While Hootsuite is one of the top social media management tools on the market, you may be looking for something different that better suits your needs and budget. To help you make your decision, we’ll list some of the best Hootsuite alternatives that can help you maximize your social media efforts.
Why Choose A Hootsuite Alternative?
Before diving into our list of alternatives, let’s break down what Hootsuite has to offer and where it falls short, so you can see why you may want to choose something else in the first place.
Hootsuite’s pros begin with the fact that it can connect to a ton of different social networks. So if you have accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, etc., you can manage them all via Hootsuite’s dashboard.
Beyond its extensive integrations, Hootsuite makes it easy to schedule and preview your content so you can create a solid posting schedule and drive engagement. If you have a team, you can use Hootsuite for collaboration to ensure everyone’s on the same page. And to see what is working and what isn’t, Hootsuite also offers a solid host of reporting and analytics features. Lastly, you can extend the functionality of your Hootsuite dashboard through its app directory that can take your social media management to another level.
Those are reasons why you would want Hootsuite as your social media management tool of choice. Now, let’s reveal why you’d want to choose an alternative. For starters, Hootsuite does have a free plan if you’re looking to get your feet wet without investing any cash. Unfortunately, that plan is somewhat limited, as it only lets you manage two social accounts and schedule five messages at a time via one user.
Another common Hootsuite gripe is that some find its user interface to be dull and outdated. If you need customer support – which is probable if you have never used such a tool before – you will have to get a paid plan.
That team collaboration we just raved about? Sure, it is a great feature, but to get it on Hootsuite, you will have to get the Team plan, which will set you back at least $129 per month. And those app integrations? Most of them will increase your costs, so if finding something budget-friendly is your top priority, you may need to try some of these Hootsuite alternatives.
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Alternatives To Hootsuite
As you just saw, Hootsuite has its pluses and minuses. And while it is a great social media management tool for many, you may be seeking something a bit different. Here are some of your top Hootsuite alternatives.
Social Champ
Like Hootsuite, Social Champ lets you connect to various social networks to manage them easily, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google Business Profile, Pinterest, and more.
You can use it to integrate with Canva, bit.ly, a royalty-free visual library, and other apps to enhance your social media all in one place.
Other Social Champ features worth mentioning include scheduling and posting content across various social networks, direct audience engagement, and viewing post performance, once again – all in one place. Add in-content suggestions, auto RSS, bulk scheduling, and social media calendar, and a more user-friendly interface, and it’s easy to see why many choose Social Champ over Hootsuite.
While all of those features are great, let’s talk about the primary reason for choosing Social Champ as your Hootsuite alternative: Price. If you choose Hootsuite’s Team plan, you can enjoy team collaboration amongst three users to manage 20 social media accounts. With Social Champ, you can add five users to manage 50 accounts. And in terms of customer service, you can get more bang for your buck via Social Champ, as they offer email, live chat, and social media support, plus onboard training on all of their plans. With Hootsuite, you will only get such attention on a top-tier plan meant for those with big budgets.
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ContentStudio
If you are looking for a Hootsuite alternative to help you create, schedule, track, and discover social media posts, ContentStudio may be your perfect fit. The intuitive interface is beginner-friendly, and you’ll also get additional perks such as hashtag managers, post approvals, content suggestions, UTM tracking, and bit.ly integration.
Unfortunately, all of those bells and whistles come with a steeper price tag. ContentStudio has plans that start at $49 per month and go all the way up to $299.
Meet Edgar
While it may have an odd name, Meet Edgar could meet your social media management needs as a Hootsuite alternative. Connect it to your Facebook Pages or Groups, as well as Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, or Pinterest. You’ll get the basic scheduling of posts across networks, plus the ability to recycle old content on autopilot so your profiles never go bare.
If you are looking for a significant time-saver with a clean and crisp interface, Meet Edgar may be right up your alley. Made for smaller entrepreneurs versus big businesses, this social media management tool comes in two plans that’ll run you either $19 or $49 per month.
Buffer
Buffer is more of a basic social media management tool for those on minimal budgets. You can use its Free plan, which offers up to three social channels and 10 scheduled posts per channel. Or you can opt for the Essentials plan, which is $5 per month per social channel.
What do you get with Buffer? A scheduling tool for most of the top social networks, such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and LinkedIn. It has a visual calendar, a comprehensive feed for each of your networks, and a social inbox that lets you consolidate your replies to followers via a single source.
If you rely on social analytics (and you should), you will get it with Buffer, as the Hootsuite alternative offers reports on your published posts so you can see what you should keep doing and what needs to be tweaked. What’s Buffer’s main downside? The fact that the more networks and features you add, the higher that “affordable” price will climb. In other words, you may want a tool that comes with more features out of the box so that price doesn’t sneak up on you.
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Sprout Social
Sprout Social may not be your ideal Hootsuite alternative if you’re seeking something budget-friendly, as its plans start at $99 per month. Still, for that amount of cash, you get copious features that can make your life as a social media manager a lot easier.
The basics like scheduling and a social inbox are all here. You also get analytics and reporting, plus team collaboration. As for what sets Sprout Social apart, that would be its CRM feature that allows for approvals and other sub-tasks.
Postfity
The Postify Hootsuite alternative is a scheduler for Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and Google My Business. For $45 per month, you can get the Pro plan, which offers management for up to 30 social accounts, 1,000 scheduled posts, and up to 10 team members.
The interface is clean and easy to use, and there’s also solid customer support should you need it. However, if you’re looking for something with a ton of extended features beyond scheduling, Postfity may not be your cup of tea.
PromoRepublic
If you specialize in social media marketing on a local level, PromoRepublic may be your best bet as a Hootsuite alternative. Starting at $49 per month, this social media management tool lets you schedule posts, collaborate with your team, edit graphics, run local ads, manage locations or clients, and retrieve analytics with ease.
