Teams look past Hootsuite when per-user pricing multiplies across a team, when approvals sit on the third tier, or when they only need scheduling for a few channels. Most go to Sprout Social or Agorapulse for a comparable suite, to Buffer or Metricool for lower cost, and to Sendible for unlimited users.
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What each alternative does differently
1. Sprout Social
Full social suite for publishing, care, listening and reporting · United States
The nearest like-for-like suite, also priced per seat. The pricing page lists Essentials at $79 for five profiles, then Standard at $199, Professional at $299 and Advanced at $399 per seat. Premium analytics, listening and employee advocacy are paid add-ons, and the trial runs 30 days.
Switch from Hootsuite if you want a comparable full suite with a longer trial and a published ladder of tiers.
Pricing: Per seat per month on published tiers, from $79 for a five-profile Essentials plan to $399 for Advanced on annual billing, with listening, premium analytics and employee advocacy sold as add-ons. (free trial)
Full review: #4 of 16 in our ranking ·
Visit Sprout Social →
2. Agorapulse
Publishing, shared inbox and reporting for teams and agencies · France
Inbox-led, with a unified inbox on every plan. Three published tiers (Standard, Professional, Advanced) start at $79 a month, and the vendor offers a 30-day trial without a card. Enterprise depth is a Custom plan with unlimited profiles, quoted separately.
Switch from Hootsuite if you spend more time answering messages and comments than scheduling posts.
Pricing: Per user per month on published tiers, entry tier under $100 per user billed annually, each plan capped at a set number of social profiles. (free trial)
Full review: #1 of 16 in our ranking ·
Visit Agorapulse →
3. Buffer
Straightforward post scheduler billed per connected channel · United States
Priced per connected channel, not per user. A free plan covers three channels, Essentials is $5 per channel monthly, and the Team plan at $10 per channel adds unlimited members and approval workflows. It is a publishing tool, with nothing like Enterprise listening.
Switch from Hootsuite if you manage few channels, have a larger team and want approvals without per-user pricing.
Pricing: Priced per connected channel on published tiers with an entry paid plan in the single digits of dollars per channel monthly, plus a free plan for up to three channels. (free plan)
Full review: #2 of 16 in our ranking ·
Visit Buffer →
4. Sendible
Agency social tool with white-label and client approvals · United Kingdom
Agency-shaped: every plan includes unlimited users, with limits set by workspaces and profiles instead. Core is $29 a month for six profiles, Premium $199 for 42, and Elite $399 for 90. Custom branded reports begin on Premium. A 14-day trial needs no card.
Switch from Hootsuite if you run client workspaces and want to add staff without adding seat fees.
Pricing: Tiered monthly plans defined by workspaces of six social profiles each, with unlimited users on every plan, approvals from the Plus tier and white-label sold as a paid add-on on Elite and Enterprise. (free trial)
Full review: #6 of 16 in our ranking ·
Visit Sendible →
5. Metricool
Scheduling and analytics priced by brand, with a free tier · Spain
Priced by brand, not by seat, with a permanent free plan for one brand and 20 posts a month. Starter covers up to ten brands, Advanced up to 50 with team and client management. Reports export to PDF and PowerPoint.
Switch from Hootsuite if you juggle many small brands and want a free or low-cost starting point.
Pricing: Tiered plans priced by number of brands, with a low entry paid tier and a permanent free plan for a single brand. (free plan)
Full review: #3 of 16 in our ranking ·
Visit Metricool →
6. SocialPilot
Budget scheduler with client management for agencies · India
Built for agencies at lower cost. The vendor lists Standard with 10 accounts and one user, and Premium with 30 accounts, three users, white-label reports and client approval workflows. Enterprise is quoted. A 14-day trial needs no card. The pricing page shows local-currency figures.
Switch from Hootsuite if you are an agency that needs white-label reports and client approvals at a lower tier.
Pricing: Tiered monthly plans priced by number of accounts and users, with low entry pricing and a free trial. (free trial)
Full review: #7 of 16 in our ranking ·
Visit SocialPilot →
7. Later
Visual planner built around Instagram and TikTok · United States
Priced by social set, which bundles eight profiles. Starter is $18.75 monthly on annual billing for one set, Growth adds approvals and an inbox at $37.50, and Scale at $82.50 adds benchmarking. Influencer marketing is a separate product, and visual planning is the focus.
Switch from Hootsuite if your channels are mostly Instagram and TikTok and you plan content visually.
Pricing: Tiered monthly plans with published prices, defined by social sets and users; influencer marketing is sold separately. (free trial)
Full review: #8 of 16 in our ranking ·
Visit Later →
8. Zoho Social
Social scheduler tied to the Zoho CRM ecosystem · India
A free plan covers one brand with six channels and one member. Approvals arrive on the Premium plan, which has three members, and agency plans cover 10 to 20 brands. A 15-day trial needs no card. It suits teams already inside the Zoho suite.
Switch from Hootsuite if you already use Zoho products and want social tools priced as part of that suite.
Pricing: Low-cost tiered plans for businesses and separate agency plans, with a free plan for a small number of channels. (free plan)
Full review: #10 of 16 in our ranking ·
Visit Zoho Social →
9. Vista Social
Scheduling, inbox and review management for agencies · United States
Profile-based tiers with users capped per plan: Professional is $99 for 15 profiles and two users, Advanced $199 for 30 and three, Scale $449 for 70 and four. Multi-stage approvals begin on Advanced, white label on Scale. Listening is a $75 monthly add-on.
Switch from Hootsuite if you want approvals at a lower price and can live with a fixed user cap.
Pricing: Published monthly plans from $99 for 15 profiles and two users up to $449 for 70 profiles and four users, 20% off annually, a quoted Enterprise tier and a 14-day trial. (free trial)
Full review: #13 of 16 in our ranking ·
Visit Vista Social →
10. Loomly
Content calendar with approvals and post previews · United States
Content-calendar approach with approvals on every plan. Starter is $49 a month on annual billing for 12 social accounts and three users, Beyond is $249 for 60 accounts and unlimited users. The jump between those tiers is steep. Nonprofits get 50% off.
Switch from Hootsuite if your main need is a calendar with an approval step for a small team.
Pricing: Published tiers priced by social accounts and users, entry plan under $50 per month billed annually with a steep jump to the next tier, free trial. (free trial)
Full review: #11 of 16 in our ranking ·
Visit Loomly →
11. SocialBee
Category-based scheduler with evergreen post recycling · Romania
Category-based scheduling with plans by profile count. Bootstrap is $24 monthly on annual billing for five profiles, Accelerate adds a post approval system at $40.80 for ten, and Pro covers 25 profiles over five workspaces. A 30-day money-back guarantee applies.
Switch from Hootsuite if you are a small business that wants recurring content queues at a low monthly cost.
Pricing: Tiered monthly plans by number of profiles and workspaces, low entry price, free trial. (free trial)
Full review: #9 of 16 in our ranking ·
Visit SocialBee →
12. Sprinklr Social
Enterprise customer experience platform with social management · United States
An enterprise platform across 30 or more channels with listening, compliance checks and employee advocacy. The vendor page gives no price and asks you to contact sales. It is the move for global teams with governance needs, and heavier than a mid-market publishing tool.
Switch from Hootsuite if you are a large organization that needs governance and compliance across many regions.
Pricing: Quote-only annual contracts, typically with implementation fees and minimum commitments. (none)
Full review: #12 of 16 in our ranking ·
Visit Sprinklr Social →
