Buffer Alternative for Facebook Groups
TL;DR: Buffer is excellent for Pages — but it cannot auto-post to Facebook groups. Since April 2024 it only sends you a reminder and you post manually. Here's the whole field of tools that actually post to groups, and when to keep Buffer anyway.
We make GroupBlaster. Field data verified September 2026 — confirm current terms with each vendor. Sources: Buffer support docs, TechCrunch on the API removal.
| Tool | Type | Posts to joined groups? | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| GroupBlaster | Chrome extension | Yes — joined groups | $5.99/mo · free tier |
| MultiGroupPoster | Chrome extension | Yes — joined groups | $8.99/mo |
| Group Posting | Chrome extension | Yes — joined groups | €9.90/mo · free Lite |
| PilotPoster | Chrome extension | Yes — joined groups | ~$25–50/mo |
| GroupAutoPoster | Chrome extension | Yes — joined groups | $37/mo |
| NinjaPoster | Extension + dashboard | Yes — joined groups | $37/mo |
| Buffer | Cloud scheduler | No — reminders only | $15–99/mo |
| Hootsuite | Cloud scheduler | No — Pages only | $99–249/mo |
What happened to group scheduling
In April 2024 Meta removed the publish_to_groups permission from the Graph API, ending cloud-based group posting overnight — for Buffer, Hootsuite, Later, and everyone else on that architecture. Buffer documents the fallback itself: notification publishing, where the schedule becomes a phone reminder. That's honest and useful for one group — and unworkable for fifty.
The tools that survived all share one architecture: a browser extension posting through your own logged-in session, which needs no API permission at all. GroupBlaster is the cheapest of them at $5.99/month with a free tier, plus Manual and Confirm modes for anyone who wants a human approving posts instead of full autopilot.
When to keep Buffer
If your content also goes to Pages, Instagram, or LinkedIn, keep Buffer for that half of the job — multi-network scheduling, analytics, and an engagement inbox are genuinely good there. Run a groups-native extension alongside it and stop asking either tool to do what it can't.