Tool Reviews
Yasmina Akni Ebourki
Last updated: May 2, 2025
Managing your social media shouldn’t feel like managing a spaceship, expensive, complicated, and hard to steer.
If you’ve been wondering, “Isn’t there something better (and cheaper) out there? That Hootsuite” this guide is for you.
Whether you're a solo freelancer, a growing team, or just need something that works better with managing different social media, I’ve got you covered.
TL;DR: Hootsuite is a solid social media management tool, but it’s pricey and not always the best fit for everyone. This guide breaks down 5 top alternatives, Buffer, Publer, Loomly, SocialPilot, and MagicPost, each with different strengths in pricing, content creation, analytics, and platform specialization (especially for LinkedIn).
What is Hootsuite and Why Search for Alternatives?
Hootsuite is a social media management platform that lets you schedule, monitor, and analyze your content across multiple platforms, such as LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter, all from a single dashboard.
It offers powerful features like:
Content scheduling across multiple social channels
Social listening tools for monitoring conversations and trends
Integration with third-party tools like Canva for quick and easy design creation
Pros and Cons of Hootsuite
After taking a closer look at Hootsuite’s main features, it’s clear that while it’s a powerful and well-established platform, it also has a few key drawbacks that drive many users to consider alternatives.
High cost: Hootsuite can be pricey compared to other tools offering similar features
Free trial requires a credit card: This can be a barrier for users who want to test it risk-free
Steep learning curve: The interface may feel overwhelming at first, requiring time to master and learn all it’s features
5 Hootsuite Alternatives
Let’s take a look at some tools that can be used as alternatives to Hootsuite.
We'll go over their key features, advantages, disadvantages, and pricing to help you choose the best fit for your social media needs.
1. Buffer
Buffer is very similar to Hootsuite when it comes to managing multiple social media accounts from a single platform.
Some of its main features include:
Scheduling content across various social networks.
Tracking analytics to measure performance.
Creating custom images for social media directly within the platform.
Offering suggestions on the best times to post on platforms like LinkedIn and insights into what type of content performs best.
Pros:
One of Buffer’s biggest advantages is its pricing.
The free plan allows you to manage up to 3 channels and schedule up to 10 posts.
The Essentials plan starts at $5/month per channel, and the Teams plan starts at $10/month, a solid option for teams collaborating on content.
2. Publer
A lesser-known but powerful alternative is Publer.
Like Hootsuite, Publer allows you to manage multiple social media platforms from a single dashboard and maintain a unified content calendar.
Some of its standout features include:
Scheduling posts across all connected platforms.
Monitoring engagement and performance metrics.
Optimizing your bio and profile information across different platforms simultaneously.
Pros:
Publer offers a clean and intuitive interface, and its core features, scheduling, engagement tracking, and account management, are solid and reliable.
Cons:
Its AI content generation, especially for LinkedIn, still falls behind competitors.
The output often lacks the structure and tone needed for more professional content.
Pricing:
Publer has a free plan that includes up to 3 social accounts and 10 scheduled posts.
The most popular plan costs approximately $3.75/month (converted from €3.51), while the Business plan is around $7.50/month.
For enterprise-level needs, they offer custom pricing based on specific requirements.
3. Loomly
Loomly is a platform that allows you to organize all your social media content in one place, helping you grow your account and audience by streamlining your content strategy.
One of its main advantages is that it supports integration with almost all major social networks, including Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, and others.
However, while Loomly does allow you to post on LinkedIn, its AI-generated content features are not fully optimized for that platform, which can limit its effectiveness for professional audiences.
Among its strengths, Loomly enables integration with external tools such as Slack, and it supports collaborative content creation within teams.
Users can share assets, assign tasks, and streamline the approval process, which significantly accelerates workflows.
On the downside, while Loomly does include AI-assisted content creation, its capabilities are still somewhat limited compared to platforms that are more specialized in AI-generated copy or visuals.
In terms of pricing, Loomly offers a free plan that includes:
Up to 3 social accounts, 1 calendar for 1 user
Their most popular plan, called "Beyond", includes features like analytics and team collaboration tools.
Pricing isn't shown upfront, you’ll need to create an account and start the 15-day free trial to see full details.
But it’s around $32/month, which is slightly cheaper than Hootsuite.
4. SocialPilot
Continuing with the trend of social media management tools, SocialPilot stands out for its comprehensive features and user-friendly interface.
Advantages:
Schedule and publish content across multiple platforms.
Includes an AI-powered content creation tool, AI Pilot, to help generate engaging posts.
Facilitates team collaboration and makes it easy to manage joint content efforts.
Manages all reviews and messages across social media platforms, streamlining communication.
Provides access to detailed analytics and advanced response features, which can help businesses engage more effectively with customers.
Pricing:
SocialPilot’s pricing starts at €24/month for the basic plan, with the Standard plan priced at €40–80/month (depending on the features selected).
The Premium and Ultimate plans range from €80 to €151/month, offering even more advanced features for larger teams or businesses.
Comparison with Hootsuite:
Compared to Hootsuite, SocialPilot has similar pricing but offers more features, making it a solid choice for businesses focused on content creation and collaboration.
5. MagicPost
Finally, one of the two tools I want to highlight, while it’s not meant to manage every social media platform, is MagicPost, and it's specially designed for LinkedIn.
This tool helps you create LinkedIn content that actually sounds like you, adapting to your tone and writing style.
Plus, it’s packed with helpful features:
You can generate content ideas and hooks in seconds.
There’s a dedicated inspiration feed so you never run out of things to post about.
You can organize, schedule, and preview your content ahead of time.
It gives you a much more personalized experience compared to traditional social media schedulers.
The best part? It includes tons of free tools you can try even before creating an account, perfect if you just want to test things out.
Pricing is super straightforward:
Starter Plan: $19/month, Ideal for testing the platform or occasional LinkedIn users.
Creator Plan: $29/month, Best for freelancers and solo professionals.
Business Plan: $79/month, Designed for teams or companies needing more advanced features.
MagicPost is not a multi-platform manager, but if LinkedIn is your primary focus, it offers deep, specialized functionality that more general tools don’t match.
How to Choose the Best Tool?
Selecting the right tool for managing your social media accounts depends on your specific goals and needs.
Here are some key points to consider:
Define your goals first: Are you focused on growing a specific platform like TikTok or Instagram? Or do you need a tool that supports all major platforms?
Check platform compatibility: Not every tool works equally well with every social network. Make sure the one you choose supports the platforms you’re prioritizing.
Compare value for money: If you're looking for a more affordable option than Hootsuite,
Publer offers similar core features at a much lower price.
Loomly offers a balance between affordability and advanced features.
Look for platform-specific strengths: If your main focus is LinkedIn, a tool like MagicPost, which is built specifically for that platform, may serve you better than a general-purpose manager.
Evaluate analytics and reporting features: If insights and metrics are essential for your strategy, choose a tool with strong reporting capabilities, like SocialPilot.
Take advantage of free trials: Most tools offer free trials, test several to see which interface, features, and workflow suit you best before committing.
Ultimately, the best tool is the one that aligns with your goals, fits your workflow, and offers the best value for your budget.
