduling, AI content creation, approvals and API access — including where Buffer’s restraint and per-channel pricing genuinely win.
- 14-day trial, no card
- API + MCP on every plan
What Buffer is good at
Start with the credit
Buffer has spent well over a decade making scheduling calm, reliable and easy to teach a new hire in ten minutes. Its queue model is excellent, its free plan for three channels is genuinely usable, and — unusually for this category — it gives API keys to every tier, free included. Its restraint is a feature: it does not try to be a production studio, and if you already make your own content, that restraint is worth paying for.
Pick Buffer if…
- You want the simplest possible queue-based scheduler and already make your own content
- You run a handful of channels, where per-channel pricing is cheaper than a flat plan
- You need a permanently free plan rather than a trial
- A long track record and a large support ecosystem matter more than breadth
Side by side
Where the two products diverge
| Capability | Gongong AI | Buffer |
|---|---|---|
| Public REST API on the entry planCan a script or an agent do what the UI does, on the cheapest paid tier? | YesIncluded on the entry plan and in the free trial. Never a higher tier | YesAPI keys on every tier, capped by monthly requests — 3,000 free, 7,500 Essentials, 15,000 Team |
| MCP server for AI agentsTools an assistant like Claude or ChatGPT can call on your behalf. | Yes11 tools on every plan: draft, schedule, next free slot, analytics, inbox, reply | Not advertised at the time of review |
| What the bill scales withThe number that changes when you add a client. Ours is workspaces: Starter 1, Creator 3, Team 10, Agency unlimited. | PartialNo per-channel or per-seat line item — but a client is a workspace, so growth crosses a plan ceiling rather than adding a per-client charge | Per channel: Essentials $6/mo ($5 on annual billing), Team $12/mo ($10 annual), with lower per-channel rates past 10 channels |
| Networks | Partial14 built — Bluesky and Mastodon connect today; the other twelve go live as each platform approves the app | Check their current network list |
| Engagement inboxComments, mentions, reviews and DMs in one stream, with replies in your voice. | Partial10 of our 14 networks. TikTok, Pinterest, Telegram and Discord are publish-only — those APIs expose no inbox | PartialEngagement features exist — check their current network coverage |
| Rendered video, not just captionsScript to a vertical video with voiceover and captions, in three aspect ratios. | YesIncluded, metered in video minutes rather than credits | NoA scheduler, not a video renderer |
| One long source into a week of postsYouTube, articles, PDFs, audio, raw text and RSS. | YesDistinct angles mined first, then each expanded in its own run | PartialAI assistant for captions and repeats, not source ingestion |
| Client sign-off without a loginA link the client opens to approve, request changes or comment. | YesCreator and above: signed links, threaded comments, one or two steps, no seat used | PartialApproval workflow on the Team plan; client links not advertised |
| White-label client reports | YesTeam and Agency | Check their current plan matrix |
| A published answer for a failed postWhat happens when the machine holding your 9am post dies at 8:59. | YesFive failure classes, a different response each, and a recovery sweep on a longer clock than the queue lock | Not published — worth asking them directly |
| Your own results change next week’s draftsA weekly pass over what this workspace published, fed back into the prompt. | YesPer workspace, as evidence the model may overrule — not a fine-tuned model | Not advertised at the time of review |
| Try it without a credit card | Yes14 days at Creator limits, approvals and API included | YesFree plan for 3 channels, plus a 14-day trial on paid plans |
| Mobile | YesInstallable PWA — bottom tabs, offline drafts, push | Native mobile apps |
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Why teams pick Gongong AI
The case for switching
- You want the content made, not just scheduled — per-network drafts, images, carousels and rendered video
- Your channel count is growing: per-channel pricing crosses our flat price faster than most people expect
- You want an agent to run the account over MCP, not only a REST endpoint
- You publish for clients who must approve, and you want them to do it without an account
Pricing
What it costs to move
Starter
One brand, one person
Everything the product does for a single brand — including the REST API and the MCP server most tools reserve for a sales call.
Start free$19/ month
$228 per year · switch to annual and it saves two months
- 1 workspace for one brand
- 10 social accounts, with no per-channel fee
- 1 seat
- 2,000 AI credits a month for text, images and carousels, pooled across the organization
- 10 video minutes a month — each rendered minute also uses 120 AI credits
- Public REST API, MCP server and webhooks — never gated
- 14 networks built, 2 connectable today; 10 of them feed the inbox
No approvals or client review links — those start on Creator.
Creator
Most popularThree brands, or your first client
Where sign-off starts: approvals and a review link a client opens without an account, across three workspaces that cannot see each other.
Start free$49/ month
$588 per year · switch to annual and it saves two months
- 3 workspaces — one per brand or client, sealed from each other
- 25 social accounts, with no per-channel fee
- 2 seats — a person in several workspaces still counts once
- 8,000 AI credits a month for text, images and carousels, pooled across the organization
- 60 video minutes a month — each rendered minute also uses 120 AI credits
- Public REST API, MCP server and webhooks — never gated
- 14 networks built, 2 connectable today; 10 of them feed the inbox
- Approvals and no-login client review links
Team
A team that reviews before it publishes
Ten workspaces, five seats and white-label reports — the tier where the reporting goes out under your name rather than ours.
Start free$99/ month
$1,188 per year · switch to annual and it saves two months
- 10 workspaces — one per brand or client, sealed from each other
- 60 social accounts, with no per-channel fee
- 5 seats — a person in several workspaces still counts once
- 20,000 AI credits a month for text, images and carousels, pooled across the organization
- 150 video minutes a month — each rendered minute also uses 120 AI credits
- Public REST API, MCP server and webhooks — never gated
- 14 networks built, 2 connectable today; 10 of them feed the inbox
- Approvals and no-login client review links
- White-label client reports
Agency
Client work at volume
Unlimited workspaces, 150 social accounts and 15 seats for one flat price — not $249 per person.
Start free$249/ month
$2,988 per year · switch to annual and it saves two months
- Unlimited workspaces — one per brand or client, sealed from each other
- 150 social accounts, with no per-channel fee
- 15 seats — a person in several workspaces still counts once
- 60,000 AI credits a month for text, images and carousels, pooled across the organization
- 500 video minutes a month — each rendered minute also uses 120 AI credits
- Public REST API, MCP server and webhooks — never gated
- 14 networks built, 2 connectable today; 10 of them feed the inbox
- Approvals and no-login client review links
- White-label client reports
- SAML / OIDC single sign-on (coming soon)
SAML and OIDC single sign-on are entitled here and not shipped yet.
Other comparisons
Doing your research properly
Try it beside Buffer
Fourteen days free with no card. Connect one account, paste one link, and compare the output yourself.
No credit card · Cancel anytime · Every plan includes the API and the MCP server