13 Best Hootsuite Alternatives for 2024 (Free and Paid)
We have done the research needed to find the best Hootsuite alternatives so that you don’t have to.
Hootsuite is a well-known, heavily marketed, platform for managing social media accounts. Although Hootsuite offers valuable features, smaller businesses may benefit from exploring Hootsuite alternatives.
Selecting the right social media management tool is a big decision that can shape your business’s success. Since you are familiar with Hootsuite we are going to talk about those tools that have everything Hootsuite has.
Join us as we look closer at best top competitors to Hootsuite, understand why opinions are shifting, and consider other options that match the fast-paced world of modern business.
Hootsuite Alternatives - Reasons to switch or stay
To ensure that this comparison provides you with the most accurate and reliable insights, I, as the founder of RecurPost, personally conducted a thorough review of every Hootsuite review posted by users over the past 12 months.
I compiled a detailed list of both positive and negative feedback. Furthermore, I recognize that reviews can sometimes be emotionally charged. I carefully verified each point for accuracy. This rigorous approach allowed me to clearly identify eight areas where Hootsuite excels and eight areas where it falls short. This evaluation is grounded in factual evidence and firsthand user experiences.
What Users Appreciate About Hootsuite:
If you are switching to a Hootsuite competitor, it must have these features at the very least.
- Supports Multiple Networks: Users value the ability to manage multiple social media platforms from Hootsuite’s unified dashboard. This feature simplifies the complexity of handling various accounts, making it a go-to tool for social media efficiency.
- Owly Writer: This feature helps users optimize their content for social media using AI, ensuring that posts are engaging and likely to resonate with their audience.
- Bulk Composer: The bulk scheduling feature is a time-saver for busy social media managers, allowing for efficient planning and posting across different platforms.
- Powerful Social Analytics: Users commend Hootsuite for its robust analytics capabilities that offer deep insights into post performance and audience engagement.
- Competition Analytics: The ability to monitor competitors’ activities helps users strategize more effectively and identify unique opportunities for differentiation.
- Easy to Follow Calendar: The intuitive calendar interface makes it easy for users to organize and schedule posts, providing a clear view of content distribution over time.
- Post Time Suggestion: By suggesting the best times to post based on audience activity, Hootsuite helps increase the likelihood of higher engagement rates.
- Post Customization: Users appreciate the ability to customize their posts for different social media platforms directly from Hootsuite, enhancing the relevance and impact of their content. In short, share one post but with different captions for each platform.
Areas Where Hootsuite Could Improve:
Keep in mind that these complaints come from Hootsuite users directly. A competitor to Hootsuite should do better than these.
- Mobile App Usability: The mobile app is often described as less user-friendly than the desktop version, which can hinder social media management on the go.
- Performance Issues with Streams: Users experience delays and lags in streams, impacting real-time interaction with the audience.
- Pricing Concerns: Many find Hootsuite’s pricing to be on the higher side, especially with the lack of a middle-tier option that fits between a single user ($99 a month) and Team ($249 a month).
- Sudden Pricing Changes: Unexpected changes in pricing can disrupt budgeting plans, causing frustration among long-term users.
- Image Selection Issues: There are difficulties with automatically picking the right image from links, which can affect the visual appeal of posts.
- Customer Support Responsiveness: Slow response times from customer support can be a major pain point, especially when urgent issues arise.
- Feature Removals: The removal of certain features, such as streams for Amplify, can negatively affect user workflows and satisfaction.
- Lack of Direct Customer Service Options: The absence of phone or video support options limits the immediacy and effectiveness of customer service interactions.
Best Hootsuite alternatives
RecurPost is an exceptional social media management tool, positioning itself as a leading Hootsuite alternative since 2016. The combination of its feature set and pricing structure sets it apart, making it an attractive option for businesses looking to optimize their social media strategies without incurring excessive costs.
RecurPost’s standout features are
Large businesses, Organizations
$149
Per Month
- Prohibitively expensive
- Limited integration choices
- Limited content curation capabilities
- Lack of repeated posting and scheduling
- Missing social inbox functionality​
- No Google Business Profile
They may advertise $99 per month, but that is only if you pay for the year upfront.
Individuals, businesses, Agencies
$25
Per Month
- Budget-Friendly Adaptive Plans
- Wide range of integration option
- Comprehensive content curation
- Repeated posting and scheduling
- Included social inbox
- Precise audience targeting
No credit card required
RecurPost v/s Hootsuite
What Users Appreciate About Hootsuite and How RecurPost Compares:
Supports Multiple Networks: Like Hootsuite, RecurPost allows you to manage multiple social media platforms from one dashboard. RecurPost supports Google Business Profile which is missing in Hootsuite.
Owly Writer (AI Content Optimization): RecurPost’s AI content generator can write viral captions as well as generate scroll stopping media.
Bulk Composer: RecurPost is the only tool that support bulk upload using CSV as well as manually uploading images and videos in bulk. Hootsuite only supports CSV.
Powerful Social Analytics: RecurPost provides detailed analytics that give you insights into post performance and audience engagement, similar to Hootsuite’s offerings.
Competition Analytics: RecurPost doesn’t currently offer competition analytics.
Easy to Follow Calendar: RecurPost’s content calendar is easy to use and can be shared with third parties via email or via a link.
Post Time Suggestion: RecurPost helps optimize your posting schedule by suggesting the best times to post based on when your audience is most active, aiming to maximize engagement.
Post Customization: RecurPost supports customizing posts for different platforms, allowing you to share one post with tailored captions for each platform, enhancing relevance and engagement.
Addressing Hootsuite’s Areas for Improvement:
Mobile App Usability: RecurPost has a full featured mobile apps for both Android and iOS. You can manage your RecurPost account on the go.
Performance Issues with Streams: RecurPost ensures smoother performance with minimal lags or delays, enhancing real-time interaction with your audience. We also have the highest post success rate in the industry. No more account disconnections or post failures.
Pricing Concerns: RecurPost plans grow with your business. You can start small and then add or remove additional social profiles, content etc. as you need them.
Sudden Pricing Changes: RecurPost has never changed its pricing for its existing users. Hootsuite raised pricing by as much as 10X which was missed by many users for first many charges.
Image Selection Issues: RecurPost picks the right image from your links every time.
Customer Support Responsiveness: We always have human support agents for your help. Our AI helps you over the weekends.
Feature Removals: RecurPost focuses on stability and reliability, maintaining key features that users depend on for their social media management. We have never removed a feature that people were using.
Lack of Direct Customer Service Options: RecurPost offers comprehensive customer service, including direct phone and video support options to address users’ needs promptly.
By addressing both the strengths and shortcomings of Hootsuite, RecurPost aims to provide a robust alternative for users seeking a reliable and user-friendly social media management tool.
In addition to these, we have many other features that make us a better alternative to Hootsuite.
Features
Content categorization
Tweet variations
Google alerts
Bulk scheduling
RSS feeds
Import updates from other tools
Repeated posting
Social inbox
Pause and resume social accounts
CSV support
Chrome plugin
Best for:Â Agencies and businesses of all sizes
Free Trial:Â 14 day free trial
Pricing:Â Starts at $32 (Yearly discount available, $27/mo)
Flexibility:Â Add-ons available at additional fee
NapoleonCat is known for its automation capabilities along with its convenient social inbox. You can automate some conversations so that your customers get quick responses to repetitive questions, and you get time to focus on messages that actually need your personal attention.
Key features
- One inbox for all social channels
- Dynamic social media automation
- Multiple team collaboration features
- Social media scheduling
- Analytics and automated reporting
- Social listening
NapoleonCat v/s Hootsuite
Both NapoleonCat and Hootsuite are all-rounder social media management platforms, but they are still different. Most importantly, NapoleonCat’s advantage is social media customer service automation in addition to traditional social media marketing abilities
The platform provides an entire range of social media profiles management and social customer service features, which makes it a better HootSuite alternative. Unlike HootSuite, NapoleonCat allows you to schedule automated social media reports, analyze your competitors, and adjust the pricing to your needs.
Best for:Â Cater to everyone with two separate sets of 3 plans
Free Trial: 14 day free trial
Pricing:Â Starts at $29 for individuals, $179 for agencies
Flexibility:Â No add-ons, need to upgrade plan to accommodate growth
While Social Bee qualifies to be among the social media management tools, it focuses more on content than scheduling. SocialBee is a social media management tool that is about scheduling posts on multiple social media networks and analyzing their performance later. It comes with its own mobile application so that you can do social media management on the move. You can assign posts into categories, making it easy for you to schedule different types of posts. This feature makes SocialBee a huge timesaver. The tool also notifies you when you run out of scheduled posts or if something goes wrong.
Key features
- Analytics
- Content Creation & Management
- Third-party Integrations
- Content Categories
- Content Recycling
- Content Management
SocialBee v/s Hootsuite
If you are looking for a budget-friendly Hootsuite alternative that provides all the features and support needed for automating your mundane workflow, SocialBee is an easy choice to make. With SocialBee you will get access to features like hashtag collections and content categories that are missing in Hootsuite’s offerings. Also, you get customer support for all the plans with SocialBee.
Check out how RecurPost is one of the best SocialBee alternatives.
Best for:Â Individuals and Small Businesses
Free Trial:Â 7-days
Pricing:Â Starts at $29.99 (Yearly discount available $24.91)
Flexibility:Â No, need to buy another account if you manage 5+ social profiles
Key features
- Social publishing
- Campaign planning
- Workflow management
- Content libraries
- Shared social media inbox
- Campaign optimization
MeetEdgar v/s Hootsuite
When compared to Hootsuite, MeetEdgar is a much more sophisticated social media management platform. This tool will automatically fetch content from your website, creating a huge pool of customized content for you. Whereas with Hootsuite, you will have to put the content in on your own and schedule social posts manually to publish content.
There is also the content recycling ability which is missing in Hootsuite. Additionally, MeetEdgar has a simple UI overall paired with AI integrations for intuition-based posting abilities. MeetEdgar supports most of the visual social media platforms, but it misses YouTube. Hootsuite, on the other hand, misses social media channels too, e.g. they do not support posting on Google Business profile.
You can also check how RecurPost happens to be one of the best MeetEdgar alternatives with a detailed comparison.
Best for:Â Small businesses and individuals
Free Trial:Â Available for 30-days
Pricing:Â Starts at $69 (Discount on yearly plan $49)
Flexibility:Â Add-ons available but expensive ($15/mo for each extra profile).
You are bound to come across Agorapulse if you are working in the space of social media scheduling. This Hootsuite alternative comes with some solid features that will help you out with managing your social media presence. Agorapulse has made a great name for itself in the social media marketing domain in a short time.
When you choose Agorapulse as your social media management tool you get a unified social inbox, intuitive publishing, social listening, and detailed analytics with Agorapulse. It supports publishing on Pinterest, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook. You can also schedule tweets with this.
Key features
- Social media calendar
- Compatibility for Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook.
- Keyword and hashtag monitoring
- Unified inbox for viewing, replying to, and assigning comments
- Follower profiling
- Comment moderation
- Social listening
Agorapulse v/s Hootsuite
The bulk uploading options that come with Agorapulse will beat Hootsuite any day. You can seamlessly manage social interactions in your channels easily with the unified inbox feature. Additionally, Agorapulse has a clutter-free dashboard that will add up to user convenience.
RecurPost happens to be one of the top Agorapulse alternatives and you can see the reasons for yourself by going through our RecurPost vs. Agorapulse comparison table.
Best for:Â Individuals and small businesses
Free Trial:Â 14 day free trial
Pricing:Â Starts at $29/mo (Discount on yearly plan, $25/mo)
Flexibility:Â You can buy multiple plans by adding new users to your plan
Key features
- Social listening
- Content calendar
- Unified inbox
- Custom reporting
- Team collaboration
- Social media publishing
- Bulk scheduling of posts and RSS Feed
- Generation of leads through Social CRM
Sendible v/s Hootsuite
Best for:Â Small businesses mostly
Free Trial:Â 14 day free trial, the free plan makes it a free Hootsuite alternative
Pricing:Â Starts at $18/mo (Discount on yearly plan $15/mo) for publishing only
Flexibility:Â Each additional social profile is $5/mo, no extension on free plan
Key features
- Comprehensive feed for every social network
- Free plan with 3 social media profiles for a network up to 10 scheduled posts available
- Supports many major social accounts like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Pinterest
- Ability to re-buffer published posts
- Content creation using RSS feeds
- Visual calendar
- Social listening
Buffer v/s Hootsuite
Both the tools have very similar dashboards but Buffer does not display notifications for direct messages or comments. Making use of Buffer will be more beneficial when you want to create publishing schedules for varied social channels. You can always use these schedules and add content on a regular basis. Hootsuite has a similar feature too but it is limited to a single schedule only.
Hootsuite vs Buffer are two popular social media management platforms, each with features and capabilities. To determine the best option for your needs, carefully weigh the benefits and drawbacks of both platforms.
If you are looking for other valuable Buffer alternatives, you can check out the detailed comparison of RecurPost vs. Buffer | Buffer vs. Zoho Social .
Best for:Â Marketing agencies and small businesses
Free Trial:Â 14 day free trial
Pricing:Â Starts at $30 (Discount on yearly plan $25.50)
Flexibility:Â No, you need to upgrade to a higher plan
Key features
- Bulk scheduling
- In-depth Analytics
- Content Curation
- White label reporting
- CRM integration
- Team Collaboration
Social Pilot v/s Hootsuite
If you compare these tools on the most basic grounds like price-point, you will see that Social Pilot plans are cheaper than Hootsuite. Also, Social Pilot delivers enterprise-level support for free in every plan. You are free to reach out for help whenever you want. However, Hootsuite charges an extra fee if a customer needs priority support in case of an emergency.
When it comes to user experience, Social Pilot wins because its UI is simple as well as intuitive. Hootsuite does not have such a UI. When it comes to the real time queues for your social media pages, Social pilot offers limited features.
RecurPost happens to be one of the top SocialPilot alternatives. Both products originate from the same state and are challenging the incumbents.Â
Best for:Â Large businesses and enterprise
Free Trial:Â Available for 30-days
Pricing:Â Starts at $249
Flexibility:Â Each additional user is at least $199
Key features
- Reporting/Analytics
- Campaign Management
- Reporting & Statistics
- API
- Activity Dashboard
- Third Party Integrations
- Social Listening
Sprout Social v/s Hootsuite
With SproutSocial, you will get access to a few powerful features like scheduling, team collaboration, and an inbox. The most famous sub-task function with approvals is its CRM capability. Just like other Hootsuite competitors, this tool also offers analytics and reporting. SproutSocial is much more capable than publishing and scheduling. You can post and save your media, including photos and videos on the platform.Â
Check out how RecurPost is one of the best Sprout Social alternatives.
Best for:Â For medium as well as small businesses
Free Trial:Â Available for the first 50 postsÂ
Pricing:Â Starts at $11/user plus $17 per workspace
Flexibility:Â Add more users to expand your plan
Key features
- Social Publishing
- Social Engagement
- Social Ads
- Campaign Planning
- Content Calendar
- Content Library
- Approval Workflows
- Basic social listening
Planable v/s Hootsuite
Best for:Â Caters to everyone, focused on small businesses
Free Trial:Â Available for 14-days
Pricing:Â Starts at $18 (Discount on yearly plan $15)
Flexibility:Â Add-ons available to accommodate business growth
Key features
- Render a personalized touch to curated content
- Built-in content calendar for easy planning and scheduling of content.
- Increase sales by driving more traffic to your site
- Reporting features with insightful metrics
Later v/s Hootsuite
When we compare Later and Hootsuite, you should know that Hootsuite is a very powerful tool for enterprise social media management. However, if you want an alternative to Hootsuite that is effortless in usage, you should go for Later. With Hootsuite, you will end up paying for a bunch of complicated integrations that you might not even use. Later is designed to save you significant time and effort. Also, scheduling with Later is smarter, there is a visual Instagram planner, and you can also schedule stories on Instagram.
Check out how RecurPost is one of the best Later alternatives.
Best for:Â Plans for 1, 3, 10, and 25 social profiles
Free Trial:Â Available for 7-days
Pricing:Â Starts at $5 for one social profile
Flexibility:Â Add-ons available to accommodate business growth
Key features
- Automated Publishing
- Automated Scheduling
- Campaign Analytics
- File Management
- Group Management
- Post Scheduling
- Categorization/Grouping
Post Planner v/s Hootsuite
Meta Business Suite can be the ultimate control centre for your business page. It combines all your performance data, messages, and content in a single place. The tool gives you a comprehensive view of your most recent Facebook posts and their performance, the overall performance of your page, and new activity and notifications from your followers. You can also schedule Facebook posts, create and publish posts directly from the platform, and manage all your Facebook content assets. Only consider Facebook creator studio in the list of Hootsuite alternatives if you only manage social media accounts powered by Meta, which in future we hope includes threads.
Key features
- Schedule Facebook stories
- Schedule posts
- Upload a video
- Upload multiple videos into a playlist
- Go live
- Publish a video across multiple pages
Facebook Creator Studio v/s Hootsuite
Take your best pick for Hootsuite alternatives here!
Bye Bye Hootsuite! Welcome to the social media management built for You!
Conclusion
This was our careful curation of Hootsuite alternatives that will help you master your social media marketing in no time. Putting your money and effort into a competent social media management tool is very important if you want to tackle the present-day challenges in digital marketing. You should choose RecurPost as the Hootsuite alternative, but if you pick anything based on our recommendation you will be in good hands. All the tools listed here have features to support your social media team.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why Should I Consider Alternatives to Hootsuite?
You might seek Hootsuite alternatives for more intuitive user interfaces, better pricing, specific features like advanced scheduling options, or more robust collaboration and approval systems. Alternatives like Heyorca, Planable, RecurPost, and SocialBee offer unique features that cater to these needs, including visual content calendars, extensive social media analytics, and streamlined team collaboration tools.
What Features Should I Look for in a Hootsuite Alternative?
Look for features that address your specific pain points with Hootsuite. This could include a more user-friendly interface, better collaboration tools, efficient content scheduling, advanced analytics, affordability, or the ability to handle multiple client workspaces efficiently. For example, Planable offers a clean UI and a multi-level approval system, while SocialBee supports posting to Google Business Profile and provides AI-powered content creation and RecurPost offers both and more making it a great alternative to Hootsuite.
How Can I Manage Multiple Client Accounts More Effectively?
Choose a platform that offers multiple client workspaces, allowing you to manage and separate content for different clients easily. This feature, found in alternatives to Hootsuite like RecurPost, helps streamline workflows, improve organization, and enhance collaboration within your team and with clients. Also, consider a social media management tool that offers shared calendar feature to avoid back and forth emails or spreadsheets.
Is There Any Affordable Alternative to Hootsuite That Don't Compromise on Features?
Yes, many alternatives offer competitive features at a more affordable price point. For instance, RecurPost provides comprehensive social media management tools, including scheduling, analytics, and collaboration, at prices significantly lower than Hootsuite. We also offer a 14 day free trial to test our features before committing.
How much does Hootsuite cost?
The plans at Hootsuite start at $ 99 per month and go up to $ 939 per month. It has a 30-day free trial as well. If you are price sensitive find an alternative to Hootsuite that is priced more affordably.
I'm Struggling with Content Organization and Scheduling. Any Suggestions?
Opt for an alternative to Hootsuite with intuitive social media calendars and scheduling features. Tools like RecurPost offer visual content calendars, allowing you to plan, schedule, and visualize your content strategy effectively. They also support bulk scheduling and evergreen posting, making content management more efficient.
How Important Is Collaboration in Choosing a Hootsuite Alternative?
Collaboration is crucial, especially if you’re working with a team or managing social media accounts for clients. Look for Hootsuite alternatives that enhance team collaboration through features like in-app commenting, multi-level approval systems, and shared media libraries. RecurPost, for example, emphasizes collaboration and real-time feedback, making it easier to work together on social media campaigns.
What About Analytics and Reporting?
Advanced analytics and reporting are essential for tracking your social media performance and ROI. Choose a Hootsuite alternative that offers in-depth insights into your social media activity, audience engagement, and content performance. Some platforms, like SocialBee, even provide analytics for specific content categories, helping you understand what resonates with your audience.
What is the best Hootsuite alternative?
RecurPost is the best HootSuite alternative you can get your hands on, as it offers many additional features at comparatively lower costs.
What is the twitter alternative to Hootsuite?
You can use RecurPost to manage multiple Twitter accounts with ease. It also allows you to generate tweet variations so that you can share the same message repeatedly without worrying about violating the Twitter rules.
Is analytics free on HootSuite?
No, Hootsuite Analytics is included in the Hootsuite Professional plan. RecurPost is a much better Hootsuite alternative to it as it offers analytics in all of its plans.
What are the limitations of Hootsuite?
Some limitations of Hootsuite include limited analytics and reporting features in lower-tier plans, restrictions on the number of social profiles and team members allowed, and occasional API limitations imposed by social media platforms. RecurPost is a good alternative to HootSuite in this case.
What are HootSuite free alternatives for small business?
There aren’t many free alternatives to Hootsuite. Most of the tools will cost you money if you try to implement a full social media strategy. Some might offer a limited set of paid plan for free, but it won’t be enough for long.Â
Who are competitors of Hootsuite?
Competitors of Hootsuite include RecurPost, Buffer, Sprout Social, Metricool, SocialPilot, and CoSchedule among others.
Can you create white-label reports with HootSuite?
No, HootSuite doesn’t offer that feature. You can use RecurPost, which enables you to download white-label reports with the logo of your choice.
Check how RecurPost compares with more tools
Did you know that RecurPost is a great alternative to numerous other social media scheduling tools out there?
Here are some tools that RecurPost outshines
Postfity Alternatives
RecurPost is easily one of the top Postifity alternatives because of its high-value features. Postfity is also an alternative to Hootsuite.
Hopper Hq alternatives
If you manage one profile per social media platform then Hopper HQ can be line item in your list of social media management tools. One of the top Hopper HQ alternatives is RecurPost because it gives above-par features at a great price point.
Onlypult Alternatives
Have you come across Onlypult alternatives that can absolutely rock your social media presence? RecurPost is the best alternative to Hootsuite you will ever know.
Sprout Social Alternatives
Sprout social is one of the popular social media management tools. Your top find for the best Sprout Social alternatives could be RecurPost because it allows repeated posting.