PostDock vs Buffer: Open Source vs Subscription

OneTimeSuite Blog · Published 2026-07-21

PostDock and Buffer solve the same problem from opposite directions: one is source-available software you can own outright for $49, the other is a subscription at $6/channel/mo run entirely on someone else's servers.

Head to head

What PostDock does well

• 5 pluggable channels — X/Twitter, Facebook Page + Instagram Business, LinkedIn, Mastodon — all with your own API keys, every credential on your box.
• Webhook escape hatch — POSTs the content JSON to Zapier, Make, n8n or your own endpoint with optional HMAC-SHA256 signing — your route to every other network.
• Composer with live previews — Text + up to 4 images, per-network character counters (280/500/2200/3000) and preview cards per channel.
• Timezone-aware scheduling — Pick any IANA timezone; DST handled correctly. Post now or schedule.

What Buffer still does better

There's a real reason Buffer costs what it does: a bigger team, broader integrations and dedicated support behind it. If that ecosystem is genuinely what you need, it's worth paying for.

Which one should you pick

If your workflow depends on Buffer's specific integrations or you'd rather not run anything yourself, stay put — that's a legitimate call. If you're comfortable owning the tool and want to stop paying $6/channel/mo for a job your own hardware can do, PostDock pays for itself and then some: eight months of a single Buffer channel pays for PostDock outright — a five-channel setup pays it back in under two months.