Adobe Social vs. Buffer

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Adobe Social
Score 7.8 out of 10
N/A
Adobe Social, incorporates technology from Context Optional and Efficient Frontier. Adobe acquired Facebook advertising-management platform Efficient Frontier in November. Six months earlier, Efficient Frontier had acquired Facebook page-management platform Context Optional. Adobe Social is an enterprise social platform competing with Buddy Media and Involver, enabling things like automated content marketing and social sweepstakes and competitions. Customers tend to be medium to large…N/A
Buffer
Score 8.2 out of 10
Small Businesses (1-50 employees)
Buffer is a social sharing tool. When browsing content, clicking on the Buffer icon automatically stores the content and schedules posts to social media channels throughout the day.
$15
per month
Pricing
Adobe SocialBuffer
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
Publish Pro
$15
per month
Analyze Pro
$35
per month
Analyze Premium
$50
per month
Publish Premium
$65
per month
Publish Business
$99
per month
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Adobe SocialBuffer
Free Trial
NoYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoYes
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional DetailsHere are the prices of our various plans: Pro: $15/month Small Business: $99/month Medium Business: $199/month Large Business: $399/month Enterprise: Feel free to get in touch with us at onboarding@buffer.com. All plans can be paid on either a monthly or yearly basis. If you choose to pay yearly, you would receive a 15% discount, which works out to be approximately two months free per year.
More Pricing Information
Features
Adobe SocialBuffer
Listening/monitoring
Comparison of Listening/monitoring features of Product A and Product B
Adobe Social
7.4
9 Ratings
3% below category average
Buffer
-
Ratings
Boolean keyword searches7.58 Ratings00 Ratings
Filtering out noise/spam7.57 Ratings00 Ratings
Sentiment analysis7.58 Ratings00 Ratings
Broad channel coverage7.09 Ratings00 Ratings
Publishing
Comparison of Publishing features of Product A and Product B
Adobe Social
7.4
9 Ratings
7% below category average
Buffer
7.6
64 Ratings
5% below category average
Content planning and scheduling7.09 Ratings9.364 Ratings
Audience targeting7.58 Ratings00 Ratings
Content optimization7.59 Ratings6.457 Ratings
Workflow management7.59 Ratings7.053 Ratings
Engagement
Comparison of Engagement features of Product A and Product B
Adobe Social
7.7
8 Ratings
5% below category average
Buffer
-
Ratings
Automated routing and prioritization7.58 Ratings00 Ratings
Customer interaction histories8.08 Ratings00 Ratings
Bulk actions7.58 Ratings00 Ratings
Marketing
Comparison of Marketing features of Product A and Product B
Adobe Social
8.0
8 Ratings
4% above category average
Buffer
-
Ratings
Lead generation8.07 Ratings00 Ratings
Content marketing8.08 Ratings00 Ratings
Paid media management8.07 Ratings00 Ratings
Campaigns and promotions8.08 Ratings00 Ratings
Channel coverage/integration
Comparison of Channel coverage/integration features of Product A and Product B
Adobe Social
7.9
9 Ratings
8% below category average
Buffer
-
Ratings
Twitter8.08 Ratings00 Ratings
Facebook8.09 Ratings00 Ratings
LinkedIn7.57 Ratings00 Ratings
Google+7.09 Ratings00 Ratings
Instagram8.57 Ratings00 Ratings
Pinterest8.04 Ratings00 Ratings
YouTube8.07 Ratings00 Ratings
Reporting/analytics
Comparison of Reporting/analytics features of Product A and Product B
Adobe Social
7.8
9 Ratings
1% below category average
Buffer
7.8
59 Ratings
1% below category average
Campaign success analytics8.09 Ratings7.859 Ratings
Real-time tracking7.58 Ratings00 Ratings
Competitor analysis8.08 Ratings00 Ratings
Account management
Comparison of Account management features of Product A and Product B
Adobe Social
7.3
8 Ratings
11% below category average
Buffer
8.4
61 Ratings
3% above category average
Role-based user permissions & privileges7.58 Ratings7.649 Ratings
Mobile access7.07 Ratings9.259 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Adobe SocialBuffer
Small Businesses
Publer
Publer
Score 9.8 out of 10
Publer
Publer
Score 9.8 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Social Suite by Reputation.com
Social Suite by Reputation.com
Score 9.3 out of 10
Social Suite by Reputation.com
Social Suite by Reputation.com
Score 9.3 out of 10
Enterprises
Social Suite by Reputation.com
Social Suite by Reputation.com
Score 9.3 out of 10
Social Suite by Reputation.com
Social Suite by Reputation.com
Score 9.3 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Adobe SocialBuffer
Likelihood to Recommend
7.5
(16 ratings)
8.2
(84 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
5.4
(11 ratings)
8.0
(14 ratings)
Usability
8.5
(4 ratings)
8.1
(23 ratings)
Availability
7.0
(1 ratings)
8.2
(2 ratings)
Performance
5.0
(1 ratings)
8.0
(2 ratings)
Support Rating
8.0
(3 ratings)
6.3
(23 ratings)
Online Training
6.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
5.0
(1 ratings)
8.0
(2 ratings)
Configurability
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Product Scalability
-
(0 ratings)
8.6
(2 ratings)
User Testimonials
Adobe SocialBuffer
Likelihood to Recommend
Adobe
I used Adobe Social when I use to have my own business on social media. After many months I was having no success in finding the correct clients for my products. Using Adobe Social I was able to market and discover different ways of searching for the correct clients and later on helped my business grow.
Read full review
Buffer
It helps me save hours by devoting only half an hour in a month's worth of posting, in addition to that it is quite simple to use. Buffer for scheduling social posts well in advance, but I have begun using it instead of posting natively on the social apps themselves because it makes it super easy to post the same messages to more than one platform.
Read full review
Pros
Adobe
  • Adobe Social lacks strengths, as I believe Adobe themselves have acknowledged, given their decision not to continue support or development. But if I need to list three strengths, the first would be it can publish to some social media platforms with a success rate of over 50%. If that's a strength.
  • It has workflow processes, but they are over-complicated and poorly designed.
  • It has some basic analytics, but Adobe consultants usually recommend referring to Adobe Analytics instead. Which is great if you actually use Adobe Analytics.
Read full review
Buffer
  • I can plan and publish content on social channels.
  • Buffer's interface is quite tidy and generates the necessary facilities to save us time in publishing consistent content.
  • It has a special price; it is pretty affordable.
  • It has the possibility of integrating with other tools to improve its functions.
Read full review
Cons
Adobe
  • It would be great if Adobe scheduled video uploads for Twitter.
  • A time change in a social post automatically puts the post back to Level 1 of approvals. It can be a big hassle to have to start the process over for such a small change.
  • Adobe uses a different algorithm to measure engagement our company does. It would be great to upload your own algorithm into Adobe.
Read full review
Buffer
  • Expensive Analytics: The upgrade you need to access your analytics is quite expensive, and I have come across other tools that provide the same or even more for a lesser priced plan.
  • No Media Library: The one feature I have found on another social media planning tool that I wish Buffer had is a media library. This allows you to upload photos you aren't using right away to have them readily available when you do decide to use them. This is not a feature in Buffer.
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
Adobe
I wasn't in charge of making the actual management decision, but I would absolutely renew Adobe Social. As I mentioned, it provides strong and in-depth analytics and listening tools. The reports that it generates are very thorough and easy to read. I loved the platform and would recommend it to anyone
Read full review
Buffer
I am giving buffer this rating because of a couple issues that it has compared to other platforms. It does not always post to instagram and you will need to go in an manually post. Also, one of the biggest qualms that we have with buffer is the price it costs to have robust analytics
Read full review
Usability
Adobe
The reason why I give this rating is that the overall platform is simple to use. You don't need to be tech-savvy or have a vast understanding of how to work a marketing tool. It is very simple to use compared to different platforms and you learn a lot of different ways to build your business.
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Buffer
We use Buffer for certain website content that should be shared on social networks, having this tool helps us to do it faster and easier since we can send the publications from the internet browser and the stack of scheduled messages. It is really fast and easy for all team members who share access to the account, so at the same time that we analyze the information that we can share, the message stack is prepared
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Reliability and Availability
Adobe
No answers on this topic
Buffer
Buffer is always on hand and very reliable, their software suite rarely has outages
Read full review
Performance
Adobe
No answers on this topic
Buffer
Buffer performs well on both desktop and mobile platforms. The one area as I have stated before is that it does not always want to automatically push to Instagram and the user will have to go do it manually. Buffer works very well pushing to other platforms. The instagram issue is the only reason buffer does not get a 10 on this section
Read full review
Support Rating
Adobe
The reason why I give this a 9 out of 10 in terms of support is because of the mobile app functionality. I have had many issues in terms of logging in and also loading pages. The app overall is easy to use but at what cost? Other than that it is great and I still enjoy Adobe Social.
Read full review
Buffer
  1. It really helped to my business to grow online.
  2. I was able to take actions mindfully as the analytics are damn good.
  3. Also used for managing clients social media accounts and it proved to be a best resource.
  4. Clients were really happy as they got high demand and growth on internet and the secret is Buffer.
  5. The user interface is really easy to understand and manage. Support is 24/7 available to help.
Read full review
Online Training
Adobe
Training was long and a little confusing. While a number of features carried over, they were still covered in this elongated training. It would have been nice to have training tailored to experience level with the product.
Read full review
Buffer
No answers on this topic
Implementation Rating
Adobe
The implementation was done during our POC. We had a very mixed experience here, and have had some issues arise since based on the way the tool was implemented. An Adobe employee went ahead and made a change to our account that was unauthorized (helpful for our implementation) which caused issues in on boarding another team who needed the same change, but could not get it done without costly Adobe certification
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Buffer
We were very satisfied with the implementation of Buffer. We had no issues switching from the platform that we were using over to buffer. Our staff did not even miss a beat when it came to posting content. It was an easy transition and I feel that is something that buffer has really done well. They have an "out of the box" usability platform
Read full review
Alternatives Considered
Adobe
Hootsuite Enterprise is superior in many ways, but the biggest factor is probably that it is constantly evolving and adding new features, working directly with social media companies ahead of new releases. Adobe seems to have stopped developing their product.
Read full review
Buffer
I also used Combin which is easy and free to use. However, Combin only posts when the computer is active and connected to the internet. So, posting while you are not actively using your computer at that moment is not possible, therefore Buffer is much more efficient as you can even post while being on vacation without working.
Read full review
Scalability
Adobe
No answers on this topic
Buffer
Buffer does what it say on tin as they say! you can always count on Buffer. Buffer can be scale to 25 social account with 2,000 scheduled post which is enough for most agencies or businesses
Read full review
Return on Investment
Adobe
  • Although we chose Adobe Social believing it could provide ROI metrics we could not get elsewhere, that turned out not to be the case. Site Catalyst can give us everything we need without Adobe Social
  • Adobe Social did not create greater efficiencies and speed up our activity within social media. In fact, it has done the oppposite. It is very cumbersome with little clear benefit.
Read full review
Buffer
  • It has saved money by allowing us to automate our social using one person
  • It allows us to connect one channel at a time instead of wasting money on larger account management tools
  • We are making money, because it has already delivered several clients
Read full review
ScreenShots

Buffer Screenshots

Screenshot of The Buffer dashboardScreenshot of Customizable posting scheduleScreenshot of Tailored PostsScreenshot of List or calendar view of scheduled postsScreenshot of Browser extensionScreenshot of Social media analytics