How to Cancel Buffer

A 11-step walkthrough with real screenshots from the live cancel flow.

~3 minutes Time
6 days ago Updated
Verified Working flow
Open Buffer Cancel Page Read the 11 steps See Buffer pricing & tiers

Quick answer

Open Buffer, go to Settings → Billing, then either click Change Plan and pick Free to downgrade, or use the three-dot menu and choose Cancel Plan. You keep your paid features until the end of the current billing period, then drop to the Free plan (3 channels, 1 user). Buffer refunds within 7 days of a monthly charge or 30 days of an annual charge.

Wondering if you're paying more than you used to? current prices for popular subscriptions.

See Buffer's pricing, tiers, and difficulty score in one page. Buffer ranks #11 of 101 by cancellation difficulty.

Step-by-step instructions

1

Open Settings and go to Billing

Sign in to Buffer on the web. Open Settings, then click Billing in the left sidebar (under "Account"). The Billing page shows your current plan, your channel and user counts, and a Change Plan button with a three-dot menu next to it. You can also reach this by clicking your profile avatar and selecting Billing or Plans & Billing.

Buffer Billing page showing the current Team plan, Users and Channels counts, and the Change Plan button with a three-dot menu
2

Choose how to leave: downgrade or cancel

There are two routes and the Billing page is the start of both. To drop to the free tier, click Change Plan. To cancel a paid plan outright (or end a free trial), click the three-dot menu next to Change Plan and choose Cancel Plan. Both routes move you off paid billing — the difference is mostly which confirmation screens you see next.

3

Select the Free plan

In the "Confirm Plan" window you'll see Free, Essentials, and Team side by side, with a Monthly / Yearly toggle. Click the circle on the Free card ($0, up to 3 channels) so it shows a blue check. The Summary panel on the right updates to "Your updated plan: Free" and "Total due today $0."

Buffer Confirm Plan modal showing Free, Essentials, and Team cards with a Monthly/Yearly toggle and a Summary panel on the right
4

Review what Free includes, then confirm

With Free selected, the Summary shows "Total due today $0" and notes you'll be billed $0 every month until canceled. Free is capped at 3 channels and 1 user. Click the confirmation button at the bottom of the Summary (it reads "Confirm Cancellation" when you're ending a trial, or the equivalent downgrade confirm button on a paid plan).

Confirm Plan modal with the Free card selected, Summary showing Total due today $0 and a Confirm Cancellation button
5

Fill in the "Sad to See You Go" survey

Buffer shows a "We Are Sad to See You Go!" dialog asking why you're leaving. Pick one reason — Extenuating Circumstances, I don't use the product anymore, Too expensive, Missing features, Bugs or usability issues, or Other — and optionally add details. This is a retention/feedback step, not a paywall.

Buffer We Are Sad to See You Go cancellation survey with six radio-button reasons and an Any other details text box
6

Confirm the cancellation

Once you pick a reason, the Confirm button turns active (red). Click Confirm — not "No, Do Not Cancel." If you're on a trial, Buffer instead shows a small "Confirm Trial Cancellation" box; click Cancel My Trial.

The cancellation survey with a reason selected and the red Confirm button now active next to No, Do Not Cancel
7
If this applies to you

Handle the trial confirmation (trial only)

On a free trial, the last prompt is "Confirm Trial Cancellation — Please confirm you'd like to cancel your trial." Click the red Cancel My Trial button. Choosing Do Not Cancel keeps the trial running and lets it convert to a paid plan when it ends.

Buffer Confirm Trial Cancellation dialog with Do Not Cancel and Cancel My Trial buttons
8

Verify you're on the Free plan

A "Sorry to see you go" confirmation appears: "You've chosen to downgrade to our Free plan. You will continue to have access to paid features until [date]." Click Great, Let's Go! Back on the Billing page, the Plan now reads FREE. You keep paid features until your billing period ends, then Buffer drops you to Free automatically.

Buffer Sorry to see you go confirmation stating access to paid features continues until the billing period end date, with a Great Lets Go button
9
If this applies to you

Pick which 3 channels stay active

Free allows only 3 connected channels. If you had more on a paid plan, the surplus channels are locked (not deleted) — they reconnect automatically if you upgrade again later. Before or after downgrading, choose the 3 channels you want to keep usable under Channels in Settings.

10
If this applies to you

If you subscribed through the App Store or Google Play

If you started Buffer on a mobile plan via Apple or Google, the web Billing page can't cancel it. Cancel through the store instead: Apple at Settings > [your name] > Subscriptions, or Google Play at play.google.com/store/account/subscriptions.

11
If this applies to you

Request a refund if you were just charged

Canceling stops future charges but doesn't auto-refund the current period. If you're inside Buffer's window — 7 days of a monthly charge or 30 days of an annual charge — email support@buffer.com to ask for a refund.

Frequently Asked Questions

No. Once you cancel or downgrade to Free, Buffer stops billing you. You keep your paid features until the end of the current billing period, and the confirmation screen shows the exact date access ends. After that you're on the Free plan ($0), which has no recurring charge.

No. Canceling a paid plan moves you to the Free plan — your account, connected channels, and scheduled posts stay. Free is limited to 3 channels, so if you had more, the extra channels are locked (kept but unusable) until you upgrade again. Deleting your account entirely is a separate action under Settings.

Yes, within Buffer's refund window: 7 days of starting or renewing a monthly subscription, or 30 days for an annual subscription. Canceling itself does not trigger a refund — email support@buffer.com inside that window to request one. Outside the window, you keep access until the period ends but aren't refunded.

In practice they reach the same place. "Change Plan → Free" explicitly downgrades you to the free tier; the three-dot "Cancel Plan" ends your paid subscription, after which you still land on the Free plan (Buffer keeps a free account rather than closing it). Either way you stop paying and keep paid features until the billing period ends.

Go to Settings > Billing while the plan still shows TRIAL, click the three-dot menu and choose Cancel Plan (or Change Plan → Free), complete the short survey, then click Cancel My Trial on the "Confirm Trial Cancellation" prompt. Buffer says you won't be charged unless you choose to subscribe, so canceling before the trial end date avoids the first bill.

They're kept but limited. Free allows up to 10 scheduled posts per channel and up to 100 ideas, and trims visible post history to about 30 days. Posts beyond the limit aren't deleted, but you can't schedule new ones on a channel until its queue drops below 10. Locked channels (beyond your 3 free slots) keep their data and unlock if you upgrade later.
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