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If you run accounts on more than two or three networks, posting by hand gets old fast.

Every platform wants its own login, its own aspect ratio, its own caption length, and by the time you have pasted the same update into a fourth composer the morning is half gone. An app that publishes everywhere from one dashboard gives that time back, and in 2026 there are plenty to pick from.

The catch is that they price and behave very differently. Some cover five networks and some cover thirteen. Some charge a flat monthly rate while others bill per channel, per seat, or per workspace, which can turn a $6 sticker price into a $120 bill once you connect everything. This guide puts 11 of the most widely used options side by side: platform coverage, pricing structure, feature depth, and what the bill looks like for a real team.

The Short Answer

For most teams, Maeve Social is the pick: one composer publishing to 9 platforms with per-platform tailoring and previews, plus analytics, a social inbox, and an AI assistant on every plan. Plans start at $25 a month, with no per-seat or per-channel charges and a fixed bill within each plan's included limits.

The other picks depend on your situation.

Publer The widest coverage at the lowest price: 13 platforms from $5 a month plus per-account fees, with a free plan for 3 accounts.
Buffer The simplest to learn, free for 3 channels, then $6 per channel. Cheap for small setups, expensive past 10 channels.
SocialPilot and Sendible The agency picks. SocialPilot scales from 5 accounts at $20 to 40 at $200, and Sendible puts unlimited users on every plan with white-label options at the top.
Planable and Loomly The approval-first tools, for teams where sign-off is the bottleneck rather than publishing.
Hootsuite and Sprout Social The enterprise pair, priced per user. Worth it for listening, sentiment, and governance; overkill for publishing alone.

Maeve Social

Plan, schedule, and publish to 9 platforms from one composer, with per-platform tailoring and previews, then check the numbers and answer comments without opening another tab.

See the Maeve Scheduler

Plan, preview, and publish in one workflow

What Matters When You Are Choosing

A few questions sort the field quickly, so ask them before you look at a single pricing page.

Does it cover your platforms? Some tools skip X, Pinterest, or YouTube entirely. Later dropped X, and Publer's free plan excludes it.
Can you tailor each post per platform? The good tools let you adjust captions, hashtags, and media for each network from one composer and preview the result. The weak ones copy-paste the same post everywhere.
How does the pricing scale? Per channel, per user, per workspace, or flat. This one decision changes your bill more than any feature does once you grow.
How deep are the analytics? Basic post metrics, cross-platform reporting, and audience insights are very different things, and some tools charge extra for the useful ones.
Does your team fit? Approval workflows, roles, and permissions matter as soon as more than one person touches the calendar.
What else is bundled? AI captions, a social inbox, media libraries, and content calendars can replace two or three other subscriptions.

How the Eleven Compare

The table below is the guide in miniature. Platform counts and prices come from each vendor's public pages, checked in August 2026.

ToolStarting PricePlatformsBest For
Maeve Social$25/mo flat9All-in-one scheduling, analytics, and inbox
PublerFree; from $5/account13Budget multi-platform posting
SocialBee$29/mo10Category-based content recycling
BufferFree; $6/channel11Simple scheduling on a budget
SocialPilot$20/mo10Agencies managing many client accounts
Sendible$35/mo10White-label agency reporting
PlanableFree; $39/workspace9Content collaboration and approvals
Loomly$65/mo10+Team approvals and AI content
Later$25/mo8, no XVisual-first Instagram planning
Hootsuite$99/user/mo, annual9Enterprise teams and governance
Sprout Social$99/seat/moBroad, including Reddit and SnapchatEnterprise analytics and listening
Prices are monthly billing unless a row says otherwise.

1. Maeve Social, the All-in-One Pick

Maeve Social is an editorial desk for social media: one workspace where you plan, draft, and schedule for 9 platforms, then watch how everything performs. It covers Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, X, TikTok, YouTube, Threads, Pinterest, and Google Business Profile, and every post can be tailored per platform and previewed before it goes out. Eight of those networks get their own purpose-built scheduler rather than one generic queue, so the TikTok settings, Instagram first comment, and YouTube details each live where you would expect.

The bundle is the argument. Analytics with best-time-to-post suggestions run on every plan. The social inbox pulls comments, DMs, mentions, and reviews from Instagram, Facebook, Threads, TikTok, YouTube, and Google Business Profile into one queue with reply, assignment, internal notes, and resolve. An AI assistant drafts captions and content with credits on every plan, and the Social Calendar, Grid Planner, recurring posts, supported first comments, and Media Room round out planning. Every plan also includes REST API, CLI, and MCP access.

Teams are where the pricing model shows. Standard at $99 covers 5 team members with roles, permissions, approval workflows, client review links where the client needs no account, and white-labeled PDF reports. Premium at $199 removes the user and social-connection limits. There are no per-seat or per-channel charges within a plan.

PlanMonthlySocial ConnectionsUsersNotable
Basic$25/mo201Analytics, inbox, AI assistant, 800 AI credits
Standard$99/mo505Approvals, client review links, white-label PDF reports
Premium$199/moUnlimitedUnlimitedTeam performance insights, dedicated success manager
Every plan starts with a 3-day free trial.
Platforms: 9: Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, X, TikTok, YouTube, Threads, Pinterest, and Google Business Profile.
Free trial: 3 days on every plan, and yearly billing runs about 20% cheaper.
Where it wins: Flat pricing with no per-channel or per-seat fees, per-platform customization with previews, analytics and the inbox on every plan, and API, CLI, and MCP access for automation.
Where it falls short: Newer platform with a smaller community than the long-established names. No free plan, though the free planning templates are open to everyone. No social listening, and AI credits are capped by tier.
Who it suits: Teams, agencies, and businesses that want scheduling, analytics, a social inbox, and collaboration in one tool without per-seat or per-channel charges.

2. Publer, the Widest Coverage for the Least Money

Publer covers the widest platform range on this list at one of the lowest prices: 13 platforms, including WordPress, Telegram, Mastodon, and Bluesky. Professional starts at $5 a month, then $4 per extra account and $2 per extra team member. Business starts at $10, then $7 per extra account and $3 per extra member, and every 10th account or member is free.

The toolset is deeper than the price suggests: CSV bulk scheduling of up to 500 posts, recurring posts and content recycling, a built-in photo and video editor, and a browser extension. The AI text and image tools are included on Business, and Free and Professional users can connect their own OpenAI key instead.

The limits appear as you grow. There is no unified inbox for comments or DMs, analytics only arrive on Business, and per-account fees add up on large setups.

PlanMonthlyAccounts and Seats
Free$0/mo3 accounts, no X
ProfessionalFrom $5/mo$4 per extra account; $2 per extra member
BusinessFrom $10/mo$7 per extra account; $3 per extra member
Every 10th account and team member is free.
Platforms: 13, including Google Business, WordPress, Telegram, Mastodon, and Bluesky. The free plan covers 3 accounts but excludes X.
Where it wins: Broadest platform support here, a usable free plan, 500-post bulk scheduling on both paid plans, and per-account pricing that stays cheap for small setups.
Where it falls short: No inbox, no listening, analytics gated to Business, and team collaboration thinner than the agency tools. Listed prices exclude VAT.
Who it suits: Creators and small teams who want wide coverage cheaply and can live without an inbox.

3. SocialBee, the Content Recycler

SocialBee organizes your content into categories, evergreen tips, testimonials, product posts, blog promotion, and recycles them on a schedule, which is its signature feature and a real time-saver for accounts that resurface the same material. It posts to 10 platforms including Bluesky and Google Business Profile, with Canva and Unsplash integration in the editor, RSS automation, and an AI caption generator called Copilot.

The category system takes a while to learn, and the interface can feel busy at first. SocialBee now includes AI content generation, analytics, and a social inbox on every plan. Bootstrap is still a single-user plan with 3 months of analytics history, while Accelerate adds 2 years of analytics, CSV import, bulk editing, a hashtag organizer, and post approvals. Pro adds 3 users, branded report exports, and internal notes. Extra users, workspaces, and profile bundles cost extra.

PlanMonthlyUsersSocial Profiles
Bootstrap$29/mo15
Accelerate$49/mo110
Pro$99/mo325
14-day free trial.
Platforms: 10, including Google Business, Bluesky, and Threads.
Free trial: 14 days.
Where it wins: Category scheduling genuinely keeps a content mix varied, and recycling keeps channels active without daily feeding.
Where it falls short: Bootstrap has one user, 3 months of analytics history, and no approvals or CSV import. Multi-user access starts on Pro unless you buy extra seats, and the category system has a learning curve.
Who it suits: Small businesses with a library of reusable content.

4. Buffer, the Simple One

Buffer is one of the longest-running schedulers around, known for keeping things simple. It posts to 11 platforms including Mastodon and Bluesky, the interface takes an afternoon to learn, and the free plan covers 3 channels with the AI Assistant included.

The per-channel model is the thing to watch. Ten channels on Essentials run $60 a month, and the same ten on Team, the plan you need for approvals and unlimited users, run $120. At 1 to 3 accounts, $6 per channel is genuinely cheap. Past 10 channels it costs more than most flat-rate tools, and the analytics, inbox, and collaboration stay light throughout.

PlanMonthlyUsersChannels
Free$0/mo13
Essentials$6/channel/mo1Unlimited
Team$12/channel/moUnlimitedUnlimited
Platforms: 11, including Google Business Profile, Mastodon, and Bluesky.
Where it wins: Very easy to learn, a usable free plan, and a clean, distraction-free composer with an AI assistant.
Where it falls short: Per-channel pricing climbs fast, engagement tools are thin, analytics are basic next to the alternatives, and there is no CSV bulk import.
Who it suits: Solo creators and small teams with a handful of channels and simple needs.

5. SocialPilot, the Agency Workhorse

SocialPilot is built with agencies in mind: client management, white-label reports from Premium, and CSV bulk scheduling of up to 500 posts from Standard. It posts to 10 platforms including Threads, Bluesky, and Google Business, and the tiers scale from 5 accounts at $20 a month to 40 accounts at $200. Every plan also includes 500 or more AI credits and access to SocialPilot's MCP server.

The trade-off is polish. The interface can feel cluttered, the analytics stay shallower than the enterprise tools, and the social inbox, which starts on Standard, covers routine engagement rather than deep community management.

PlanMonthlyUsersSocial Accounts
Essentials$20/mo15
Standard$40/mo310
Premium$100/mo620
Ultimate$200/moUnlimited40
14-day free trial.
Platforms: 10, including Google Business, Threads, and Bluesky.
Free trial: 14 days, and extra accounts run $4 a month each.
Where it wins: Clean price-per-account scaling, 500-post bulk scheduling from Standard, and client approval workflows with white-label reports at the $100 Premium tier.
Where it falls short: Analytics lack depth, the interface is dense, and there is no listening or contact-level CRM.
Who it suits: Agencies publishing at volume across many client accounts on a budget.

6. Sendible, the White-Label Ladder

Sendible is the other agency-focused platform here, and its structural advantage is seats: every tier includes unlimited users, even the $35 Core plan. The Smart Compose Box previews each platform's version of a post, client approvals arrive from Plus, and agencies can white-label entire client dashboards as a paid extra on Elite and Enterprise.

Two things to check before committing. The jump from Core at $35 to Plus at $99 is the price of approvals and most team features, and the inbox, while it analyzes sentiment, has no Instagram DMs.

PlanMonthlySocial Profiles
Core$35/mo6
Plus$89/mo18
Premium$199/mo42
EliteFrom $349/mo90
EnterpriseFrom $800/mo300
14-day free trial, unlimited users on every plan.
Platforms: 10, including WordPress and Bluesky.
Free trial: 14 days, no card.
Where it wins: Unlimited users on every plan, branded client dashboards, a custom report builder, and a tier for every agency size up to 300 profiles.
Where it falls short: No free plan, a $60 gap between the first two tiers, no Instagram DMs in the inbox, and full white-labeling costs extra on plans that start at $349.
Who it suits: Agencies that need branded client reporting and seats they do not have to ration.

7. Planable, Approvals First

Planable is built around content collaboration and visual approvals more than raw scheduling power. Posts appear as platform-accurate mock-ups, teammates and clients comment directly on them in real time, and paid plans offer optional or required approval flows. Multi-level approvals are reserved for Enterprise. It publishes to 9 platforms.

The pricing model is the caveat: Planable bills per workspace, so every extra brand multiplies the cost. The free plan caps at 50 created posts total, Basic caps each workspace at 60 posts a month, and Pro caps it at 150. Analytics and the social inbox are paid add-ons, so the total can rise if you need reporting and engagement alongside approvals.

PlanMonthlyUsersNotes
Free$0Unlimited50 posts total, 1 workspace
Basic$39/workspace/moUnlimited60 posts per month, 4 pages
Pro$59/workspace/moUnlimited150 posts per month, 10 pages
Platforms: 9, including TikTok, Threads, and Google Business Profile.
Where it wins: The approval experience is the best in this list: visual mock-ups, in-context comments, and flexible approval flows clients actually understand.
Where it falls short: Per-workspace pricing climbs with multiple brands, Basic and Pro have monthly post caps, analytics and the inbox cost extra, and the free plan's 50-post lifetime cap makes it a test account.
Who it suits: Teams and agencies where client sign-off is the heart of the workflow.

8. Loomly, Structured Approvals and AI

Loomly leans into content workflows: post ideas when the calendar runs dry, optimization tips as you draft, per-post comment threads, and approval workflows on every paid plan. It supports 10 or more channels and now bundles AI captions, full-post and image generation, a unified inbox with AI replies, advanced analytics, recurring posts, and social listening.

The pricing structure is the deciding factor. Starter at $65 a month covers 3 users and 12 accounts, which is reasonable for a small team. The next tier is Beyond at $332, a $267 jump with nothing in between, so growing past Starter is expensive. There is no free plan; the current trial runs for 7 days without a card.

PlanMonthlyUsersSocial Accounts
Starter$65/mo312
Beyond$332/moUnlimited60
No free plan; the 7-day trial requires no card.
Platforms: 10 or more channels, including Snapchat, Threads, and Bluesky.
Free trial: 7 days with no card, and annual billing drops Starter to $49 and Beyond to $249.
Where it wins: Approvals on every paid plan, AI content and image generation, advanced analytics, a unified inbox with AI replies, recurring posts, and social listening.
Where it falls short: The $267 gap between tiers leaves no middle option, and Starter has lower AI and listening allowances than Beyond.
Who it suits: Small teams where structured review and sign-off is non-negotiable.

9. Later, Visual Planning Without X

Later began life as an Instagram visual planner and still leads with that: a drag-and-drop calendar, Instagram Story and Reel scheduling, a media library with labels and search, and the Linkin.bio page builder. Profiles bundle into social sets, one account per platform per set, which suits single brands and confuses everyone else.

The catch for this list's purpose: Later dropped X entirely, and no tier brings it back. Analytics stay light on lower plans, and the inbox and approvals wait for Growth at $50. For visual-first brands living on Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest it fits naturally; for a genuinely multi-platform strategy it is restrictive.

PlanMonthlySocial Sets
Starter$25/mo1 set, 8 profiles
Growth$50/mo2 sets, 16 profiles
Scale$110/mo6 sets, 48 profiles
14-day free trial on paid plans.
Platforms: 8: Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn, Pinterest, YouTube Shorts, Threads, and Snapchat. No X.
Free trial: 14 days on paid plans.
Where it wins: One of the best visual planning surfaces anywhere, strong Instagram and Pinterest scheduling, and best-time suggestions.
Where it falls short: No X, the social-set model takes explaining, analytics gate to higher plans, and the AI credits are minimal at 5 a month on Starter.
Who it suits: Visual-first brands that plan in grids and do not publish to X.

10. Hootsuite, the Enterprise Name

Hootsuite is one of the biggest names in the category, and the case for it is governance at scale: permissions, approval chains, listening with sentiment on every plan, ad management, and a broad range of integrations. It posts to 9 platforms including Threads and Bluesky.

The pricing asks a lot. Standard is $99 per user a month on annual billing for 10 accounts, monthly billing costs more than the advertised rates, and the features structured teams switch for, approval workflows and 350-post bulk scheduling, sit on the $399 per user Advanced plan. There is no free plan.

PlanPrice per user/mo, billed annuallySocial Accounts
Standard$9910
Professional$199Unlimited
Advanced$399Unlimited
EnterpriseCustomUnlimited
No free plan, and monthly billing costs more per seat than the advertised annual rates.
Platforms: 9, including Threads and Bluesky.
Free trial: 14 days.
Where it wins: Listening and sentiment included on every plan, deep integrations, AI captions and images from Standard up, and enterprise-grade governance at the top tiers.
Where it falls short: Per-user pricing multiplies with the team, approvals wait for the $399 Advanced plan, and monthly billing costs more than the advertised annual rates.
Who it suits: Large organizations that need governance, listening, and advocacy more than value pricing.

11. Sprout Social, the Analytics Heavyweight

Sprout Social is the enterprise analytics pick: a custom report builder, social listening as a paid add-on, sentiment analysis, CRM-style contact management, and a Smart Inbox that unifies messages across networks. Publishing is competent, but analysis is why teams pay for it.

And they pay per seat. Essentials at $99 omits the Smart Inbox and collaboration workflows, so the realistic entry point is Standard at $249 a seat on monthly billing, capped at 5 profiles. Professional at $399 lifts the profile cap and adds multi-step approvals, and Advanced at $499 adds sentiment, automation rules, and the API. Five people on Standard cost $1,245 a month. For enterprise analytics and customer care it genuinely leads; most teams do not need that depth at that price.

PlanPrice per seat/moSocial Profiles
Essentials$99, $79 annual5
Standard$249, $199 annual5
Professional$399, $299 annualUnlimited
Advanced$499, $399 annualUnlimited
30-day free trial.
Platforms: Broad coverage that includes Reddit and Snapchat.
Free trial: 30 days, no card.
Where it wins: The deepest analytics and reporting in the category, strong listening, and CRM-level engagement tracking.
Where it falls short: Per-seat pricing puts it out of reach for most teams, listening costs extra, and the plan with the inbox starts at $249 a seat.
Who it suits: Enterprise and data-heavy brands where reporting and customer care matter as much as publishing.

What 10 Accounts Actually Costs

Pricing pages can be misleading, so here is the real monthly bill for a common setup: 10 social accounts managed by a team of 3.

The pattern is hard to miss. Per-user and per-seat models cost five to ten times more than flat-rate tools once a team is involved, and the cheap-looking per-channel and per-account models sit in between.

ToolPricing ModelCostNotes
Maeve SocialFlat rate$99/moStandard: 50 connections, 5 users, approvals included
SocialPilotFlat rate$40/moStandard: 10 accounts, 3 users
LoomlyFlat rate$65/moStarter: 12 accounts, 3 users
PublerPer accountAbout $72/moBusiness: 10th account free, extra members $3 each
SendibleFlat rate$99/moPlus: 18 profiles, unlimited users
SocialBeeFlat rate$99/moPro: 25 profiles, 3 users
LaterSocial sets$55/moGrowth plus one extra user: 16 profiles in 2 sets, 3 users
PlanablePer workspace$59/mo per brandPro: 10 pages, 150 posts per month, unlimited users
BufferPer channel$120/moTeam at $12 per channel for approvals and 3 users
HootsuitePer user$297/moStandard, annual billing, 3 users
Sprout SocialPer seat$747/moStandard, monthly billing, 3 seats
Monthly billing, priced for 10 accounts and 3 users on the cheapest plan that actually fits.

Pricing Traps to Watch

Whichever way you lean, check the model against your growth plans before you commit.

Per-channel pricing. Buffer is affordable at 3 accounts and expensive at 10 or more.
Per-seat pricing. Hootsuite and Sprout Social bills multiply with every team member.
Per-workspace pricing. Planable charges per brand, so agencies with many clients multiply the cost.
Pricing gaps. Loomly jumps $267 between tiers and Sendible jumps $60. Make sure the next tier up actually fits your budget before you outgrow the current one.
Analytics locked to higher plans or add-ons. Later and Buffer keep deeper reporting on higher plans, while Planable sells analytics separately, so the useful reporting tier may cost more than the entry price.

Matching a Tool to Your Situation

Eleven options is a lot, so shortlist by what you are.

Solo creator: Buffer for simplicity, Publer for the widest coverage cheaply, Maeve Social Basic for scheduling plus analytics in one at $25.
Small team: Maeve Social Standard covers 5 people, approvals, and reports for $99 flat. SocialBee if evergreen recycling is your engine, Planable if approvals are the bottleneck.
Agency: SocialPilot for the cheapest per-account scaling, Sendible for white-label dashboards and unlimited seats, Maeve Social for flat-rate scaling with client review links.
Enterprise: Sprout Social for listening and CRM, Hootsuite for governance and integrations.
X is core to your mix: Rule out Later entirely, and note that Publer's free plan excludes X.

Switching Without Dropping Anything

Moving from native posting, or from a tool that is not working out, is less painful than it sounds. Your accounts, followers, and published posts live on the networks, not in the tool.

Export your content calendar. Save the captions, media, dates, and links your current tool lets you export.
Connect your accounts to the new platform. Use each network's authorization flow and check that every account has the right permissions.
Import or recreate scheduled posts. SocialPilot and Publer both handle bulk CSV import, and Maeve bulk-schedules through the Content Workbench.
Set up your team. Invite members and configure approvals before the first live post, not after.
Run both tools in parallel for a week. Nothing slips through, and you get a real comparison against your actual workflow.

How We Compared These Tools

Every tool here was weighed on the same things: platform support, and what you can actually post to each network; pricing transparency, meaning the model, how costs scale, and where the gaps and add-ons hide; feature depth across analytics, inbox, AI, and collaboration; and what happens to the bill in practice when you add five more accounts or three more people.

Prices and plan details come from each vendor's public pricing page, checked in August 2026, using monthly billing unless noted. Maeve Social is our product, and the fair reading of this list is that we win on bundled value and flat pricing, and lose to Publer on raw platform count and to Sprout Social on analytics depth.

Frequently Asked Questions

The questions that come up most when teams shop for a publish-everywhere tool.

What is the best app to post to all social media at once? It depends on your budget and what you need beyond publishing. For scheduling, analytics, a social inbox, and team collaboration in one flat-rate tool, Maeve Social covers 9 platforms from $25 a month. For the widest raw platform support, Publer covers 13. For enterprise analytics and listening, Sprout Social leads.
Do I need a management tool, or is native scheduling enough? Most platforms now offer native scheduling, and Meta Business Suite covers Facebook and Instagram together. Native tools rarely give you one dashboard across every network or one approval and reporting workflow, so a management tool becomes useful when the manual handoffs start taking more time than they save.
Is it better to post identical content everywhere? No. Cross-posting saves time, but each platform rewards different caption lengths, hashtags, aspect ratios, and posting times. Tools like Maeve Social let you tailor every version from a single composer, which gets you the time savings without the copy-paste look.
Which tool supports the most platforms? Publer, at 13 including WordPress, Telegram, and Mastodon. Buffer supports 11, SocialBee and SocialPilot 10 each, and Maeve Social 9. Later covers 8 and has no X support.
What is the difference between a scheduler and a management tool? A scheduler publishes: queue posts, set times, done. A management tool adds analytics, engagement tracking, a social inbox, collaboration, calendars, and reporting. Most tools on this list are full management platforms rather than plain schedulers.
How much do these tools cost? Anywhere from free plans at Buffer, Publer, and Planable up to $800 a month for Sendible Enterprise, with custom enterprise pricing above that at Hootsuite and Sprout Social. Most mid-tier tools run $25 to $200 a month. The number to watch is the pricing model, since per-channel, per-seat, and per-workspace billing all grow much faster than flat rates.
Can I manage client accounts with these tools? Yes. SocialPilot and Sendible are built for agencies, with white-label reports and client dashboards. Maeve Social's Standard plan adds client review links where the client needs no login, a client portal, and white-labeled PDF reports, with 5 team members included and unlimited on Premium.
Which tool has the best analytics? For enterprise-grade analytics with listening and sentiment, Sprout Social leads. For solid cross-platform analytics at a much lower price, Maeve Social includes reporting and best-time suggestions on every plan. Buffer and Later keep analytics basic, with deeper reporting locked behind higher tiers.
Can I post to every platform for free? Partly. Buffer's free plan covers 3 channels and Publer's covers 3 accounts without X, both with basic tools only. For real multi-platform publishing you will almost certainly need a paid plan.

There is no single best app for everyone. The right pick depends on how many platforms you run, how big your team is, and what you need beyond publishing. If analytics, an inbox, and collaboration matter as much as posting, choose a tool that includes them without per-seat or per-channel fees. If you only need to queue posts for a few accounts, a simple tool with a free tier will do.

Either way, test the tool against your actual weekly workflow before you commit. The trials exist for exactly that.