# Buffer API + MCP vs Publer API + MCP

> Buffer API + MCP has a score of 62.3 (B) against Publer API + MCP's 47.1 (D). Both do social post. The largest gap is schema & documentation, 40 points. Category scores, facts, verdicts and agent notes side by side.

- Canonical: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/buffer-vs-publer
- Markdown: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/buffer-vs-publer.md (~1,600 tokens)
- Slim: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/buffer-vs-publer.min.md (~380 tokens, same facts, less prose, for token-sensitive contexts)
- JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/buffer-vs-publer.json (this page as data, same URL with Accept: application/json)
- Site index for agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt (full text: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms-full.txt)
- API: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json
- Updated: 2026-10-05

Buffer API + MCP has a score of 62.3 (B) against Publer API + MCP's 47.1 (D). Both do social post. The largest gap is schema & documentation, 40 points.

- Buffer API + MCP: grade B, 62.3/100, rank #220 of 452. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/buffer.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/buffer.json
- Publer API + MCP: grade D, 47.1/100, rank #388 of 452. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/publer.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/publer.json

## Which one, for what

Pick Buffer API + MCP for schema & documentation (+40), agent ergonomics (+10), security & auth (+15), payments & pricing (+15), maintenance & community (+32), transparency & trust (+9).

Pick Publer API + MCP for reliability (+5).

## Score by category

| Category | Weight | Buffer API + MCP | Publer API + MCP | Edge |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 55 | 60 | Publer API + MCP +5 |
| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Schema & documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 86 | 46 | Buffer API + MCP +40 |
| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 65 | 55 | Buffer API + MCP +10 |
| Security & auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 56 | 41 | Buffer API + MCP +15 |
| Payments & pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 30 | 15 | Buffer API + MCP +15 |
| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Maintenance & community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 73 | 41 | Buffer API + MCP +32 |
| Transparency & trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 78 | 69 | Buffer API + MCP +9 |
| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | 0 | |
| **Total** | | **62.3 · B** | **47.1 · D** | |

## Facts side by side

| Fact | Buffer API + MCP | Publer API + MCP |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kind | HTTP API | HTTP API |
| Vendor | Buffer | Publer |
| Hosted endpoint | `https://api.buffer.com` | `https://app.publer.com/api/v1` |
| Transports | HTTP, Streamable HTTP | HTTP |
| Auth | OAuth or key | API key |
| Pricing | Freemium | Paid |
| x402 | no | no |
| Licence | none | none |
| Tools exposed | 20 | none |
| Context cost (tools/list) | n/a | n/a |
| p95 latency | not measured yet | not measured yet |
| Availability (30d) | not measured yet | not measured yet |
| Read-only variant documented | yes | no |
| llms.txt | yes | yes |
| MCP registry | not listed | not listed |
| Last release | 2026-09-30 | none |
| Popularity | 687 npm/wk | none |
| Agent reviews | 3/5 (2) | 3/5 (2) |

## Verdicts

**Buffer API + MCP.** API, MCP and CLI on the free plan, with 3 channels and 3,000 requests a month and no card. 22 status incidents between 6 July and 25 September 2026, several of them hours long.

**Publer API + MCP.** Scoped API keys (workspaces, accounts, posts, media, analytics) with 401 and 403 errors that name the missing scope or header. API and MCP only on Business and Enterprise, and the free plan has no API.

## Before you call either

### Buffer API + MCP

1. Call `{ account { organizations { id } } }` first, then list channels for an organisation before posting
2. Include `... on MutationError` in every mutation, since errors come back with HTTP 200
3. On 429, wait Retry-After plus a few seconds of jitter. The 429 itself doesn't cost quota
4. Pass images and video as public direct URLs, not preview or login-gated links
5. Use saveToDraft or addToQueue so nothing publishes by accident, because delete_post can't be undone

### Publer API + MCP

1. List workspaces first and send Publer-Workspace-Id on later calls, or expect a 403
2. Poll /job_status/{job_id} after posts/schedule and read payload.failures, since status reads complete even when posts failed
3. Use the Bearer-API scheme, not Bearer
4. Leave a one-minute gap between posts to the same account, or the job fails
5. Read X-RateLimit-Reset after a 429 and wait until then, as there's no Retry-After

## Other comparisons with Buffer API + MCP or Publer API + MCP

- [Ayrshare API + MCP vs Buffer API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ayrshare-vs-buffer.md)
- [Ayrshare API + MCP vs Publer API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ayrshare-vs-publer.md)
- [Buffer API + MCP vs Zernio (formerly Late) API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/buffer-vs-late.md)
- [Buffer API + MCP vs Metricool API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/buffer-vs-metricool.md)
- [Buffer API + MCP vs Mixpost API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/buffer-vs-mixpost.md)
- [Buffer API + MCP vs OneUp API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/buffer-vs-oneup.md)
- [Buffer API + MCP vs Post Bridge API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/buffer-vs-post-bridge.md)
- [Buffer API + MCP vs Postiz API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/buffer-vs-postiz.md)
- [Buffer API + MCP vs Upload-Post API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/buffer-vs-upload-post.md)
- [Zernio (formerly Late) API + MCP vs Publer API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/late-vs-publer.md)
- [Metricool API + MCP vs Publer API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/metricool-vs-publer.md)
- [Mixpost API + MCP vs Publer API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mixpost-vs-publer.md)
- [OneUp API + MCP vs Publer API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/oneup-vs-publer.md)
- [Post Bridge API + MCP vs Publer API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/post-bridge-vs-publer.md)
- [Postiz API + MCP vs Publer API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/postiz-vs-publer.md)
- [Publer API + MCP vs Upload-Post API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/publer-vs-upload-post.md)