Published by the Zolyp team, reviewed by Hammas Ali, Founder & CEO ·
Why do people look for a Hootsuite alternative?
Hootsuite is built for teams, and its price reflects that. The usual reasons people look elsewhere:
- Cost per user: Standard is $99 a month per user billed yearly, so every extra person adds the full price again.
- Account limits: Standard manages up to 10 social accounts; unlimited accounts start on the Professional plan.
- The trial is short and limited: 14 days, with a daily posting limit on trial accounts.
- It's more than a small business needs: an inbox, listening and approvals are great for teams, but a solo owner pays for features they won't use.
Source: Hootsuite plans, checked 9 October 2026
Buffer: the simplest cheaper option
Buffer is a clean scheduler with a usable free plan: up to 3 channels and 10 scheduled posts per channel at a time, refilled as posts go out. Paid plans start at $5 a month per channel on Essentials, so a business with 3 or 4 channels pays a fraction of Hootsuite. It doesn't have Hootsuite's inbox or listening tools.
Source: Buffer pricing, checked 9 October 2026
Publer: cheapest for many accounts
Publer prices by social account: Professional is $5 a month for one account ($4 billed yearly), and every tenth account is free. It covers first comments, threads and X on paid plans. The free plan has 3 accounts (not X) and 10 scheduled posts per account.
Source: Publer plans, checked 9 October 2026
Metricool: free scheduling with analytics
Metricool's free plan covers one brand and 20 scheduled posts a month, with analytics, but not LinkedIn or X. Paid plans start at $20 a month for up to 5 brands. A good fit if reporting was the part of Hootsuite you used most.
Source: Metricool pricing, checked 13 October 2026
Sprout Social: if you need a full team suite
If you're leaving Hootsuite for a better team product rather than a cheaper one, Sprout Social is the closest match: Essentials is $79 per seat a month billed yearly ($99 monthly) for up to 5 profiles, with a 30-day trial and no card. It's priced per seat too, so it isn't a saving for big teams.
Source: Sprout Social pricing, checked 9 October 2026
Zolyp: when making the posts is the problem
Zolyp is our product, so weigh this section with that in mind. A lot of small businesses move to Hootsuite hoping a bigger tool will make them post more. Most tools here, like the one you're leaving, move a finished post onto a calendar. If the hard part of your week is deciding what to post and then writing and designing it, a different kind of tool fits better.
Zolyp plans the week across your content themes, writes the captions and designs the visuals against your Brand Brain (your tone, colours and rules, saved once), fits each post to its platform, and publishes to Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google Business, X, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, and Threads. You approve the week in minutes. Lite is $9 a month per brand for scheduling your own posts; the plans that create the posts start at $29 a month, with a 3-day free trial and no card required.
Hootsuite alternatives side by side
Prices change often. Each figure below was checked on the vendor's own pricing page on the date shown under Sources; confirm it there before you switch.
| Tool | Free plan | Cheapest paid plan | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hootsuite | No (14-day trial, no card) | Standard, $99/mo per user billed yearly (10 accounts) | Teams needing an inbox and approvals |
| Buffer | 3 channels, 10 scheduled posts per channel | Essentials, from $5/mo per channel | Simple scheduling, few channels |
| Publer | 3 accounts (no X), 10 scheduled posts per account | Professional, $5/mo per account ($4 billed yearly) | Many accounts on a budget |
| Metricool | 1 brand, 20 posts/month (no LinkedIn or X) | Starter, from $20/mo billed yearly (up to 5 brands) | Free scheduling with analytics |
| Sprout Social | No (30-day trial, no card) | Essentials, $79/mo per seat billed yearly (5 profiles) | Larger teams wanting deep reporting |
| Zolyp | No (3-day trial, no card) | Lite, $9/mo per brand; AI plans from $29/mo | Posts planned, written and designed for you |
Sources: Hootsuite plans, checked 9 October 2026; Buffer pricing, checked 9 October 2026; Publer plans, checked 9 October 2026; Metricool pricing, checked 13 October 2026; Sprout Social pricing, checked 9 October 2026
How do you switch tools without missing a post?
A clean switch takes an afternoon:
- Export or write down everything still scheduled in your current tool, with dates and times.
- Connect the same accounts in the new tool and check each one can publish.
- Recreate the scheduled posts there, checking the time zone setting first.
- Pause or empty the old queue so nothing goes out twice.
- Watch the first few posts go live before you cancel the old plan.
Common questions
What is the cheapest alternative to Hootsuite?
For scheduling, Buffer and Publer start around $5 a month per channel or account, and both have free plans. Hootsuite Standard is $99 per user a month billed yearly.
What is the best free Hootsuite alternative?
Yes. Buffer (3 channels, 10 scheduled posts each), Publer (3 accounts, not X) and Metricool (1 brand, 20 posts a month, not LinkedIn or X) all have free plans. Hootsuite only offers a 14-day trial.
What's the best Hootsuite alternative for a team?
Sprout Social is the closest like-for-like suite, from $79 per seat a month billed yearly. For small teams that mainly schedule, Buffer or Publer cost far less.
Which Hootsuite alternative writes the posts for you?
Zolyp (our product) plans the week, writes the captions and designs the visuals, then publishes them after you approve, from $29 a month.