Top Hootsuite Alternatives & Competitors based on 27 Reviews
Reviews collected from
trustpilot.com
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| Brand | Pricing |
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Hootsuite offers three main pricing tiers: Professional ($19/month), Team ($99/month), and Business ($599/month), with features scaling from basic social media management to advanced reporting and team collaboration tools. Custom enterprise solutions are also available. |
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Buffer features four pricing plans: Free (limited features), Essentials ($15/month), Team ($65/month), and Agency ($99/month). Each tier increases the number of social accounts and advanced features, such as custom reporting and team collaboration. |
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Later provides four pricing options: Free (basic features), Starter ($12.50/month), Growth ($20.83/month), and Advanced ($33.33/month). The plans vary in the number of social profiles, posts per profile, and additional features like analytics and scheduling. |
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Sprout Social has three main plans: Standard ($249/month), Professional ($399/month), and Advanced ($499/month). Each level offers increased capabilities in social media publishing, engagement, and analytics, with options for custom pricing for larger enterprises. |
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Why should you be looking for a Hootsuite alternative?
Users often seek alternatives to Hootsuite due to specific feature needs, ease of use, budget constraints, and support options. Many look for platforms that better align with their social media management goals. Three notable alternatives are Buffer, Later, and Sprout Social. Buffer is known for its straightforward interface and affordability, Later excels in visual content scheduling, and Sprout Social offers robust analytics and team collaboration features. This article will delve into these platforms, examining their features, pricing, and target users to help you make an informed choice.
Quick Overview of Top Hootsuite Competitors
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Buffer – Budget-Friendly Hootsuite Alternative
- Offers a simple and intuitive user interface for streamlined scheduling and publishing.
- Focuses on excellent customer support and education resources for users.
- Features a "Pablo" tool for quick image creation and optimization for social media posts.
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Later – Visual Content-Centric Hootsuite Competitor
- Primarily designed for Instagram marketing with a strong visual content planner.
- Allows users to visually plan and schedule posts using a drag-and-drop interface.
- Provides a "Linkin.bio" feature that drives traffic from social media posts to websites.
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Sprout Social – Comprehensive Hootsuite Alternative for Businesses
- Offers in-depth analytics and reporting features, ideal for large teams and brands.
- Provides customer relationship management (CRM) tools to engage with social audiences effectively.
- Includes a Smart Inbox for tracking conversations across platforms all in one place.
Hootsuite Alternatives: Feature by Feature Comparison
| Feature | Buffer | Later | Sprout Social | Hootsuite |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| User Interface | Simple and intuitive interface focusing on ease of use and streamlined processes. | Visually appealing calendar layout, emphasizing visual content with drag-and-drop scheduling, ideal for visually-driven platforms like Instagram. | User-friendly interface that combines powerful analytics, monitoring, and engagement tools in one dashboard, although it can be complex for beginners. | Comprehensive but can be overwhelming for new users due to the wide array of features and functions. |
| Scheduling | Flexible scheduling with the option to customize posting times for optimal engagement. | Specializes in visual scheduling, allowing users to plan and preview their content in a content calendar, making it especially beneficial for Instagram marketing and visual campaigns. | Advanced scheduling capabilities that integrate with team workflows and client approvals, allowing for greater collaboration on posts and campaigns. | Robust scheduling tools, but without the same level of visual planning tools as Later or Buffer. |
| Analytics & Reporting | Provides basic analytics and reporting features for key metrics, with in-depth insights available through other Buffer tools like Buffer Analyze. | Offers limited analytics compared to Buffer and Sprout Social; more focused on scheduling and visual performance over comprehensive insights. | Advanced analytics that provide in-depth insights into audience engagement, post performance, and competitor comparisons—all critical for data-driven marketing strategies. | Strong analytics feature set but does not provide the same level of user-friendly reporting as Buffer or the granular insights of Sprout Social. |
| Social Media Integration | Supports a wide range of platforms, including Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram, emphasizing ease of integration. | Primarily focuses on visual platforms—Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and TikTok; offers seamless integration for visually-driven content. | Provides integration across numerous platforms, including niche networks, and is especially strong in social listening capabilities compared to Hootsuite and others. | Extensive platform support with integrations similar to Buffer; however, lacks the deep content customization abilities offered by later or the detailed analytics of Sprout Social. |
| Collaboration Tools | Basic collaboration features for team members, allowing addition of team members for joint scheduling efforts but lacks advanced workflow features. | Limited collaboration options; best suited for individual users or small teams focusing on visual content rather than large collaborative efforts. | Robust collaboration tools that allow for team communication, project management, and content approvals, enabling more dynamic team workflows compared to Buffer and Hootsuite’s more simplified offerings. | Collaboration features available, but not as streamlined or easy to navigate as those in Sprout Social, often requiring more manual processes to manage teamwork. |
| Visual Content Management | Focus on text-based content management, with less emphasis on visual schedule previews or management tools. | Excels at visual content management with a strong emphasis on Instagram posts and stories, including preview features that show how content will appear on the platform. | Less emphasis on visual content management compared to Later; however, Sprout Social does support various content types effectively across platforms. | Supports visual content but lacks the organized, visually-driven content management features of Later. |
| Customer Support | Offers customer support through email and social media but without a dedicated account manager for smaller plans. | Provides extensive help documentation and a responsive support team; lacks personal account management except for higher-tier plans. | High-quality customer support with dedicated account managers available on higher-tier plans, offering personalized onboarding and ongoing assistance for businesses with complex needs. | Solid support options but can be slow to respond during peak times; lacks the personalized service found in Sprout Social’s higher-tier plans. |
| Pricing Models | Affordable pricing tiers with clear distinctions and a free plan for newer users, appealing for startups and small businesses. | Simple pricing structure primarily for visual marketers, with tiered pricing based on the number of posts and accounts, but lacks a free tier. | Higher pricing tiers reflecting the extensive features and tools, focusing on businesses needing detailed analytics and deep insights, which may be cost-prohibitive for small businesses. | Competitive pricing but generally considered higher than Buffer, with limited free options, leading to higher costs for similar features when compared to Buffer’s more budget-friendly plans. |
| Mobile App | Offers a mobile app that allows users to manage their social media accounts, schedule posts, and check analytics on-the-go. | Strong mobile app with excellent features for scheduling visual content; allows users to edit and manage campaigns effectively from their phones. | Provides a mobile app with robust functionality, allowing users to engage with their audience, monitor social channels, and track performance; however, performance may vary compared to desktop experience. | Mobile app available, but generally considered less user-friendly and comprehensive than those of Buffer and Later, making the management of on-the-go tasks more cumbersome. |
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Integration Capabilities for each Hootsuite competitor
| Alternative | Supported Integrations | Compatibility Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Hootsuite | – Facebook – YouTube – WordPress – Google Analytics – Evernote – Bitly – Slack – Trello – Zendesk |
Comprehensive support for major social networks and productivity tools. |
| Buffer | – Facebook – TikTok – Shopify – Bitly – Sendible |
Strong focus on visual content scheduling, especially for Instagram and Pinterest. |
| Later | – Facebook – Shopify – RSS Feeds |
Best known for its Instagram integration and visual content planning. |
| Sprout Social | – Facebook – Google Analytics – HubSpot – Zendesk – Slack |
Offers robust collaboration tools and customer relationship management integrations. |
Pros and Cons of each Hootsuite Alternative
Here’s a comparison table outlining the primary pros and cons of Buffer, Later, and Sprout Social in relation to Hootsuite:
| Alternative | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| Buffer | – User-friendly interface | – Limited analytics compared to Hootsuite |
| – Affordable pricing tiers for small businesses | – Fewer social media platforms supported | |
| – Simple scheduling and posting capabilities | – Lacks advanced features for larger organizations | |
| – Strong focus on content planning and strategy | ||
| Later | – Excellent visual content calendar | – Primarily focused on Instagram with limited features for some other platforms |
| – Media library for easy asset management | – Missing advanced reporting and analytics features | |
| – Good for brands that rely heavily on visuals | – Less robust in handling multi-channel campaigns compared to Hootsuite | |
| – User-friendly, great for beginners | ||
| Sprout Social | – Comprehensive analytics and reporting tools | – Higher pricing compared to Hootsuite and other alternatives |
| – Advanced social listening and engagement features | – Complexity can be overwhelming for small users or those with simpler needs | |
| – Integrated CRM features for managing customer interactions | – Requires more time to train users on complex functionalities | |
| – Supports a wide range of social networks |
Consider this table when evaluating which social media management tool meets specific business needs and use cases.
Hootsuite vs Competitors: Traffic & Marketing Comparison
Traffic Comparison:
Hootsuite outperformed its competitors with remarkably high organic traffic, peaking at over 169 million visits in mid-2023, significantly higher than Buffer (with a maximum of approximately 17 million), Later (capping at around 36 million), and Sprout Social (reaching about 23 million). This trend indicates Hootsuite’s dominant market presence, while Buffer experienced the lowest traffic among the four brands. Notably, Hootsuite’s traffic trajectory showcases a decline since its peak, while the others maintained relatively stable patterns.
Top Performing Keywords:
Hootsuite excels with multiple high-ranking keywords, notably holding the top positions for "hootsuite social media" and "social media management," showcasing a strong focus on brand visibility. Buffer’s strategy emphasizes terms like "social media management software" and "social media content," illustrating their content-centric approach. Later emphasizes "social media calendar," targeting an organized scheduling niche, while Sprout Social captures attention through keywords related to agency services and insights. Keyword diversity indicates differentiated marketing strategies.
Conclusions on Visibility and Reach:
Hootsuite demonstrates the strongest online visibility, capturing substantial traffic and top keyword rankings across several critical categories, particularly in social media management. Sprout Social shows potential in social media marketing services, while Later’s niche focus on content management offers unique visibility. Buffer falls behind in overall traffic but has targeted keyword performance. Overall, Hootsuite leads in reach and traffic, with competition revealing varied keyword strategies that reflect brand positioning and focus areas.
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Other “Hootsuite” Alternatives & Competitors that you can find for free
Here are five alternatives to Hootsuite, along with their key features, strengths, and value propositions:
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SocialBee
- Key Features: Content categorization, evergreen posting, social media analytics, and RSS feed integration.
- Strengths: Useful for managing content variety and recycling posts, which helps in maintaining a consistent posting schedule without constantly creating new content.
- Value Proposition: Offers a comprehensive solution for small and medium-sized businesses to maximize engagement through strategic content management.
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CoSchedule
- Key Features: Marketing calendar, social media automation, blog calendar, and analytics dashboard.
- Strengths: Integrated content marketing tools that allow seamless coordination between social media and blog posts, enhancing overall marketing strategies.
- Value Proposition: Ideal for marketers seeking to unify their content and social media efforts for better marketing efficiency and visibility.
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Agorapulse
- Key Features: Social inbox, publishing tools, social media monitoring, and reporting features.
- Strengths: Strong focus on engagement, with tools for social listening and responding, making it suitable for community management.
- Value Proposition: Provides detailed insights and simplified communication, making it ideal for brands focused on building relationships with their audience.
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Sendible
- Key Features: Content scheduling, social media monitoring, collaboration tools, and reporting.
- Strengths: Features tailored for agencies, including client management and reporting, allowing for efficient workflow and client updates.
- Value Proposition: Best for agencies looking to efficiently manage multiple clients and campaigns from a single dashboard with robust reporting capabilities.
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Tailwind
- Key Features: Social media scheduling (especially for Pinterest and Instagram), content recommendations, and performance insights.
- Strengths: Specifically optimized for visual platforms, making it a top choice for brands focusing on image-driven content.
- Value Proposition: Tailored for visual marketers, helping brands grow their presence on Pinterest and Instagram through smart scheduling and analytics.
These alternatives offer various features and benefits catering to different business needs and marketing objectives.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Hootsuite?
Hootsuite is a social media management platform that allows users to schedule posts, track social media performance, and manage multiple social media accounts from one dashboard.
How does Hootsuite compare to Buffer?
Hootsuite offers more comprehensive features for large teams and brands, including social listening and analytics, while Buffer is known for its simplicity and ease of use, focusing mainly on post scheduling.
Is Hootsuite free to use?
Hootsuite offers a free plan with limited features, but most advanced functionalities require a paid subscription, which varies based on the number of social accounts and users.
What are Hootsuite's main competitors?
Hootsuite’s main competitors include Buffer, Sprout Social, Later, and SocialBee, each offering unique features and pricing models to cater to different user needs.
Can I use Hootsuite for analytics?
Yes, Hootsuite provides robust analytics tools that allow users to track post performance, audience engagement, and social media ROI across multiple platforms.
Does Hootsuite support all social media platforms?
Hootsuite supports a wide range of social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube, allowing users to manage various accounts from a single dashboard.
How does Hootsuite's pricing compare to Sprout Social?
Hootsuite generally offers a wider range of pricing plans, accommodating different business sizes, while Sprout Social tends to be more expensive but offers in-depth reporting and customer relationship management features.
