Social media management · November 2026 Edition
Buffer vs Oktopost
Zero of fourteen models named Buffer first on the direct prompt; three named Oktopost. Buffer was named by fourteen of the fourteen models and Oktopost by eleven and Buffer carries 52 labels and Oktopost 16, so the shares are not directly comparable.
Named in seven categories this edition.
Named in five categories this edition.
First-choice share22%12%Of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts, 0 to 100.
Negative rate13%6%Negative labels as a share of the product's labels, 0 to 100.
Rank in category#2#3A position in a field of 12; printed, not drawn.
Labels5216A count; the two differ.
The two percentage rows are drawn on one 0 to 100 track, Buffer reading right to left. Rank and label count are printed, not drawn.Sprout Social was named alongside these two in thirteen of the fourteen direct answers. Sprout Social vs Buffer · Sprout Social vs Oktopost · Buffer vs Zoho Social
Share is the count of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts over all fourteen models, for a mid-market B2B company; rank is within the category; every quote names the model and the prompt it came from. Both figures come from the social media management page.
By framing
How many of the fourteen models made each the first choice, per way of asking, and how many argued against it.
BufferFirst choices, of fourteen modelsOktopost
Direct03
Paraphrase031 against Oktopost
Comparative20
Budget-constrained110
Scale-constrained002 against Buffer
Negative305 against Buffer
Bars are first choices, 0 to 14 each sideModels that argued againstA model can name both, so the two sides of a row do not sum to fourteen.
Every model, every framing
The eighty-four answers behind the chart above, one cell each: where Buffer and Oktopost stood in it.
| Model | Direct | Paraphrase | Comparative | Budget-constrained | Scale-constrained | Negative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Haiku 4.5 | | | ||||
| GPT-5.4 mini | | | | |||
| Gemini 3.5 Flash | | | | | | |
| Perplexity Sonar | | | | | ||
| Grok 4.20 | | | | | ||
| Mistral Small | | | | |||
| DeepSeek V4 Flash | | | | | | |
| Llama 4 Maverick | | | | |||
| Qwen 3.7 Flash | | | | | | |
| Kimi K2 | | | | | ||
| GLM 4.7 FlashX | | | | | ||
| MiniMax M2.5 | | | | | | |
| GPT-6 Luna | | | | |||
| Muse Glimmer 30B | | | | | |
Buffer Oktopost first choice named as an alternative argued againstblank: not namedEach cell is one answer, Buffer on the left and Oktopost on the right.The direct prompt
The plain question, one answer per model, grouped by where Buffer and Oktopost stood in it.
Oktopost first, Buffer not the choice
3 of 14 modelsBuffer was named in the answer but not as the choice, or not at all.Gemini 3.5 FlashOktopost alternatives: Agorapulse, Hootsuite, Sprout Social
Llama 4 MaverickOktopost alternatives: Agorapulse, Hootsuite, Sprout Social
GPT-6 LunaOktopost alternatives: Sprout Social
Neither was the first choice, one was named
6 of 14 modelsThe answer put something else first and named one of the two as an alternative.GPT-5.4 miniSprout Social alternatives: Hootsuite, Oktopost, Planable
Perplexity SonarSprout Social alternatives: Buffer, Oktopost, Planable, SocialPilot
Mistral SmallSprout Social alternatives: Hootsuite, Oktopost
Qwen 3.7 FlashSprout Social alternatives: Agorapulse, Oktopost
MiniMax M2.5Sprout Social alternatives: Agorapulse, Buffer, Hootsuite, Zoho Social
Muse Glimmer 30BSprout Social alternatives: Agorapulse, Buffer, Hootsuite
Neither was named
5 of 14 modelsThe answer made no first choice from these two in this category.Claude Haiku 4.5no first choice
Grok 4.20Sprout Social alternatives: Agorapulse, Hootsuite, HubSpot Social
DeepSeek V4 FlashSprout Social alternatives: Agorapulse, Emplifi, Hootsuite, HubSpot Marketing Hub
Kimi K2Sprout Social alternatives: Agorapulse, Hootsuite
GLM 4.7 FlashXSprout Social alternatives: Agorapulse, HubSpot Social Media Management Software
Bold names in an answer are the products the judge labeled a first choice; a model naming several gives each of them that label. The full answer text for every row is in the record.
By buyer segment
The same question asked on behalf of a different buyer. Each standing is computed within its segment and they are never added together. The figures above are the mid-market standing, which is the one the category orders by.
Small business
Buffer leads by forty-three points.
Buffer46%#1 of 11Oktopost4%#7 of 11Mid-marketThe figures above
Enterprise
The order flips: Oktopost leads at enterprise.
Oktopost27%#1 of 11Buffer0%#11 of 11What the models said about Buffer
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Six of eight in this category shown.
“Has received negative reviews regarding security and billing practices, including unauthorized charges after account cancellation.” Mistral Small · negative prompt · hard negative
“Avoid or be cautious about: Buffer (due to its 2013 breach history and Meta account issues)” GLM 4.7 FlashX · negative prompt · hard negative
“Frequently grouped with Hootsuite in safety discussions... poor reviews on platforms like Trustpilot for Buffer, Hootsuite, and Metricool” Muse Glimmer 30B · negative prompt · soft negative
“Buffer – Best for small budgets, offering a free plan for up to 3 social media profiles and paid plans starting at just $6 per month per channel.” Mistral Small · budget prompt · first choice
“For most small to medium-sized businesses, Buffer, Agorapulse, or SocialPilot tend to have more consistent user satisfaction records” Qwen 3.7 Flash · negative prompt · first choice
“Start with Industry Leaders: Platforms like Buffer, Hootsuite, Sprout Social, Later, and Meta Business Suite have established reputations” MiniMax M2.5 · negative prompt · first choice
What the models said about Oktopost
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Three of three in this category shown.
“The best social media management platform for a mid-market B2B company is Oktopost, as it is specifically designed for B2B businesses” Llama 4 Maverick · direct prompt · first choice
“Oktopost — *Best Dedicated B2B Platform* ... If your primary goal is lead generation & sales enablement: Go with Oktopost.” Gemini 3.5 Flash · paraphrase prompt · first choice
“My pick: Oktopost—if your company's social program is primarily B2B, especially LinkedIn-focused” GPT-6 Luna · direct prompt · first choice
Also compared
Comparisons are drawn for the top eight products in each category, each against each. The output is the models' output; nothing here is a recommendation by the index.