Which Is the Best Social Media Scheduling API in 2026? 9 Schedulers Compared

Choosing the best social media scheduling API in 2026 comes down to a short list, because most schedulers still treat their API as an enterprise upsell. Of the nine tools below, four include REST access on the entry plan, two sell it as an add-on or a higher tier, one prices the whole product for developers, and two are effectively closed. We build AdaptlyPost, so it is first, and every competitor number was read from that vendor's own pricing or docs page in September 2026.

The short version: AdaptlyPost, Postiz, FeedHive and Zernio ship REST on their cheapest plan. AdaptlyPost and Postiz also ship a hosted MCP server, webhooks and a public OpenAPI spec. Ayrshare is the strongest pure API and the most expensive. If the agent or script needs to know which platform failed, only AdaptlyPost and Ayrshare return per-platform results with a retry path.

What should a social media scheduling API include?

A social media scheduling API should include five things: a create-post endpoint that takes a schedule time with a timezone, media upload, per-platform results, webhooks for state changes, and a published rate limit. A tool missing any of those pushes the missing part back onto your code.

• Scheduling with a timezone. A scheduledAt field that accepts an ISO timestamp and an IANA zone such as Europe/Berlin. Anything else drifts around daylight saving changes.
• Media upload. From a URL, from bytes, or through a presigned upload URL. Video for TikTok and YouTube needs the presigned path because the files are large.
• Per-platform results. One post to five networks is five publishes. The API has to return five statuses and five error strings.
• Webhooks. published, scheduled, failed and, for fan-out posts, partially_failed. Polling a list endpoint is the alternative, and it burns the rate limit.
• A published rate limit. Not a hidden one you discover at 2am.

Which social media schedulers have a real API?

Nine social media schedulers offer some form of posting API in 2026: AdaptlyPost, Ayrshare, Postiz, Buffer, Zernio, Post Bridge, FeedHive, Publer and Mixpost, with Hootsuite and Later covered at the end as the two most-searched names that do not fit. The table shows the entry price that actually includes API access.

Scheduler	REST API	MCP server	Webhooks	Cheapest plan with API
AdaptlyPost	All plans, OpenAPI 3.0.3	Yes, 12 tools	Yes, 4 events	$19/mo, 30 accounts
Ayrshare	All plans	Yes	Yes	$149/mo
Postiz	All cloud plans, 30 req/hr	Yes	Yes	$29/mo, 5 channels, or free self-hosted
Buffer	All plans since May 2026	Yes	Not documented	Free, 3 channels
Zernio	All usage tiers	No	Not documented	Free, 2 accounts
Post Bridge	$5/mo add-on	Yes, 13 tools	Not documented	$34/mo, 5 accounts
FeedHive	All plans	Yes	Not documented	$19/mo
Publer	Business and Enterprise only	No	Yes	Business tier
Mixpost	Pro and Enterprise licenses	No	Yes	$299 one-time, self-hosted

1. AdaptlyPost

AdaptlyPost includes its REST API on every plan, starting at $19 per month for 30 connected accounts across nine platforms. The base URL is https://post.adaptlypost.com/post/api/v1, auth is a Bearer adaptly_ key from the API Tokens page, and the OpenAPI 3.0.3 spec is public at /openapi.json so it imports straight into Make, n8n, Postman or any generated client.

The endpoints cover the whole lifecycle: list social accounts, upload media or fetch presigned upload URLs, create a post with scheduledAt and an IANA timezone, update or delete it, publish a draft, list posts, read per-platform results, retry failed platforms, and bulk schedule up to 100 posts in one request. A registered webhook receives post.published, post.scheduled, post.partially_failed and post.failed with no per-event filtering to set up.

The same key drives the hosted MCP server at https://mcp.adaptlypost.com/mcp, so a team can run a script on REST and a Claude agent on MCP against one account. Pro is $39 for 60 accounts and five seats, Enterprise is $89 for 100 accounts and 20 seats.

Watch for: nine platforms and no more. X, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, Threads and Bluesky. Start with the API quick start and the authentication page.

2. Ayrshare

Ayrshare is the most complete social media API on the market and is priced like one. The REST API covers publishing, scheduling, analytics, comments, direct messages and ads across 14 networks, with webhooks and an official MCP server in the docs.

Ayrshare's Premium plan is $149 per month, Launch is $299 for 10 user profiles, and Business is $599 for 30 profiles scaling to 300. Every plan is aimed at a SaaS product that posts for its own customers, which is why profiles rather than accounts are the unit.

Watch for: cost per account. A single business with one profile set pays $149 for the same nine networks AdaptlyPost covers for $19. Ayrshare is the right answer when you are building a product with hundreds of end users, and the wrong one for running your own accounts.

3. Postiz

Postiz includes the public API, webhooks and MCP on every cloud plan, from $29 per month for 5 channels up to $99 for 100. The AGPL source runs on your own server for free with the same API.

Postiz claims 30+ platforms, the widest list here, including Reddit, Mastodon, Discord, Slack and Nostr. The API key and personal MCP link both come from Settings, Developers, Public API.

Watch for: the API is limited to 30 requests per hour. That is one call every two minutes, which is fine for a daily cron and useless for a bulk scheduler. Self-hosting also means owning every platform's developer app and surviving Meta and TikTok review yourself. Our Postiz alternatives guide covers the operational cost.

4. Buffer

Buffer opened a public API, an MCP server and a CLI on 27 May 2026, free on every plan including the free tier of 3 channels.

Buffer's API and MCP create posts, schedule them, manage the queue and read channels. Everything an integration creates lands in the Buffer queue for review.

Watch for: the review-queue design. Buffer does not publish unattended through the API by default, and no webhook events are documented yet. For a human-in-the-loop workflow it is the cheapest legitimate API on this page. See the Buffer comparison.

5. Zernio

Zernio, formerly Late at getlate.dev, includes its full API at every usage level and charges only per connected account: the first 2 are free, accounts 3 to 10 are $6 each per month, and 11 to 100 are $3 each. There are no tiers and no seats.

Zernio connects 13 platforms including Reddit, Telegram, Snapchat and Google Business Profile, and covers publishing, analytics and an inbox for DMs and comments through the API.

Watch for: no MCP server, so chat agents need a custom tool wrapper. X posting is billed as a pass-through at X's own API rates on top of the account fee, and 50 accounts costs about $198 per month against AdaptlyPost Pro's $39 for 60.

6. Post Bridge

Post Bridge sells REST access as a $5 per month add-on, or $50 per year, on top of any subscription. Plans start at $29 for 5 accounts, so the cheapest API-enabled setup is $34 per month. The hosted MCP server with 13 tools is included without the add-on.

Post Bridge covers 10 platforms, adding Google Business Profile to AdaptlyPost's nine, and has a public OpenAPI document.

Watch for: the split between MCP included and REST paid. If the integration is a Claude or ChatGPT agent, Post Bridge is straightforward. If it is a script, price the add-on in. The Post Bridge comparison has the per-account breakdown.

7. FeedHive

FeedHive bundles its public REST API, an official MCP server and a CLI into plans from $19 Creator, through $29 Brand and $99 Business, to $299 Agency. Nothing is sold as an add-on.

FeedHive's API inherits its automation features, so conditional posting and recycling are available to integrations. It connects X, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, Threads and Google Business Profile.

Watch for: FeedHive publishes less API documentation than Ayrshare, AdaptlyPost or Postiz, and no rate limit figures. Prove the endpoints on the trial before building on them.

8. Publer

Publer restricts its REST API to Business and Enterprise customers in good standing, with keys generated from Settings, API & Webhooks and scoped to Posts, Media or Analytics. The API is well documented and covers 13 networks including WordPress, Telegram and Mastodon.

Watch for: the plan gate. Publer's lower tiers, the ones that make it a cheap scheduler, do not include the API at all. For developer use it competes on price with the mid-tier tools above, not the entry tier.

9. Mixpost

Mixpost is self-hosted software sold as a one-time license: Lite is free without an API, Pro is $299 with API and webhooks, and Enterprise is $1,199. There are no monthly fees, and a perpetual fallback license covers usage after the one year of updates.

Watch for: you run it. Mixpost needs a server, a database, and your own developer apps on every platform. No MCP server exists. For a team that already self-hosts and wants a fixed cost, Mixpost is the only one-time purchase on this list.

What about Hootsuite and Later?

Hootsuite's REST API is free to register for, but it only works against a Hootsuite account, and Hootsuite plans start at $99 per user per month. Developer access also requires app registration and approval on developer.hootsuite.com, with OAuth2 and a refresh-token flow. It is a platform API for partners, not a scheduling API for a script. Our Hootsuite comparison covers the seat math.

Later publishes no public posting API. Later's integrations run through its own product and its influencer marketing platform, so there is nothing for an agent or a cron job to call. Read the Later comparison if Later's visual planner is what brought you here.

Which social media scheduling API is cheapest per account?

Zernio is the cheapest social media scheduling API for one or two accounts, because those accounts and the full API are free. AdaptlyPost is the cheapest at scale, because $19 per month covers 30 accounts with REST, MCP and webhooks, and $39 covers 60. Buffer is free for 3 channels but routes API posts through a review queue.

For a chat agent rather than a script, the ranking shifts toward MCP, and that list is in the best social media MCP servers. For the whole agent tool category, read the best social media tools for AI agents. To make the first call, follow how to post to social media with AI agents.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which social media schedulers have a real API?

AdaptlyPost, Ayrshare, Postiz, Buffer, Zernio, Post Bridge, FeedHive, Publer and Mixpost each offer a REST API that creates and schedules posts. AdaptlyPost, Postiz, FeedHive and Zernio include it on their cheapest plan. Post Bridge charges a $5 per month add-on, Publer limits it to Business and Enterprise, and Mixpost includes it only in the paid Pro and Enterprise licenses.

Which social media schedulers have an MCP server for AI agents?

AdaptlyPost, Postiz, Buffer, Post Bridge, Ayrshare and FeedHive each host an MCP server for AI agents as of September 2026. AdaptlyPost's runs at mcp.adaptlypost.com with 12 tools, Postiz uses a personal link with the API key in the URL, and Buffer's is free on every plan. Zernio, Publer and Mixpost do not offer one.

What is the cheapest way to post to social media via API?

Zernio is the cheapest way to post via API for one or two accounts, because they are free with full API access. Buffer's API is free for 3 channels but sends posts to a review queue. For 30 accounts across nine platforms with webhooks and MCP, AdaptlyPost Creator at $19 per month is the lowest price on this list.

Can an AI agent post to TikTok and Instagram automatically?

An AI agent can post to TikTok and Instagram automatically through AdaptlyPost by calling create_post over MCP or POST /social-posts over REST with a connected Instagram Business or TikTok account. Instagram needs a Business or Creator account connected through Meta OAuth, and TikTok video goes through the presigned upload path. Both return a per-platform result the agent can check.

Does AdaptlyPost's API have a rate limit?

AdaptlyPost's bulk endpoint accepts up to 100 posts per request and processes each one independently, so one invalid post does not block the rest. Webhooks remove most polling, which is where integrations normally spend their request budget.