Buffer billing in 2026: cancellation, refunds, downgrading to Free and channel changes

Buffer plans renew automatically until the owner cancels in Billing; the plan stays active to the end of the period, then drops to Free. Refunds can be requested within 7 days of starting a monthly plan and 30 days of starting an annual one.

The rules sit in three places: Buffer's Terms of Use, its pricing page and its help centre. The terms are short and general; the mechanics of cancelling, refunds, locked channels and slots are in the help centre. This page sets them out, works through one cost example with hypothetical numbers, and ends with a checklist. Every page was read on 21 October 2026.

What does a Buffer subscription cost, and how is it billed?

Buffer prices per connected channel. There are three plans: Free, Essentials and Team. Paid plans can be billed monthly or yearly.

Sources: Buffer help centre, Buffer pricing and features, and Buffer pricing, both checked 2026-10-21. Prices in US dollars; the Terms of Use (section 4) say all fees are in U.S. dollars. The help centre lists lower per-channel rates again above 25 channels. The pricing page shows Essentials as $5 a month per channel, "$60 billed yearly (save 2 months)", and says pricing was last updated in November 2025.

Three details from the same pages change the bill:

• Yearly billing saves two months. The pricing page's FAQ says annual billing gives "a 20% discount". The per-channel figures work out lower: $60 a year against the help centre's $6 × 12 = $72 on monthly billing is a 16.7% saving, which matches the page's own "save 2 months" label.
• Upgrading from Free charges for every connected channel. The help article on paying for your channels when upgrading says you pay for "each of the channels you have connected, including the 3 you started with".
• "Unlimited" has a ceiling. Paid plans include unlimited scheduled posts per channel, subject to a fair use policy that, per the pricing page, "caps usage to 5000 posts per channel".

How does the Buffer free trial end?

Paid plans start with a one-time 14-day trial. The free trial article sets out two endings:

• Payment details stored: "Your account will be automatically upgraded at the end of your trial and the first payment will be taken."
• No payment details: the account moves to the Free plan automatically.

The help centre's pricing article says trial accounts are placed on the Team plan. If you have connected more than three channels during the trial and end up on Free, the extra channels lock (see below). The pricing page adds that scheduled posts still publish after the trial, provided their channels are not locked. A trial can be cancelled early from Billing.

How does Buffer renewal work?

Section 4.3 of the Terms of Use describes a "Subscription Service". It starts on the day you first buy a subscription (the "Subscription Billing Date") and "will automatically renew for successive periods of the same duration" until you cancel or Buffer terminates it. Your account is charged on that date and then on each renewal date.

The notice rule is simple: "Your cancellation must be received before the renewal date in order to avoid charge for the next subscription period." There is no longer notice period. The terms name two routes: the "Cancel Plan" option at publish.buffer.com/settings/billing, or an email to hello@buffer.com.

Sources: Buffer Terms of Use, section 4.3; help centre How to cancel your subscription or delete your account and Refund policy, all read 2026-10-21.

How do you cancel a Buffer plan?

Only the account owner can open the billing pages. The cancellation article gives these steps for subscriptions started on desktop:

1. Click your profile avatar at the bottom left, then Billing (or go to publish.buffer.com/settings/billing).
2. Click the three vertical dots and select "Cancel Plan".
3. Review the channels that will lock.
4. Answer the short survey.
5. Review the Buffer activity summary.
6. Confirm.

"Your plan will remain active until the end of your current billing period." After that you keep access to the Free plan. Until the cancellation date you can reverse it with "Keep My Plan" in the banner on the Billing page, which keeps your channels, settings and scheduled posts.

Subscriptions bought in the mobile app are cancelled through the App Store or Google Play, not in Buffer's Billing page.

Cancelling does not delete the account. That is a separate step, covered below.

Does Buffer give refunds?

In two windows. The help centre's refund policy lists:

• Monthly plans: "Within 7 days of starting a subscription".
• Annual plans: "Within 30 days of starting a subscription".

Requests go through a form linked from that page. The policy is worded around starting a subscription; it does not say whether the windows also apply to a renewal, and it does not mention prorated refunds after the window.

The Terms of Use are stricter. Section 4 says fees "are non-refundable unless otherwise specifically provided for in these Terms", and section 1.2 adds that "Service fees are not refundable" where Buffer modifies or discontinues the service. The terms themselves contain no refund window; the 7-day and 30-day windows come from the help centre. Treat them as Buffer's stated practice and ask inside the window.

One more route: the pricing page's FAQ says that if you switch between monthly and yearly billing, "any necessary prorations or refunds will be automatically applied".

What happens when you downgrade to the Free plan?

Cancelling, a trial ending without payment details, and a payment that keeps failing all lead to the same place. The help article What happens when you downgrade to the Free plan sets out the limits:

Source: Buffer help centre, What happens when you downgrade to the Free plan, read 2026-10-21. The help centre's pricing article adds that Free has a lifetime limit of 8 channels per social network, counting channels no longer connected.

"Locked channels remain connected to your account but are not usable." The unlocking article says what that means for the queue: "the posts will remain in the queue, but won't publish until the channel is unlocked." Posts whose time passes while locked may need rescheduling after you unlock.

You can swap which three channels are active at any time under Channels, using "Unlock". Upgrading to a paid plan with room for them unlocks channels automatically.

What a failed payment does

The downgrade article says Buffer emails you when a payment fails and will "retry processing the payment four times over a three-week period". If every retry fails, the account downgrades to Free. Section 4.4 of the terms goes further: Buffer may suspend or terminate access on an unpaid account, and if your payment method is no longer valid when a renewal is due, it reserves the right to delete the account and its content.

What happens when you add or remove channels mid-term?

The bill follows the number of channel slots, not the number of channels in use. The channel slot article says: "The cost of your subscription plan is based on the total number of channel slots available for your account."

• To change the count: profile avatar, Channels, "Add or Remove Channels", then the "+" or "-" buttons.
• Before you confirm: the screen shows "any pending payment that's due today and the changes to your monthly or yearly payments". Click "Confirm and Pay" to finish.
• Bank transfers: while a payment is pending, plan changes, including adding or removing channels, are not available.

The article does not say how a removed slot is credited or refunded mid-term, so read the confirmation screen before you click. The help centre does not say that disconnecting a channel lowers the bill on its own; the slot count is what is charged.

Disconnecting has its own cost. The unlocking article warns that removing channels will "permanently remove any queued posts, analytics, and post history", and this cannot be undone. Export first.

How do you switch plans or billing periods?

The subscription and billing details article says "Change Plan" under Plans & Billing moves you "from one plan to another", and "Cancel Plan" lets you "Cancel your paid subscription and downgrade to the Free plan at any time". It does not set out how an Essentials to Team change is prorated or when it takes effect.

The pricing page's FAQ covers billing period: you "can switch between monthly and annual billing at any time", with prorations or refunds applied automatically. To change the billing date itself, the help centre says to contact hello@buffer.com.

Can Buffer change the price?

Yes. Section 4.1 of the terms: "Buffer reserves the right to determine pricing for the Service" and "Buffer may change fees for any feature of the Service." The legal text sets no notice period and no cap on an increase. The plain-language summary beside the payment terms says "We will always provide advance notice if your price changes", but the page states the summary is "for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for the full text".

Section 4.1 also warns: "If you cancel your subscription you may forego your current price." If you later reactivate, you pay the price on the pricing page at that time. Changes to the terms themselves are covered by section 17: for existing users, material revisions take effect 30 days after posting or notice.

A worked example: monthly against yearly billing

Hypothetical numbers, computed from the prices in the table above. A small business runs six channels on Essentials.

Yearly billing saves $72 over the year, two months' worth. The trade is commitment: a yearly plan cancelled in month four still runs, and is paid for, to the end of the year. On Team the same six channels cost $72 a month on monthly billing ($864 over twelve months) or $720 a year on yearly billing.

The same example as a calendar, with hypothetical dates. The yearly plan above starts on 1 March 2027.

Put the renewal date in the calendar on the day you buy, and export Insights before the plan ends, while the paid export is still available.

What happens to your data after you cancel or delete?

Cancelling keeps the account on Free with its locked channels still connected. Deleting is final.

The cancellation article's deletion steps: profile avatar, Settings, "Delete My Buffer Account", enter your password, choose a reason, tick the confirmation and click "Delete Account". It warns that "this is permanent and will delete all accounts associated to this email address", and that any paid subscription is cancelled as part of deletion. Posts already published to your social accounts stay there.

Buffer's Data Retention Notice (last updated 6 June 2024) says Buffer stores User Content "indefinitely" for active customers, and that deleting your Buffer account deletes User Content from Buffer's service but not from your social networks. Section 12.3 of the terms says that on termination "you may lose access rights to any User Content you Posted to the Service" and that keeping copies is your responsibility. The terms state no grace period for retrieving content after deletion.

How do you export Buffer data before leaving?

Exports run from Insights (Using Insights in Buffer):

Source: Buffer help centre, Using Insights in Buffer, read 2026-10-21. Exports follow the current date range, tag and channel filters. Members with view-only channel access cannot export.

The order matters. CSV, Markdown and PDF exports need a paid plan, and the Free plan's Sent tab shows only 30 days. Run the exports for each channel and the full date range before the paid period ends, check the files open, then cancel.

If you are leaving

Compare the exit date against what you will pay next. On the example above, six channels on Essentials cost $360 a year on yearly billing, and each added channel adds to that. If the replacement is a flat-price scheduler, Schedchie is €7.99 a month for unlimited accounts and posts, billed monthly, and its pricing page says "Cancel anytime, no questions asked". For other options priced against Buffer's per-channel model, see affordable Buffer alternatives in 2026. Whatever you move to, remove Buffer's access on each network once the exports are done: the steps are in agency offboarding: how to take back your accounts and remove access.

A checklist for leaving or downsizing Buffer

1. Check who owns the account. Only the owner can open Billing, cancel or delete.
2. Write down the renewal date and, for a new subscription, the end of the 7-day (monthly) or 30-day (annual) refund window.
3. Check where you bought it. App Store and Google Play subscriptions are cancelled in the store.
4. Export Insights as CSV, Markdown or PDF for every channel while still on a paid plan.
5. Choose your three Free channels before cancelling, and expect the rest to lock with their queues paused.
6. Do not disconnect channels you want history from: removal deletes queued posts, analytics and post history.
7. Cancel before the renewal date with "Cancel Plan", and keep the confirmation.
8. Delete the account only once the exports are saved, and revoke Buffer's access on each social network.

For the same terms at another vendor, see Agorapulse contracts in 2026. For annual versus monthly billing, VAT and renewal clauses across several vendors, see paying for a social media tool.

Frequently asked questions

What is Buffer's cancellation policy?

Plans renew automatically. The account owner cancels with "Cancel Plan" on the Billing page, or by emailing hello@buffer.com, and the cancellation must be received before the renewal date. The plan stays active until the end of the billing period, then the account moves to the Free plan.

Does Buffer refund unused months?

The help centre's refund policy covers requests within 7 days of starting a monthly subscription and within 30 days of starting an annual one. Outside those windows, the Terms of Use say fees are non-refundable. Switching between monthly and yearly billing applies prorations or refunds automatically, per the pricing page.

What happens to my scheduled posts if I downgrade to Free?

On channels you keep active, queued posts still publish, but you cannot add new ones until the queue is below 10. Channels above the three-channel limit lock: their posts stay in the queue but do not publish until the channel is unlocked.

Does disconnecting a channel lower my Buffer bill?

Buffer bills by channel slots. The help centre describes removing a slot under "Add or Remove Channels" and shows the new payment before you confirm; it does not say that disconnecting a channel alone changes the bill. Removing a channel also permanently deletes its queued posts, analytics and post history.

Can I export my Buffer data after cancelling?

Insights exports as CSV, Markdown or PDF are a paid-plan feature; on Free only chart snapshots can be downloaded, and the Sent tab shows the last 30 days. Export before the paid period ends.

Sources

All read on 21 October 2026.

• Buffer Terms of Use, Data Retention Notice (last updated 6 June 2024) and plain-language summary: buffer.com/legal. Terms sections 1.2 (modification of the service), 4 (payment terms), 4.1 (price), 4.3 (subscription service), 4.4 (delinquent accounts), 12.2 and 12.3 (termination and its effect), 17 (modification of terms).
• Buffer pricing, checked 2026-10-21: buffer.com/pricing.
• Buffer help centre: Buffer pricing and features, How to cancel your subscription or delete your account, Refund policy, What happens when you downgrade to the Free plan, Unlocking a locked channel in Buffer, Adding or removing a channel slot, Changing your subscription or billing details, Why you pay for your channels when upgrading from the Free plan, Information about free trials, Using Insights in Buffer.