Last Updated on January 18, 2024 by Ewen Finser
If you are fed up with Hootsuite and looking for a better social media management (and automation) tool, you’ve come to the right place.
10 years ago, I loved the capabilities Hootsuite brought to the table. It was a game changer then. But, the game has changed.
While Hootsuite has added many new features, there’s now a cornucopia of new social media tools out there. I like many of them better than Hootsuite (and no longer use Hootsuite personally).
Some of the top reasons to consider a Hootsuite alternative:
- Lack of features. Hootsuite is an impressive tool, but doesn’t offer some key extra features that many of my recommendations below, do.
- Better user interfaces. Hootsuite is a bit overly complex for what it can be and it’s fairly apparent after testing other tools.
- Sensible pricing for teams & reporting. Hootsuite can get incredibly expensive for large teams OR if you need to understand more about your performance. There’s just better, less expensive options out there.
- Better support for more social media platforms. It’s not just the NUMBER of platforms supported, but the unique capabilities for each.
- Improved content curation features. With the advent of AI, content curation (either from your own library or others) is one of the rapidly evolving features of modern social media distribution platforms. Hootsuite just seems a bit stale in this regard.
SO, with all this being said, here’s my 11 (because odd numbers are more viral!) alternatives to Hootsuite worth switching to:
1. Later: Best for Visual Platforms
I think Later stands out in the social media management space for its visual content calendar and user-friendly design.
Put simply, it simplifies and streamlines my process of planning and scheduling content, particularly for visually-focused platforms like Instagram and TikTok.
Later excels in allowing users to see a visual preview of their Instagram feed before posting, which is a key differentiator from Hootsuite, and its drag-and-drop functionality makes rescheduling content a breeze.
If you need a good VISUAL social media manager for crafting eye-catching social promotions on Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest, my go-to is Later. Other tools make it really hard to get a similar high level visual overview of your plans.
Why Later is better than Hootsuite:
- Visual Content Planning: Later provides a visual content calendar, which lets users drag and drop images to schedule posts, creating a cohesive Instagram feed aesthetic.
- Instagram-Focused Features: Later offers Instagram-specific tools such as Linkin.bio, which turns your feed into a clickable, shoppable landing page, whereas Hootsuite’s features are more generalized across platforms.
- User-Friendly Interface: Later’s interface is cleaner and more intuitive, which can be easier for beginners to navigate compared to Hootsuite’s more complex dashboard.
- Linkin.Bio Support: This is a key gap with Hootsuite that Later feels nicely with a native (free) integration with Linkin.Bio to easily funnel traffic from your Instagram or TikTok profile.
- Affordable Pricing: Later has a free tier that is quite robust, and its paid plans tend to be more affordable than Hootsuite’s, making it accessible for small businesses and individual entrepreneurs.
Main Drawbacks:
- No Social Listening Tools: Unlike Hootsuite, Later does not offer social listening tools, which can be helpful for bands monitoring their brand mentions and industry trends.
Further Read: Later vs Hootsuite compared directly.
2. Sendible: Best Budget Alternative
Sendible is a top-notch alternative to Hootsuite, especially for businesses that manage multiple social media platforms. Sendible offers a full array of social media management functionality that can power your entire strategy.
Why Sendible is better than Hootsuite:
- Full Suite for All Platforms: Comprehensive social media management functionality.
- Broad Support: Supports multiple social networks including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok.
- Scheduling Advantages: Advanced scheduling functionality including social calendar and content libraries.
- Super Useful Reporting Interfaces: Powerful reporting and analytics functionality.
- More Affordable Pricing: Sensibly priced with excellent value for money ($29/month for solo creators and team pricing starts at $89/month for up to 4 users).
- Mobile App: Easy to use mobile app for on-the-go management.
Main Drawbacks:
- Busy Interface: The interface might be overwhelming for beginners.
- Limited Report Flexibility: Limited customization options for reports.
Sendible Compared to Peers:
3. SocialBee: Best for Multi Accounts
SocialBee stands out as a fantastic social media scheduling tool and is a significant upgrade from Hootsuite’s publishing functionality and a cost effective platform for multi-brand management (agencies or portfolios).
Why SocialBee is better than Hootsuite:
- Better Scheduling Features: More in-depth functionality for social media scheduling with rules or manual overrides, content categories, and bulk RSS feed-based scheduling.
- Instant Content Curation Ideas: Advanced content curation features.
- Early AI Adopter: AI-powered tools for generating post plans, timing sends, and captions
- TikTok Friendly: Supports TikTok video scheduling.
- Multi Account Management: If you have lots of different brands, SocialBee has one of the best unified dashboards for managing ALL brands and channels without having to log in and out of accounts.
- Great Team Management: With approval workflows built for multi-member teams, specifically.
Main Disadvantages:
- Limited Listening: Limited social listening capabilities
- Short on Analytics: Lacks comprehensive analytics and reporting features
SocialBee Competitors Compared:
4. Pallyy
Pallyy is a budget-friendly alternative to Hootsuite that offers capabilities for scheduling, analytics, reporting, and a social inbox.
Why it’s better than Hootsuite:
- Better Pricing: More affordable pricing tiers (and per user costs) with a better user interface.
- TikTok Friendly: Fully Supports TikTok scheduling, including video.
- Social Inbox: Pally basically creates an inbox for all of your social media comments, so you can work through them similar to an email inbox interface (and not miss anything).
- Easy to Use: Slick user interface and excellent workflow for scheduling content.
- Bio Tool: Bio link tool with button & grid views for traffic driving.
Top Disadvantages:
- Captions & Teams Limitations: AI captions and team accounts available only as add-ons
5. Metricool
Metricool is a unique alternative to Hootsuite as it combines social media management and ad management into one platform.
Why it’s better than Hootsuite:
- Ad Management Integration: Offers features for social media and ad management in one platform.
- Bio Link Tool: Unique features like bio link tool with post composer.
- Wide Network Integration: Supports a wide range of social networks including YouTube.
- Great for Gaming: Metricool supports YouTube AND Twitch, making it a great social media management platform for gaming / nerd based businesses.
- Social Inbox: Also has the social inbox feature.
Main Disadvantages:
- Limited Social Inbox: I felt the social inbox was a bit more limited compared to others on this list.
- Not Team Friendly: No support for team collaboration features a the lower pricing tiers, which is odd given the broad platform capabilities (hard to imagine a single operator managing all of this).
6. ContentStudio
ContentStudio is another robust social media management tool that goes beyond what Hootsuite offers in terms of features and affordability.
Why it’s better than Hootsuite:
- Wide Platform Integrations & Capabilities: Comprehensive platform with advanced features for managing social media.
- Slightly Better Pricing: More affordable with excellent value for money.
- More Advanced Calendar Planning: Advanced calendar view with multiple viewing options.
- AI Writer: Built-in fully featured AI writer.
- Built for Teams: Specifically built for larger teams and enterprises, with excellent team access and collaboration features (like team assignments).
Disadvantages:
- Complicated Interface: Interface might be overwhelming for beginners compared to Hootsuite.
- Limited Social Listening: Limited social listening capabilities.
7. Sprout Social
Sprout Social is a comprehensive social media tool best suited to large teams and enterprise companies.
Why it’s better than Hootsuite:
- Better Automation: Offers advanced features like chatbots and automation tools.
- Large Enterprise Positioning: Better suited for larger businesses and enterprise customers.
- Unified Dashboards: Unified social inbox and powerful scheduling functionality.
- Custom Workflows: Idealy for larger, multi-role teams and strategies.
Disadvantages:
- Price: More expensive than other tools and might not be less expensive than Hootsuite, depending on your setup.
- Not for Solo Creators: Not suitable for small businesses or individuals.
8. Iconosquare
Although not an all-in-one social media tool like Hootsuite, Iconosquare focuses more on analytics and reporting, making it an excellent choice for Instagram and Facebook management.
Why it’s better than Hootsuite:
- Analytics First: Focus on analytics and reporting, allowing teams to measure results (great for agencies and client management).
- Strong Instagram & Facebook Usability: Excellent Instagram and Facebook management capabilities.
- Workflows: Unique workflow for post publishing, also ideal for multi-role team collaboration.
Core Drawbacks:
- Price: More expensive than other tools, may not be cheaper than Hootsuite based on your plan (although can depend on user count).
- More Narrow Focus: Limited support for other social networks like Pinterest and YouTube.
9. Crowdfire
Crowdfire is an affordable Hootsuite alternative that excels at content curation. It’s an all-in-one social media tool with a minimalist interface that’s easy to use.
Why it’s better than Hootsuite:
- Better Value: More affordable with a good amount of functionality.
- Content Ideas: Excellent content curation capabilities, this is one of my favorite things about Crowdfire (discovering content to share).
- Built-in Flexibility: Flexible publishing and scheduling functionality.
- Social Inbox: Capable unified social inbox for easier management.
- Mobile App: Plenty of features for mobile management when you can’t access a desktop screen.
Disadvantages:
- Limited Data: Data retention is limited compared to other social media management tools.
- Limited Support: Email support is not available on lower plans.
10. Tailwind
Tailwind is a social media tool that specializes in Pinterest and Instagram, making it a unique alternative to Hootsuite.
Why it’s better than Hootsuite:
- Pinterest Power Tool: Specializes in Pinterest and Instagram (visual mediums).
- Advanced Scheduling Logic: Powerful social media scheduling for mapping out an entire Pinterest or Instagram strategy to run on autopilot.
- Unique Communities Feature: Unique features like Tailwind Communities for growing your Pinterest audience.
Disadvantages:
- Just for Pinterest and Instagram: No real support for other networks.
- Limited Social Listening: Not the tool for gathering industry trends or account feedback.
Tailwind Compared to Peers:
11. Buffer
Buffer has a simple free scheduling tool (up to 3 channels) that supports popular social networks. It includes a limited free plan, making it ideal for those new to social media tools and is a great “downgrade” if you need to cut expenses with Hootsuite.
Why it’s better than Hootsuite:
- Simplicity: Simple social scheduling and analytics
- Free to Use: Limited free plan for 1 user, 3 social profiles, and 10 scheduled posts
- Easy: Intuitive user interface
- Per Channel Pricing: Depending on HOW you use social media, this could be a significant cost savings compared to Hootsuite (but probably not for agencies) as it’s a # of channels vs users (unlimited on the $12/per channel pricing schedule) tradeoff.
Disadvantages:
- Limited Overall: Limited in terms of the number of posts you can queue up on the free plan.
- Listening: No social listening capabilities
Buffer Compared to Peers:
Final Thoughts on Hootsuite Alternatives
So there you have it, my top alternatives to Hootsuite worth trying. If you are still stuck, here’s how I’d narrow it down based on common use cases:
- Need a better UX for Instagram or TikTok? Definitely go with Later here, it’s just better built for these use cases.
- Need to manage MANY brand accounts in one interface? I personally like SocialBee for managing all of my brands in one place.
- Want similar social integrations, but with less recurring cost? Sendible is a great value for the money here.