Buffer vs Planoly
Fast pin queue versus visual Instagram-Pinterest planner
TL;DR
For Pinterest pin creation: Buffer at $5/month is a fast queue-based pin scheduler with no visual planning. Planoly at $11.25/month started as an Instagram visual planner and added Pinterest with a drag-and-drop grid interface. Buffer is cheaper and faster for scheduling. Planoly is better for creators who plan pins visually alongside Instagram content. Neither designs pins for you.
Key Differences for Pinterest
How these tools differ for Pinterest pin creation and scheduling
Pinterest Focus
Buffer has a Pinterest rating of 4/10 while Planoly scores 5/10. Planoly offers stronger Pinterest-specific features.
Pricing
Buffer starts at $6/mo per channel while Planoly starts at $16/mo. Buffer offers a free plan.
Bulk Pin Creation
Neither Buffer nor Planoly can generate pins from your website automatically. BlogToPin reads your sitemap and creates hundreds of optimized pins with AI-written titles and descriptions.
Platform Support
Buffer supports Instagram, Facebook, X, LinkedIn, Pinterest, TikTok, Mastodon, Bluesky. Planoly covers Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, Facebook. Buffer gives you more platform options.
Pricing for Pinterest Users
What you will actually pay for Pinterest pin scheduling
Buffer
Per channel pricing
Planoly
Tiered plans with upload limits
BlogToPin
Starter plan. 1,000+ pins/mo. Unlimited AI.
Pinterest Feature Comparison
20 Pinterest-relevant features compared side-by-side
| Feature | Buffer | Planoly | BlogToPin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pinterest Features | |||
| Pinterest Scheduling | |||
| Smart Schedule | AI-powered | ||
| Pin Templates | Basic templates | 100+ templates | |
| Board Management | Basic | Basic | |
| Idea & Video Pins | Standard pins only | Limited | |
| Automation | |||
| Bulk Scheduling | Automatic | ||
| Auto-Create from URL | |||
| Auto-Sync New Content | |||
| Content Recycling | |||
| Delete Underperforming Pins | |||
| RSS Feed Integration | |||
| AI & Content | |||
| AI Writing | AI Assistant | AI Caption | Unlimited |
| AI Image Generation | |||
| Hashtag Suggestions | |||
| Analytics | |||
| Pinterest Analytics | Basic | Basic | |
| Best Time to Post | |||
| Competitor Tracking | |||
| Platform | |||
| Multi-Platform | Instagram, Facebook, X, LinkedIn, Pinterest, TikTok, Mastodon, Bluesky | Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, Facebook | Pinterest focused |
| Mobile App | |||
| Team Collaboration | Team plan | Paid add-on | Business plan |
Pros & Cons for Pinterest
Strengths and weaknesses for Pinterest pin workflows
Buffer
Pros
- Dead simple to use, almost no learning curve
- Very affordable, especially for solo creators
- Supports more platforms than most tools
- Clean, distraction-free interface
- Generous free plan for getting started
- Great for beginners who just need basic scheduling
Cons
- Pinterest features are extremely basic
- No smart scheduling or optimal time suggestions
- No pin templates or design tools
- No content recycling or evergreen features
- Analytics are minimal for Pinterest
- No bulk operations or automation
Planoly
Pros
- Beautiful visual grid planner for planning your feed
- Easy to learn with a clean, minimal interface
- Good Instagram planning tools that translate okay to Pinterest
- Decent mobile app for planning on the go
- Affordable entry point for beginners
Cons
- Pinterest features clearly secondary to Instagram
- Strict upload limits even on paid plans
- No content recycling or automation features
- Analytics are very basic
- No smart scheduling or optimal time suggestions
- Cannot create pins from website content
BlogToPin
Pros
- Auto-creates pins from your website content — no manual design
- 100+ pin templates for visual variety across your profile
- AI writes Pinterest-optimized titles and descriptions
- Automatically deletes underperforming pins to protect account quality
- Smart scheduling posts pins at optimal times
- Reads your sitemap and generates pins from every page
Cons
- Pinterest-only — does not support other social platforms
- No mobile app yet
- Requires a website with content to generate pins from
- Starting at $39/mo, higher entry price than basic schedulers
What Users Say
Real user reviews from Trustpilot and G2
Buffer Reviews
“Buffer saves me so much time. Tools are efficient and easy to use, easy to swap out accounts and channels too.”
“I've scheduled 5 posts every day but one post doesn't always get published because it exceeded the number of posts allowed.”
Planoly Reviews
“I have been using Planoly for 5+ years and have always had a good experience with them.”
“Planoly quietly charged me over $500 across 6 years with no renewal reminders, no usage reports.”
Best For Pinterest
When to choose each tool for your Pinterest pin strategy
Buffer
- Beginners who want the simplest possible tool
- Solo creators on a tight budget
- People who need basic scheduling across many platforms
Planoly
- Instagram-first creators who also post to Pinterest
- Visual planners who want a clean grid view
- Beginners who value simplicity over power features
BlogToPin
- You need hundreds of unique pins created from your website content
- You want AI to write Pinterest-optimized titles and descriptions
- You are tired of manually designing pin images for every post
- You want to automatically remove underperforming pins
- You need Pinterest pin creation on autopilot, not just scheduling
Overview
For Pinterest marketers, Buffer and Planoly offer different scheduling experiences. Buffer is a fast queue: upload pin image, add description, select board, schedule. Planoly is a visual planner: see your pin images in a grid, drag them to calendar slots, preview how your content flows. Planoly's visual approach was designed for Instagram grid aesthetics and adapts reasonably well to Pinterest planning, though Pinterest boards are organized differently than Instagram feeds. The price gap matters for budget-conscious pinners — Buffer costs less than half.
Visual Pin Planning vs. Queue Speed
Planoly's visual grid shows your upcoming pins as images on a calendar, letting you see the visual flow of your pinning schedule. For Pinterest marketers who care about visual variety — alternating between infographic pins, lifestyle pins, and text-overlay pins — this preview helps maintain a diverse content mix without relying on memory.
Buffer presents pins as a text list in a queue. You see titles and small thumbnails but can't visualize how your pins relate to each other visually. The trade-off is speed: adding a pin to Buffer's queue takes under a minute, while Planoly's visual arrangement encourages spending more time on placement and planning.
For Pinterest specifically, visual planning matters less than it does for Instagram. Pinterest boards are already organized by theme, and individual pin quality matters more than feed-level visual cohesion. But if you manage both Instagram and Pinterest, Planoly's unified visual planning covers both platforms.
Pinterest Scheduling Features
Both tools handle basic Pinterest scheduling: upload pin image, write description, select board, choose time. Neither offers Pinterest-specific intelligence like smart scheduling based on audience activity, board rotation, or keyword-optimized description suggestions.
Planoly's Pinterest support came after its Instagram-first design, so the Pinterest features feel like a competent addition rather than a core focus. You get scheduling, basic analytics, and visual planning for your pins. Buffer's Pinterest support is equally functional — scheduling works reliably without any Pinterest-specific optimization.
For Pinterest-only use, both tools provide the same basic scheduling capability. The differentiator is whether you value visual planning (Planoly) or queue speed and lower cost (Buffer).
Cross-Platform Content for Instagram and Pinterest
Planoly's strength emerges for creators active on both Instagram and Pinterest. Many content creators repurpose Instagram content for Pinterest — turning a Reel behind-the-scenes into a pin, or creating pin-sized versions of Instagram carousel tips. Planoly houses both platforms in one visual interface, making cross-platform content planning natural.
Buffer handles Instagram and Pinterest as separate channels. You schedule to each independently with no cross-platform content tools. If you create unique content per platform, this is fine. If your strategy involves repurposing content between Instagram and Pinterest, Buffer doesn't facilitate that workflow.
If Pinterest is your only platform, this cross-platform advantage disappears and Buffer's lower price becomes the dominant factor.
Pin Description and SEO
Neither tool helps you write Pinterest-optimized descriptions. Planoly provides a text field for pin descriptions with no keyword suggestions or SEO guidance. Buffer provides the same basic text field. Writing descriptions that rank in Pinterest search is entirely on you with both tools.
Pinterest descriptions are critical because pins function as search results. A well-keyworded description can drive traffic for months. Both Buffer and Planoly miss an opportunity here — dedicated Pinterest tools and AI pin generators write descriptions specifically optimized for Pinterest's search algorithm.
Pricing for Pinterest Marketers
Buffer at $5/month per channel is the more affordable option. One Pinterest account costs $5/month with full queue access and basic analytics. The free plan includes three channels.
Planoly starts at $11.25/month — more than double Buffer's price. The extra cost gets you visual grid planning, a media library, and StoriesEdit for Instagram. For Pinterest-only use, the premium over Buffer buys visual planning that has limited value on Pinterest's board-based layout.
Budget-conscious Pinterest marketers who don't also manage Instagram should choose Buffer. Creators active on both Instagram and Pinterest may find Planoly's unified visual planning worth the premium.
Final Verdict
Buffer is the smarter choice for Pinterest-only scheduling. At $5/month, its queue system gets pins published quickly and affordably. The lack of visual planning matters less on Pinterest where board organization — not feed aesthetics — drives content structure.
Planoly justifies its higher price for creators who manage both Instagram and Pinterest and want visual content planning across both platforms. If you're already in Planoly for Instagram, adding Pinterest is natural. For Pinterest marketers who want to skip manual pin creation entirely, tools like BlogToPin auto-generate pin designs and descriptions from your content, eliminating the biggest time sink in the pin workflow.
Want pins created automatically?
Both Buffer and Planoly require manual pin creation. BlogToPin generates pins from your website with AI — no design work needed.
Frequently Asked Questions
7 questions answered about Buffer vs Planoly
Is Planoly's Pinterest support as good as its Instagram support?
Planoly was built for Instagram first, so its Instagram features are more polished. Pinterest support is functional with scheduling, basic analytics, and visual planning, but it's not as deeply developed as the Instagram side. For basic pin scheduling, it works well.
Can I plan my Pinterest boards visually in either tool?
Planoly offers a visual grid planner that shows your content in a visual layout. Buffer uses a list-based queue without visual preview. Neither lets you visually plan specific Pinterest board layouts — the visual planning is for your overall posting calendar.
Is Planoly worth the extra cost over Buffer for Pinterest?
For Pinterest-only use, probably not. Planoly's visual planning is more valuable for Instagram grid aesthetics. Pinterest boards are categorized by theme, making visual feed planning less important. Buffer covers Pinterest scheduling at less than half the price.
Can either tool create Pinterest pin designs?
Neither Buffer nor Planoly creates pin designs. Both require you to upload pre-made pin images. You need a separate design tool (Canva, Pin Generator) or an automated pin creator like BlogToPin to generate pin designs.
Which tool handles video pins better?
Both support uploading and scheduling video pins to Pinterest. Neither offers video editing or Pinterest-specific video optimization. The video pin scheduling experience is comparable on both platforms.
Can I switch from Planoly to Buffer to save money?
Yes. Both connect to Pinterest via the official API. Switching is straightforward — you lose access to Planoly's visual planner and media library but save about $6/month. Your published pins aren't affected.
Which tool is better for a small business on Pinterest?
Buffer is better for small businesses focused on Pinterest. At $5/month with minimal setup, it's the most cost-effective way to maintain a consistent pinning schedule. Planoly only adds value if you also heavily use Instagram.
Tired of creating pins by hand?
BlogToPin generates Pinterest pins from your website automatically. AI writes the titles and descriptions, 100+ templates handle design, and smart scheduling posts at optimal times. Try it free.