Best Hootsuite Alternatives in 2026: 6 Tools Compared on Price
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Updated November 4, 2026. Prices are from each tool's own pricing page on that date.
What is the best Hootsuite alternative? Buffer is the cheapest switch (a free plan for 3 channels, paid from $5 a month per channel), Metricool is the best value if you want analytics too, Sprout Social is the closest match for a larger team, and Blaze fits if you want the posts made as well as scheduled. Hootsuite's paid plans start at $99 a month for Standard, with a 14-day trial and no free plan, so most of these cost less.
Hootsuite alternatives compared
| Tool | Starting price | Free plan | Free trial | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buffer | $5 a month per channel (Essentials) | Yes, 3 channels | 14 days | Lowest cost, most networks |
| Metricool | from $20 a month billed yearly ($25 monthly) | Yes, 1 brand, 20 posts a month | Not listed | Scheduling plus analytics on a budget |
| Later | $18.75 a month, billed yearly | No | 14 days | Instagram and TikTok first |
| SocialBee | $29 a month ($24 billed yearly) | No | 14 days | Recycling evergreen posts |
| Sprout Social | $79 per seat a month billed yearly ($99 monthly) | No | 30 days | Larger teams that need reports |
| Blaze | $79 a month | No | 7 days, no card | AI that makes the posts and schedules them |
| Hootsuite | $99 a month (Standard); Professional $199; Advanced $399 | No | 14 days | Big teams with many accounts |
Why people leave Hootsuite
- Price. Standard starts at $99 a month and Advanced reaches $399. A small business posting to a few accounts can pay far less.
- No free plan. Hootsuite offers a 14-day trial; Buffer and Metricool have free plans.
- They want help making posts. Hootsuite schedules what you bring. Blaze writes and designs the posts first.
Buffer
The cheapest way to schedule. The free plan covers 3 channels with 10 scheduled posts each. Essentials is $5 a month per channel ($60 a year per channel) and Team is $10, with unlimited team members. Buffer lists 12 networks, including Pinterest, Threads, Bluesky and Mastodon.
Metricool
Scheduling and analytics together. The free plan covers 1 brand, 20 scheduled posts a month and 30 days of analytics, but not LinkedIn or X. Starter is $20 a month billed yearly or $25 monthly; X needs a paid add-on.
Later
Built around Instagram's visual grid. Starter is $18.75 a month billed yearly for 1 social set of 8 profiles and 1 user; Growth is $37.50 for 2 sets and 2 users.
SocialBee
Sorts posts into categories and can recycle evergreen ones. Bootstrap is $29 a month, or $24 billed yearly, for 5 profiles; Accelerate is $49 for 10.
Sprout Social
The closest like-for-like for teams that use Hootsuite's reports and inbox. Essentials is $79 per seat a month billed yearly, or $99 monthly, for 5 profiles, with a 30-day trial.
Blaze
Blaze makes the posts as well as scheduling them: posts, carousels and short videos in your brand, scheduled to Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, X, TikTok, YouTube Shorts and Google Business Profile from one calendar.
- Price: Starter $79 a month for 3 posting accounts and 1 user; Growth $149 a month for 10 accounts, unlimited users and approvals. 7-day free trial, no credit card.
- Results: an Insights tab with 7-day and 30-day highlights and history up to a year.
- From an AI assistant: the Blaze MCP server lets Claude, ChatGPT and Codex make and schedule posts.
- Limits: no free plan, no Pinterest or Threads posting, TikTok is video only.
More on how it works: what a social media scheduler does, and how Blaze schedules.
Questions people ask
Is there a free alternative to Hootsuite?
Yes. Buffer's free plan covers 3 channels, and Metricool's covers 1 brand with 20 posts a month.
What is the cheapest Hootsuite alternative?
Buffer, at $5 a month per channel after its free plan.
Which alternative is closest to Hootsuite for a big team?
Sprout Social, with reports and a shared inbox, from $79 per seat a month billed yearly.
For more tools side by side, see the social media scheduler comparison and the Buffer alternatives.