# Hootsuite alternatives > Six Hootsuite alternatives for scheduling and managing social media, with what each does best and prices read off their own sites on 20 Oct 2026. - **Author**: Marxx - **Published**: 2026-11-01 - **Category**: Ad management - **URL**: https://marxx.ai/library-alternatives/hootsuite-alternatives --- The main Hootsuite alternatives are Buffer for a free plan and per-channel pricing, Later and SocialPilot for small teams, Agorapulse for a shared inbox, and Sprout Social for reporting. Hootsuite's plans page, shown in rupees, lists Standard at INR 1,999 per user a month on annual billing (checked 2026-10-20). ## What Hootsuite does well, and why teams look elsewhere Hootsuite is a social media management tool. Its plans page says you can schedule unlimited posts, generate posts and images with AI, answer messages from one inbox, and monitor your brand and competitors. You can buy as many user seats as you need. Its plans page in rupees, billed annually and excluding tax: - **Standard:** INR 1,999 per user a month, 10 social accounts. - **Professional:** INR 3,999 per user a month, unlimited accounts. - **Advanced:** INR 7,999 per user a month, with approval flows. - **Enterprise:** custom. The page offers a free 14-day trial, not a free plan. Prices are per user, so cost grows with your team. Teams look elsewhere for a free plan, a lower price per user, or pricing by channel. ## A worked example Say three people share your social accounts. Hootsuite Standard is 3 x INR 1,999 = INR 5,997 a month, or INR 71,964 a year, on annual billing. Professional for the same three is 3 x INR 3,999 = INR 11,997 a month. Buffer prices by channel, not by user. With 6 channels on yearly billing, Essentials is 6 x $5 = $30 a month and Team is 6 x $10 = $60 a month. Buffer's Essentials plan has one user account, so it fits a solo owner, and Team adds team members. The currencies differ, so compare the plans on your own numbers. ## Quick comparison | Tool | Best for | Starting price | |---|---|---| | Hootsuite | Scheduling, inbox and monitoring | Standard INR 1,999/user/month, billed yearly (shown in INR ) | | Buffer | Low price, priced by channel | Free; Essentials $5/channel/month, billed yearly | | Sprout Social | Reporting and inbox | Essentials $79/seat/month, billed yearly | | Later | Visual planning for small teams | Starter $18.75/month, billed yearly | | Agorapulse | Shared inbox and ad comments | Standard $79/user/month, billed yearly | | SocialPilot | Many accounts at a low price | Essentials $20/month ($17 billed yearly) | | Marxx | Reading and making paid ads | Per workspace; see [pricing](/pricing) | Prices read on each company's own site on 2026-10-20, in the currency the site showed us. ## Buffer Free covers up to 3 channels with 10 scheduled posts per channel. Essentials is $5 a month per channel billed yearly ($6 monthly) with unlimited scheduled posts and a 14-day trial. Team is $10 per channel billed yearly ($12 monthly) and adds approval workflows and unlimited team members. ## Sprout Social Essentials is $79 per seat a month billed yearly ($99 monthly) for up to 5 social profiles. Standard is $199 per seat and adds a consolidated inbox and keyword and location monitoring. Professional is $299 and Advanced is $399. It has a 30-day free trial. See [Brand24 alternatives](/alternatives/brand24-alternatives) for monitoring tools. ## Later Starter is $18.75 a month billed yearly for 1 social set of 8 profiles and 1 user. Growth is $37.50 for 2 sets and 2 users. Scale is $82.50 for 6 sets and 4 users. All have a 14-day trial. ## Agorapulse Standard is $79 per user a month billed yearly ($99 monthly) with 10 social profiles. Professional is $119 and lets you monitor and reply to ad comments. Advanced is $149. It has a 30-day free trial with no card. ## SocialPilot Essentials is $17 a month billed yearly ($20 monthly) for 5 social accounts and 1 user. Standard is $34 for 10 accounts and 3 users. Premium is $85 and Ultimate is $170. Every plan has a 14-day trial. ## Marxx We make Marxx, so weigh this. It is built for paid ads: it reads your connected Meta ad account in full, and its production canvas publishes to Meta. It has client workspaces with unlimited seats, priced per workspace. For organic posts, use one of the schedulers above. See [client workspaces](/features/client-workspaces). ## How to choose 1. Count channels and users. Per-user and per-channel pricing give different totals. 2. List what you need: scheduling, a shared inbox, reports or monitoring. 3. Use each trial with a real week of posts. 4. If you run client accounts, read the [best AI tools for agencies](/best/best-ai-tools-for-agencies). ## FAQ ### Is there a free Hootsuite alternative? Buffer has a free plan for up to 3 channels (checked 2026-10-20). Hootsuite lists a 14-day free trial instead. ### Is Hootsuite per user? Yes. Its plans page lists prices per user a month, and says you can buy as many user seats as you need. ### Which alternative is best for agencies? Look at user and account limits first. Hootsuite, Sprout Social and Agorapulse price per user. Later, SocialPilot and Agorapulse also cap social profiles by plan. --- - [More Ad management articles](https://marxx.ai/library-alternatives/category/ad-management) - [All articles](https://marxx.ai/library-alternatives)