Softwr

Marketing · head to head

Buffer vs Device Magic

Buffer logo

Buffer

Marketing

Build your audience organically on social media

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite
Device Magic logo

Device Magic

Surveys

Offline mobile forms for field crews, quote-only with a three user minimum, now under GoCanvas

From
On request
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Buffer has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Buffer the free plan allows 3 connected channels and 10 scheduled posts per channel; Device Magic neither plan publishes a price and both carry a three user minimum billed annually, so a two-person business cannot buy it at all and a small firm cannot benchmark the quote against published competitors
  • They diverge on capability: Buffer covers Post scheduling, Device Magic covers Fully offline capture.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Buffer and Device Magic actually diverge.

Attributes where Buffer and Device Magic differ
AttributeBufferDevice Magic
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelUnknownquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidiOS, Android, Web
CategoryMarketingSurveys
Founded2010Unknown

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Buffer

  • Post scheduling
  • Content calendar
  • Analytics dashboard
  • Link shortening
  • Hashtag manager
  • First comment
  • Instagram Stories
  • Shop Grid

Only in Device Magic

  • Fully offline capture
  • Formatted PDF output
  • Destinations
  • Dispatch and scheduling
  • Resource data
  • Conditional logic
  • White labelling

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Buffer

  • Social media schedulingnot Device Magic
  • Content planningnot Device Magic
  • Performance analyticsnot Device Magic
  • Team collaborationnot Device Magic
  • Client managementnot Device Magic

Device Magic

  • A mechanical contractor whose service certificates must reach the customer as a specific PDF layout immediately after the visitnot Buffer
  • An inspection crew working in basements and rural sites where there is no signal for most of the working daynot Buffer
  • A utility that needs the day's jobs dispatched to named engineers with the right form attached to each onenot Buffer
  • A business replacing carbon-copy job sheets where the office currently re-keys every sheet into an accounting systemnot Buffer

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Buffer

  • The free plan allows 3 connected channels and 10 scheduled posts per channel
  • Essentials at $5 a month covers a single user; team members need the Team plan at $10 a month
  • Approval workflows and custom permissions are Team tier only
  • API access is rationed by plan, from 3,000 monthly requests on free to 15,000 on Team
  • Content ideas are capped at 100 on the free plan

Device Magic

  • Neither plan publishes a price and both carry a three user minimum billed annually, so a two-person business cannot buy it at all and a small firm cannot benchmark the quote against published competitors
  • Device Magic is now part of GoCanvas, which sells an overlapping mobile forms product, so buyers should ask directly about long-term investment in Device Magic before signing a multi-year term
  • Per user per month pricing means seasonal and occasional field staff consume full seats, and businesses with a large casual crew pay for licences that are used a few weeks a year
  • It captures and delivers data but does not manage the work itself, so there is no job costing, no scheduling depth and no invoicing, and it usually sits alongside a field service management system rather than replacing one
  • PDF layout control is the main reason to buy it and is also the most fiddly part of the product; complex certificate layouts take real configuration effort and are not something a field supervisor will maintain

Pricing, plan by plan

Buffer

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 3 connected accounts
    • 10 scheduled posts per channel per month
    • 100 content ideas
  • Essentials$5/month
    • Unlimited scheduled posts
    • Per-channel pricing
    • Advanced analytics
  • Team$10/month
    • Unlimited team members
    • Unlimited scheduled posts
    • Content approval workflows

Device Magic

On request
  • Max$undefined/month
    • Per user per month, billed annually
    • Three user minimum
    • Unlimited forms and submissions
  • Enterprise$undefined/month
    • Per user per month, billed annually
    • Three user minimum
    • Everything in Max

Which should you pick?

Choose Buffer if

  • You need post scheduling.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want content calendar.
Buffer review

Choose Device Magic if

  • You need fully offline capture.
  • You work on iOS, Android, Web.
  • You also want formatted pdf output.
Device Magic review

Questions people ask

Is Buffer or Device Magic better?
Neither clearly leads. Buffer starts at Free and Device Magic at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Buffer or Device Magic?
Buffer has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Buffer and On request for Device Magic.
Does Buffer or Device Magic run on more platforms?
Buffer runs on Web, iOS, Android. Device Magic runs on iOS, Android, Web.
Can I use Buffer for free?
Yes. Buffer has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Device Magic starts at On request.
What is Buffer best used for?
Buffer is most often used for social media scheduling, content planning, performance analytics, team collaboration. Of those, social media scheduling and content planning are not what Device Magic is typically brought in for.
What can Buffer do that Device Magic cannot?
Buffer covers Post scheduling, Content calendar, Analytics dashboard, Link shortening. Device Magic covers Fully offline capture, Formatted PDF output, Destinations, Dispatch and scheduling.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Buffer: Does Buffer's free plan include all social media platforms?

The free plan supports 3 connected accounts across any of Buffer's 11 supported platforms (Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn, X, YouTube, Threads, Pinterest, Google Business Profile, Bluesky, Mastodon) with up to 10 scheduled posts per channel per month.

Source
Device Magic: What does Device Magic cost?

It does not publish prices. Both the Max and Enterprise plans are per user per month billed annually with a three user minimum, and you get a figure from sales.

Buffer: Can I schedule Instagram Stories with Buffer?

No. Instagram Stories cannot be auto-published. Buffer sends a mobile notification to manually post stories, as Instagram does not provide an API for automated Story scheduling.

Source
Device Magic: Who owns Device Magic?

It is part of GoCanvas, which also sells a competing mobile forms product.

Buffer: What is Buffer's per-channel pricing model?

Buffer charges per social media account (channel) rather than per user. Channels 1-10 cost standard rates ($5 Essentials or $10 Team), with additional channels beyond 10 discounted per channel.

Source
Device Magic: Does it work with no signal?

Yes, that is the main use case. Forms and reference data are held on the device and submissions sync when connectivity returns.

Buffer: Does Buffer have a mobile app and what platforms does it support?

Yes, Buffer offers iOS and Android apps for mobile management. The iOS app supports Mastodon and YouTube comment features, while Android support for these features is in development. Android community access works on the six most recent major Android versions.

Source
Device Magic: Is there a submission limit?

No. Both plans list unlimited forms, unlimited submissions and unlimited lifetime data storage, so the cost variable is seats.

Buffer: What discount does Buffer offer for annual billing?

Buffer offers a 20% discount for annual billing across all paid plans, plus an additional 50% discount on paid plans for nonprofit organizations.

Source
Buffer: Can Buffer integrate with content creation and storage tools?

Yes. Buffer integrates with 24 tools including Canva, Google Drive, Dropbox, Unsplash for media, Zapier and Make for automation, WordPress for publishing, and Claude, ChatGPT, and Perplexity for AI-assisted content creation.

Source
Share

Related pages

More on Buffer

More on Device Magic

Keep looking

Other head to heads