Alternatives
Free and open-source social media tools, compared honestly
If you want a free or self-hosted way to plan social media, you have real options. Here is a fair look at where each one fits, including where pendpost is not the right pick. The short version: for a broad dashboard across many platforms, look at Postiz or Mixpost; for an AI agent that drafts and schedules while you approve, that is what pendpost is for.
| Tool | License | Free to run | Self-host | Local-first | AI agent / MCP | Approval gate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| pendpost | MIT | Free | Yes (local-first, always-on on a server) | Yes (127.0.0.1) | MCP-native | Yes, fail-closed |
| Postiz | AGPL-3.0 | Free self-host; paid cloud | Yes, or cloud | No (server/cloud app) | Yes (MCP server) | No (dashboard publish) |
| Mixpost | Open core + paid Pro | Free (Lite); paid Pro | Yes | No (self-hosted server) | No | Team approvals (Pro) |
| Buffer | Proprietary | Freemium | No | No (hosted SaaS) | No | Team approvals (paid) |
| Hootsuite | Proprietary | Paid | No | No (hosted SaaS) | No | Team approvals (paid) |
Competitor details are summarised in good faith from public sources and can change; check each project for current specifics.
When each one wins
Postiz is the strongest pick if you want one dashboard that reaches a very wide set of platforms, with the option of a hosted plan if you would rather not self-host. It also ships an MCP server. It is AGPL-3.0, which is worth knowing if you intend to embed or modify it inside a closed product.
Mixpost suits a team that wants a self-hosted, Buffer-style dashboard and is happy on a paid Pro tier for the advanced features.
Buffer and Hootsuite are the right answer when you want a polished, hosted product with nothing to install. They hold your accounts and your data, and you pay for the convenience.
pendpost wins on a narrower axis: you want an AI agent to do the drafting and scheduling, but you want a human to approve before anything publishes, and you want it all running on your own machine under a permissive MIT license. It is MCP-native, local-first (binds 127.0.0.1, nothing phones home), and adds anti-ban circuit breakers and a caption brand-lint. It does not try to match the platform breadth of a big dashboard, and it is young.
For a head-to-head with the incumbent, see pendpost vs Postiz.