The social media API market has more options than ever, but comparing prices across providers is not straightforward. Per-account billing, per-profile overage fees, and different definitions of what counts as a billable unit make it hard to know what you will actually pay each month.
So we did the math. This post compares three API providers at three common scales (10, 50, and 200 brands), with the full arithmetic shown for each. We reviewed the public pricing pages and documentation of all three services to verify every number below.
How did we compare pricing?
We compare the total monthly spend for publishing + inbox (comments and DMs) at three scales: 10 brands, 50 brands, and 200 brands. Prices come from each provider's public pricing page as of May 2026.
This comparison focuses on the publishing + inbox combination because that is the minimum viable feature set for most social media management tools. Analytics, scheduling optimizations, and AI-specific features are excluded to keep the comparison fair and focused.
Sources: SocialAPI.ai pricing · Zernio pricing · Ayrshare pricing
Who are the three providers?
SocialAPI.ai is a unified social media API with flat, per-brand pricing across 8 platforms (Instagram, Facebook, Threads, TikTok, Google Business, LinkedIn, X/Twitter, and YouTube). Every plan includes publishing, comments, DMs, reviews, mentions, webhooks, and a 75-tool MCP server. Connecting multiple platforms to one brand does not increase the bill.
Plans: Hobby ($0, 2 brands), Side Hustle ($29, 10 brands), Full Send ($109, 50 brands), Empire ($349, 200 brands). Full details on the pricing page. For a deeper comparison with Zernio, see our dedicated breakdown.
Zernio (formerly Late / getlate.dev) is a 15-platform social media API with per-account graduated rates. Every connected social account is a billable unit, with all features included (publishing, inbox, analytics, webhooks). They recently simplified their model by removing tiered plans and inbox add-ons, which is a genuine improvement.
The graduated rates: first 2 accounts free, accounts 3-10 at $6/mo each, 11-100 at $3/mo each, 101-2,000 at $1/mo each. They cover Reddit, Pinterest, Bluesky, Telegram, Snapchat, WhatsApp, and Discord in addition to the major platforms. X/Twitter API calls are billed separately at pass-through rates.
Ayrshare is a 13-platform publishing API with per-profile pricing. Base plans include a fixed number of profiles, with overage fees for additional ones. The per-profile expense decreases with volume, but the total still grows linearly with each new brand. Plans: Free ($0, 1 profile), Premium ($149, 1 profile), Launch ($299, up to 10 profiles), Business ($599, 30 profiles + $2.49 to $8.99 per additional profile depending on volume).
What does each API cost at three scales?
10 brands, publishing + inbox
| Provider | Calculation | Breakdown | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| SocialAPI.ai | Side Hustle (10 brands) | Flat rate, all features included | $29/mo |
| Zernio (4 plat./brand) | 40 accounts (10 × 4) | 2 free + 8 × $6 + 30 × $3 | $138/mo |
| Zernio (2 plat./brand) | 20 accounts (10 × 2) | 2 free + 8 × $6 + 10 × $3 | $78/mo |
| Zernio (1 plat./brand) | 10 accounts (10 × 1) | 2 free + 8 × $6 | $48/mo |
| Ayrshare | Launch plan (up to 10 profiles) | Premium ($149) only covers 1 profile | $299/mo |
At 10 brands, the cost depends heavily on how many platforms each brand connects. With 4 platforms per brand, Zernio costs $138/mo (4.8x SocialAPI.ai). Drop to 2 platforms and it falls to $78/mo (2.7x). At just 1 platform per brand, Zernio is $48/mo (1.7x), which is the closest the two get. SocialAPI.ai's flat $29/mo does not change regardless of how many platforms each brand connects. Ayrshare requires the Launch plan at $299/mo because Premium only covers a single profile.
50 brands, publishing + inbox
| Provider | Calculation | Breakdown | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| SocialAPI.ai | Full Send (50 brands) | Flat rate, all features included | $109/mo |
| Zernio (4 plat./brand) | 200 accounts (50 × 4) | 2 free + 8 × $6 + 90 × $3 + 100 × $1 | $418/mo |
| Zernio (1 plat./brand) | 50 accounts (50 × 1) | 2 free + 8 × $6 + 40 × $3 | $168/mo |
| Ayrshare | Business + 20 extra profiles | $599 base + 20 × $8.99 overage | $778.80/mo |
At 50 brands with 4 platforms each, Zernio reaches $418/mo (3.8x SocialAPI.ai). With 1 platform per brand it drops to $168/mo (1.5x), which is where Zernio's graduated rates work best. The $3/account tier for accounts 11-100 keeps the total manageable. Ayrshare's $778.80/mo is the most expensive option at this scale. Meanwhile, SocialAPI.ai includes reviews, mentions, webhooks, and the MCP server at the same $109/mo flat rate.
200 brands, publishing + inbox
| Provider | Calculation | Breakdown | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| SocialAPI.ai | Empire (200 brands) | Flat rate, all features included | $349/mo |
| Zernio (4 plat./brand) | 800 accounts (200 × 4) | 2 free + 8 × $6 + 90 × $3 + 700 × $1 | $1,018/mo |
| Zernio (1 plat./brand) | 200 accounts (200 × 1) | 2 free + 8 × $6 + 90 × $3 + 100 × $1 | $418/mo |
| Ayrshare | Business + 170 extra profiles | $599 base + 170 × ~$4.99 (volume tier) | $1,447/mo |
The gap is widest here. SocialAPI.ai's Empire plan is $349/mo with every feature included. Zernio reaches $1,018/mo at 4 platforms per brand, but drops to $418/mo at 1 platform per brand (1.2x SocialAPI.ai). That is the narrowest gap at any scale. Ayrshare comes in at approximately $1,447/mo regardless of platform count. Zernio's $1/account rate for accounts 101+ keeps it below Ayrshare at this volume, but both are more expensive than SocialAPI.ai's flat per-brand model.
How do the costs compare visually?
SocialAPI.ai's flat per-brand pricing produces the largest savings at scale. Data from public pricing pages, May 2026.
The expense difference at 200 brands is driven by billing granularity: SocialAPI.ai counts brands regardless of how many platforms are connected, while Zernio counts each platform connection as a separate billable account. Ayrshare's per-profile overage adds a linear cost for every brand beyond the base allocation of 30.
What drives the price gap?
Three structural decisions explain most of the difference. Let's break them down.
Per-account billing vs per-brand billing. Zernio bills per connected social account: one brand on Instagram + Facebook + TikTok + LinkedIn = 4 billable accounts. SocialAPI.ai bills per brand regardless of connected platforms: the same brand costs 1 unit. This multiplier effect is the primary cost driver.
With 4 platforms per brand, you pay 4x the accounts on Zernio compared to SocialAPI.ai. With 2 platforms, the gap narrows by half. When we designed SocialAPI.ai's billing, agencies kept telling us that per-account models made their monthly spend unpredictable every time a client added a new platform. That feedback is what drove the per-brand approach.
Per-profile overage. Ayrshare charges per profile beyond the base allocation on each plan. While the per-profile rate decreases with volume ($8.99 at low volume, $2.49 at high volume), the total still grows linearly. At 200 brands, the overage alone ($848/mo) exceeds SocialAPI.ai's entire Empire plan.
Feature bundling at every tier. All three providers now include inbox (comments and DMs) without a separate add-on. Zernio recently simplified their model by dropping the old tiered plans and inbox add-on, which is a real improvement. However, SocialAPI.ai still bundles more at every tier: reviews, mentions, webhooks, OAuth 2.1, and the MCP server are included in all paid plans. Ayrshare limits some capabilities to Business tier and above.
What is included at each price?
| Feature | SocialAPI.ai (all plans) | Zernio (all accounts) | Ayrshare (Premium+) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Publishing | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Comments (read + reply) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| DMs (read + send) | Yes | Yes | Partial (FB, IG, X) |
| Reviews (read + reply) | Yes | Yes | Yes (Google, FB) |
| Mentions | Yes | Yes | No |
| Analytics | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Webhooks | Yes | Yes | Yes (Business+) |
| MCP server for AI agents | Yes (75 tools) | Partial (scheduling only) | Docs-only |
| OAuth 2.1 | Yes | No | No |
| Platforms | 8 | 15 | 13 |
| Official SDKs | 5 languages | 8 languages | 8 languages |
With their recent change, Zernio now bundles every feature in each account: inbox, analytics, webhooks, and ads management are all included. That is a significant improvement over their old add-on model. Ayrshare offers partial DM support (Facebook, Instagram, and X only) and limits some capabilities to the Business tier and above.
For teams building AI agent integrations, SocialAPI.ai's native MCP server with 75 tools and OAuth 2.1 support provides the most complete integration path. Zernio offers MCP support focused on scheduling. Ayrshare provides documentation for AI use cases but does not host an MCP server.
When should you choose each provider?
Choose SocialAPI.ai if you manage multiple brands across several platforms and want predictable, flat-rate billing that does not increase with the number of connected platforms. It is also the strongest choice for AI agent integrations thanks to the native MCP server and OAuth 2.1 support. The trade-off is fewer platforms (8 vs 13-15) and fewer SDK languages (5 vs 8). Start with the free tier to test the full feature set.
Choose Zernio if platform coverage is your top priority. Fifteen platforms including Reddit, Pinterest, Bluesky, Telegram, Snapchat, WhatsApp, and Discord make it the broadest option. Their per-account model is cost-effective when you connect few platforms per brand (1-2), and the graduated rates ($1/account above 100) keep expenses reasonable at volume. They also offer 8 official SDKs (including Ruby, PHP, and Rust) and include analytics in every account. See our full Zernio comparison for more detail.
Choose Ayrshare if you run a single brand or a small number of profiles and need analytics alongside publishing across 13 platforms. Their Premium plan ($149/mo for 1 profile) includes analytics out of the box. The per-profile model becomes expensive above 30 brands, so it works best for focused, single-brand use cases. See our full Ayrshare comparison for more detail.
What is the bottom line on API pricing?
At 200 brands with 4 platforms each, SocialAPI.ai costs 2.9x less than Zernio and 4.1x less than Ayrshare for equivalent publishing + inbox functionality. At smaller scale or with fewer platforms per brand, the gap narrows: at 10 brands with 2 platforms each, Zernio costs $78/mo vs SocialAPI.ai's $29/mo (2.7x).
The core trade-off: SocialAPI.ai charges per brand regardless of platform count (8 platforms, deep inbox + MCP). Zernio charges per connected account across 15 platforms (everything included per account, expense scales with connections). Ayrshare charges per profile with overage fees across 13 platforms. Your decision depends on how many platforms each brand connects, whether you need broad platform coverage, and how predictable you need your monthly spend to be at scale.
Have questions about choosing a plan? Read the documentation or contact us.
Frequently asked questions
- Which social media API is cheapest for 200+ brands?
- SocialAPI.ai's Empire plan costs $349/mo for up to 200 brands with all features included, regardless of how many platforms each brand connects. Zernio costs $1,018/mo for 800 accounts (200 brands at 4 platforms each). Ayrshare costs approximately $1,447/mo for the same scale.
- What is the difference between a Zernio account and a SocialAPI.ai brand?
- A Zernio account is one connected social platform (e.g., one Instagram connection). A SocialAPI.ai brand can connect to all 8 supported platforms and still counts as a single billing unit. One brand on 4 platforms costs 4 Zernio accounts but only 1 SocialAPI.ai brand.
- Does Zernio still charge extra for inbox access?
- No. Zernio recently simplified their pricing by removing tiered plans and the inbox add-on. All features (publishing, inbox, analytics, webhooks) are now included in every connected account. The only separate cost is X/Twitter API calls, which are billed at pass-through rates.
- How does Ayrshare charge for additional profiles?
- Ayrshare includes a fixed number of profiles in each plan (1 on Premium, 10 on Launch, 30 on Business). Additional profiles cost $2.49 to $8.99 each per month, with the per-profile rate decreasing at higher volumes.
- Can I use these APIs with AI agents?
- SocialAPI.ai offers a native MCP server with 75 tools and OAuth 2.1 support, built for AI agent integration. Zernio provides MCP support focused on scheduling. Ayrshare provides documentation for AI use cases but does not host an MCP server.