Sked social vs. Hootsuite

The Hootsuite alternative for Instagram-first businesses

Teams that prioritize Instagram marketing choose Sked instead of Hootsuite’s platform focused on text-based channels such as Twitter and LinkedIn.

We’re Instagram-first, not Instagram-only

Cross-post everything, everywhere. Repurpose Instagram posts in a couple of clicks, or create original content for Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, TikTok and more.

”Sked makes it easier to post to multiple social platforms and tailor the media and copy for each accordingly. The visual planner is a great tool for strategy and overall look/feel.”

Mark King
CryptoStreet Academy

”I can now schedule weeks of posts in advance, my clients can view the schedule and approve/make changes as required. I'm no longer chained to the screen posting like crazy.”

Elesha Piper
Joy Digital

Users say Hootsuite isn’t built for Instagram

Hootsuite wasn’t built with Instagram in mind and it shows. You’ll waste hours publishing Instagram posts manually, it’s difficult to plan your feed’s aesthetic, and it’s not designed to help teams collaborate on visual strategy and content.

It would be much better if posting to stories was possible, without setting reminders and having to doit manually.”

Verified Hootsuite review on G2

” You have to use a mobile device to publish multiple photos to Instagram.”

Verified Hootsuite review on G2

”I spent over an hour trying to post an Instagram story - it actually took more time to deal with this through Hootsuite than through Instagram directly.”

Verified Hootsuite review on G2

”Users can't directly publish content to the Facebook and Instagram stories, which are major marketing tools.”

Verified Hootsuite review on G2

”Hootsuite is a very text-based software. I don’t like that I can't see what my Instagram will look like. It leaves too much space for error.”

Verified Hootsuite review on G2

Sked Social is for brands and agencies that lean on visual content to grow

See what your Instagram feed will look like weeks and months in advance, auto-publish posts of all types (for real), and turn every engagement into a2-way conversation with Sked.

Auto-post reels and stories

Schedule reels, stories, carousels, videos, and images to actually auto-post. No more notifications to post manually on evenings and weekends.

Easily plan visual content

Drag and drop content onto our visual planner, rearrange posts until your feed looks just right, and know each one will publish on schedule automatically.

Invite unlimited users

Onboard unlimited team members and clients for free. No more sharing passwords to cut costs or overpaying for growing teams.

sked social

How Sked helps you master Instagram

product tagging

Use shoppable tags to turn impressions into income

Hootsuite’s own help documents say that their mobile app doesn’t support product tagging. With Sked, you can schedule posts with shoppable from any device and trust it will post at the right time with your tags intact.

”Our favourite feature is being able to schedule the shopping tag, this has directed customers straight to our website and, in many cases, has resulted in an instant purchase.”

Nicola Payne
Oklahoma Ltd

auto-posting

Automate posting and first comments, too

With Sked, you can schedule posts to actually auto-post with a first comment containing hashtags. Now you’ll spend less time getting your content in front of more people.

”With Sked, I can upload the images, write captions and hashtags, set the dates and times and walk away, leaving me time for other work.”

Elaine Vydra
St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Link in bio

Give audience more ways to engage with you outside of Instagram

With Hootsuite, you’ll need to pay at least $249 per month to get a link in bio included in your plan.

With Sked Link, it’s built in and included in all plans. Create a branded link in bio page that drives traffic to your store, website, newsletter — any URL you want.

”I love the link in bio feature, as well. It helps me ensure I never forget to add a link while posting.”

Kynslee Scott
Montana Freshwater Partner

Track trends

Never run out of content ideas again

Track hashtags to see what your audience (and competitors) are posting.

See what works and what flops for the topics you want to dominate, and adjust your content calendar accordingly.

”Hashtag performance and suggestions are provided on the fly with visual relevance.”

Mark King
MKL Event Management

sked library

Filling your content calendar has never been this easy

Find trending hashtags and add user-generated content to your library on the fly with our Chrome Extension.

Now, choose content from your library, drag it onto your content planner, make it your own with a first comment and tags, and you’re done.

”My favorite part of Sked is the ability to easily repost UGC using the Chrome extension! The process for that is we regularly look for UGC and save it as a draft (via the Chrome extension), then I dig through those posts and plan them out

Lauren
Recreation Dallas

insights

Optimize your Instagram reels and stories

It’s time to demand more from your Instagram analytics.

With Sked, you can get deep analytics for stories and reels — not just feed posts. You’ll know when your audience is active, discover the types of content that works, and see how your performance compared to your competitors’.

”The data the social platform provides is a good start, but it’s hard to create a narrative out of it. With Sked Social, you can spot patterns and trends and understand why they’re there.”

Social inbox

Turn a faceless brand into a personable one with Sked Inbox

With Sked Inbox, you can see and engage with DMs, comments, and posts across all of your accounts from one place. Show your audience the human side of your brand without juggling logins, tabs, and devices.

Over 10,000 Instagram-first agencies and brands trust Sked Social

Compare Hootsuite’s and Sked Social’s Instagram capabilities

Hootsuite
Users
Users
Not available in mobile app
Auto-publish stories
Users
Users
Auto-post multiple images as story chain
Auto-publish stories chain
Users
Users
Not available in mobile app
Auto-publish Reels
Users
Users
Convert users straight from your story
Story link stickers
Users
Users
See how your Insta-feed looks before posting
Visual planner
Users
Users
Not available on all plans
Drive clicks to any URL
Link in Bio
Users
Users
Auto-post first comments with hashtags
First comment
Users
Users
Learn what works on all types of content
Analytics for Reels and Stories
Users
Users
Not available on the mobile app
Generate more sales from your organic posts
Product tags
Users
Users
Supported platforms
  • Auto-publish stories
  • Auto-publish stories chain
  • Auto-publish Reels
  • Story link stickers
  • Visual planner
  • Link in Bio
  • First comment
  • Analytics for Reels and Stories
  • Product tags
  • Supported platforms
  • Hootsuite
  • Not available in mobile app
  • Not available in mobile app
  • Not available
  • Not available on all plans
  • Not available
  • Not available on the mobile app
  • Auto-post multiple images as story chain
  • Convert users straight from your story
  • See how your Insta-feed looks before posting
  • Drive clicks to any URL
  • Auto-post first comments with hashtags
  • Learn what works on all types of content
  • Generate more sales from your organic posts

We’re pro-collaboration and it shows in our pricing

Hootsuite
Users
Users
Professional
$99/month
1 user
fundamentals
$30/month
1 user
Lowest plan
Users
Users
Team
$249/month
3 users
Essentials
$89/month
Unlimited users
Intermediate plan
Users
Users
Business
$739/month
5 users
Professional
$159/month
Unlimited users
Highest plan
  • Low
  • Intermediate
  • High
  • Hootsuite

  • Professional
    $99/month
    1 user
  • Team
    $249/month
    3 users
  • ENTERPRISE
    Custom pricing
    5 users + PAY EXTRA PER ADDITIONAL
  • ESSENTIALS
    $59/month
    UNLIMITED USERS
  • PROFESSIONAL
    $109/month
    Unlimited users
  • ENTERPRISE
    $199/month
    Unlimited users

Get to know our support and success teams by name

Users
Users
Monday to Friday, limited hours
24/7 chat and email support
Customer support
Users
Users
Add-on charges
Free with Professional plan
Phone support
Users
Users
Add-on charges
Get one-on-one training
Onboarding support
Users
Users
Add-on charges
Get a dedicated success manager
Dedicated support manager
Users
Users
Get drafts approved fasterwith live previews
Live previews
  • Customer support
  • Phone support
  • Onboarding support
  • Dedicated support manager
  • Hootsuite
  • Monday to Friday, limited hours
  • Add-on charges
  • Add-on charges
  • Add-on charges
  • 24/7 chat and email support
  • Free with Professional plan
  • Get one-on-one training
  • Get a dedicated success manager

Get a free 1-on-1 session to help set up your account when you switch

hootsuite vs. sked social

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I auto-post to Instagram without checking the app?
Is Sked Social limited to Instagram scheduling?
Does Sked Social have a free plan?
How does pricing compare for Hootsuite and Sked Social?
What kind of customer support do I get with Sked Social?

Later vs. Hootsuite

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I auto-post to Instagram without checking the app?

You can. Sked Social automatically publishes your posts without you lifting a finger.Your carousels, reels, and stories too. Be it at 2 AM or 2 PM, your posts go out exactly when you schedule them. No more annoying push notifications telling you to log in and post manually.

Is Sked Social limited to Instagram scheduling?

While it’s true we’re built with Instagram-first brands and agencies in mind, you can also schedule and cross-post content to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat, and Google My Business.

Does Sked Social have a free plan?

You can try Sked Social risk-free for 7 days. To learn more about our pricing plans, click here.

How does Hootsuite’s and Sked Social’s pricing compare?

Hootsuite starts at $49/month. You don’t get approval workflows, customer support, and asset libraries unless you choose the Business plan at $739/month. And$739/month only gets you 5 included users.

With Sked Social, you get unlimited users on the Essentials and Professional plans, starting at just $75/month.

Hootsuite may charge you for other upgrades such as phone support, one-on-one training, and a dedicated support manager.

What kind of customer support do I get with Sked Social?

The kind of customer support that puts you on a first-name basis with our team.Our Essentials plan includes 24/7 live chat and email support with a 4-minute response time on average. The Professional plan includes phone support. Go annual and you get a dedicated customer success manager.