PostWireThe cheapest social media posting APIs with a real free tier
Every price below was read on the vendor's own pricing page on Oct 1, 2026 (links under the table). The cheapest paid step is shown as each vendor sells it.
Written from PostWire's own code and checked on Oct 1, 2026. Live networks: TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn (personal profiles), Facebook Pages, Bluesky, Mastodon, Telegram, Discord — not X, Threads, Reddit or Pinterest.
Try PostWire's API free in five minutes
- Create a free PostWire account
Open postwire.io/dashboard.html, type your email and press Create my free account. PostWire emails you a link to confirm the address; connecting accounts and publishing unlock once it is confirmed. No password and no card (free plan: 1 business, 30 posts a month, 15 AI drafts a day, every live network, no card).
- Connect one network
Bluesky, Telegram, Discord and Mastodon take text and connect with an app password, bot token or webhook in a minute or two; TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn and Facebook Pages are one OAuth click.
- Copy your API key
In the dashboard, open API & MCP and press Copy key on the API key card. It is sent as
Authorization: Bearer pw_live_…(theX-API-Keyheader also works). Keep it server-side. - Write a post per network and publish
Two calls: write, then publish.
curl -X POST https://postwire.io/api/generate -H "Authorization: Bearer pw_live_…" \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{"prompt":"v2.0 is out: 3x faster sync","platforms":["bluesky","linkedin"]}' curl -X POST https://postwire.io/api/post -H "Authorization: Bearer pw_live_…" \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{"platforms":["bluesky","linkedin"],"per_platform":{…drafts…}}' - Read your usage
GET /api/usageshows posts this month, AI drafts today and businesses against your plan. A post counts once per network and only successful publishes count. Spec: openapi.json.
Free tiers and first paid step
| API | Free tier | TikTok on free | Billed per | First paid step |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PostWire | 1 business, 30 posts/mo, 15 AI drafts/day, API + MCP + n8n | Yes | Business (all its networks) | $9/mo — 3 businesses, 300 posts |
| Zernio | 2 connected accounts, unlimited posts, full API | Not listed | Connected account | $6 per account (accounts 3–10) |
| Buffer | 3 channels, 10 scheduled posts per channel; 1 API key, 3,000 requests/mo | Not listed | Channel | Essentials $5 per channel/mo, billed yearly |
| Upload-Post | 2 profiles, 10 uploads/mo | No | Profile (plan bundles) | $24/mo — 5 profiles, unlimited uploads |
| Postiz (hosted) | No — 7-day trial (self-hosting is free, AGPL) | — | Channel (plan bundles) | $29/mo — 5 channels, API + MCP included |
| Blotato | No — 7-day trial, API excluded | — | Plan (accounts) | $29/mo — 20 accounts |
| Ayrshare | No — 28-day trial on Launch | — | User profile | $149/mo — 1 profile |
Checked on Oct 1, 2026 (2026-10-01) on each vendor's own pricing or docs page, linked in the first column and below. Monthly billing in USD unless noted. "Not listed" means we could not find it on their page, not that it is missing.
Where the others are ahead of PostWire
- Zernio's free accounts have unlimited posts and analytics, and SDKs in several languages. PostWire's free tier caps posts at 30 a month and has no SDK.
- Buffer's free API comes with a mature scheduler, analytics and engagement tools. PostWire has no inbox.
- Upload-Post, Ayrshare, Zernio and Postiz reach X, Threads, Pinterest or Reddit. PostWire doesn't yet; its 9 networks are listed below.
- Zernio pricing (machine-readable): zernio.com/pricing.md
- Buffer pricing (free plan, API on free): buffer.com/pricing
- Upload-Post plans and free-plan networks (their llms-full.txt): www.upload-post.com/llms-full.txt
- Postiz pricing: postiz.com/pricing
- Blotato pricing: www.blotato.com/pricing
- Ayrshare pricing: www.ayrshare.com/pricing/
What PostWire's free tier includes
- Networks: TikTok (Direct Post, audited), Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn (personal profiles), Facebook Pages, Bluesky, Mastodon, Telegram, Discord — no X, Threads, Reddit or Pinterest yet.
- Writing:
POST /api/generatewrites a native post per network from one prompt; as of Oct 2026 we couldn't find another hosted API that does that in one call. - Surfaces: REST (OpenAPI), hosted MCP server (
https://postwire.io/api/mcp, 15 tools), n8n community node, Make via HTTP. - Media: uploads up to 1 GB; Instagram carousels up to 10 items, TikTok photo posts up to 35 images.
Full comparison by pricing unit: post to all social media with one API.
Questions people ask
What is the cheapest social media posting API?
On Oct 1, 2026, four had a free tier: PostWire, Zernio, Buffer and Upload-Post. Paid, PostWire starts at $9/month for 3 businesses with every network; Zernio at $6 per account after 2 free; Buffer at $5 per channel billed yearly; Upload-Post at $24/month for 5 profiles.
Which free posting API includes TikTok?
PostWire's free plan includes TikTok (Direct Post, public posts). Upload-Post's free plan excludes TikTok. For Zernio and Buffer, we couldn't confirm TikTok on the free tier from their pricing pages.
Does Buffer's API work on the free plan?
Yes: Buffer's pricing page lists 1 API key and 3,000 requests a month on Free, with more keys and requests on Essentials and Team.
Is there a free API that also writes the posts?
PostWire's free tier includes 15 AI drafts a day: POST /api/generate writes a different native post per network from one prompt.
Do I need my own TikTok or Meta developer app?
Not with PostWire: your users connect their accounts to PostWire's approved apps (TikTok audit July 7, 2026; Meta App Review July 14, 2026; Google verification July 1, 2026).
Try it on one business, free.
The free plan is 1 business on every live network, 30 posts a month and 15 AI drafts a day — no card, no time limit. Paid plans start at $9 a month and have a 14-day refund.