The best Hootsuite alternative depends on which part of Hootsuite you actually use. For free scheduling, Meta Business Suite covers Facebook and Instagram, and Buffer's free plan covers three channels. For a cheaper paid tool with AI writing help, Buffer, Metricool, Plann and SocialBee all start well below Hootsuite's per-user price. For a team that approves every post, Loomly is the closest swap. If nobody has time to make the posts, compare website-based software such as boomp.net with a human content service such as $99 Social.
We publish this comparison at boomp.net, one of the options below. We checked Hootsuite and five alternatives on their official pages on October 9, 2026, and Meta Business Suite and $99 Social on October 7, 2026. We compared published facts and did not test every paid plan.
Start with the work you want to remove
Hootsuite is a full social media suite: its Standard plan manages up to 10 social accounts from one calendar, generates posts and images with AI, answers messages from one inbox and monitors your brand and competitors. Its AI assistant, Wisdom, comes with every plan. If you mostly use the calendar, you are paying per user for tools you rarely open.
| Alternative | Good fit | Work that stays with you |
|---|---|---|
| Meta Business Suite | Posts ready for Facebook and Instagram | Prepare the content, check it and set the schedule |
| Buffer | A simple queue across a few channels | Supply media and direction; review any AI-assisted copy |
| Metricool | Scheduling with performance reports | Choose the content and act on the reports |
| Plann | Visual planning, mainly for Instagram | Select visuals, refine captions and keep the plan current |
| SocialBee | Evergreen posts sorted into categories | Set the categories, check generated text and retire old offers |
| Loomly | A team that reviews and approves posts | Assign the writers and reviewers; resolve feedback |
| $99 Social | A human team preparing a set number of posts | Brief the team, supply business changes and review drafts |
| boomp.net | Posts made from an existing business website | Check facts and provide updates; publish Packs yourself or use a connected plan |
Prices: compare the unit, not only the number
Prices are in US dollars, and annual prices are monthly equivalents. A user, a channel and a brand are different units.
Your baseline, checked October 9, 2026: Hootsuite Standard is $99 per user per month, billed annually, for up to 10 social accounts. Professional starts at $199 and Advanced ranges up to $399 per user per month; Enterprise pricing is custom. Monthly billing costs more per user, at a rate the plans page does not show. Hootsuite sells plans per seat, so each team member who needs access adds a seat.
| Alternative | Published entry price | Included scope or limit |
|---|---|---|
| Meta Business Suite | Free | Facebook and Instagram only |
| Buffer | Free; Essentials $5/month per channel on annual billing | Free: three channels, ten scheduled posts per channel, one user. Essentials: $60/year for each channel |
| Metricool | Free; Starter from $25/month on monthly billing | Free: one brand, twenty posts/month, no LinkedIn or X. Paid price rises with the number of brands |
| Plann | Free; Power User $15/month, or $12.50/month on annual billing | Free: Instagram only, one user. Power User: one brand and one user |
| SocialBee | Bootstrap $29/month on monthly billing | Five social profiles, one user and one workspace. 14-day trial; no free plan listed |
| Loomly | Starter $65/month; $49/month on annual billing | Twelve social accounts and three users. Annual total: $588 |
| $99 Social | Standard $99/month | Ten image posts on one channel, made by the company's team; $10 for each extra channel |
| boomp.net | Packs $9/month; Core $39/month | Packs: ten finished posts to publish yourself. Core: twenty static posts, one carousel and one video, with connected publishing |
The separate boomp.net done-for-you service is $275/month and adds founder review. Packs and Core are software plans, and paid plans charge when you start. A free trial is not a free plan, and this table does not treat one as the other.
Which alternative fits your business?
1. Meta Business Suite: Facebook and Instagram are your only networks
Meta's free tools manage posts for both networks without another subscription, but you still supply the captions and photos. A LinkedIn or Google Business Profile requirement changes the choice. Meta's product overview.
2. Buffer: you want a cheaper queue with AI help
Buffer is the plainest step down for an owner who already has content, and it prices by channel rather than by user. Its AI Assistant comes with the free plan and helps create, refine and repurpose copy, but someone still supplies the business details and media. Buffer plans.
3. Metricool: you want reports without the per-user price
Metricool combines scheduling, analytics and an AI social media assistant. Paid prices rise with the number of brands, which matters if each location is its own brand. Metricool plans.
4. Plann: you plan visually, mainly for Instagram
Plann suits an owner who plans posts visually and shapes captions before they go out. Power User includes its AI content and caption generator for one brand and one user, and a 7-day trial covers the premium features. Plann plans.
5. SocialBee: you repeat useful content by category
SocialBee suits recurring tips, service explanations and evergreen material. Its Bootstrap plan includes unlimited AI content generation for captions and images. Post approval is listed with the next plan up, Accelerate, and someone still has to retire stale offers. SocialBee plans.
6. Loomly: several people still touch each post
Loomly is the closest of these to Hootsuite's team workflow. Its Starter plan includes an AI assistant, post generation and approval workflows for three users. On Hootsuite, team review and approval is listed with the Advanced plan. These features organize a team's work; they do not supply the team. Loomly plans.
7. $99 Social: you want people to make the posts
The company says its own team prepares the posts, and you brief the team and review the drafts. Confirm revision limits, supported channels and cancellation notice before you start. $99 Social's published offer.
8. Posts made from your website: boomp.net
It is software that reads your business website and makes captions and on-brand images, with carousels and short videos on paid plans. Packs sends ten finished posts each month for you to publish; nothing is connected. Core makes 20 static posts, one carousel and one video a month and publishes them to your connected channels. Manual approval is the default on Core, and you can choose auto approval. It does not replace Hootsuite's inbox or listening, and no plan includes ads or replies. The separate done-for-you option has the founder of boomp.net review and approve each post; it is not an agency.
Make ten free posts from your website. Enter your website address and email, and the link arrives by email. No account or card is needed, and the sample does not publish to your accounts.
Is there a free Hootsuite alternative?
Yes, several, but Hootsuite itself lists no free plan. Its 14-day free trial needs no credit card, and Hootsuite says you are not charged automatically when it ends. During the trial, each organization can post 10 to 20 times a day, depending on plan, and bulk scheduling is not available. A trial tests Hootsuite; it is not a way to run on it for free.
The published free-plan limits:
- Meta Business Suite: free for Facebook and Instagram, and no other networks.
- Buffer Free: three channels, ten scheduled posts per channel at a time, one user and the AI Assistant.
- Metricool Free: one brand, 20 posts a month, 30 days of analytics and five AI credits per brand a month. LinkedIn and X are not included.
- Plann Free Forever: one brand and one user, Instagram only, with 30 posts, stories and carousels a month in total, five video posts and 30 AI credits.
SocialBee has a 14-day trial instead, and it says posting stops when the trial ends.
What a free plan does not do. Each of these schedules posts you already have, and none knows your current offers unless you supply them. Buffer's and Plann's free plans are for one user, so a second person means a paid plan. If you relied on Hootsuite's inbox or brand monitoring, confirm the free plan includes it before you switch.
Our own free step is a sample, not a plan: ten finished posts made from your website, sent by email link and published nowhere. For more free schedulers, see the best free social media schedulers.
When to stay on Hootsuite
Stay if these are daily jobs:
- Several people answer messages. Standard has one inbox, and Professional automates inbox replies and workflows.
- You manage many accounts. Professional and above list unlimited social accounts.
- You watch competitors and conversations. Standard monitors your brand and competitors, and Enterprise adds advanced listening.
- Posts need sign-off and reporting. Advanced adds team review and approval, and Professional builds custom performance reports.
- You need single sign-on or compliance controls. Those sit on Enterprise.
None of the cheaper tools above, and nothing from boomp.net, replaces all of that.
Three example decisions
These are planning examples about hypothetical businesses, not customer results.
A two-person bakery uses Hootsuite only to schedule Facebook and Instagram. Two Standard seats at the published annual rate come to $198 a month. If the inbox and monitoring go unused, Meta Business Suite covers both networks for free, though making the posts stays with the owners.
A business with three locations has a Facebook page and an Instagram profile for each. Those six accounts fit Hootsuite Standard for one user at $99 a month on annual billing. Buffer Essentials for six channels is $30 a month on annual billing, or $360 a year. Metricool prices by brand, so price three brands on its page. In each case, nobody is writing the posts.
A service owner bought Hootsuite and never filled the calendar. The tool was not the gap; the posts were. Packs leaves the publishing to the owner, and Core adds connected publishing with a review step by default. A human service adds a briefing relationship: $99 Social's ten-post plan on two channels is $109 a month, $99 plus one $10 channel add-on. Compare samples of the finished work, not only the price; the website-to-post guide shows how to check one.
Move from Hootsuite without posting twice
- List the queue. Record each post in Hootsuite's calendar: account, date, time, caption and media.
- Save what you keep. Copy media, drafts and any reports you rely on outside Hootsuite.
- Pick a switch date. Hootsuite owns posts before it; the new tool owns posts after it. Check your renewal date too.
- Move one post first. Queue it in the new tool, delete the Hootsuite copy, and confirm it on the live account.
- Move the rest by channel. Queue each post and delete its Hootsuite copy in the same sitting.
- Decide where messages go. If your team answered comments in Hootsuite's inbox, agree who answers them now.
- Check, then disconnect. Recheck both calendars for duplicates, then remove your accounts from Hootsuite.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best Hootsuite alternative for a small business?
It depends on which part of Hootsuite you use. Meta Business Suite covers Facebook and Instagram for free. Buffer, Metricool and Plann are cheaper queues with AI help, and Loomly suits a team that approves posts. If nobody has time to make the posts, compare boomp.net software with a human service such as $99 Social.
Is there a free alternative to Hootsuite?
Yes. Meta Business Suite is free for Facebook and Instagram. Buffer's free plan covers three channels with ten scheduled posts per channel at a time. Metricool's free plan covers one brand and 20 posts a month, without LinkedIn or X. Plann's free plan is Instagram only. Hootsuite lists no free plan, only a 14-day free trial.
Does Hootsuite have a free plan?
No free plan appears on Hootsuite's plans page, checked October 9, 2026. Standard, Professional and Advanced each offer a 14-day free trial without a credit card, and Hootsuite says it does not charge you automatically when the trial ends. Trial accounts can post 10 to 20 times a day per organization, depending on plan.
How much does Hootsuite cost?
Hootsuite Standard is $99 per user per month, billed annually, for up to 10 social accounts. Professional starts at $199 and Advanced ranges up to $399 per user per month; Enterprise is custom. Monthly billing costs more per user, and each team member needs a seat. We checked the official plans page on October 9, 2026.
What is a cheaper Hootsuite alternative with AI?
Several tools cost less than Hootsuite's per-user price and include AI writing help. Buffer's and Metricool's free plans include an AI assistant. SocialBee's Bootstrap plan, $29 a month on monthly billing, includes unlimited AI content generation. Loomly Starter includes an AI assistant and approval workflows. You still direct and check every post.
Is boomp.net a Hootsuite alternative?
For part of the job, yes. The boomp.net software reads your business website and makes captions and on-brand images. Packs sends ten finished posts a month for you to publish. Core adds connected publishing, with manual approval by default. It does not replace Hootsuite's inbox or listening. The separate done-for-you service, $275 a month, adds founder review.
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