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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Buffer

    Score7.6 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.

    $6

    per month per channel

    Khoros Social Media Management

    Score6.6 out of 10
    Enterprise companies (1,001+ employees)
    Khoros (Formerly Spredfast + Lithium) is a social media management platform. Key features include: Plan and Organize Social Campaigns, Manage Real-Time Engagement, and Learn and Prove Social ImpactN/A
    Pricing
    BufferKhoros Social Media Management
    Editions & Modules
    Free
    $0
    Essentials
    $6
    per month per channel
    Team
    $12
    per month per channel
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    BufferKhoros Social Media Management
    Free Trial
    YesNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    YesNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoYes
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeOptional
    Additional DetailsA discount is offered for annual billing.
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    BufferKhoros Social Media Management
    Considered Both Products
    Buffer
    Chose Buffer
    Buffer has all the analytics tools and features that allow us to determine whether the result of our marketing is positive or negative. There are more complete alternatives, but Buffer is all I need at the moment.
    Incentivized
    Chose Buffer
    Buffer is a very cost-friendly tool with similar functionality to the tools above (Hootsuite/Sprout Social). While the other tools may offer more functionality or a better user experience, Buffer is by far the most cost-friendly option that still allows for a good and reliable …
    Incentivized
    Khoros (Formerly Spredfast + Lithium)
    Chose Khoros Social Media Management
    Khoros is much more robust tool than Sprout Social. It's also a custom-built platform for our client.
    Incentivized
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    91%
    Would buy again
    30 Answers
    88%
    Would buy again
    107 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    93%
    Delivers good value for the price
    28 Answers
    90%
    Delivers good value for the price
    77 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    85%
    Happy with the feature set
    28 Answers
    90%
    Happy with the feature set
    109 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    96%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    26 Answers
    88%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    52 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    29 Answers
    83%
    Implementation went as expected
    55 Answers
    Features
    BufferKhoros Social Media Management
    Publishing
    Comparison of Publishing features of Buffer and Khoros Social Media Management
    Feature
    Buffer
    7.8
    77 Ratings
    4% below category average
    Khoros Social Media Management
    8.2
    153 Ratings
    1% above category average
    Content planning and scheduling8.677 Ratings8.8151 Ratings
    Content optimization7.370 Ratings9.010 Ratings
    Workflow management7.666 Ratings7.1136 Ratings
    Audience targeting00 Ratings8.0116 Ratings
    Reporting/analytics
    Comparison of Reporting/analytics features of Buffer and Khoros Social Media Management
    Feature
    Buffer
    7.0
    70 Ratings
    10% below category average
    Khoros Social Media Management
    7.0
    136 Ratings
    10% below category average
    Campaign success analytics7.070 Ratings7.0126 Ratings
    Real-time tracking00 Ratings7.5125 Ratings
    Competitor analysis00 Ratings6.681 Ratings
    Account management
    Comparison of Account management features of Buffer and Khoros Social Media Management
    Feature
    Buffer
    8.1
    72 Ratings
    2% above category average
    Khoros Social Media Management
    6.5
    141 Ratings
    19% below category average
    Role-based user permissions & privileges8.359 Ratings7.2137 Ratings
    Mobile access7.968 Ratings5.8116 Ratings
    Listening/monitoring
    Comparison of Listening/monitoring features of Buffer and Khoros Social Media Management
    Feature
    Buffer
    -
    Ratings
    Khoros Social Media Management
    6.9
    123 Ratings
    10% below category average
    Boolean keyword searches00 Ratings7.296 Ratings
    Filtering out noise/spam00 Ratings6.5105 Ratings
    Sentiment analysis00 Ratings7.194 Ratings
    Broad channel coverage00 Ratings6.9116 Ratings
    Engagement
    Comparison of Engagement features of Buffer and Khoros Social Media Management
    Feature
    Buffer
    -
    Ratings
    Khoros Social Media Management
    7.6
    118 Ratings
    7% below category average
    Automated routing and prioritization00 Ratings6.996 Ratings
    Customer interaction histories00 Ratings6.7108 Ratings
    Bulk actions00 Ratings9.199 Ratings
    Marketing
    Comparison of Marketing features of Buffer and Khoros Social Media Management
    Feature
    Buffer
    -
    Ratings
    Khoros Social Media Management
    6.7
    108 Ratings
    14% below category average
    Lead generation00 Ratings6.252 Ratings
    Content marketing00 Ratings6.491 Ratings
    Paid media management00 Ratings7.12 Ratings
    Campaigns and promotions00 Ratings7.195 Ratings
    Channel coverage/integration
    Comparison of Channel coverage/integration features of Buffer and Khoros Social Media Management
    Feature
    Buffer
    -
    Ratings
    Khoros Social Media Management
    7.0
    152 Ratings
    17% below category average
    Twitter00 Ratings7.9143 Ratings
    Facebook00 Ratings6.2148 Ratings
    LinkedIn00 Ratings6.0109 Ratings
    Google+00 Ratings9.018 Ratings
    Instagram00 Ratings7.4137 Ratings
    Pinterest00 Ratings5.450 Ratings
    YouTube00 Ratings7.333 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    BufferKhoros Social Media Management
    Small Businesses
    Sendible
    Score7.2 out of 10
    Sendible
    Score7.2 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Emplifi
    Score8.9 out of 10
    Emplifi
    Score8.9 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Salesforce Marketing Cloud Social Studio (discontinued)
    Score8.1 out of 10
    Salesforce Marketing Cloud Social Studio (discontinued)
    Score8.1 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    BufferKhoros Social Media Management
    Likelihood to Recommend
    7.5
    (97 ratings)
    7.8
    (189 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    8.0
    (15 ratings)
    8.0
    (34 ratings)
    Usability
    8.4
    (33 ratings)
    8.5
    (29 ratings)
    Availability
    8.2
    (2 ratings)
    9.7
    (11 ratings)
    Performance
    8.0
    (2 ratings)
    8.0
    (8 ratings)
    Support Rating
    7.0
    (24 ratings)
    7.7
    (31 ratings)
    In-Person Training
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.9
    (7 ratings)
    Online Training
    -
    (0 ratings)
    6.0
    (7 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    8.0
    (3 ratings)
    7.7
    (24 ratings)
    Configurability
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    -
    (0 ratings)
    5.5
    (4 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    8.6
    (2 ratings)
    7.0
    (127 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    BufferKhoros Social Media Management
    Likelihood to Recommend
    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
    Khoros (Formerly Spredfast + Lithium)
    While I cannot say any scenarios where Khoros wouldn't be useful (when it comes to social media moderation), I can say it is very well suited for clients who have time constraints on their work. With the speed Khoros can pull in new content, we see issues for the client almost immediately.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Khoros (Formerly Spredfast + Lithium)
    • Reporting is great - easy to create bespoke dashboards for multiple ways to view the data and trends in platform
    • Onboarding and training - a good repository of knowledge articles for users to access on most aspects of the platform for self-learning
    • The user-friendly and intuitive interface allows any user to quickly assimilate how to use the platform.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Khoros (Formerly Spredfast + Lithium)
    • Look and feel of the interface could use a refresh as it's not very exciting to use
    • Improve analytics features and accuracy
    • Facilitate bulk actions
    • Better alerts/visibility of collaborative actions and assigned tasks
    • Clearer communication around new feature releases and announcements
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    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
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Khoros (Formerly Spredfast + Lithium)
    There is no product like Khoros. Our company lives and dies by the analytics, and to date, we have not seen a more comprehensive analytics structure for any social media management tool. Khoros support is also fantastic, responding and resolving any and all questions, ideas, or complaints, usually in 24 hours.
    Read full review
    Usability
    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
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Khoros (Formerly Spredfast + Lithium)
    Khoros Marketing is very user-friendly and easy to navigate. The calendar visibility is the view I use most so I can see all posts going out on all of our channels. It allows us to time posts in a proper cadence so we don't overlap with other pressing content.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Reliability and Availability
    Buffer
    Buffer is always on hand and very reliable, their software suite rarely has outages
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Khoros (Formerly Spredfast + Lithium)
    • We still experience a bit of downtime and slowness here but things have drastically improved in the last year with their feature updates and reconfigured hosting.
    Read full review
    Performance
    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
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Khoros (Formerly Spredfast + Lithium)
    Khoros has greatly improved the performance of its SaaS products in the last 5 years. Their applications, including Conversations, Intelligence, and Experiences, all load quickly with real-time data. This performance is critical to provide meaningful, social customer support, and marketing. The performance maintains integrity even when you deploy powerful integrations like Salesforce Customer Relationship Manager.
    Read full review
    Support Rating
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Khoros (Formerly Spredfast + Lithium)
    Overall, support does a great job and is timely in their responses and efforts. We have had to contact support many times due to the Capture app. Some tickets have remained open for months, while others get resolved quickly. I understand this is not always up to support and they often have to wait for their engineering team to fix issues that we identified, but it's difficult to deal with issues that are affecting our workflow, especially for extended amounts of time.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    In-Person Training
    Buffer
    No answers on this topic
    Khoros (Formerly Spredfast + Lithium)
    • As a very early customer, we did not undergo formal training but worked closely with the team to get the system set up to do what we wanted. However, online training resources are now available with many blog posts / video lessons and tutorials.
    Read full review
    Online Training
    Buffer
    No answers on this topic
    Khoros (Formerly Spredfast + Lithium)
    it is important to note that my perspective is not necessarily common - I'm a geek/nerd/poweruser in general, so I found the online resources to be more than adequate (and often very aesthetically pleasing, too). That said, a less "geeky" person might struggle a bit.
    Read full review
    Implementation Rating
    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
    Incentivized
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    Khoros (Formerly Spredfast + Lithium)
    The implementation team from Khoros were great - they worked hard to understand our somewhat complex organization, and were with us all the way through face to face meetings, user training, and technical training. We had a clearly defined account manager and implementation manager, who worked really effectively together and with us.
    Incentivized
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    Alternatives Considered
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Khoros (Formerly Spredfast + Lithium)
    At the time of purchase, Khoros met a specific technical need that other vendors couldn't provide for us. Now, however, Sprout Social has this same capability, and Khoros is massively inferior to it on everything but price and some minor UX issues. At this point Khoros seems to be lagging badly behind most competing products
    Read full review
    Scalability
    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
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Khoros (Formerly Spredfast + Lithium)
    Again, I am a fairly new employee to The Social Lights (I've only been here for 11 months) and I am also fairly new to the workforce (I've only just graduated from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities) so it's hard for me to talk too much about the scalability of businesses; however, I feel like this would help
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    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
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Khoros (Formerly Spredfast + Lithium)
    • Negatively impacted relationship with Khoros as they're notoriously difficult to engage with or able to produce viable results from our feedback.
    • Negatively impacted KPI reporting, as metrics were inaccurate for six months.
    • Negatively impacted resource management, as there've been so many restrictions with this platform that simple, day-to-day tasks take so much longer.
    Incentivized
    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

    Khoros Social Media Management Screenshots

    Screenshot of the channel performance dashboard, for monitoring different metrics and comparing the performance of posts by content type and labels to optimize for the audience.Screenshot of the cross-channel dashboard. It provides a holistic view of paid and organic campaigns, allowing teams to compare performance and optimize for engagement and reach with campaigns.Screenshot of the cross-channel dashboard. Users can compare the performance of posts across channels, ensuring that time and resources are allocated effectively to reach the target audience.Screenshot of the calendar view. This presents all scheduled posts by assignee, channel, and tags so that nothing is missed and content is delivered on time.Screenshot of approval paths in Khoros. Get sign-off and feedback across teams for paid and organic posts to reduce brand risk.