Hootsuite is a pretty powerful social media management tool. But its $99 per month starting price puts it out of reach for a lot of creators, entrepreneurs, and small businesses — and that’s before you even get to the plan most people actually need.
Hootsuite’s free plan was discontinued on March 31, 2023 — so there’s no way to get Hootsuite for free beyond the 30-day trial. When the free plan was axed (RIP), existing users were nudged toward the $199 per month Standard plan — billed annually, which means a lump sum of $2,388 upfront.
Some customers chose to upgrade to keep their access to the social media scheduling tool. But for a lot of creators and small teams, $199 a month is a real stretch — especially when you’re already juggling a stack of tools just to keep your content running.
An extra $2,388 a year has to earn its place in the budget.
The good news: you have options. There are plenty of solid social media management tools out there, and a few of them do things Hootsuite doesn’t — often at a fraction of the price (sometimes free).
Not sure if you should make the leap? Here are a few common reasons creators and small teams start exploring other platforms:
- Budget — the monthly fees add up fast, especially when you’re paying annually
- Analytics — wanting something deeper, clearer, or just easier to actually read
- Workflow — simpler scheduling, approvals, or engagement tools that don’t require a learning curve
- Interface — a calmer, less cluttered dashboard that keeps the focus on creating
If any of those hit close to home, the alternatives below are worth a look.
1. Buffer
Price: Free, with paid plans starting at $6 per channel per month.
At Buffer, we are really into transparency — we have a whole transparency hub dedicated to sharing every company metric (even our salaries).
Full transparency: I work at Buffer, so I’m not exactly neutral here. But I’ve worked as a social media manager and creator for more than a decade, long before starting at Buffer.
I’ve tried a lot of social media tools over the years. But I keep coming back to Buffer because it offers the best value for what you actually need — powerful features without the overwhelming price tag.
The free plan includes some genuinely useful features:
- Schedule content for up to three channels: Buffer’s free plan lets you publish and schedule up to 30 posts (10 per channel), which is significantly more than most other free plans. You’ll also be able to choose from a broad range of different channels, including Twitter/X, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Google Business Profile, Pinterest, Mastodon, YouTube, Threads, and Bluesky.
- Drag-and-drop social media calendar: The intuitive calendar shows all scheduled posts and drafts at a glance, so you can monitor all your social accounts from a single dashboard, in real-time.
- Create Space: A free content library where you can save and plan out all your ideas — something I find incredibly helpful in my content creation workflow. It has powerful organizational features, like tags and a Kanban view, to help you keep track of your content.
- Start Page: Set up your own beautiful landing page within minutes —a great option for your link-in-bio. You can even schedule updates to your Start Page as you would your social channels.
- Buffer’s AI Assistant: Creating enough content for all your social media profiles all the time can be overwhelming — which is where our AI Assistant can help. The social media smart AI can create fresh posts for your Buffer schedule, repurpose existing content, and generate unlimited new ideas to help supercharge your engagement, grow your following, and amplify your social media presence.
- Reply to comments: Say goodbye to posting and ghosting and boost your engagement by 5% to 42%. Buffer’s Community tab helps you manage all your social media comments and replies in one place.
- Analyze your performance: The free version gives you access to 30 days of easy-to-understand analytics on each post to help you understand what’s working and what you need to tweak.
Buffer’s paid plans
If you’re looking to manage more than three social media accounts or need more in-depth social media analytics, you might want to check out Buffer’s other plans:
- Essentials: $6 per month per channel
- Team: $12 per month per channel
Analytics tools and reports
Buffer’s analytics will help you make sense of all the metrics available across channels to draw conclusions — so you can take action. You’ll find answers to questions like: “When is the best time to post on Instagram for me?” and “How often should I be posting?“
You’ll also be able to generate custom reports you can download and share (essential in content marketing).
All of Buffer’s paid plans come with a 14-day free trial, so you can put all the advanced features to the test to see if they’re really necessary for you right now.
2. Sendible
Price: 14-day free trial, with plans starting at $29 per month thereafter.
Sendible is a no-frills, no-fuss social media management platform at an affordable price. It connects with Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, and Google Business Profile, and the streamlined dashboard lets you view your scheduled, draft, and undelivered posts at a glance.
The tool also has a handy ‘tasks’ system, where team members or clients can assign to-dos related to the content calendar — great for agencies and teams who need to stay organized.
Along with social media management tools, Sendible users can generate instant social media analytics reports for all their connected channels.
3. Metricool
Price: Free up to a limit of 20 posts per month, with paid plans starting at $22 per month.
Metricool is a user-friendly social media management platform that supports scheduling and automation for multiple social media platforms. It also allows for bulk scheduling across social platforms.
One of the platform’s key features is its heat-map-style planner, which shows users the best times to post their content.
Along with social media scheduling, Metricool offers the ability to monitor competitor performance and analyze influencer performance, making it a great option for brands. The tool has slick approval workflows for social media posts and a central social inbox for comments from the majority of its connected platforms.
4. Later
Price: 14-day trial, with plans starting at $25 per user per month after that.
Later started as an Instagram-focused tool, and it’s still best known for its visual content planner. Now, the platform has expanded functionality to cover the most popular social media platforms as well.
While users will be able to plan, manage, and schedule posts across all these major social networks, Later is still quite focused on Instagram. The platform has its own AI offering, though it’s exclusively trained to write Instagram captions. It also offers suggestions for the best time to post, Instagram hashtag suggestions, and a helpful visual planner for an aesthetic feed — so it’s definitely worth exploring if Instagram is your primary platform.
5. CoSchedule
Price: Free, limited-use plan for one social media profile, with plans starting at $29 per month per user thereafter.
CoSchedule is a great option if you’re managing content beyond social — think a blog, newsletters, and the like — and want to see everything in one calendar. It’s a great way to streamline your content marketing efforts.
Along with scheduling on most social platforms (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, TikTok, Twitter/X, YouTube, Mastodon, and Bluesky), Coschedule can help you project-manage marketing campaigns that include blog posts, newsletters, and podcasts.
There’s also an AI chatbot, Mia, that can help you draft everything from blog posts to message responses.
6. Sprout Social
Price: 30-day trial, with plans starting at $199 per user per month thereafter.
Sprout Social is another great Hootsuite alternative, though it does come at an even steeper price point. That said, it has great team collaboration features and combines several social media tools into one platform — from social media scheduling to social listening to its analytics tool for better reporting.
Sprout Social is one of the few social media management tools that provides customer relationship management (CRM) features. Its visually appealing reports are also a strong selling point and really helpful if you’re looking to prove the success of your social media strategy to senior company leaders.
7. AgoraPulse
Price: 30-day free trial, with plans starting at $99 per month thereafter.
Agorapulse is another powerful Hootsuite alternative that could work for marketing teams with a bit of a budget to play with. It connects with most popular social platforms, and it also integrates with Google Analytics to help you measure the impact of your social posts on website traffic.
Along with this, Agorapulse users will have access to a single social inbox to monitor engagement, and social listening features, a helpful tool in fine-tuning your marketing strategy.
The best Hootsuite alternative for you
There’s no single ‘best’ Hootsuite alternative — the right pick comes down to what you need.
Here’s a simple three-step way to figure it out:
- Jot down two or three features you love (or need) from your current tool.
- Shortlist platforms that tick those boxes and fit your budget.
- Test each one for at least a week on a free plan or trial, paying close attention to workflow, analytics, and ease of use.
Within a couple of weeks, you’ll know which platform feels like home.
Whether you’re on a social media marketing team or a solo creator, social media management tools are a pretty personal choice. If Buffer ends up being the right fit, we’d love to have you as part of our community. If not, that’s OK too — we hope you find the tool that works best for you.
FAQ about Hootsuite alternatives
What is the best alternative to Hootsuite?
The best Hootsuite alternative depends on your goals, budget, and workflow. Popular options include tools that offer social media scheduling, analytics, and engagement features at a lower cost or with simpler interfaces.
Is there a free alternative to Hootsuite?
Yes. Several Hootsuite alternatives offer free plans or free trials. These plans often include limited scheduling, basic analytics, or caps on the number of posts per month, which can work well for creators or small businesses getting started.
Why did Hootsuite remove its free plan?
Hootsuite ended its free plan on March 31, 2023, as part of a shift toward paid subscriptions. New users can still access a free trial, but continued use requires a paid plan.
Are Hootsuite alternatives good for small businesses?
Many Hootsuite alternatives are designed with small businesses and solo creators in mind. They typically focus on ease of use, clearer analytics, and more affordable pricing, making them easier to adopt without large upfront costs.
Can I switch from Hootsuite without losing my content?
In most cases, yes. While scheduled posts usually need to be recreated, you can reconnect your social accounts to a new tool and continue publishing right away.
How do I choose the right Hootsuite alternative?
Start by identifying the features you rely on most, such as scheduling, analytics, or engagement tools. Then compare platforms that offer those features within your budget.
