Hootsuite Alternatives: 7 Cheaper Options Compared (2026)

We started from the reasons people leave Hootsuite in public reviews: the price for small teams, setup that takes time, and plans whose contents are hard to read. Then we looked at social media management tools in the same category and kept the ones whose pricing pages list a clear price or a free plan. Every price on this page comes from the vendor's own pricing page, checked in October 2026, and every rating and complaint links to the review page it came from.

We left out tools whose pricing pages do not show a price. If a tool you are considering is not here, check its pricing page for per-seat or per-channel billing before you compare it with Hootsuite.

• You want a free plan: Buffer (free for 3 channels), Metricool and CoSchedule all list one. Infinall AI is free with 1,000 credits a month, but on Free your posts become reminders rather than publishing by themselves.
• You are a small business on a few accounts: Buffer at $5 per month per channel is the cheapest paid option here. Later starts at $18.75 per month billed yearly.
• You run a busy shared inbox: Agorapulse and Sprout Social are the closest match to Hootsuite, with assignments, listening and reporting.
• You plan more than social posts: CoSchedule puts social and other marketing work on one calendar.
• You need the content made, not just scheduled: Infinall AI makes images, motion videos and copy from your brand, then schedules them in the Social Hub.
• You manage many client brands: Metricool prices by number of brands, from $25 per month for up to 5 brands.

Hootsuite prices per user. Its pricing page says paid plans start at $99 for Standard and range up to $399 for Advanced, billed annually, with $199 for Professional. Enterprise is priced on request. The pricing page does not show month-to-month rates, so check hootsuite.com/plans before you sign. There is no free plan: after the trial you choose a paid plan.

The alternatives charge in different ways, so compare on your own setup:

• Per channel: Buffer. Cheap for few accounts, adds up as you add channels.
• Per brand: Metricool.
• Per user or seat: Agorapulse and Sprout Social, like Hootsuite.
• Flat plan: CoSchedule and Later.
• Flat plan plus credits: Infinall AI. Pro is $10 for the first month, then $30 a month or $299 a year, with 3,000 credits a month. In India it is Rs 999 for the first month, then Rs 2,899 a month or Rs 33,999 a year. Planning, scheduling and publishing posts use no credits; making images and videos does, and you see the price before you confirm.

Hootsuite is still a strong choice for social teams that coordinate publishing and customer care across many networks. Its Standard plan manages up to 10 social accounts from one calendar with unlimited scheduling, Professional adds unlimited accounts, automated inbox replies and trend forecasting up to 90 days ahead, and Advanced adds team approvals and automatic message routing. Enterprise adds advanced listening, single sign-on and custom compliance.

If you rely on those team and listening features, most cheaper tools here will feel like a step down. Hootsuite holds 4.3 on G2 from 7439 ratings, though only 1.9 on SaaSworthy from 508 ratings. Switch when you are paying for seats and features you do not use.

1. List the accounts you manage and how many people need to log in. This tells you whether per-channel, per-brand or per-seat pricing is cheaper for you.
2. Export or note your scheduled posts in Hootsuite before your renewal date.
3. Start the new tool on its free plan or trial and connect one account first.
4. Rebuild your next two weeks of posts there and check they publish.
5. Move the rest of your accounts, then cancel Hootsuite before it renews.