Hootsuite has strong tools for teams that manage many social accounts, with a shared inbox, listening and approvals. If you run a small business and post to a few channels, you may be paying for more than you use. Here are five alternatives and who each one suits.
Prices and limits below were checked on each vendor's own page in October 2026. They are in US dollars unless noted, and can differ by country and billing period.
What Hootsuite costs today
As of October 2026, Hootsuite's plans page lists Standard at $99 per user a month, Professional at $199 and Advanced at $399, all billed annually. Monthly billing costs more. Standard covers up to 10 social accounts. Professional and Advanced cover unlimited accounts. Each paid plan has a 14-day free trial, and the page lists no free plan.
For a big team, that buys a lot: an inbox for messages, brand monitoring, reports and approval steps. For one person posting to three accounts, it is a large monthly cost.
The short version
- Buffer: you post to a few channels and want to pay per channel.
- Later: Instagram, TikTok and other visual networks are your main channels.
- Metricool: you want scheduling and analytics, with a free plan to start.
- Zoho Social: you want a free plan for several networks, or already use Zoho.
- Meta Business Suite: you only post to Facebook and Instagram.
Buffer
Buffer charges per channel. As of October 2026, its pricing page lists a free plan for up to 3 channels, with 10 scheduled posts per channel at a time and 1 user. Essentials costs $6 per channel a month, or $5 a month when billed yearly. Team costs $12 per channel a month, or $10 billed yearly, and adds unlimited team members and approval steps. Paid plans have a 14-day trial.
Suits you if you post to a handful of channels. Less of a fit if you need social listening. There is a full comparison in Buffer vs Hootsuite.
Later
As of October 2026, Later's pricing page lists Starter at $18.75 a month billed yearly. It covers 1 social set of 8 profiles, 1 user and 30 posts per profile a month. Growth is $37.50 a month billed yearly, with 2 social sets, 2 users and 180 posts per profile. Later supports Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Threads, YouTube, Pinterest, LinkedIn and Snapchat. There is a 14-day trial, and the page lists no free plan.
Suits you if your marketing is mostly visual. Less of a fit if you want a free plan.
Metricool
As of October 2026, Metricool's pricing page lists a free plan for 1 brand, with up to 20 scheduled posts a month and 30 days of analytics. The free plan covers your brand's networks except LinkedIn and X (Twitter). Starter starts at $20 a month billed yearly, or $25 billed monthly. Prices are also shown in euros, and exclude VAT.
Suits you if you want to see what works as well as schedule it. Less of a fit if LinkedIn is your main channel and you want to stay on the free plan.
Zoho Social
Zoho Social's pricing page lists a free plan for 1 brand and 1 team member, with up to 6 channels across X, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and Google Business. Paid plans add more networks and features. Zoho shows prices based on your region, so check the page for yours.
Suits you if you want a free plan that includes LinkedIn and Google Business. Less of a fit if you need several team members without paying.
Meta Business Suite
If you only post to Facebook and Instagram, start with Meta's own tool. Meta Business Suite lets you create and schedule posts and stories, reply to messages from Facebook, Messenger and Instagram, and see insights.
Suits you if Facebook and Instagram are your only channels. Less of a fit if you also post to LinkedIn, TikTok or other networks.
How to choose
- List your channels. Count only the ones you post to every week.
- Count your posts. Check them against each free plan's limit.
- Decide who posts. If more than one person writes posts, look at team and approval features.
- Try the free plan or trial for two weeks. Schedule the posts you would really publish.
The tool is the easy part. Planning what to post takes more work. Start with a content calendar, then use ideas from LinkedIn post ideas and Instagram captions for small business.