Publer
Schedule posts across a small set of networks and maintain reusable media
The core loop is buildable, but a dependable replacement becomes a real weekend or multi-day project. For Publer, schedule posts across a small set of networks and maintain reusable media. The hard boundary is connector breadth, bulk workflows, analytics, collaboration, and hosted reliability, plus api access, connector upkeep, and collaboration.
Build verification: not recorded. How we judge buildability
What you give up
- connector breadth, bulk workflows, analytics, collaboration, and hosted reliability
- many maintained network APIs
- inbox and moderation
- deep analytics
- team approvals and asset libraries
Why people still pay
People still pay for Publer because the scheduler is easy; staying approved and correct across constantly changing social APIs is the subscription. The recurring cost buys OAuth review, API policy changes, media limits, queues, retries, rate limits, webhooks, tokens, and moderation workflows, not just the visible interface.
Your build guide
The stack, security requirements, and agent rules for a focused replacement.
Before you start
- Runtime and tools: TypeScript, Node, SQLite, a scheduled worker and a React draft/calendar interface.
- Before starting: An approved account for one documented publishing API, its current media/character rules and a sample post; API access and provider charges are separate.
Use these project rules and optional skill references alongside the prompt. Review each skill before adding it to your agent; the AGENTS.md export includes the same guidance.
Project rule — domain: Store MediaAsset, PostRevision, Destination, Schedule and Receipt; referenced media are immutable for a queued revision and deleting a used asset requires resolving pending jobs.
Project rule — scope and recovery: Begin with one documented API and manual analytics entry/export. Imported platform metrics must name their timestamp and meaning; no blanket cross-platform publishing promise.
Project rule — acceptance: Queue a post then replace or delete its image; preserve the approved asset or require reapproval rather than publishing a different file unexpectedly.
Project rule — delivery: document real setup commands and permissions; do not claim a build, accuracy level, performance result or security certification that has not been demonstrated.
Recommended skill: web-design-guidelines — review keyboard access, focus, validation, error recovery and the readable work/review interface or HTML report. Follow the maintainer's installation instructions and match its requirements to the chosen runtime.
Recommended skill: sharp-edges — review configuration and API defaults against the app-specific invariants and recovery boundaries above; this is not a security certification. Follow the maintainer's installation instructions and match its requirements to the chosen runtime.
Implementation plan
Phase 1
Pin the working slice and create its example input: Manage reusable media, draft posts, select one destination and schedule approved content from a clear calendar and delivery log. Confirm setup: An approved account for one documented publishing API, its current media/character rules and a sample post; API access and provider charges are separate.
Phase 2
Implement persistence and write-time invariants before decorating the UI: Store MediaAsset, PostRevision, Destination, Schedule and Receipt; referenced media are immutable for a queued revision and deleting a used asset requires resolving pending jobs.
Phase 3
Connect the working view to real saved state. Freeze the approved content revision at enqueue time. Keep one receipt per destination and stop on revoked credentials or ambiguous publish results; retry only after checking provider state. Offer manual export for unsupported networks.
Phase 4
Expose the app-specific limits and recovery path in context: Begin with one documented API and manual analytics entry/export. Imported platform metrics must name their timestamp and meaning; no blanket cross-platform publishing promise.
Phase 5
Walk through this concrete acceptance case and preserve its exported evidence: Queue a post then replace or delete its image; preserve the approved asset or require reapproval rather than publishing a different file unexpectedly. Finish the README and backup/restore instructions; report unfinished capabilities explicitly.
Build the following focused alternative to Publer. This is a deliberately limited personal or small-team substitute, not parity with the paid service. WORKING SLICE Manage reusable media, draft posts, select one destination and schedule approved content from a clear calendar and delivery log. SETUP AND ARCHITECTURE Use TypeScript, Node, SQLite, a scheduled worker and a React draft/calendar interface. Prerequisites: An approved account for one documented publishing API, its current media/character rules and a sample post; API access and provider charges are separate. Before integrating anything, record actual versions and permissions, plus model files or provider limits only where used, in the README; make unavailable dependencies visible rather than simulating success. DOMAIN MODEL AND INVARIANTS Store MediaAsset, PostRevision, Destination, Schedule and Receipt; referenced media are immutable for a queued revision and deleting a used asset requires resolving pending jobs. IMPLEMENTATION CONTRACT Freeze the approved content revision at enqueue time. Keep one receipt per destination and stop on revoked credentials or ambiguous publish results; retry only after checking provider state. Offer manual export for unsupported networks. Provide an input/setup view, the main work view, and a review/export view appropriate to this workflow. Preserve the last saved state if a job or save fails. Include empty, loading, permission-denied, partial and retryable-error states. Log identifiers and error categories without secret values or unnecessary private content. APP-SPECIFIC BOUNDARY AND RECOVERY Begin with one documented API and manual analytics entry/export. Imported platform metrics must name their timestamp and meaning; no blanket cross-platform publishing promise. ACCEPTANCE SCENARIO Queue a post then replace or delete its image; preserve the approved asset or require reapproval rather than publishing a different file unexpectedly. Also reopen the app after an interrupted operation, confirm the saved record/export remains inspectable, and document the recovery action. These are implementation acceptance requirements, not a claim that this guide has been tested. DELIVERY Deliver a runnable repository with migrations or project-format versioning, a non-sensitive example, environment/permission setup, the exact manual acceptance steps, and a backup/export-and-restore walkthrough. Implement the working slice before optional integrations; list any deferred paid-product capabilities honestly. Do not add capabilities outside the working slice just to resemble the original product. PROJECT RULES FOR AGENTS.md Keep the domain invariants above executable at the write boundary. Propose scope changes before adding providers or permissions. Never fabricate source evidence, publish results, identity matches or successful delivery. Preserve user originals and require an explicit confirmation for destructive changes or external publication.
$ open in your agent (prompt prefilled, you press enter), copy the prompt or copy or download AGENTS.md · generated from this app's build plan
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Alternatives to building your own
all 8 free alternatives to Publer →· no votes, no pay-to-list · just what's real
Publer pricing
| plan | monthly | annual (per mo) | what you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| free | $0 | $0 | 1 user, 1 workspace, 3 social accounts excluding X, 10 queued scheduled posts/account, 25 drafts, 24-hour post historyPinterest on Free additionally requires at least 100 followers or a claimed website. |
| professional | $15 | $12 | Minimum 3 paid social accounts and 1 owner; unlimited scheduling/drafts/media/workspaces/RSS/history; X supportedBase minimum is 3 social accounts at $5/account/month or $4/account/month billed annually; additional members cost extra. |
| business | $30 | $24 | Minimum 3 paid social accounts and 1 owner; Professional features plus unlimited AI prompts, analytics, competitor analysis and API accessBase minimum is 3 social accounts at $10/account/month or $8/account/month billed annually; additional members cost extra. |
| enterprise | — | — | Custom account/member volume, unlimited daily posting, onboarding and priority supportCustom quote; billed yearly. |
free tier1 user, 1 workspace, 3 social accounts excluding X, 10 queued scheduled posts per account, 25 drafts and 24-hour post history
billingmonthly + annual (2 months free); Enterprise annual only; 14-day money-back guarantee
hidden costsPaid prices scale with every social account and additional member, with a 3-account minimum; every 10th account/member is free after 9. VAT is excluded. 'Unlimited' paid scheduling still has anti-spam daily posting limits.
pricing sources checked 2026-08-14 · pricing source ↗
Questions about Publer
Can you build your own Publer with AI?
Partly. The core loop is buildable, but a dependable replacement becomes a real weekend or multi-day project. For Publer, schedule posts across a small set of networks and maintain reusable media. The hard boundary is connector breadth, bulk workflows, analytics, collaboration, and hosted reliability, plus api access, connector upkeep, and collaboration.
What does the Publer build prompt cover?
The prompt starts with this scope: Manage reusable media, draft posts, select one destination and schedule approved content from a clear calendar and delivery log. Full-product capabilities excluded from the comparison include: connector breadth, bulk workflows, analytics, collaboration, and hosted reliability; many maintained network APIs; inbox and moderation. Follow the implementation plan and its prerequisites before expanding the build.
How do I use the prompt, AGENTS.md and agent skills?
Start with the Publer prerequisites and stack, then copy the prompt into your coding agent. Save the project rules as AGENTS.md in the project root. Linked skills are optional packages or source instructions for specific tasks; review their current contents and install only those matching the chosen stack. A skill does not supply API credentials or verify the finished app.
How long will this Publer project take?
The catalogue estimate is multi-day for the limited scope. Setup, integration approvals, debugging, deployment and ongoing maintenance can add time. This is an estimate, not a delivery guarantee.
What would I give up by replacing Publer?
connector breadth, bulk workflows, analytics, collaboration, and hosted reliability; many maintained network APIs; inbox and moderation; deep analytics; team approvals and asset libraries. People still pay for Publer because the scheduler is easy; staying approved and correct across constantly changing social APIs is the subscription. The recurring cost buys OAuth review, API policy changes, media limits, queues, retries, rate limits, webhooks, tokens, and moderation workflows, not just the visible interface.
What price is this guide comparing against?
The recorded Professional plan is $12/mo (monthly), checked 2026-07-31. Check the linked pricing source before buying. Building your own also has hosting, API and maintenance costs; the recorded amount is not a guaranteed saving.
What can I use instead of building Publer?
Postiz: Broad scheduling and reusable media without subscription fees; operations are the new recurring charge. Mixpost Lite: Single-user queues, media and basic analytics in Docker; less convenient, less rented. BrightBean Studio: Hosted-free scheduling, reusable assets, inbox and analytics; no three-account austerity. Compare all listed options at https://howtovibecodeit.dev/publer/alternatives. Check each option's license, hosting needs and feature limits.