The best Hootsuite alternatives in 2026

Hootsuite has had no free plan since March 31, 2023, and its Standard plan lists at $99 per user per month, billed annually. Most people searching for an alternative are reacting to that number. Some are reacting to something else: they pay for a scheduler and still have nothing to schedule.

Both are fair reasons to leave. They lead to different tools. This page sorts the real alternatives by the job you need done, shows how each one prices, and runs the math for a small team, because the pricing model matters more than the sticker.

Why do people look for Hootsuite alternatives?

Three reasons come up again and again.

• Per-user pricing. Hootsuite charges per user. One person on Standard is $99 a month on annual billing. Three people is $297. The bill grows with the team, not with the work.
• No free way in. Hootsuite ended its free plan in 2023. A solo founder or a small shop has to commit to a paid plan from day one.
• It posts. It does not make. Hootsuite is built to publish, monitor, and report. The posts themselves still have to come from you, a designer, or an agency. A full calendar needs full hands.

If your problem is the first or second, a cheaper scheduler fixes it. If your problem is the third, no scheduler does. Know which one you have before you switch.

The Hootsuite alternatives, sorted by what you need

Prices below are list prices reported for 2026, in US dollars. They change often and vary by billing term, so treat them as a guide and confirm on each vendor's pricing page before you buy.

Meta Business Suite is the floor. It schedules posts and reels to a Facebook Page and a linked Instagram professional account at no cost. It does nothing for LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube, or Pinterest.

Buffer is the closest thing to a cheaper Hootsuite for a small brand. It bills per connected channel, so you pay for the accounts you post to, not the people logging in. Its Team plan lists at about $12 per channel per month, billed monthly.

Metricool leans on analytics and bills per brand, which suits a freelancer or a small agency running a handful of clients.

Later is built around a visual calendar and a preview of the grid. It fits a brand whose presence is mostly Instagram and TikTok.

Agorapulse and Sprout Social are the like-for-like swaps. They keep the shared inbox, the approval flows, and the reports. Sprout is the one to pick when listening and analytics are the point, and it is priced for that.

Per user, per channel, per brand: what you actually pay

Run the same small team through each model. Say three people post to six accounts: Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube, and Pinterest.

• Hootsuite Standard: 3 users at $99 is $297 a month, on annual billing.
• Agorapulse Standard: 3 users at about $79 is roughly $237 a month, on annual billing.
• Buffer Team: 6 channels at about $12 is roughly $72 a month, billed monthly.

The per-channel model wins for a small team with few accounts. The per-user model wins nothing until you need the inbox, approvals, and reporting that come with it. Add a person and the per-user bill jumps. Add an account and the per-channel bill creeps.

Does Hootsuite still have a free plan?

No. Hootsuite ended its free plan on March 31, 2023, and has not brought it back. The cheapest way in today is the Standard plan at $99 per user per month, billed annually. If you need free, look at Meta Business Suite for Facebook and Instagram, Buffer for up to three channels, or Metricool for a single brand.

What is the cheapest Hootsuite alternative?

For Facebook and Instagram alone, Meta Business Suite, because it is free. For more networks, Buffer and Metricool both have free plans with tight limits and low-cost paid tiers. Cheapest is not the same as best value, though. A $6 channel still needs a post. The real cost of social media is making the content, and every tool on that table leaves that to you.

The gap every scheduler shares

Hootsuite, Buffer, Later, Agorapulse, Sprout, and Metricool all do the same core job. They take a finished post and publish it on time. Several now ship an AI writer inside the composer, which helps with the caption. None of them shoots the product video, designs the carousel, or decides what goes out tomorrow.

A scheduler waits for content. It never makes any. If your calendar is empty, switching schedulers moves the empty calendar to a cheaper tool. The category that closes the gap is software that makes the posts and publishes them, with you approving. For how to tell the two apart, see AI social media manager vs. a scheduler, and for what the second kind has to do well, see what an AI social media manager is.

How do you choose a Hootsuite alternative?

Answer four questions, in this order.

• Which networks do you post to? Facebook and Instagram only means start free with Meta Business Suite.
• How many people need a login? One or two people favors per-channel or per-brand pricing. A team that shares an inbox can justify per-user pricing.
• Do you need listening and reports, or just posting? Reports and listening point to Sprout or Agorapulse. Posting alone points to Buffer, Later, or Metricool.
• Who makes the posts? If the honest answer is nobody, a scheduler will not fix it. Look at a system that makes the content and runs it on autopilot.