Hootsuite Alternatives: 9 Tools With Prices (2026)
Hootsuite alternatives with current prices, free plans and limits: Buffer, Publer, Metricool, Later, SocialBee, Sendible, Pallyy, Planable and more.
Published October 18, 2026
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The best Hootsuite alternatives are Buffer for a cheap per-channel scheduler, Publer for the lowest paid price, Pallyy for agencies that bill per client, and Planable for approval-heavy teams. Hootsuite itself starts at $99 per user per month (billed annually, as of October 2026) and has no free plan, only a 14-day trial.
Three Hootsuite limits push people out: the price is per user, Standard stops at 10 social accounts, and content approval only arrives on Advanced at $399 per user. If you only schedule posts, you are paying for an inbox and brand monitoring you may not use.
Hootsuite alternatives compared
Prices below come from each tool's own pricing page, as of October 2026, in US dollars. "Entry price" is the cheapest paid plan, and the billing note says how it is charged.
| Tool | Free plan | Entry price | Best for | Main limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buffer | 3 channels, 10 scheduled posts per channel | $5 per channel per month, billed yearly | Solo creators, small brands | Cost rises with every channel |
| Publer | 3 accounts, 10 scheduled posts per account | $4 per month, billed yearly | Cheapest paid scheduler | X needs a paid plan |
| SociaHive | 3 accounts, 30 scheduled posts a month | $29 per month | Scheduling plus Instagram DM automation | No Stories or Reels scheduling |
| Metricool | 1 brand, 20 posts a month | $20 per month, billed yearly | Analytics and competitor tracking | Approvals need the Advanced plan |
| Later | None, 14-day trial | $18.75 per month, billed yearly | Instagram and TikTok planning | 30 posts per profile on Starter |
| SocialBee | None, 14-day trial | $29 per month, billed monthly | Recycling evergreen posts | One user per workspace on cheaper plans |
| Sendible | None, 14-day trial | $35 per month, billed monthly | Agencies with unlimited users | Approvals start at the $99 plan |
| Pallyy | 15 posts a month, images only | $25 per month | Agencies pricing per client | Free plan has no video |
| Planable | First 50 posts free | $33 per workspace per month | Content approvals | Analytics and inbox cost extra |
How we chose
Each tool had to publish directly to several networks and show a price on its own page. Enterprise suites that only sell through a demo are out. Every row above comes from the vendor's pricing page, not a review site.
1. Buffer
Buffer charges per connected channel instead of per user. Essentials is $5 per channel per month billed yearly, Team is $10, and Team adds unlimited team members and approval workflows.
It does one thing well: a clean queue and calendar. It also covers Mastodon, Bluesky, Threads and Google Business Profile, and replies to comments from one community inbox. The limit is the bill. Ten channels on Essentials is $50 a month before you add a teammate, and there is no listening.
A longer review is in is Buffer worth it.
2. Publer
Publer is the cheapest paid option here. Professional is $4 and Business is $8 a month billed yearly, and the page prices them by the number of social accounts you connect.
It supports Facebook Groups and LinkedIn Pages, which many schedulers skip. Business adds competitor analysis, best times to post and API access. Two limits: X accounts only work on a paid plan, and the free plan keeps only 24 hours of post history.
3. SociaHive
SociaHive schedules Instagram feed posts and carousels, Facebook Pages, LinkedIn profiles, Threads, TikTok, YouTube, Bluesky and Pinterest from one calendar, plus X on paid plans. The free plan allows 3 accounts and 30 scheduled posts a month, and Creator is $29 a month.
Where it differs from Hootsuite is Instagram DM automation: comment-to-DM and keyword replies on paid plans. It does not schedule Instagram Stories or Reels, Facebook Stories or Groups, or LinkedIn company Pages, and it has no social listening.
4. Metricool
Metricool leans toward analytics. Free covers one brand and 20 posts a month with 5 competitor profiles; Starter is from $20 a month on annual billing ($25 monthly) and raises competitors to 100.
It has a social inbox and PDF and PPT reports. On the free plan LinkedIn and X are not available, and post approval needs the Advanced plan. Our Metricool alternatives post covers the other direction.
5. Later
Later is strongest on visual planning for Instagram, TikTok and Facebook. Starter is $18.75 a month billed yearly and includes one social set of up to 8 profiles, but caps scheduling at 30 posts per profile.
The social inbox and approvals begin on Growth at $37.50. Later does not list X among its platforms. Compare it on its own in is Later worth it.
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6. SocialBee
SocialBee organizes posts into content categories, so evergreen posts recycle on a schedule. Bootstrap is $29 a month billed monthly for 5 profiles ($290 a year), Accelerate $49 for 10, Pro $99 for 25, all with unlimited AI content generation.
Bootstrap and Accelerate allow one user per workspace, so a team needs Pro (3 users per workspace) or the $10 per user add-on. There is a 14-day trial but no free plan.
7. Sendible
Sendible is built for agencies: every plan has unlimited users, and Core is $35 a month for 1 workspace and 6 profiles. Its feature list includes Instagram and Facebook Stories scheduling and bulk upload from CSV.
Assignment and approvals start at Plus, $99 a month for 3 workspaces. It has no free plan, so test it in the 14-day trial.
8. Pallyy
Pallyy bills per client, and each client is one social set. Pro is $25 a month for one set, Agency is $99 for 10 sets and 3 users, and extra sets cost $10 each.
Posts are unlimited on paid plans. The free plan allows 15 posts a month, image posts only, so you cannot test video scheduling without paying. Our list of free Instagram schedulers compares the free tiers side by side.
9. Planable
Planable is a review tool first. Basic is $33 per workspace per month with 60 posts per workspace and unlimited users, and the first 50 posts are free with no time limit.
It suits agencies where clients approve every post. Analytics and the social inbox are paid add-ons, and on Basic only one X post publishes every 24 hours.
Free Hootsuite alternatives
A free Hootsuite alternative exists if you schedule fewer than a few dozen posts a month. Buffer, Publer, Metricool and Pallyy have permanent free plans; Later, SocialBee and Sendible only offer trials. The free plans differ more in what they block than in how many posts they allow. Publer's free plan excludes X, Metricool's excludes LinkedIn and X, and Pallyy's allows no video. Pick the one that blocks nothing you post.
How to choose
If you only schedule, take Buffer or Publer. If clients approve content, take Planable or Sendible. If you want analytics and competitors, take Metricool. Hootsuite is still the better fit if you need its inbox and brand monitoring in one plan. If Agorapulse is also on your list, see our Agorapulse alternatives guide. To run the software yourself, see our list of open source social media tools.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Hootsuite have a free plan?
No. Hootsuite's pricing page lists Standard, Professional, Advanced and Enterprise, with a 14-day free trial on the first three and no free tier. Trial accounts also have daily posting limits and no bulk scheduling. Buffer, Publer and Pallyy are the nearest free options.
Is Hootsuite or Later better?
It depends on the job. Hootsuite adds an inbox and brand monitoring at $99 or more per user, with 10 accounts on Standard. Later focuses on visual planning, schedules Stories and Reels, and starts at $18.75 a month billed yearly, with its inbox on the $37.50 Growth plan. Choose Later for visual planning and Hootsuite for monitoring.
Is Hootsuite a CRM tool?
No. Hootsuite is a social media management tool: scheduling, one inbox for messages, brand and competitor monitoring, and reports. It does not keep customer records or sales pipelines. Its Enterprise tier adds advanced listening and single sign-on, but those are social features, not a CRM.
Which of these tools let me add unlimited teammates?
Sendible includes unlimited users on every plan, Planable allows unlimited users per workspace, and Buffer's Team plan has unlimited team members. Hootsuite charges per user and SocialBee sells extra users at $10 a month on monthly plans. Check approvals separately, since they sit on higher plans.
Sources
- Hootsuite, Pricing and plans
- Buffer, Pricing
- Publer, Pricing
- Metricool, Plans and pricing
- Later, Pricing
- SocialBee, Pricing
- Sendible, Pricing
- Pallyy, Pricing
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