Hootsuite is a beast of a social media management platform. But with its Advanced plan starting at a hefty $399 on a monthly basis, it’s a tough pill to swallow for a lot of creators, small businesses, and agencies..
Maybe it’s the pricing that keeps creeping up, the interface that feels a bit stuck in the past, or the lack of features for today’s visual-first social platforms. Whatever your reason, the good news is you have options—lots of them. And many of them are more affordable, easier to use, and better suited for modern social media marketing.
When you're already juggling a dozen other tools to get your content out the door, another several thousand-plus dollars a year is a big ask.
The good news? The world is full of awesome Hootsuite alternatives that deliver powerful features without the shocking price. Some are even—dare I say it—better.
Okay, I might be a little biased, but I’ve seen my fair share of social media tools, and I genuinely believe Sked Social gives you the most bang for your buck. It’s designed to handle everything you can throw at it, especially if you’re a visual brand, an agency, or managing multiple accounts.
Here’s a peek at what makes Sked Social a top-tier Hootsuite alternative:
If you’re tired of juggling tools and paying for features you don’t need, see how Sked stacks up against Hootsuite and start your free trial.
Sked Social Pricing: Our plans start at $49 per month and include unlimited users. Our Accelerate plan is $333 per month and includes the full suite of tools and 20 accounts.
Who is Sked Social best for? Sked is perfect for visual-first brands, marketing teams, and agencies that need a powerful, intuitive tool to plan, schedule, and analyze their social media content without paying extra for every team member.
Sked Social was designed with a visual-first approach, especially for platforms like Instagram. Where Hootsuite can feel like a spreadsheet, Sked feels like your actual social media feed. This focus on visual planning, combined with robust collaboration and a more intuitive interface, makes it a lifesaver for busy social media managers.
Sked’s planner and calendar are designed to be your command center, giving you a clear view of everything at a glance.
Sked Social vs. Hootsuite calendar takeaway: Sked’s calendar and planner are more visual, faster, and built for the way social media managers actually work. The ability to see your grid visually and bulk upload content are huge advantages over Hootsuite’s more rigid system.
Collaboration is baked into every part of Sked, not just bolted on as an enterprise feature.
Sked Social vs. Hootsuite collaboration takeaway: Sked is built for teamwork from the ground up. With unlimited users and a seamless in-app feedback loop, it blows Hootsuite’s collaboration features out of the water, especially for anyone not on the Enterprise plan.
Sked’s approval workflows are powerful, flexible, and—most importantly—available on all plans.
Sked makes approvals simple and accessible for everyone. Hootsuite locking this essential feature behind a pricey Enterprise plan is one of the biggest reasons users search for alternatives to Hootsuite.
CoSchedule is more than just a social media tool; it’s a marketing work management platform. It combines a marketing calendar, content editor, and project management tools to help your entire team stay organize
CoSchedule Price: CoSchedule has a free calendar product. The paid Marketing Suite starts at $29 per user per month.
Final Takeaway: Because it does so much, it can be overkill if you just need a tool for social media management. It’s also less focused on the visual planning aspects needed for platforms like Instagram.
Sendible is a no-fuss social media management tool that’s particularly popular with agencies. It connects with all the major platforms and includes a slick dashboard where you can see your content calendar at a glance.
One of its features is a "tasks" system that allows team members or clients to assign and track to-dos related to content. This makes it a lightweight project management tool for busy teams. Sendible also offers straightforward analytics reports for all connected channels.
Sendible Price: Plans starting at $29 per month for 1 user and a set of social profiles.
Key Takeaway: While it’s great for solo operators or small agencies, some medium to larger teams might find the collaboration and approval features less robust than what’s offered by Sked Social.
Metricool is a user-friendly platform that supports a wide range of social networks, including Twitch and YouTube. It allows for bulk scheduling and offers a "heat-map" style planner that’s similar to Sked Social that shows you the best times to post for maximum engagement.
Beyond scheduling, Metricool lets you monitor competitors and analyze influencer performance, making it a great tool for brands looking to stay on top of their game. It also includes approval workflows and a central inbox for managing comments.
Metricool Price: Free for up to 50 posts per month, with paid plans from $22 per month.
Final takeaway: For data-driven marketers who want to track performance across social, web, and ads in one place, Metricool is a powerful choice.
Why settle for a lackluster social media management tool when you could be using Sked Social? With unlimited collaborator access, streamlined approvals and advanced auto-post technology that lets you schedule to all major platforms, Sked Social offers everything you need.
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Later made its name as the go-to scheduler for Instagram, and its visual-first approach is still its biggest strength. If your strategy is heavily focused on creating a killer Instagram feed, Later is definitely worth a look.
While it has expanded to support other networks like TikTok, Facebook, and Pinterest, many of its most powerful features—like its AI caption writer and Best Time to Post suggestions—are still geared toward Instagram.
Later Price: 14-day trial, with plans starting at $25 per user per month.
Final takeaway: Later is an excellent choice for small teams that live on Instagram and TikTok and want deep analytics for those platforms. You can see how it stacks up in our Sked Social vs Later breakdown.
Sprout Social is another heavyweight in the social media management space, but it comes with an even higher price tag than Hootsuite. It’s built for larger teams and enterprises that need advanced collaboration features and deep analytics.
One of its biggest selling points is its built-in customer relationship management (CRM) functionality, which helps you track conversations and build relationships with your audience. Its visually appealing reports are also fantastic for proving your social media ROI to leadership.
Sprout Social Price: 30-day trial, with their most popular plan starting at a steep $299 per user per month.
Final takeaway: Sprout Social is a powerful but very expensive tool. It’s a viable Hootsuite alternative for large companies that can afford the premium price tag.
Compare how Sked Social stacks up against Sprout Social.
Agorapulse is another powerful Hootsuite alternative that offers a robust set of features, including a unified social inbox, social listening, and an ROI calculator. It integrates with Google Analytics to help you track how your social efforts impact website traffic.
The free plan is quite limited at just 10 posts per month, which isn't enough for most businesses to maintain a consistent presence. However, its paid plans offer a solid alternative for teams with a bit of budget to spare.
Agorapulse Price: Free for 3 profiles (limited to 10 posts per month), with paid plans starting at $69 per user per month. The per-user pricing model can also become costly for larger teams.
Buffer is a popular choice known for its clean interface and straightforward approach to social media scheduling. It’s a solid option for individuals and small businesses just getting their feet wet. It’s known for its simplicity and affordability, especially for smaller teams.
Its free plan lets you connect up to 3 channels and schedule 10 posts per channel. Paid plans unlock analytics, engagement tools, and the ability to add more accounts. Key features include a content calendar, an AI assistant, and a landing page creator.
Buffer Price: (Very limited) Free plan available, with paid plans for one channel starting at $6 per channel per month.
Final takeaway: Buffer is a great, affordable alternative for solo users or small businesses with basic scheduling needs. However, teams that need strong collaboration and approval features will likely outgrow it quickly.
Planoly started as one of the first dedicated Instagram planning tools and has since expanded to other networks. It remains a top choice for creators and brands who want to perfect their visual aesthetic on platforms like Instagram and Pinterest.
Planoly is all about visual planning. Its interface is designed to help you see and arrange your grid, something Hootsuite doesn’t do well.
Planoly Price: Planoly’s basic Growth Plan starts at $28/m for 1 social set and 3 user seats.
If you need to collaborate with your team but Hootsuite’s team plan cost made you spit out your coffee, check out Vista Social. It offers basic team features at a much more reasonable price.
With Hootsuite, adding team members gets expensive fast. Vista Social’s Professional plan, on the other hand, lets you have 5 team members and manage 15 social accounts for $79/month.
Vista Social price: Free plan available. The Standard plan is $39/month and the Professional plan is $79/month
Nope. Hootsuite no longer offers a free plan. The only way to use it for free is with its 30-day trial. After that, you’ll have to upgrade to one of their paid plans, which start at $149 per month for a single user.
When you're shopping around, it’s easy to get lost in feature lists. Here’s what really matters:
So, what's the best replacement for Hootsuite? Honestly, it depends on what you need. There's no one-size-fits-all answer.
If you’re a former Hootsuite user looking for a more affordable home, all the tools on this list are worth exploring. Here’s a simple way to figure it out:
Social media management tools are a personal choice. If you find your perfect fit with one of the other options, that’s great! But if you’re looking for a powerful, intuitive, and affordable platform that grows with you, we think you’ll love what Sked Social has to offer.
Finding the right social media management tool can feel overwhelming, but it doesn't have to be. It’s all about finding the platform that fits your specific workflow, team size, and budget. While Hootsuite was once the default choice, there are now so many incredible alternatives that offer better features, a more intuitive user experience, and more affordable pricing.
If you’re a visual-first brand or agency tired of clunky workflows and paying per user, we think you’ll love Sked Social. It’s built to make your life easier with powerful, time-saving features so you can focus on creating content your audience loves.
Start your 14-day free trial of Sked Social today and see the difference for yourself.
Sked's tools are designed to streamline your workflow, enhance team collaboration, and deliver exceptional results for you and your team.
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