The best Hootsuite alternatives in 2026, by what you need
Hootsuite starts at $99 per user a month with no free plan. Ten alternatives compared on price, free plans, approvals and networks, from vendors' own pages.
Short answer
For a cheaper all-round scheduler, look at Buffer, Metricool or Publer. For a team inbox like Hootsuite's, Agorapulse or Sprout Social. For client approval without a login, Metricool, Agorapulse or PostDaily. For Facebook and Instagram only, Meta Business Suite is free. Hootsuite starts at $99 per user a month, with no free plan.
People leave Hootsuite for one of three reasons: the price per person, the jump to Advanced at $399 per user for approvals, or because they only use a fraction of it. The right alternative depends on which. Every price below was read on each vendor's own pricing page on 11 November 2026, in US dollars; we checked the plans, not every feature in use.
The ten at a glance
| Tool | Starts at | Priced by | Free plan | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buffer | $6 per channel a month | Channel | 3 channels | Simple scheduling, one person |
| Metricool | $25 a month for 5 brands | Bundle of brands | 1 brand, 20 posts a month | Analytics on a budget |
| Publer | $5 per account a month | Account and member | 3 accounts | Most networks for the money |
| Later | $25 a month | Social set | Help centre only | Instagram and TikTok visuals |
| SocialBee | $29 a month | Plan, plus add-ons | No | Evergreen content recycling |
| Agorapulse | $79 per user a month | User | AI-agent plan only | A Hootsuite-style inbox for less |
| Sprout Social | $79 per seat a month | Seat | No | Larger teams, reporting |
| Planable | $33 a month | Workspace | 50 posts in total | Collaboration and feedback |
| Meta Business Suite | Free | - | Free | Facebook and Instagram only |
| PostDaily | See the pricing page | Plan | 1 channel (not X) and 5 scheduled posts a month | Client approval, Bluesky and Mastodon |
Cheaper all-round schedulers
Buffer
Buffer charges per channel instead of per person: Essentials is $6 per channel a month ($5 yearly) for one user, and Team is $12 ($10 yearly) with unlimited users and approvals. A free plan covers 3 channels. Its approvers need a Buffer login, but for one person scheduling to a handful of networks it costs a fraction of Hootsuite. Buffer's pricing worked out, and Buffer and Hootsuite side by side.
Metricool
Metricool prices by bundles of brands: $25 a month for up to 5 ($20 yearly), free for one brand with 20 posts a month. Analytics, competitor tracking and an inbox are its strengths. Starter has a single login, so a team means Advanced from $67 a month, which also brings approval without an account. X costs $10 a month per account. Metricool's pricing worked out.
Publer
Publer is $4 per account a month from three accounts ($3.20 yearly; one account alone is $5), every tenth account free, plus $2 a month per extra member, and it publishes to 13 networks, including Bluesky, Mastodon, Telegram and WordPress. Its plans page puts approvals on the cheapest paid plan (its help centre says Business), and a client has to join your workspace to approve. Ten accounts cost $36 a month. Publer pricing, worked out or PostDaily vs Publer.
If you need Hootsuite's inbox
Agorapulse
Agorapulse is the closest like-for-like: an inbox for comments, messages and reviews on every plan, priced per user like Hootsuite but lower. Standard is $79 per user a month on annual billing ($99 monthly) with 10 profiles. Its shared calendar on Advanced ($149 per user) lets a client approve without an account. X is an add-on from $29 a month per profile, and it doesn't publish to Mastodon.
Sprout Social
Sprout is for larger teams that want Hootsuite's breadth with stronger reporting: Essentials is $79 per seat a month on annual billing with 5 profiles but no inbox; the inbox starts on Standard at $199 per seat, and three people on 10 profiles means Professional at $897 a month, billed annually. External approval without a login is on Advanced, $399 per seat. It publishes to Reddit and Snapchat as well, but not Mastodon. PostDaily vs Sprout Social.
If you work with clients
Planable
Planable is built around feedback: comments on the post itself, suggested edits and version history. It charges per workspace with unlimited users: Basic is $33 a month billed yearly, but required client approval needs Pro at $49, and the client approves as a workspace member. No Bluesky or Mastodon. PostDaily vs Planable.
PostDaily
PostDaily is our product, so weigh this accordingly. A client approves from a review link in the browser, with no account and no seat, on the Pro plan, and an unapproved post is held rather than published. It publishes to Bluesky, Mastodon, X, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Threads, YouTube and Pinterest, works with AI agents over MCP, and its plans include seats and a channel allowance at one price. It has no social inbox, no listening, no Google Business Profile, and X is metered by a monthly budget. The free plan covers 1 channel (not X) and 5 scheduled posts a month. PostDaily vs Hootsuite sets out where Hootsuite is still the better choice.
For Instagram-first or Facebook-only accounts
Later
Later is visual planning for Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest, with link in bio on every plan: Starter is $25 a month ($18.75 yearly) for one profile on each of 8 networks and one user. It doesn't publish to X, Bluesky or Mastodon, and a reviewer needs a seat to approve. Later's pricing worked out, and Later against Buffer.
SocialBee
SocialBee sorts posts into categories and recycles evergreen ones on a schedule, which suits a small business with a library of posts to rotate. Bootstrap is $29 a month for 5 profiles and one user; approvals start on Accelerate at $49, and the reviewer needs an account. Mastodon is reminder-only. PostDaily vs SocialBee.
Meta Business Suite
If you only post to Facebook and Instagram, Meta's own Business Suite is free, includes an inbox and can schedule posts into Facebook Groups, which no outside tool can. It has no approval step and no other networks. PostDaily vs Meta Business Suite.
When to stay with Hootsuite
Stay if your team lives in its inbox, uses its automations and listening, or needs enterprise compliance and SSO. None of the cheaper schedulers above replaces all of that in one product; Agorapulse and Sprout Social come closest. Hootsuite's pricing worked out shows what each plan adds.
Hootsuite alternative questions
Is there a free Hootsuite alternative?
Yes. Buffer is free for 3 channels, Publer for 3 accounts, Metricool for one brand, and PostDaily for one channel. Meta Business Suite is free for Facebook and Instagram.
What is the cheapest alternative to Hootsuite?
For a few accounts, the free plans above. Paid, Buffer at $6 per channel and Publer at $5 per account a month are the lowest starting prices in this list.
Which Hootsuite alternative has a social inbox?
Agorapulse has a full inbox on every plan, and Sprout Social from its Standard plan (Essentials has none); Metricool, Later (from Growth) and SocialBee have lighter ones. PostDaily doesn't have one.
Which alternative lets a client approve without an account?
Metricool (Advanced), Agorapulse (Advanced), Sprout Social (Advanced) and PostDaily. The others need the approver to have an account or a seat.
Last checked against each vendor's own pricing page and help centre.
