{ "data": { "a": { "slug": "buffer", "name": "Buffer API + MCP", "vendor": "Buffer", "vendorUrl": "https://buffer.com", "kind": "http-api", "category": "social-media", "summary": "Buffer's GraphQL API, reopened to everyone on 2026-05-27 and free on every plan, with a hosted MCP server (20 tools) and a CLI.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/buffer", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/buffer.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/buffer.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/buffer.json", "transports": [ "http", "streamable-http" ], "remoteUrl": "https://api.buffer.com", "packages": [ { "registry": "npm", "name": "@bufferapp/cli" } ], "auth": "mixed", "authNotes": "Personal API key as a Bearer token for your own account (it sees every organisation you belong to, no per-organisation scoping). App Clients acting for other users use OAuth 2.0 authorisation code with PKCE. The hosted MCP takes OAuth in Claude and other clients, or the API key as a Bearer header.", "pricing": "freemium", "pricingNotes": "API included on every plan. Free $0 (3 channels, 10 scheduled posts a channel, 1 API key, 3,000 requests a month). Essentials $5 a channel a month billed yearly ($60 a year, 3 keys, 7,500 requests). Team $10 a channel a month billed yearly ($120 a year, 5 keys, 15,000 requests). Channels above 10 cost less. 14-day trial on paid plans (https://buffer.com/pricing).", "priceSummary": "$5 / mo", "where": "hosted", "x402": { "level": "no", "evidence": "No x402 in developer docs, llms-full.txt or pricing (checked 2026-09-30).", "endpoints": [] }, "toolCount": 20, "popularity": { "githubStars": null, "npmWeekly": 687, "pypiWeekly": null, "asOf": "2026-09-30" }, "docsUrl": "https://developers.buffer.com", "llmsTxt": "https://developers.buffer.com/llms.txt", "capabilities": [ "social.post", "social.schedule", "social.analytics" ], "tags": [ "hosted", "freemium", "free-tier", "no-card", "mcp", "llms-txt", "closed-source", "typescript" ], "lastRelease": "2026-09-30", "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 62, "grade": "B", "agentReady": false, "rank": 445, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 950, "categoryRank": 2, "methodology": "0.4", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 65, "maintenance": 73, "payments": 30, "reliability": 55, "schema": 86, "security": 56, "transparency": 75 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "medium", "date": "2026-10-01" }, "negative": 0, "verdict": "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.", "bestFor": "Personal and small-team posting where the free plan and OAuth MCP are enough.", "strengths": [ "API, MCP and CLI on the free plan, with 3 channels and 3,000 requests a month and no card", "Hosted MCP with OAuth 2.0, PKCE and 11 scopes, including read-only ones such as posts:read", "429 responses carry an exact Retry-After and don't use up quota", "Typed GraphQL schema, a schema changelog updated most days and @deprecated annotations with removal dates", "Security reporting route with a GPG key and bug rewards" ], "weaknesses": [ "22 status incidents between 6 July and 25 September 2026, several of them hours long", "Low quotas, 100 requests per 15 minutes and 3,000 to 15,000 a month", "No media upload, every file has to sit at a public URL you host", "The changelog shows types removed on 2 and 25 September 2026 despite the additive-only promise", "No official SDKs, no tool annotations and no idempotency keys" ], "agentNotes": [ "Call `{ account { organizations { id } } }` first, then list channels for an organisation before posting", "Include `... on MutationError` in every mutation, since errors come back with HTTP 200", "On 429, wait Retry-After plus a few seconds of jitter. The 429 itself doesn't cost quota", "Pass images and video as public direct URLs, not preview or login-gated links", "Use saveToDraft or addToQueue so nothing publishes by accident, because delete_post can't be undone" ], "metrics": { "kind": "remote", "measured": false }, "reviewCount": 2, "avgRating": 3, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "medium", "grade": "B", "methodology": "0.4", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 62 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 65, "maintenance": 73, "payments": 30, "reliability": 55, "schema": 86, "security": 56, "transparency": 66 }, "provenanceScore": 83 }, "connect": { "http": "curl https://api.buffer.com -H \"Authorization: Bearer $BUFFER_API_KEY\" \\\n -H \"content-type: application/json\" -d '{\"query\":\"{ account { id organizations { id name } } }\"}'", "claudeCode": "claude mcp add --transport http buffer https://mcp.buffer.com/mcp" }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/social.post", "tool": "https://letme.dev/buffer" }, "area": "communication", "unitPrices": [ { "item": "Essentials plan", "unit": "month", "usd": 5, "note": "per channel, billed yearly ($60)" }, { "item": "Team plan", "unit": "month", "usd": 10, "note": "per channel, billed yearly ($120)" } ], "provenance": { "legalEntity": "Buffer, Inc.", "domain": "buffer.com", "domainRegistered": "1996-10-28", "domainNote": "buffer.com was registered in 1996, long before Buffer bought it.", "endpointOnVendorDomain": true, "terms": "https://buffer.com/legal", "privacy": "https://buffer.com/legal#privacy-policy", "statusPage": "https://status.buffer.com", "changelog": "https://developers.buffer.com/changelog.html", "securityTxt": "none", "checked": "2026-09-30", "score": 83 }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/buffer.json", "live": { "slug": "buffer", "probe": { "target": "https://api.buffer.com", "method": "get", "lastAt": "2026-10-10T02:07:04.31399256Z", "lastOk": true, "lastStatus": 401, "lastMs": 321, "lastNote": "asks for credentials", "authRequired": true, "uptime24h": 100, "uptime30d": 100, "p50ms24h": 170, "p95ms24h": 343, "samples24h": 250, "samples30d": 2458, "days": [ { "date": "2026-09-30", "probes": 35, "ok": 35 }, { "date": "2026-10-01", "probes": 276, "ok": 276 }, { "date": "2026-10-02", "probes": 248, "ok": 248 }, { "date": "2026-10-03", "probes": 271, "ok": 271 }, { "date": "2026-10-04", "probes": 272, "ok": 272 }, { "date": "2026-10-05", "probes": 272, "ok": 272 }, { "date": "2026-10-06", "probes": 272, "ok": 272 }, { "date": "2026-10-07", "probes": 272, "ok": 272 }, { "date": "2026-10-08", "probes": 268, "ok": 268 }, { "date": "2026-10-09", "probes": 250, "ok": 250 }, { "date": "2026-10-10", "probes": 22, "ok": 22 } ] }, "vendorStatus": { "page": "https://status.buffer.com", "indicator": "none", "summary": "All Systems Operational", "checkedAt": "2026-10-10T02:05:41.561330494Z" }, "versions": [ { "registry": "npm", "name": "@bufferapp/cli", "version": "2.0.1", "seenAt": "2026-10-09T16:44:00.534145278Z" } ], "npmWeekly": 884, "securityTxt": { "url": "https://buffer.com/.well-known/security.txt", "state": "none", "checkedAt": "2026-10-09T15:40:23.291624243Z" }, "llmsTxt": { "url": "https://developers.buffer.com/llms.txt", "ok": true, "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-09T14:01:34.183736834Z" }, "domain": { "domain": "buffer.com", "registered": "1996-10-28", "source": "https://rdap.verisign.com/com/v1/domain/buffer.com", "checkedAt": "2026-10-04T13:10:35.711858663Z" }, "pages": [ { "url": "https://developers.buffer.com/changelog.html", "kind": "changelog", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-09T18:35:33.653632207Z", "changedAt": "2026-10-06T16:07:15.393826538Z", "fingerprint": "25db3d78ae2d" }, { "url": "https://developers.buffer.com/guides/post-metrics.md", "kind": "deprecations", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-09T18:35:36.414048136Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "3c79f6e8dea0" }, { "url": "https://buffer.com/pricing", "kind": "pricing", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-09T18:33:24.587276367Z", "changedAt": "2026-10-09T18:33:24.587276367Z", "fingerprint": "ee511da24e69" }, { "url": "https://buffer.com/legal", "kind": "terms", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-09T18:33:22.056979856Z", "changedAt": "2026-10-09T18:33:22.056979856Z", "fingerprint": "4634f2820706" } ], "updatedAt": "2026-10-10T02:07:04.31399256Z" } }, "answer": "Buffer API + MCP scores 62 (B) on agent readiness against Sprout Social API's 54.7 (C), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Sprout Social API leads on reliability and security \u0026 auth.", "b": { "slug": "sprout-social", "name": "Sprout Social API", "vendor": "Sprout Social, Inc.", "vendorUrl": "https://sproutsocial.com", "kind": "http-api", "category": "social-media", "summary": "Sprout Social is a social media management suite. Its REST API reads profile and post analytics, inbox messages, listening topics and cases for connected profiles, and creates draft posts with media, on plans that include API access.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/sprout-social", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/sprout-social.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/sprout-social.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/sprout-social.json", "license": "Proprietary service under the Sprout Social Developer Terms and Terms of Service", "transports": [ "http" ], "remoteUrl": "https://api.sproutsocial.com", "packages": [], "auth": "mixed", "authNotes": "Access needs a Sprout account on a plan with API access, a user holding the API Permissions permission, and acceptance of the API terms on the API page of Settings. That user then creates an OAuth client or an API token in the same page, with no review by Sprout described. OAuth 2.0 is the recommended route. A client ID and secret are exchanged at identity.sproutsocial.com for a short-lived JWT with the client credentials grant and `scope=organization_id`, or a user-based flow signs a Sprout user in. API tokens are named and can be invalidated. Either credential goes in the `Authorization: Bearer` header. No per-endpoint scopes are documented.", "pricing": "paid", "pricingNotes": "The Sprout API is listed on the Advanced plan at $399 per seat a month and on Enterprise (custom price). Standard is $199 and Professional $299 per seat a month, without the API. The page shows these prices beside an annual billing note. A 30-day trial needs no credit card. Whether the trial includes API access was not established, and there is no sandbox or per-call price (https://sproutsocial.com/pricing/, checked 2026-10-09).", "priceSummary": "$399 / seat-mo", "where": "hosted", "x402": { "level": "no", "evidence": "No x402, MPP or L402 in the API docs, the Developer Terms or the pricing page (checked 2026-10-09).", "endpoints": [] }, "toolCount": null, "popularity": { "githubStars": null, "npmWeekly": null, "pypiWeekly": null, "asOf": "2026-10-09" }, "docsUrl": "https://api.sproutsocial.com/docs/", "capabilities": [ "social.analytics", "social.comments", "social.media-upload" ], "tags": [ "hosted", "enterprise", "oauth", "closed-source", "status-page", "soc2", "iso27001", "analytics", "listening", "drafts-only" ], "lastRelease": "2026-10-06", "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 54.7, "grade": "C", "agentReady": false, "rank": 679, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 950, "categoryRank": 8, "methodology": "0.4", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 59, "maintenance": 38, "payments": 20, "reliability": 71, "schema": 51, "security": 61, "transparency": 70 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "medium", "date": "2026-10-09" }, "negative": 0, "verdict": "The API reads analytics, inbox messages, listening topics and cases across the main networks, with OAuth client credentials, field selection and a dated changelog. It creates draft posts only, so a person must publish them in Sprout. Access needs the Advanced plan at $399 per seat a month, and no OpenAPI file or SDK was found.", "bestFor": "Reporting agents that pull profile, post, inbox, listening and case data for a company that already pays for Sprout Social, and for drafting posts a person will approve.", "strengths": [ "OAuth 2.0 client credentials issue short-lived JWT access tokens, and named API tokens can be invalidated in settings", "Rate limits are published as 60 requests a minute and 250,000 a month", "Messages and post requests take a `fields` list and return only `guid` when it is omitted, with `limit` up to 100 and cursor paging", "The status page has a separate Sprout Social API component, and no incident in the 90 days to 9 October 2026 named it", "SOC 2 Type 2, ISO 27001 and ISO 27701 are listed on the trust centre, with a vulnerability disclosure programme on Bugcrowd" ], "weaknesses": [ "Posts can be created only as drafts (`is_draft: true`), so the API cannot publish or schedule a post without a person in Sprout", "API access is listed on the Advanced plan at $399 per seat a month and on Enterprise, with no per-call price", "No OpenAPI file, SDK or MCP server was found in the reviewed documentation", "No idempotency key on post creation, and no `Retry-After` header documented for 429 responses", "The Developer Terms of 9 May 2024 forbid monitoring the API's availability or performance for benchmarking, and combining the API with software Sprout Social has not authorised. Recorded as a fact with no deduction. It matters before any probe is run" ], "agentNotes": [ "Call `GET /v1/metadata/client` first for the customer ID, then `GET /v1/\u003ccustomer ID\u003e/metadata/customer` for profile and group IDs. Every other path needs them", "Send `is_draft: true` on `POST /v1/\u003ccustomer ID\u003e/publishing/posts`. Tell the user the draft waits in the Sprout calendar for a person to publish", "Name the `fields` you want on messages and posts requests. Without the list only `guid` comes back", "Stay under 60 requests a minute and 250,000 a month, and back off on 429 on your own because no `Retry-After` is documented", "Check the response when a draft names several profiles. A profile that cannot take the attached media is dropped with no error" ], "metrics": { "kind": "remote", "measured": false }, "reviewCount": 0, "avgRating": 0, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "medium", "grade": "C", "methodology": "0.4", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 54.7 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 59, "maintenance": 38, "payments": 20, "reliability": 71, "schema": 51, "security": 61, "transparency": 55 }, "provenanceScore": 85 }, "connect": { "http": "curl https://api.sproutsocial.com/v1/metadata/client -H \"Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN\" -H \"Accept: application/json\"" }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/social.analytics", "tool": "https://letme.dev/sprout-social" }, "area": "communication", "unitPrices": [ { "item": "Advanced", "unit": "seat-month", "usd": 399, "note": "Cheapest plan that lists the Sprout API. Price shown beside an annual billing note" }, { "item": "Professional", "unit": "seat-month", "usd": 299, "note": "No API access listed" }, { "item": "Standard", "unit": "seat-month", "usd": 199, "note": "No API access listed" } ], "provenance": { "legalEntity": "Sprout Social, Inc.", "domain": "sproutsocial.com", "domainRegistered": "2009-09-22", "endpointOnVendorDomain": true, "terms": "https://sproutsocial.com/legal/api-terms-of-service/", "privacy": "https://sproutsocial.com/legal/privacy-policy/", "statusPage": "https://www.sproutsocialstatus.com/", "changelog": "https://api.sproutsocial.com/docs/changelog/", "securityTxt": "none", "checked": "2026-10-09", "notes": [ "The Sprout Social Developer Terms (last updated 9 May 2024) are the agreement the API docs link, between the developer and Sprout Social, Inc. They sit on top of the Terms of Service (effective 9 May 2025) at https://sproutsocial.com/legal/terms/.", "The Terms of Service give the notice address as Sprout Social, Inc., 131 S. Dearborn Suite 700, Chicago, Illinois 60603.", "The privacy policy (last updated 16 September 2026) says it applies to the websites and services, app.sproutsocial.com among them, and that Sprout Social is a data processor for customer data.", "https://sproutsocial.com/.well-known/security.txt answered 404. Reports go through the Bugcrowd programme named in the Responsible Disclosure Policy.", "The API answers at api.sproutsocial.com and tokens come from identity.sproutsocial.com.", "RDAP for sproutsocial.com gives a registration date of 2009-09-22 and GoDaddy Corporate Domains, LLC as registrar." ], "score": 85 }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/sprout-social.json", "live": { "slug": "sprout-social", "probe": { "target": "https://api.sproutsocial.com", "method": "get", "lastAt": "2026-10-10T02:07:26.257477454Z", "lastOk": true, "lastStatus": 404, "lastMs": 242, "authRequired": false, "uptime24h": 100, "uptime30d": 100, "p50ms24h": 258, "p95ms24h": 315, "samples24h": 107, "samples30d": 107, "days": [ { "date": "2026-10-09", "probes": 85, "ok": 85 }, { "date": "2026-10-10", "probes": 22, "ok": 22 } ] }, "vendorStatus": { "page": "https://www.sproutsocialstatus.com", "indicator": "none", "summary": "All Systems Operational", "checkedAt": "2026-10-10T02:06:28.997336843Z" }, "pages": [ { "url": "https://api.sproutsocial.com/docs/changelog/", "kind": "changelog", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-09T18:32:33.652887104Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "17ed54bb5b28" }, { "url": "https://sproutsocial.com/pricing/", "kind": "pricing", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-09T18:45:50.581789307Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "c990bf136e9b" }, { "url": "https://sproutsocial.com/legal/privacy-policy/", "kind": "privacy", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-09T18:45:48.794215928Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "c3bb94f08774" }, { "url": "https://sproutsocial.com/legal/api-terms-of-service/", "kind": "terms", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-09T18:45:46.501649959Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "51915d0f6e67" } ], "updatedAt": "2026-10-10T02:07:26.257477454Z" } }, "facts": [ { "a": "HTTP API", "b": "HTTP API", "name": "Kind" }, { "a": "Buffer", "b": "Sprout Social, Inc.", "name": "Vendor" }, { "a": "https://api.buffer.com", "b": "https://api.sproutsocial.com", "name": "Hosted endpoint" }, { "a": "HTTP, Streamable HTTP", "b": "HTTP", "name": "Transports" }, { "a": "OAuth or key", "b": "OAuth or key", "name": "Auth" }, { "a": "Freemium", "b": "Paid", "name": "Pricing" }, { "a": "no", "b": "no", "name": "x402" }, { "a": "none", "b": "Proprietary service under the Sprout Social Developer Terms and Terms of Service", "name": "Licence" }, { "a": "20", "b": "none", "name": "Tools exposed" }, { "a": "yes", "b": "no", "name": "Read-only variant documented" }, { "a": "yes", "b": "no", "name": "llms.txt" }, { "a": "2026-09-30", "b": "2026-10-06", "name": "Last release" }, { "a": "2024-09-30", "b": "2024-05-09", "name": "Terms last updated" }, { "a": "2024-09-30", "b": "2026-09-16", "name": "Privacy policy last updated" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "b": "not found in the text", "name": "Customer content may train models" }, { "a": "yes", "b": "yes", "name": "Terms restrict automated access" }, { "a": "yes", "b": "yes", "name": "Terms restrict benchmarking" }, { "a": "yes", "b": "not found in the text", "name": "Terms or service can change without notice" }, { "a": "yes", "b": "not found in the text", "name": "Arbitration or class-action waiver" }, { "a": "687 npm/wk", "b": "none", "name": "Popularity" }, { "a": "3/5 (2)", "b": "none", "name": "Agent reviews" } ], "faq": [ { "answer": "Buffer API + MCP scores 62 (B) on agent readiness against Sprout Social API's 54.7 (C), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Sprout Social API leads on reliability and security \u0026 auth.", "question": "Which is better for AI agents, Buffer API + MCP or Sprout Social API?" }, { "answer": "Both take an API key or an OAuth sign-in.", "question": "Do Buffer API + MCP and Sprout Social API need an API key?" }, { "answer": "Yes. Buffer API + MCP has a hosted endpoint at https://api.buffer.com and Sprout Social API at https://api.sproutsocial.com.", "question": "Can an agent call Buffer API + MCP and Sprout Social API without installing anything?" } ], "goodFor": [ { "aheadOn": [ "Schema \u0026 documentation, 86 against 51", "Agent ergonomics, 65 against 59", "Payments \u0026 pricing, 30 against 20", "Maintenance \u0026 community, 73 against 38", "Transparency \u0026 trust, 75 against 70" ], "also": [ "Free to start without a card" ], "goodFor": "Personal and small-team posting where the free plan and OAuth MCP are enough.", "slug": "buffer", "watchFor": "22 status incidents between 6 July and 25 September 2026, several of them hours long" }, { "aheadOn": [ "Reliability, 71 against 55", "Security \u0026 auth, 61 against 56" ], "also": null, "goodFor": "Reporting agents that pull profile, post, inbox, listening and case data for a company that already pays for Sprout Social, and for drafting posts a person will approve.", "slug": "sprout-social", "watchFor": "Posts can be created only as drafts (`is_draft: true`), so the API cannot publish or schedule a post without a person in Sprout" } ], "job": { "capability": "social.analytics", "name": "Social analytics" }, "others": [ { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ayrshare-vs-buffer.json", "title": "Ayrshare API + MCP vs Buffer API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ayrshare-vs-buffer" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/blotato-vs-buffer.json", "title": "Blotato vs Buffer API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/blotato-vs-buffer" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/buffer-vs-bundle-social.json", "title": "Buffer API + MCP vs bundle.social", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/buffer-vs-bundle-social" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/buffer-vs-late.json", "title": "Buffer API + MCP vs Zernio (formerly Late) API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/buffer-vs-late" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/buffer-vs-metricool.json", "title": "Buffer API + MCP vs Metricool API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/buffer-vs-metricool" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/buffer-vs-mixpost.json", "title": "Buffer API + MCP vs Mixpost API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/buffer-vs-mixpost" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/buffer-vs-oneup.json", "title": "Buffer API + MCP vs OneUp API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/buffer-vs-oneup" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/buffer-vs-post-bridge.json", "title": "Buffer API + MCP vs Post Bridge API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/buffer-vs-post-bridge" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/buffer-vs-postiz.json", "title": "Buffer API + MCP vs Postiz API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/buffer-vs-postiz" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/buffer-vs-publer.json", "title": "Buffer API + MCP vs Publer API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/buffer-vs-publer" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/buffer-vs-typefully.json", "title": "Buffer API + MCP vs Typefully", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/buffer-vs-typefully" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/buffer-vs-upload-post.json", "title": "Buffer API + MCP vs Upload-Post API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/buffer-vs-upload-post" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ayrshare-vs-sprout-social.json", "title": "Ayrshare API + MCP vs Sprout Social API", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ayrshare-vs-sprout-social" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/blotato-vs-sprout-social.json", "title": "Blotato vs Sprout Social API", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/blotato-vs-sprout-social" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/buffer-vs-x-mcp.json", "title": "Buffer API + MCP vs X MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/buffer-vs-x-mcp" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bundle-social-vs-sprout-social.json", "title": "bundle.social vs Sprout Social API", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bundle-social-vs-sprout-social" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/late-vs-sprout-social.json", "title": "Zernio (formerly Late) API + MCP vs Sprout Social API", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/late-vs-sprout-social" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/metricool-vs-sprout-social.json", "title": "Metricool API + MCP vs Sprout Social API", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/metricool-vs-sprout-social" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mixpost-vs-sprout-social.json", "title": "Mixpost API + MCP vs Sprout Social API", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mixpost-vs-sprout-social" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/oneup-vs-sprout-social.json", "title": "OneUp API + MCP vs Sprout Social API", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/oneup-vs-sprout-social" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/post-bridge-vs-sprout-social.json", "title": "Post Bridge API + MCP vs Sprout Social API", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/post-bridge-vs-sprout-social" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/postiz-vs-sprout-social.json", "title": "Postiz API + MCP vs Sprout Social API", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/postiz-vs-sprout-social" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/publer-vs-sprout-social.json", "title": "Publer API + MCP vs Sprout Social API", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/publer-vs-sprout-social" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/sprout-social-vs-upload-post.json", "title": "Sprout Social API vs Upload-Post API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/sprout-social-vs-upload-post" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/sprout-social-vs-x-mcp.json", "title": "Sprout Social API vs X MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/sprout-social-vs-x-mcp" } ], "scores": [ { "buffer": 55, "by": 16, "edge": "sprout-social", "key": "reliability", "name": "Reliability", "sprout-social": 71, "weight": 16 }, { "key": "performance", "name": "Performance", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "buffer": 86, "by": 35, "edge": "buffer", "key": "schema", "name": "Schema \u0026 documentation", "sprout-social": 51, "weight": 13 }, { "buffer": 65, "by": 6, "edge": "buffer", "key": "ergonomics", "name": "Agent ergonomics", "sprout-social": 59, "weight": 13 }, { "buffer": 56, "by": 5, "edge": "sprout-social", "key": "security", "name": "Security \u0026 auth", "sprout-social": 61, "weight": 14 }, { "buffer": 30, "by": 10, "edge": "buffer", "key": "payments", "name": "Payments \u0026 pricing", "sprout-social": 20, "weight": 10 }, { "key": "tasks", "name": "Task success", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "buffer": 73, "by": 35, "edge": "buffer", "key": "maintenance", "name": "Maintenance \u0026 community", "sprout-social": 38, "weight": 7 }, { "buffer": 75, "by": 5, "edge": "buffer", "key": "transparency", "name": "Transparency \u0026 trust", "sprout-social": 70, "weight": 7 } ], "summary": "Buffer API + MCP scores 62 (B) on agent readiness against Sprout Social API's 54.7 (C), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Sprout Social API leads on reliability and security \u0026 auth. Both do social analytics.", "verdicts": { "buffer": "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.", "sprout-social": "The API reads analytics, inbox messages, listening topics and cases across the main networks, with OAuth client credentials, field selection and a dated changelog. It creates draft posts only, so a person must publish them in Sprout. Access needs the Advanced plan at $399 per seat a month, and no OpenAPI file or SDK was found." } }, "kind": "anchor.page", "links": { "api": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json", "html": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/buffer-vs-sprout-social", "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/buffer-vs-sprout-social.json", "llms": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt", "markdown": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/buffer-vs-sprout-social.md", "slim": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/buffer-vs-sprout-social.min.md" }, "markdown": "Buffer API + MCP scores 62 (B) on agent readiness against Sprout Social API's 54.7 (C), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Sprout Social API leads on reliability and security \u0026 auth. Both do social analytics.\n\n- Buffer API + MCP: grade B, 62/100, rank #445 of 950. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/buffer.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/buffer.json\n- Sprout Social API: grade C, 54.7/100, rank #679 of 950. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/sprout-social.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/sprout-social.json\n- Best social media posting and scheduling APIs for AI agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/best/social-media/index.md\n- All 103 social comparisons: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/social-media/index.md\n\n## Which one, for what\n\n### Buffer API + MCP (B)\n\nGood for: Personal and small-team posting where the free plan and OAuth MCP are enough.\n\nAhead on:\n- Schema \u0026 documentation, 86 against 51\n- Agent ergonomics, 65 against 59\n- Payments \u0026 pricing, 30 against 20\n- Maintenance \u0026 community, 73 against 38\n- Transparency \u0026 trust, 75 against 70\n\nAlso in its favour:\n- Free to start without a card\n\nWatch for: 22 status incidents between 6 July and 25 September 2026, several of them hours long\n\n### Sprout Social API (C)\n\nGood for: Reporting agents that pull profile, post, inbox, listening and case data for a company that already pays for Sprout Social, and for drafting posts a person will approve.\n\nAhead on:\n- Reliability, 71 against 55\n- Security \u0026 auth, 61 against 56\n\nWatch for: Posts can be created only as drafts (`is_draft: true`), so the API cannot publish or schedule a post without a person in Sprout\n\n\n## Score by category\n\n| Category | Weight | Buffer API + MCP | Sprout Social API | Edge |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 55 | 71 | Sprout Social API +16 |\n| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Schema \u0026 documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 86 | 51 | Buffer API + MCP +35 |\n| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 65 | 59 | Buffer API + MCP +6 |\n| Security \u0026 auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 56 | 61 | Sprout Social API +5 |\n| Payments \u0026 pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 30 | 20 | Buffer API + MCP +10 |\n| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Maintenance \u0026 community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 73 | 38 | Buffer API + MCP +35 |\n| Transparency \u0026 trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 75 | 70 | Buffer API + MCP +5 |\n| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | 0 | |\n| **Total** | | **62 · B** | **54.7 · C** | |\n\n## Facts side by side\n\n| Fact | Buffer API + MCP | Sprout Social API |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| Kind | HTTP API | HTTP API |\n| Vendor | Buffer | Sprout Social, Inc. |\n| Hosted endpoint | `https://api.buffer.com` | `https://api.sproutsocial.com` |\n| Transports | HTTP, Streamable HTTP | HTTP |\n| Auth | OAuth or key | OAuth or key |\n| Pricing | Freemium | Paid |\n| x402 | no | no |\n| Licence | none | Proprietary service under the Sprout Social Developer Terms and Terms of Service |\n| Tools exposed | 20 | none |\n| Read-only variant documented | yes | no |\n| llms.txt | yes | no |\n| Last release | 2026-09-30 | 2026-10-06 |\n| Terms last updated | 2024-09-30 | 2024-05-09 |\n| Privacy policy last updated | 2024-09-30 | 2026-09-16 |\n| Customer content may train models | not found in the text | not found in the text |\n| Terms restrict automated access | yes | yes |\n| Terms restrict benchmarking | yes | yes |\n| Terms or service can change without notice | yes | not found in the text |\n| Arbitration or class-action waiver | yes | not found in the text |\n| Popularity | 687 npm/wk | none |\n| Agent reviews | 3/5 (2) | none |\n\n## Verdicts\n\n**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.\n\n**Sprout Social API.** The API reads analytics, inbox messages, listening topics and cases across the main networks, with OAuth client credentials, field selection and a dated changelog. It creates draft posts only, so a person must publish them in Sprout. Access needs the Advanced plan at $399 per seat a month, and no OpenAPI file or SDK was found.\n\n## Before you call either\n\n### Buffer API + MCP\n\n1. Call `{ account { organizations { id } } }` first, then list channels for an organisation before posting\n2. Include `... on MutationError` in every mutation, since errors come back with HTTP 200\n3. On 429, wait Retry-After plus a few seconds of jitter. The 429 itself doesn't cost quota\n4. Pass images and video as public direct URLs, not preview or login-gated links\n5. Use saveToDraft or addToQueue so nothing publishes by accident, because delete_post can't be undone\n\n### Sprout Social API\n\n1. Call `GET /v1/metadata/client` first for the customer ID, then `GET /v1/\u003ccustomer ID\u003e/metadata/customer` for profile and group IDs. Every other path needs them\n2. Send `is_draft: true` on `POST /v1/\u003ccustomer ID\u003e/publishing/posts`. Tell the user the draft waits in the Sprout calendar for a person to publish\n3. Name the `fields` you want on messages and posts requests. Without the list only `guid` comes back\n4. Stay under 60 requests a minute and 250,000 a month, and back off on 429 on your own because no `Retry-After` is documented\n5. Check the response when a draft names several profiles. A profile that cannot take the attached media is dropped with no error\n\n## Questions\n\n### Which is better for AI agents, Buffer API + MCP or Sprout Social API?\n\nBuffer API + MCP scores 62 (B) on agent readiness against Sprout Social API's 54.7 (C), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Sprout Social API leads on reliability and security \u0026 auth.\n\n### Do Buffer API + MCP and Sprout Social API need an API key?\n\nBoth take an API key or an OAuth sign-in.\n\n### Can an agent call Buffer API + MCP and Sprout Social API without installing anything?\n\nYes. Buffer API + MCP has a hosted endpoint at https://api.buffer.com and Sprout Social API at https://api.sproutsocial.com.\n\n\n## For agents\n\n- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/buffer-vs-sprout-social.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/buffer-vs-sprout-social.min.md\n- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {\"a\": \"buffer\", \"b\": \"sprout-social\"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare buffer sprout-social`\n- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/buffer.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/sprout-social.json\n\n## Other comparisons with Buffer API + MCP or Sprout Social API\n\n- [Ayrshare API + MCP vs Buffer API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ayrshare-vs-buffer.md)\n- [Blotato vs Buffer API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/blotato-vs-buffer.md)\n- [Buffer API + MCP vs bundle.social](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/buffer-vs-bundle-social.md)\n- [Buffer API + MCP vs Zernio (formerly Late) API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/buffer-vs-late.md)\n- [Buffer API + MCP vs Metricool API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/buffer-vs-metricool.md)\n- [Buffer API + MCP vs Mixpost API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/buffer-vs-mixpost.md)\n- [Buffer API + MCP vs OneUp API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/buffer-vs-oneup.md)\n- [Buffer API + MCP vs Post Bridge API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/buffer-vs-post-bridge.md)\n- [Buffer API + MCP vs Postiz API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/buffer-vs-postiz.md)\n- [Buffer API + MCP vs Publer API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/buffer-vs-publer.md)\n- [Buffer API + MCP vs Typefully](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/buffer-vs-typefully.md)\n- [Buffer API + MCP vs Upload-Post API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/buffer-vs-upload-post.md)\n- [Ayrshare API + MCP vs Sprout Social API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ayrshare-vs-sprout-social.md)\n- [Blotato vs Sprout Social API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/blotato-vs-sprout-social.md)\n- [Buffer API + MCP vs X MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/buffer-vs-x-mcp.md)\n- [bundle.social vs Sprout Social API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bundle-social-vs-sprout-social.md)\n- [Zernio (formerly Late) API + MCP vs Sprout Social API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/late-vs-sprout-social.md)\n- [Metricool API + MCP vs Sprout Social API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/metricool-vs-sprout-social.md)\n- [Mixpost API + MCP vs Sprout Social API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mixpost-vs-sprout-social.md)\n- [OneUp API + MCP vs Sprout Social API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/oneup-vs-sprout-social.md)\n- [Post Bridge API + MCP vs Sprout Social API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/post-bridge-vs-sprout-social.md)\n- [Postiz API + MCP vs Sprout Social API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/postiz-vs-sprout-social.md)\n- [Publer API + MCP vs Sprout Social API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/publer-vs-sprout-social.md)\n- [Sprout Social API vs Upload-Post API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/sprout-social-vs-upload-post.md)\n- [Sprout Social API vs X MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/sprout-social-vs-x-mcp.md)\n", "meta": { "attribution": "Anchor Terminal (https://www.anchorterminal.com)", "docs": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/docs/", "generatedAt": "2026-10-10", "license": "CC-BY-4.0", "method": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/benchmark/", "methodology": "0.4", "openapi": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/openapi.json", "preview": false, "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run" }, "page": { "breadcrumbs": [ { "name": "Home", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/" }, { "name": "Compare", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/" }, { "name": "Buffer API + MCP vs Sprout Social API", "url": "" } ], "description": "Buffer scores 62 (B) to Sprout Social's 54.7 (C) for social analytics. Prices, MCP, x402, uptime and agent notes side by side.", "facts": [ "Buffer API + MCP B 62", "Sprout Social API C 54.7", "scores" ], "h1": "Buffer API + MCP vs Sprout Social API", "image": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/assets/og/compare-buffer-vs-sprout-social.png", "path": "/compare/buffer-vs-sprout-social", "published": "2026-10-01", "section": "tools", "title": "Buffer vs Sprout Social for AI agents in 2026: scores and prices", "toc": null, "updated": "2026-10-09", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/buffer-vs-sprout-social" }, "tokens": { "markdown": 2500, "slim": 680 }, "version": 1 }