Roundups
Best Social Media Posting APIs
If you are building a product that posts to social networks, you can integrate every platform yourself or buy a unified API. Here is how the main providers compare, including the free option.
Short version: Catvideo is the free, focused option; Ayrshare and Zernio are broader infrastructure; Upload-Post and Postiz are developer-friendly; TryPost adds collaboration.
Quick verdict
Choose Catvideo for a free posting API with a UI. Choose Ayrshare for multi-tenant infrastructure, Zernio for a broad messaging/ads API, or Upload-Post for developer tooling.
Feature comparison
| Provider | Entry price | Platforms | API / MCP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Catvideo | Free | 8 | REST, free keys |
| Ayrshare | $149/mo | 14+ | REST + MCP |
| Zernio | Free 2 accounts; usage-based | 30 | REST + MCP |
| Upload-Post | Free 2/10; $24/mo | 20+ | REST + SDKs + MCP |
| Postiz | $29/mo | 20+ | REST + MCP + self-host |
| TryPost | $19/mo | 13 | REST + MCP |
| Hootsuite API | $99+/user/mo | 14+ | REST + MCP |
How we compared
We looked at pricing model, platform coverage, API surface, approval requirements, white-label support, and MCP/agent support. Pricing is list pricing and changes often; verify before committing.
Provider notes
Ayrshare is priced per profile and built for multi-tenant products. Zernio is usage-based and broad, covering social, ads, messaging, and phone numbers. Upload-Post is developer-first with SDKs and white-label. Postiz and TryPost are open-source schedulers with APIs. Hootsuite exposes a substantial enterprise API.
What Catvideo costs
Catvideo is free. There is no per-channel fee, no per-seat fee, and the API is included with an account. X is the only metered network: Catvideo passes X API costs through at cost ($0.015 for a plain post, $0.20 for a post with a link). Catvideo currently supports eight platforms: Bluesky, X, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, and YouTube.
Where Catvideo wins
- Free API with an account and a UI.
- Simple social publishing focus.
- Open source.
- No per-profile infrastructure pricing.
- X fees at cost.
Where the alternatives still win
- Multi-tenant infrastructure and engagement APIs (Ayrshare).
- Broad messaging, ads, and phone APIs (Zernio).
- White-label and SDKs (Upload-Post).
- Open-source self-hosting (Postiz, TryPost).
- Enterprise API surface (Hootsuite).
Who should choose which
Choose Catvideo if you need a free social posting API and a ready-made scheduler.
Choose a specialized API if you need multi-tenancy, messaging, ads, white-label, or enterprise support.
FAQ
Is there a free social media API?
Yes. Catvideo includes API keys with an account, and Zernio/Upload-Post have limited free tiers.
Do I need platform approval?
Approval depends on the provider and platform. Unified APIs handle much of that for you.
What about MCP?
Ayrshare, Zernio, Upload-Post, Postiz, TryPost, and Hootsuite offer MCP or agent tooling.
Which is best for a SaaS?
Ayrshare and Zernio are built with multi-tenant or usage-based models; evaluate per-profile costs.
Related comparisons
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