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💰 Hootsuite Alternatives That Won't Break the Bank
Hootsuite's pricing is too much for most social media marketers. Their lowest plan? $99/month.
Most small businesses and startups just can't afford that kind of monthly bill for social media scheduling.
The good news? There are 12 solid alternatives that cost way less and still give you the features you actually need. Here's the breakdown.
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1. Best for content curation & scheduling: Post Planner 🚀
Post Planner is perfect if you need an affordable way to find viral content and schedule posts.
How affordable? Post Planner starts at just $7/month (compared to Hootsuite's $99/month). That's a massive difference.
What makes it stand out: Post Planner focuses on the essentials - helping you find viral post ideas, create engaging content, and automate your posting schedule.
The catch? No social listening or DM management tools. But if you're focused on content creation and scheduling, this won't matter.
Check out this demo video to see how simple Post Planner is to use.
Key features:
Content curation to discover viral posts.
Design tools for creating visuals.
Bulk scheduling and post recycling.
AI content generator for captions and hashtags.
Mobile app for iOS and Android.
Pricing: Free plan available, paid plans start at $7/month. See full pricing.
2. Good alternative for engagement management: Buffer 📊
Buffer's clean interface makes scheduling and collaboration super intuitive.
Where it shines: Instagram. Buffer lets you create a landing page for your bio with multiple links and CTAs - perfect for turning followers into customers.
The downside? No content curation features, so you're on your own for finding posts to share.
Pricing: Free plan available with 3 accounts. Paid plans start at $5/month per channel. Check Buffer pricing.
3. Best value for enterprise features: Statusbrew 💼
Statusbrew gives you enterprise-level features for under $200/month.
Perfect for: Agencies and teams managing multiple brands who need a unified inbox, approval workflows, and advanced reporting.
Standout feature: Their unified inbox handles organic posts, paid ad comments, AND reviews all in one place.
Pricing: Plans start at $69/month (billed yearly) for 1 user and 5 profiles. Free 14-day trial available. See Statusbrew pricing.
4. Good choice for agencies: Sendible 🎯
Sendible is loaded with agency-focused features like white labeling and client collaboration tools.
Why agencies love it: Unlimited post scheduling on every plan, plus customizable white-label options for client reports.
What's missing: Limited content curation compared to Post Planner.
Pricing: Plans start at $25/month (paid annually). See Sendible pricing.
5. Good for multi-location businesses: Eclincher 🏢
Eclincher is built for multi-location businesses like healthcare clinics and retail chains.
Unique features: Business listing management, social listening, and local SEO tools (for additional cost).
The catch: Entry-level plan costs $134.08/month - more than Hootsuite's base plan. Plus, reporting features aren't included in the Standard plan.
Pricing: Plans start at $134.08/month (paid annually). Check Eclincher pricing.
6. Simple tool for scheduling: HeyOrca 📅
HeyOrca customers rave about two things: simplicity and fast customer support.
What's great: Super straightforward social calendar, unlimited users and posts on all plans, and an easy client approval system.
What's not: Gets pricey fast if you need multiple calendars. Content curation features are very limited.
Pricing: Free plan for 1 user and 10 posts. Paid plans start at $50/month per calendar. See HeyOrca pricing.
7. Budget all-in-one: Loomly 💡
Loomly is feature-heavy but way more affordable than Hootsuite for teams.
Standout feature: Post idea suggestions based on trending topics and holidays. Plus, it supports Snapchat (unlike most alternatives).
The downside: User interface looks a bit old-school, and you can't schedule recurring posts.
Pricing: Free plan available. Paid plans start at $49/month (paid annually). Check Loomly pricing.
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8. Good for scaling agencies: Planable ✨
Planable has one of the best user experiences out there for agencies managing multiple clients.
Favorite feature: AI captions generated in one click based on your image. Super fast.
What's great: Real-time collaboration, multi-step approval workflows, and you can plan blog posts and newsletters alongside social content.
What's missing: No content discovery library or automated post recycling.
Pricing: Free plan available. Paid plans start at $33/month per workspace. See Planable pricing.
9. Good choice for enterprises: SocialPilot 🏆
SocialPilot is built for social media agencies with lots of accounts to manage.
Why it works: White-label features, team collaboration tools, and reasonable pricing if you manage many accounts.
The limitation: You can only add 1 social account of each platform per brand, which is restrictive for some agencies.
Pricing: Plans start at $25.50/month (billed annually). Check SocialPilot pricing.
10. Most similar to Hootsuite: Agorapulse 🎪
Agorapulse is the closest alternative to Hootsuite in terms of features.
What you get: Social listening, inbox management, employee advocacy tools, and unlimited post scheduling on all plans.
The catch: They got rid of their free plan. Paid plans start at $79/month per user, which adds up fast for teams.
Pricing: Plans start at $79 per user/month (billed annually). 30-day free trial available. See Agorapulse pricing.
11. Best for advanced analytics: Sprout Social 📈
If you've outgrown Hootsuite's analytics, Sprout Social has everything you need - at a higher price.
Perfect for: Teams that need enterprise-grade reporting, CRM integrations, and AI insights to prove ROI.
What's included: Social listening tracking billions of conversations, unified inbox, and advanced team collaboration tools.
The downside: Way more expensive and has a steeper learning curve.
Pricing: Plans start at $199/month per seat (paid annually). Check Sprout Social pricing.
12. Best for AI-powered tools: Vista Social 🤖
Vista Social combines modern AI automation with a friendlier price tag than Hootsuite.
AI features: Built-in ChatGPT assistant for generating posts, caption prompts, content repurposing, and tone matching.
Standout tools: Automated DM and comment replies with trigger keywords, plus social listening across networks.
What's great: Supports 15+ platforms, including Threads and YouTube Shorts. Clean interface that's easy to navigate.
Pricing: Plans start at $64/month (paid annually) for 15 profiles and 5 users. See Vista Social pricing.
How to choose your Hootsuite alternative 🤔
Consider these factors:
1. Which platforms do you use? Make sure your tool supports Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, and any other networks you manage.
2. How many users and accounts? Pricing jumps with more users, so think about your team size and client roster.
3. What features do you actually need? Do you need social listening, analytics, content curation, or just basic scheduling?
4. Ease of use matters. The more features a tool has, the bigger the learning curve. Don't pay for complexity you won't use.
5. Test before you commit. Most tools offer free trials - actually connect your accounts and try the features, don't just look around.
The bottom line ⚡
Hootsuite isn't your only option - and it's definitely not the most affordable.
Post Planner is the best value if you focus on content curation and scheduling at just $7/month.
Buffer and Vista Social are solid if you need more advanced features but want to stay under $100/month.
Sprout Social and Agorapulse make sense for enterprises that need the full suite of tools.
The key? Match the tool to your actual needs - not just the longest feature list.
That’s all for today. Thanks for reading. Now…
Go BIG or go home!
~ Josh from “This Week in Social Media”
Disclaimer: Some links may be affiliate links that pay us commissions.
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