As we all know, Hootsuite is an established player in the social media management space, but the cost doesn’t suit small businesses, agencies, or solo entrepreneurs. This makes people look for more tailored and efficient social media management tools that are similar to Hootsuite but cost-effective.
Why? Social media is now the go-to platform for everyone for everything such as information, news, entertainment and much more, as an average user spends around 2 hours and 21 minutes per day. The increasing demand is leading marketers and businesses to find innovative ways to grab attention and stay engaged with their audience. Doing all this is difficult without the right social media management tool.
So, this guide will help you find the best Hootsuite Alternatives that are not only cost efficient but also offer better pricing, usability and advanced features to save you time, money & boost results.
Why Should You Consider a Hootsuite Alternative?
Although Hootsuite is a powerful social media management platform, it is not suitable for everyone’s needs. Here are some reasons why you need to try an alternative to Hootsuite:
- Cost Concerns: Premium plans are pricey, especially for creators, small businesses or solo marketers.
- No Free Plan: Hootsuite stopped its free plan in 2023 and now offers only a 30-day trial, so solo users are looking for free Hootsuite alternatives.
- Overwhelming Interface: The platform’s complex interface makes it challenging to navigate for new users.
- Limited Collaboration Tools: The lack of collaboration tools makes it difficult for agencies or teams needing workflow approvals and feedback loops.
- Outdated Features: Many users say it is lacking in innovation as it doesn’t have AI, automation, or a mobile experience.
Top 7 Hootsuite Alternatives at a Glance:
| Platform | Best For | Pricing Starts At | G2 Review |
| GUDSHO Social | Marketing-focused social media management platform | Free Trial Custom Plan | 4.6/5 |
| Planable | Team collaboration, scheduling and post organizing | Free Plan Basic Plan $33/month | 4.6/5 |
| Buffer | Levelling up your social strategy with AI assistance | Free Plan Essential Plan $6/month | 4.3/5 |
| Agorapulse | Social listening & in-depth analytics | Free Plan Standard Plan $79/month | 4.5/5 |
| Sendible | Agencies to manage multiple brands at once | Free Trial Creator Plan $29/month | 4.5/5 |
| Statusbrew | Content planning, scheduling and team collaboration | Free Trial Lite Plan $69/month | 4.9/5 |
| Sprout Social | Managing enterprise-level social media channels | Free Trial Standard Plan $199/month | 4.4/5 |
1.GUDSHO Social
A strong Hootsuite Alternative purely focused on creating impactful social presence
GUDSHO is an innovative social media management tool and publishing platform. Instead of hopping between apps, you can edit, manage, plan, schedule and post your videos from one unified dashboard. Its innovative social calendar lets you easily schedule up to 30 days’ worth of posts with captions and hashtags in just a few minutes. Never miss a conversation! Automatically manage and organize platform specific comments and mentions in its centralized social inbox.
Not only that, its built-in analytics lets you know exactly how your videos perform across all channels. The video-led engagement approach is what makes GUDSHO one of the most unique alternatives to Hootsuite in the market as it cuts the time in half by bringing the entire video workflow into one place.
Key Features:
- Schedule 30 days worth of posts in advance and identify gaps using its visual social calendar.
- Automatically publish your social posts across various time-zones without any hassle.
- Cross-platform publishing lets you instantly post your videos on various social media channels like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn in just a few clicks.
- Supports videos, images and text formats to post on your social media channels.
- A unified social inbox lets you manage and organize all mentions and comments in one place.
- Get complete analytics data such as likes, views, engagement and comments without leaving the platform.
- You can even repurpose your webinars as reels or shorts and promote them on social media platforms instantly.
- The built-in video editor lets you create or edit videos without any editing skills.
- The web-based approach lets you use it from anywhere you want or on-the-go without any downloads or installs.
| Pros | Cons |
Plan, edit, schedule and publish from one clean workspace | Advanced features are limited on free trial |
| Schedule a month’s worth of posts in minutes | Continuously evolving features |
| Secure and mobile-ready platform | Lacks workspace for team collaboration |
GUDSHO vs Hootsuite
When it comes to GUDSHO vs Hootsuite, GUDSHO stands out for its all-in-one approach to effortlessly schedule, edit, manage and publish your content while tracking engagement in real time. This makes it an ideal choice for creators, marketers, businesses and enterprises looking for ease and efficiency. Whereas Hootsuite caters to advanced users, as its interface and pricing can be overwhelming for new users and teams under a tight budget.
2. Planable
Top Hootsuite Alternatives for Small Businesses that Support Team Collaboration
Planable is a visual and intuitive social media management tool built for agencies, in-house marketing teams, and content creators to plan, approve and collaborate. It lets you see a preview of the social posts as they’ll appear on the platform to take feedback in real-time.
The Platform removes lengthy email threads, speeds up content approval & increases teamwork through its shared workspaces. It is among the best Hootsuite alternatives for small business teams that want to collaborate faster while maintaining quality content and brand consistency.
Key Features:
- Drag & drop posts into a shared and interactive visual content calendar.
- Set up client/team reviews and approvals before publishing with its multi-level workflow.
- Visually see how your content will look on each platform before publishing to make any last-minute changes if needed.
- Let your teams collaborate by enabling them to comment, leave internal feedback and tag teammates directly to avoid multiple corrections.
- Manage multiple brands or clients effortlessly with unlimited workspace.
| Pros | Cons |
| Excellent for hassle-free content approvals | No in-depth analytics available in base plans |
| Clean and easy-to-use interface, even beginners can use | Cost may be high even for larger teams |
| Ideal for agencies/big marketing teams’ collaboration | Lacks advanced automation tools |
Planable vs Hootsuite
Planable is known for its user-friendliness and team collaboration features, as it makes real-time content approvals and visual scheduling easy for small teams and agencies. But Hootsuite is a feature-rich platform for larger enterprises managing complex social strategies.
3. Buffer
Budget-friendly Hootsuite Alternative for Individuals and Small Businesses to Simplify Posts and Amplify Your Impact
Buffer is a well-known, user-friendly, and budget-conscious social media management tool that is designed specifically for solopreneurs, creators and small businesses. Its simple interface and basic scheduling features make Buffer an ideal entry point for planning, publishing & tracking your posts across various social media platforms at a time.
Buffer is a great free or low-cost alternative to Hootsuite for your social media management needs. Its user base is distributed globally, while over 80% are from the US, UK & India and the rest 20% is spread across other countries. Even though it lacks deep analytics or enterprise features, it is still a favorite among users who want no-fuss tools that work perfectly.
Key Features:
- The simple interface lets you create and schedule your posts across multiple social media platforms in seconds.
- The built-in tools let you create short URLs and track their clicks efficiently.
- You can plan, visualize and adjust your content publishing schedule easily.
- Get access to performance insights and engagement metrics like likes, shares, and comments from one place.
- Easily manage and access your social media posts on the go using its mobile apps.
| Pros | Cons |
| Beginner-friendly & intuitive dashboard for easy navigation | Lacks strong analytics & automation tools |
| Affordable pricing tiers for both small and large businesses | Not the best choice for large teams or agencies |
| On-the-go accessibility via its mobile app | Limited collaboration features compared to others |
Buffer vs Hootsuite
Buffer is a well-known social media management platform for its ease of use and affordability, making it the most preferred choice among solo creators and small businesses/brands. Though Hootsuite offers advanced analytics, extensive integrations and social listening, it comes at a higher cost, which makes users think twice before investing in it.
4. Agorapulse
A social listening alternative to Hootsuite for impactful social engagement
Agorapulse is a social media management solution for brands and agencies who value listening, engaging, and analytics as much as publishing. It offers a unified inbox with social listening tools and detailed reporting for you to drive impactful results.
Agorapulse has CRM features so teams both small and large can track conversation history and group audience interactions with ease. It is more expensive, but delivers great value for teams that need organized workflows & actionable insights across social channels. The in-depth social listening features makes it a contender for top Hootsuite alternatives.
Key Features:
- A user-friendly inbox to manage all comments, mentions, and DMs from various social platforms in one place.
- You can instantly track keywords, hashtags, and competitors in real time.
- The advanced reporting feature enables you to export branded reports with custom metrics of your choice.
- Easily assign messages, track actions, manage team roles, permissions, and add internal notes with its team collaboration tools.
- Plan all your social posts with smart scheduling and reusable queues to keep your feed live and active.
| Pros | Cons |
| Excellent for managing social engagement | Pricing can be higher for smaller teams |
| Strong social listening capabilities across various social channels | New users require a slight learning to navigate the platform |
| Detailed and custom analytics & reports in a click | Very few creative & design tools |
Agorapulse vs Hootsuite
Agorapulse is the best choice for marketers who are focused on engagement and reporting, as it provides social listening, sentiment analysis and team collaboration with customizable roles. But Hootsuite’s broader enterprise features and complex analytics can be expensive for smaller teams.
5. Sendible
A social media management tool specific for agencies and marketers
Sendible is a strong and flexible time-saving social media tool built for agencies and marketing teams that manage multiple brands. The white-label options, client-specific dashboards and robust publishing & reporting tools make it an ideal solution to simplify content operations.
Sendible also supports many known social platforms and integrations, making it one of the best Hootsuite and sprout social alternatives for small businesses. Moreover, its focus on efficiency & client collaboration is what makes it a perfect fit for marketers who need control, customization and clarity over their social strategies.
Key Features:
- Customizable dashboard views for you to manage multiple clients and brands separately.
- Generate analytics reports with your brand elements using white-label reporting.
- The smart queues and bulk scheduling let you automate all your content delivery at optimal times.
- Easily monitor keywords, brand mentions, and hashtags in a single click.
- Track all your audience interactions and manage relationships from various social platforms from one place.
| Pros | Cons |
| Perfect for multi-brand management | UI feels outdated or old compared to others |
| Supports a wide range of integrations with CRMs and social platforms | The higher the features you want, the higher you pay |
| Strong automation & custom reporting features | No free plan |
Sendible vs Hootsuite
Sendible is specifically built for agencies and growing brands, as it offers client management, content creation and white-label reporting all in a single platform. But Hootsuite focuses on deeper analytics, extensive integration, more complex features and is less agency-focused than Sendible. The only thing that stops many from opting for Hootsuite is its price and usability.
6. Statusbrew
A Suitable Alternative for Hootsuite with Enterprise-Level Operations.
Statusbrew is designed for enterprises, agencies, and teams that manage large-scale digital operations. This social media management tool is integrated with powerful publishing tools, real-time engagement & deep reporting into one place.
Its user roles, approval workflows & detailed team analytics, make it ideal for collaboration-heavy environments. So, if you need a scalable, security-conscious alternative to Hootsuite, then Statusbrew is a good pick only if you’re running multiple brands, teams or large campaigns.
Key Features:
- The centralized social inbox lets you respond to the comments, mentions, and messages on all your posts from one place.
- You get to control who creates, approves, or publishes content using the role-based user access.
- Automate all your posts across various time zones and platforms with ease.
- Get detailed team performance reports by tracking response times, ticket volumes, and engagement metrics.
- Easily integrate with various CRM and third-party business tools to enhance your workflow.
| Pros | Cons |
| Built for large teams and enterprises | Can be expensive for small businesses and individuals |
| Strong collaboration & deep automation tools than competitors | Beginners require a learning curve to use |
| Responsive customer support | Limited creative & editing tools |
Statusbrew vs Hootsuite
Statusbrew is more like a creative and social publishing tool that lets you collaborate with your team effortlessly, bulk schedule your posts up to 75 days and create posts using its built-in Canva integration. Hootsuite, on the other hand, has less intuitive collaboration features for teams and requires a learning curve to understand and navigate through the platform.
7. Sprout Social
A social media tool with social listening & sentiment analysis
Sprout Social is an enterprise-level social media management solution with a clean interface, in-depth analytics and advanced collaboration features. It includes publishing, scheduling, social listening, sentiment analysis, and CRM integration, making it the most advanced alternative to Hootsuite.
Additionally, the team workflows, customer support integration and competitor benchmarking let you improvise your content and drive better results. Sprout Social is perfect for brands that need strategic insight, streamlined operations, and tangible results from their social efforts.
Key Features:
- The AI-powered publishing & scheduling lets you gain maximum reach.
- Track your brand’s health and industry trends using social listening and sentiment analysis.
- Make your team work efficiently by assigning tasks, getting approvals and managing roles from a single dashboard.
- Build your customer profiles and manage their engagement history with ease.
- Gain deeper insights into performance and competitor’s social activity to identify new opportunities for your business.
| Pros | Cons |
| Enterprise-level reporting & insights of social media profiles | Can be expensive for small teams |
| Smart automation tools for maximizing reach | Add-ons increase the price more |
| Strong AI-powered social listening tools | Experience is required, so it can be difficult for new users |
Sprout Social vs Hootsuite
Sprout Social is similar to Hootsuite as it offers advanced analytics, AI-powered publishing and team collaboration. Whereas Hootsuite provides a broader coverage and a wider third-party integration, but makes it feel outdated and complex. The pricing part for both these platforms is similar as they cater to enterprises and larger teams.
What to Consider While Choosing a Hootsuite Alternative for Social Media?
There are so many alternative social media management tools on the market for you to choose from. Here are a few factors to weigh before making the switch:
- Budget & Pricing: Look for platforms that offer scalable pricing, like free Hootsuite alternatives or ones with low-cost entry plans without sacrificing their core features.
- Publish & schedule: Check if the tool supports bulk scheduling, smart queues, content calendars, and multi-platform posting to make the process more convenient for you.
- Collaboration & Team Roles: If you work on a team or have a team, features like approval workflows, user permissions, and shared calendars are critical for work efficiency.
- Analytics & Reporting: Choose a platform with deeper performance insights, audience behavior tracking, and downloadable reports to make smarter decisions.
- Social listening capabilities: Modern brands want to go beyond publishing as they want real-time monitoring. Social listening tools help you monitor mentions, keywords, and competitor activity.
- Integrations & Ecosystem: See if it integrates with your existing tech stack, CRM, email, and more, as it can dramatically improve your workflow efficiency.
- User Experience & Learning Curve: A clean, intuitive interface can drive quick adoption among your team. So, you need to test them out for usability before committing.
Is Social Media Management Tool Alone Enough to Maximize Social Strategy?
Social media management platforms are essential to streamline your whole scheduling, engagement and analytics, but they alone cannot improve your overall social media strategy on their own. It takes compelling content, targeted audience insights, and knowing the right time to post on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, TikTok and more to get maximum reach and engagement.
You need to know that a social media management tool helps you automate your posting tasks to ensure your content is visible when your audience is most likely to interact. So, you can combine the tool with your strategic plan and insights to drive real connections, engagement and results.
Wrapping It Up
The landscape of social media tools is now wider and more flexible than ever. You might be a video creator, a collaboration-driven agency or a data-driven enterprise looking for the perfect Hootsuite alternative.
The platforms we listed out each have their own perks like custom publishing, listening, analytics, and great team workflows. So, explore them to see if it fits your needs and upgrade to a smarter social media management tool that saves time, drives engagement and grows with your brand.
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Haripriya is a Digital Marketer skilled in video editing tools and social media strategy, focused on boosting social media engagement and driving meaningful brand interactions online.
This article really helped me find the best Hootsuite alternative for my small business. I’ve started using Buffer and it’s been so much easier to manage all our platforms!
I’ve been hunting for the best Hootsuite alternative that offers strong analytics and affordable pricing. Sprout Social looks like a solid pick after reading this!