5 Hootsuite Alternatives in 2025 for Social Media Management
If you’re managing social media for a brand, agency, or as a freelancer, chances are you’ve heard of Hootsuite. It’s one of the longest-standing tools in the space but that doesn’t always mean it’s the right fit for everyone.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through what Hootsuite offers, why some users are exploring other options, and five alternatives that might suit your social media needs and brand goals better, including Metricool, Sprout Social, Buffer, RecurPost, and Later.
What is Hootsuite?
Hootsuite is a widely used social media management platform designed to help individuals, teams, and businesses manage all their social networks in one place. It supports scheduling, publishing, engagement, reporting, team collaboration, customer service, and social listening.
Hootsuite’s Main Features:
- Post scheduling and publishing across major networks (Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, X, Pinterest, and more)
- Social content calendar with recommended posting times
- All-in-one social inbox for centralized engagement and DM management
- AI assistant (OwlyGPT) for caption writing, content ideas, hashtags, and visual generation
- Content library with Canva templates, stock media, and internal asset management
- Advanced analytics and customizable reports, with performance benchmarking and ROI tracking
- Team workflows, message routing, saved replies, approval processes, and user permissions
- Social listening tools, including sentiment analysis and competitor tracking
- Customer care features, including chatbot integration, message tagging, and productivity reporting
- CRM and third-party integrations (Salesforce, Talkwalker, review platforms, and more)
Hootsuite Pros:
- Covers most major social networks
- Strong integrations and app marketplace
- Reliable publishing and monitoring features
Hootsuite Cons:
- Pricing can get expensive quickly
- Collaboration features limited on lower-tier plans
- Some features require add-ons or third-party integrations
Hootsuite Pricing:
Hootsuite doesn’t offer a free plan, but you can try any paid plan with a 30-day free trial. You’ll also save up to 38% if you choose annual billing instead of paying monthly. Hotosuite plans include:
Standard – €99/month per user: Best for individuals or small teams
Includes up to 5 social accounts, unlimited scheduling, AI assistant, DM automations, basic competitor tracking (5 competitors), sentiment analysis, and a shared inbox.
Advanced – €249/month per user: Best for growing teams and agencies
Adds unlimited social accounts, bulk scheduling, saved replies, custom analytics templates, approval workflows, productivity reports, and extended listening (30 days). Supports benchmarking against 20 competitors.
Enterprise – Custom pricing: Best for large organizations
Includes everything in Advanced, plus single sign-on, advanced security, employee advocacy, CRM integrations, and AI-powered chat and support tools. Comes with onboarding, account management, and strategic support.
Why Look for Hootsuite Alternatives?
Hootsuite remains a popular social media management platform, but the pricing model can add up quickly, especially for small teams or individual users. Entry-level plans offer strong scheduling and AI tools, but many collaborative features, automation workflows, and advanced analytics are locked behind higher tiers.
Here’s why you might look at other options:
- Cost Sensitivity: Each user seat adds to the monthly price, making Hootsuite less accessible for freelancers, small teams, or growing businesses.
- Feature Gating: Collaboration tools, advanced analytics, and competitive insights are only available on higher plans.
- Learning Curve: With so many features, some users find the platform overwhelming or unnecessary for basic needs.
- Better Fit Elsewhere: Depending on your workflow, other tools may offer a smoother or more affordable experience, especially if you’re focused on analytics, evergreen content, or visual-first planning.
5 Hootsuite Alternatives in 2025
1. Metricool
Metricool is an all-in-one tool for social media scheduling, performance tracking, competitor analysis, and ad management. It supports all major platforms, offers a generous free plan, and scales easily from solo creators to agencies.
Metricool Features:
- Schedule posts across Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, Threads, and more
- Real-time and historical analytics for web traffic, social performance, and content engagement
- AI Social Media Assistant with writing prompts, repurposing tools, and smart scheduling suggestions
- Tools for managing multiple clients and teams, including access controls and approval workflows
- Links-in-bio with customizable layouts, smart sections, and link tracking
- Custom report templates, PDF and PPT exports, and Looker Studio integration for deeper analysis
- Add-ons for advanced features like Twitter/X analytics and daily hashtag tracking
- Looker Studio, Canva, Zapier, Adobe Express, and Google Drive integrations
Best For: Social media managers, freelancers, small businesses, and agencies looking for affordable analytics and scheduling.
Metricool Pricing:
Free – $0/month
This plan covers one brand and lets you schedule up to 50 posts per month. You’ll have access to analytics from the past three months and can track up to five competitor profiles, making it a solid option for those just getting started.
Starter – From $18/month (annual)
The Starter plan allows you to manage up to five brands and schedule unlimited posts. You can analyze up to 100 competitor profiles, connect your LinkedIn account, and benefit from integrations with Canva and Google Drive to make content creation and management easier.
Advanced – From $45/month (annual)
Everything included in the Starter plan is here, plus tools designed for teams. You get team access, client permission controls, post approval workflows, and customizable reports. This plan also supports a connection to Looker Studio for deeper data analysis.
Custom
This option is made for agencies managing more than 50 brands. It offers tailored limits and integrations based on your needs, along with dedicated account support to help keep everything running smoothly.
Metricool vs. Hootsuite
Metricool offers solid analytics and useful features at a lower cost, making it a good fit for small businesses, freelancers, agencies, and solo creators. Its free plan is generous and makes client management easy. Hootsuite provides more integrations and tools built for teams with complex workflows. Overall, Metricool focuses on simplicity and accessibility for users of all levels, while Hootsuite suits those who need advanced collaboration.
2. Sprout Social
Sprout Social is a premium social media management platform designed for businesses that need detailed analytics, strong publishing tools, and advanced customer support features. It also offers robust collaboration options, making it a solid choice for larger teams and organizations with complex workflows.
Sprout Social Features:
- Smart inbox for managing all messages in one place
- Advanced analytics with group, profile, and post-level reporting
- AI-powered content suggestions and post enhancements
- Real-time keyword and location monitoring
- Review management and message tagging
- API access and helpdesk integrations for workflow automation
- Collaborative content calendar and multi-profile publishing
- Automated workflows, message spike alerts, and sentiment analysis
Sprout Social delivers in-depth reporting across multiple profiles, advanced publishing tools with bulk upload and AI help, and built-in support for team workflows like approvals and productivity tracking. It also includes features for managing customer interactions, such as review responses and sentiment analysis. That said, the cost rises with each added user, which can make it less practical for smaller teams. And while the platform is packed with tools, it may feel too complex or pricey for businesses with simpler needs.
Best For: Agencies, large brands, and businesses needing advanced analytics and workflow management.
Sprout Social Pricing:
- Standard: $199 per user/month, includes 5 social profiles, keyword and location monitoring, unlimited AI-generated alt text, review management, and basic reporting
- Professional: $299 per user/month, adds unlimited social profiles, message tagging, competitor and paid insights, optimal send times, and AI-powered post enhancements
- Advanced: $399 per user/month, includes everything in Professional plus AI-assisted reply enhancements, sentiment analysis in inbox and reviews, API and helpdesk integrations, team productivity reports, and message spike alerts
- Enterprise: Custom pricing, with white-glove onboarding, dedicated support, custom plans, and priority customer service
Sprout Social vs. Hootsuite
Sprout Social and Hootsuite offer similar features, especially when it comes to scheduling, monitoring, and team collaboration. However, Sprout leans more toward enterprise needs, with stronger analytics, advanced customer support tools, and deeper reporting. Hootsuite is often the more affordable option for mid-sized teams, but for larger organizations with a bigger budget that need detailed insights and robust workflows, Sprout Social may be the better fit.
3. Buffer
Buffer is a lightweight, beginner-friendly social media tool designed for simple scheduling and basic analytics. It’s especially popular with freelancers, creators, and small businesses who want to manage content across platforms without the cost or complexity of larger tools.
Buffer Features:
- Social media scheduler with queue management
- AI Assistant for content ideas and post editing
- Basic and advanced analytics depending on plan
- Instagram first comment scheduling
- Approval workflows and access controls on Team plan
- Integrations with Canva, Dropbox, Google Drive, WordPress, and more
- Support for Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok, LinkedIn, Pinterest, YouTube, Threads, Bluesky, and others
Buffer is easy to use, even if you’ve never touched a scheduling tool before. It offers a free plan with core features and flexible pricing that scales with the number of channels you need, making it a great fit for solo users or small teams. However, it does come with some trade-offs: there’s no social inbox on the Free or Essentials plans, engagement and listening tools are limited, and it’s not designed for more advanced team collaboration.
Best For: Creators, freelancers, and small brands with simple scheduling and analytics needs.
Buffer Pricing (July 2025):
Buffer pricing is based on how many social channels you connect, with flexibility for solo users, small teams, or growing agencies.
Free – $0/month: Includes 3 social channels, up to 10 scheduled posts per channel, 1 user, AI Assistant, basic analytics, 100 saved ideas, and access to all supported platforms.
Essentials – $5/month per channel (billed yearly): Adds unlimited scheduled posts, unlimited ideas, advanced analytics, engagement inbox, hashtag manager, and first comment scheduling.
Team – $10/month per channel (billed yearly): Includes everything in Essentials plus unlimited users, content approval workflows, access controls, branded reports, and team collaboration tools.
Agency – $150/month: Designed for agencies managing multiple brands, includes up to 10 channels, all Team features, and additional support for scaling.
Buffer vs. Hootsuite
Buffer keeps things clean and simple, making it easier to manage content without feeling overwhelmed. It’s more affordable and intuitive, especially for smaller teams or solo users. Hootsuite, on the other hand, is better suited for teams that need deeper analytics, broader integrations, and more robust collaboration tools. For day-to-day content publishing, Buffer is a straightforward choice. For larger workflows, Hootsuite offers more structure.
4. RecurPost
RecurPost specializes in evergreen content scheduling, making it a smart pick for creators and businesses that want to reuse posts without manual effort. It includes queues, content libraries, and automation features that help you stay consistent with less work.
Recurpost Features:
- Recurring content queues
- RSS feed posting
- Bulk upload
- Best time scheduling
- Basic social inbox
- Category-based scheduling
RecurPost is easy to set up and great for automating evergreen content, making it a time-saver for creators and small teams. It offers strong value for the price, especially if your main goal is to stay consistent with minimal effort. However, it comes with fewer platform integrations, limited collaboration features, and only basic analytics, which might not be enough for more complex needs.
Best For: Small businesses, solo creators, and bloggers focused on repurposed or evergreen content.
Recurpost Pricing:
Starter – $9/month: Ideal for individuals or non-business users. Includes 2 social profiles, 10 daily posts per profile, best-time scheduler, link previews, basic content tools, and support for major platforms like Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter), and LinkedIn.
Personal – $25/month: Built for small business owners managing multiple profiles.
Includes everything in Starter, plus 5 social profiles, 20 daily posts per profile, tweet variations, custom fields, seasonal libraries, and a Chrome extension.
Agency – $79/month: Designed for agencies and advanced users managing client accounts. Includes 20 social profiles, 80 daily posts per profile, workspaces, internal and external approval workflows, over 10 AI features, and analytics reports.
Enterprise – Custom pricing: Tailored for teams managing over 100 profiles. Includes everything in Agency, plus custom limits, expanded analytics, bulk pricing for add-ons, dedicated onboarding, and priority support.
Hootsuite vs. Recurpost
RecurPost is a solid choice if you’re looking for a more affordable way to automate evergreen content at scale. It keeps things simple, with powerful scheduling tools and low-cost plans for solo users and small teams. Hootsuite, on the other hand, comes with stronger analytics, deeper integrations, and more robust collaboration tools which makes it better suited for larger teams and enterprise needs.
5. Later Social
Later started as an Instagram scheduler and has evolved into a full social media management tool supporting multiple platforms. It’s known for its drag-and-drop visual calendar and tools tailored for creators and brands with a strong visual identity.
Later Social Features:
- Visual calendar and auto-publishing
- AI content tools (captions and post ideas)
- Hashtag suggestions and best time to post
- Link in Bio with customization options
- Content planning tools with Canva integration
- Basic analytics and team collaboration features
- Social inbox (on Growth and Scale plans)
- Competitive benchmarking and future trends (Scale only)
Later stands out for its intuitive, visual-first design that’s easy to navigate, even for solo users or small teams. Its pricing is accessible, and features like AI content tools and a built-in Link in Bio make it a solid pick for creators. That said, analytics on the Starter plan are pretty limited, and you’ll need to upgrade to access collaboration tools, the social inbox, or more advanced insights.
Best For: Influencers, creators, freelancers, and small businesses with a strong visual content focus.
Later Social Pricing
Starter – $16.67/month (billed annually): Built for individuals or solo creators managing a few platforms. Includes 1 social set (up to 9 profiles across Instagram, Facebook, X, Pinterest, TikTok, LinkedIn, and YouTube), 1 user, 60 posts per profile each month, 5 AI credits, Link in Bio features, and platform analytics for up to 3 months.
Growth – $33.33/month (billed annually): Best for small teams or growing brands. Includes 2 social sets (up to 18 profiles), 2 users, 180 posts per profile each month, 50 AI credits, access to the social inbox (Instagram and Facebook), team collaboration and approval tools, content roles and permissions, UGC collection, and analytics up to 1 year.
Scale – $73.33/month (billed annually): Ideal for agencies and larger teams with high publishing volume. Includes 6 social sets (up to 54 profiles), 4 users, unlimited posts, 100 AI credits, advanced collaboration tools, custom analytics, competitive benchmarking, hashtag trend insights, and 2 years of analytics data.
Enterprise – Custom pricing: Tailored for large organizations with custom workflows. Includes everything in Scale, plus custom social set limits, user roles, AI usage, onboarding support, and dedicated customer service.
Free 14-day trial available on all paid plans. Add-ons for extra social sets, users, and AI credits available separately.
Later vs. Hootsuite
Later is built for creators and brands who prioritize visual content and want a clean, easy-to-use planner. Its pricing is more accessible for individuals and small teams. Hootsuite, on the other hand, caters more to complex team structures and enterprise-level needs, offering broader platform support and more in-depth analytics across all plans. If Instagram and TikTok are your main focus, however, Later Social may be a better fit.
Which Hootsuite Alternative Is Right for You?
The best tool depends on your goals, team size, and how you manage your content. Each alternative brings something different to the table, so it’s about finding the one that fits how you work.
If you’re looking for a complete social media management tool that covers scheduling, analytics, competitor tracking, ad management, and more without the steep price tag, Metricool is a strong pick. It’s built for brands, freelancers, and agencies that want to manage their entire social strategy in one place.
However, if you want a simple tool for basic scheduling, Buffer is a solid choice. For larger teams that need detailed reports and strong collaboration features, Sprout Social offers more advanced options but at a higher price. RecurPost suits those focused on evergreen content and post recycling without a big investment. Meanwhile, Later is ideal for brands prioritizing visual content, especially on Instagram and TikTok, thanks to its drag-and-drop calendar and visual planning tools.
If you’re not sure where to start, Metricool gives you the flexibility to grow your strategy while keeping things easy to manage from day one.
