Buffer vs. Percolate, now part of Seismic

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Buffer
Score 7.7 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
Percolate, now part of Seismic
Score 9.0 out of 10
Enterprise companies (1,001+ employees)
Percolate was a content marketing platform designed to help large brands create content and manage marketing campaigns. The product's capabilities have been integrated into the Seismic platform's digital marketing capabilities, and Percolate is no longer available for sale standalone.N/A
Pricing
BufferPercolate, now part of Seismic
Editions & Modules
Free
$0
Essentials
$6
per month per channel
Team
$12
per month per channel
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
BufferPercolate, now part of Seismic
Free Trial
YesNo
Free/Freemium Version
YesNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoYes
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeRequired
Additional DetailsA discount is offered for annual billing.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
BufferPercolate, now part of Seismic
Features
BufferPercolate, now part of Seismic
Publishing
Comparison of Publishing features of Product A and Product B
Buffer
7.9
77 Ratings
2% below category average
Percolate, now part of Seismic
-
Ratings
Content planning and scheduling8.677 Ratings00 Ratings
Content optimization7.470 Ratings00 Ratings
Workflow management7.766 Ratings00 Ratings
Reporting/analytics
Comparison of Reporting/analytics features of Product A and Product B
Buffer
7.1
70 Ratings
8% below category average
Percolate, now part of Seismic
-
Ratings
Campaign success analytics7.170 Ratings00 Ratings
Account management
Comparison of Account management features of Product A and Product B
Buffer
8.2
72 Ratings
3% above category average
Percolate, now part of Seismic
-
Ratings
Role-based user permissions & privileges8.459 Ratings00 Ratings
Mobile access8.068 Ratings00 Ratings
Content Creation
Comparison of Content Creation features of Product A and Product B
Buffer
-
Ratings
Percolate, now part of Seismic
8.5
13 Ratings
8% above category average
Ideation00 Ratings7.011 Ratings
Approval workflows00 Ratings9.013 Ratings
Content collaboration00 Ratings9.011 Ratings
Content calendar00 Ratings8.013 Ratings
Network for content licensing/production00 Ratings9.34 Ratings
Content Publishing
Comparison of Content Publishing features of Product A and Product B
Buffer
-
Ratings
Percolate, now part of Seismic
7.8
13 Ratings
1% below category average
Content hub00 Ratings8.012 Ratings
Content distribution00 Ratings8.012 Ratings
Content promotion00 Ratings7.010 Ratings
Content automation00 Ratings8.012 Ratings
Content Reporting & Analytics
Comparison of Content Reporting & Analytics features of Product A and Product B
Buffer
-
Ratings
Percolate, now part of Seismic
7.3
13 Ratings
2% below category average
Closed-loop tracking and reporting00 Ratings7.011 Ratings
Content performance analytics00 Ratings7.013 Ratings
Campaign optimization dashboard00 Ratings8.03 Ratings
Best Alternatives
BufferPercolate, now part of Seismic
Small Businesses
CoSchedule Marketing Suite
CoSchedule Marketing Suite
Score 10.0 out of 10
CoSchedule Marketing Suite
CoSchedule Marketing Suite
Score 10.0 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
CoSchedule Marketing Suite
CoSchedule Marketing Suite
Score 10.0 out of 10
CoSchedule Marketing Suite
CoSchedule Marketing Suite
Score 10.0 out of 10
Enterprises
Social Suite by Reputation.com
Social Suite by Reputation.com
Score 9.4 out of 10
Vyond
Vyond
Score 8.7 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
BufferPercolate, now part of Seismic
Likelihood to Recommend
7.6
(97 ratings)
9.0
(14 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
8.0
(15 ratings)
10.0
(2 ratings)
Usability
8.4
(33 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Availability
8.2
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
8.0
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
7.0
(24 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
8.0
(3 ratings)
9.0
(1 ratings)
Configurability
10.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
8.6
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
BufferPercolate, now part of Seismic
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
Discontinued Products
Very useful for the management, planning, and programming of all social networks, as well as marketing campaigns. One of the best tools to make life easier for community managers and automate daily tasks such as content publishing. It is my favorite for managing my clients' networks.
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.
Read full review
Discontinued Products
  • Create social content from briefing all the way through to the approval process.
  • Social planner for managing topics and content streams across multiple channels.
  • Robust API and integrations.
  • Image library (with cost-free access/rights to stock photo libraries).
  • Frequent updates to the platform.
  • Built-in community management.
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.
Read full review
Discontinued Products
  • A lot of the features in Percolate are very well built, but only provide the bare minimum as features go. Its editorial calendar for example lacks export/import features and its multimedia repository only supports images. In many ways, Percolate is trying very hard to be too much at the same time.
  • At the moment, Percolate lacks user level management. We can add users who need to be moderated before posting, but it is for example not possible to add users just for one specific function (like the multimedia database).
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
Read full review
Discontinued Products
Percolate is a great tool for us, because we need the approval process workflows. The training was great when we first signed on, and the interface is very user friendly. We have trained our interns to use it as well with no issues. It makes keeping up with our content calendar a breeze and we can easily see what posts have been approved and which ones are still pending at a quick glance
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
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Discontinued Products
Easy to set up approval flows, but not always necessary to follow all the requires steps
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Reliability and Availability
Buffer
Buffer is always on hand and very reliable, their software suite rarely has outages
Read full review
Discontinued Products
No answers on this topic
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
Read full review
Discontinued Products
No answers on this topic
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.
Read full review
Discontinued Products
No answers on this topic
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
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Discontinued Products
Rarely has a company shown this much support during implementation. This almost got to the point where it was too much hand holding. Sometimes, social teams just want the keys to the car so they can drive it themselves instead of waiting on someone to drive along with them...
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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.
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Discontinued Products
Percolate and Falcon have many similarities and provide many of the same features, however Percolate felt a bit more robust than Falcon, although it does come with a higher price tag to match. Both platforms are excellent for content approval workflows, content scheduling, and community management. Percolate offers additional features such as an Asset Management Library and a section for creative briefs and collaboration with internal teams.
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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
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Discontinued Products
No answers on this topic
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
Read full review
Discontinued Products
  • Percolate has made it much easier to communicate between teams and has provided a return on investment in that area in particular.
  • Percolate also helps save time because you are able to schedule social media posts across channels easily.
  • It has also been an easy way to work with remote team members, which is very helpful.
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

Percolate, now part of Seismic Screenshots

Screenshot of Percolate's integrated marketing calendarScreenshot of Percolate's integrated marketing calendar