Hootsuite Alternatives Explored Amid Pricing Changes
Hootsuite discontinued its free plan in 2023, with its Standard plan now starting at $99 per month, billed annually. This pricing structure and specific feature sets are prompting many creators, entrepreneurs, and small businesses to seek alternative social media management tools. Various platforms offer different features and pricing models to suit diverse workflow, budget, and integration needs, including options for free plans or more affordable per-channel pricing for a range of users.
Hootsuite's social media management tool has a starting price of $99 per month for its Standard plan, billed annually as a lump sum of $1,188. The platform discontinued its free plan in 2023, subsequently encouraging existing users to transition to the $99 per month Standard option. This pricing has led many creators, entrepreneurs, and small businesses to explore alternative solutions.
Users often seek alternatives for various reasons beyond budget concerns. These include a desire for more in-depth or user-friendly analytics, simpler scheduling and engagement workflows, and less cluttered interfaces. Some users also require broader platform coverage, including support for newer networks like Threads, Bluesky, or Mastodon, or integrated AI tools for content generation and repurposing.
Several social media management tools are available as alternatives, each catering to different needs. Buffer, for example, offers a robust free plan and paid options starting at $6 per channel per month, targeting creators and small teams. Later focuses on visual-first planning and aesthetic grid management, with trials available before plans starting at $25 per user per month.
For agencies and teams requiring task-based collaboration, Sendible offers a 14-day free trial followed by plans from $29 per month. Metricool provides competitor monitoring and best-time-to-post insights, with a free tier for up to 20 posts per month before paid plans begin at $25 per month.
CoSchedule is designed for teams managing blogs, newsletters, and social media within a single calendar, offering a free profile option and paid plans starting at $29 per user per month. Larger teams needing CRM integration, advanced social listening, and comprehensive reports might consider Sprout Social, which offers a 30-day trial before plans begin at $199 per user per month. Agorapulse also targets marketing teams, providing social listening and Google Analytics integration, with a 30-day trial preceding $99 per month plans.
According to Buffer Resources, these alternatives often provide significant cost savings and specialized features compared to Hootsuite's current pricing structure.
