7 Hootsuite Alternatives for 2026
Hootsuite's SMB prices have risen sharply, it is billed per user, and it still has no asset library or rights-aware UGC collection. Here are seven alternatives — with real prices.
Last updated July 24, 2026
The short version
Hootsuite is a mature, broad social-management incumbent — solid scheduling, a unified inbox, wide network coverage — but two things push people to look elsewhere: prices that have climbed sharply for SMBs (entry Standard around US$99/user/month, billed per user, with annual escalators) and the absence of an owned-media DAM or rights-aware UGC collection. Its mid-tier is being repriced and public sources disagree on the exact number, so treat any mid-tier figure as unconfirmed until you check. The alternatives split by need: Sprout Social to step up in capability, Agorapulse for a strong middle ground, Buffer and Metricool for value, Sendible for unlimited seats, and Later for visual planning. Across the schedulers here, any bundled “media library” is storage for staging posts, not a DAM — you can't AI-organise, tag, search or act on your assets, and a place to store files isn't a place to manage them. If you also need to collect and store media — not just publish it — start with Jam: DAM, UGC collection with rights, and publishing in one, flat-priced with no per-seat charge.
All 7 alternatives at a glance
| Tool | Public pricing? | Starts at | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jam | Yes — flat, no per-seat | US$99/month (published) | DAM + UGC collection + social publishing in one |
| Sprout Social | Yes | US$199/seat/mo (Standard) | Premium enterprise suite; best-in-class analytics |
| Agorapulse | Yes | US$79/user/mo ($99 billed annually) | Inbox-first social management for teams and agencies |
| Metricool | Yes | Free plan; Starter ~US$22/mo (~$18 annual) | Analytics-led scheduling with deep reporting |
| Sendible | Yes | US$29/mo (US$294/yr); unlimited users | Agency-focused management with unlimited seats |
| Buffer | Yes | Free plan; Essentials US$5/channel/mo | Simplest, cheapest scheduler for small teams |
| Later | Yes | US$25/mo (US$18.75/mo billed annually) | Visual, Instagram-first planner with link-in-bio |
1. Jam
DAM + UGC collection + social publishing in oneOur productFull disclosure: Jam is our product. It's #1 here because it does two things Hootsuite structurally does not — an AI-organised asset library (DAM) and UGC collection with usage rights granted at submission — alongside native publishing to seven platforms across 14 integrations. It's also genuinely easy to use — an intuitive UI a non-technical marketer or social manager can pick up in minutes, with no training or onboarding, in contrast to the cluttered dashboards reviewers flag on incumbents like Hootsuite. Where Hootsuite is a publishing suite billed per user with prices that have climbed sharply, Jam is a rights-aware content system at a flat US$99/month (Standard) or US$299/month (Growth), the same however many people log in — no per-seat charge and no annual escalators. Setup is self-serve with a 14-day trial; the custom Enterprise tier adds a dedicated account manager, migrations and custom integrations. Jam is used by solo teams and by enterprise social teams collecting media at scale.
Pricing: US$99/month (published) · see full pricing
2. Sprout Social
Premium enterprise suite; best-in-class analyticsIf you are leaving Hootsuite for something more capable rather than cheaper, Sprout is the premium step up: deep analytics, mature social listening and review management. Published pricing starts at US$199/seat/month (Standard), then Professional at $299 and Advanced at $399 per seat, with premium analytics and listening sold as add-ons (sproutsocial.com/pricing, seen July 2026). Honest limitation: it is billed per seat, so like Hootsuite the cost compounds with every user — and, also like Hootsuite, it has no owned-media DAM and no UGC-with-rights collection.
Pricing: US$199/seat/mo (Standard)
3. Agorapulse
Inbox-first social management for teams and agenciesAgorapulse is a strong middle ground: a genuinely good unified inbox, moderation, social CRM and reporting, at published prices that start at US$79/user/month (US$99 billed annually) for Standard with 10 social profiles, rising to Professional ($119) and Advanced ($149) per user (agorapulse.com/pricing, seen July 2026). Honest limitation: it is per-seat, so a larger team pays Hootsuite-style per-user costs, and it is an engagement suite rather than an owned-media content library.
Pricing: US$79/user/mo ($99 billed annually)
4. Metricool
Analytics-led scheduling with deep reportingMetricool is the value pick for anyone who used Hootsuite mainly to schedule and report: strong cross-channel analytics and ad reporting bundled with scheduling, plus a genuine free tier (1 brand, 20 posts/month). The Starter plan is published at around US$22/month (~US$18 billed annually) for 5 brands, priced per-brand rather than per-user (metricool.com/pricing, corroborated by third-party trackers, seen July 2026). Honest limitation: some networks and features sit behind add-ons or higher tiers, and collaboration/approval tooling is lighter than agency-first tools.
Pricing: Free plan; Starter ~US$22/mo (~$18 annual)
5. Sendible
Agency-focused management with unlimited seatsSendible is the escape hatch from per-user pricing: every tier includes unlimited users, which makes it a natural fit for small agencies managing several client brands. The Core plan is published at US$29/month (US$294/year) with 1 workspace and 6 social profiles (sendible.com/pricing, seen July 2026). Honest limitation: profile caps are tied to tier (6 → 18 → 42), so a growing client roster pushes you up plans quickly, and its "content library" is post-asset storage rather than a rights-managed DAM.
Pricing: US$29/mo (US$294/yr); unlimited users
6. Buffer
Simplest, cheapest scheduler for small teamsBuffer is the clean, cheap answer to a cluttered, pricey dashboard: a real free plan (up to 3 channels), Essentials at US$5/channel/month and Team at US$10/channel/month with unlimited team members (buffer.com/pricing, seen July 2026). It charges per connected channel rather than per user. Honest limitation: it is a publishing queue, not an asset store — no DAM, no UGC-with-rights, no social listening — and the per-channel bill adds up once you connect 10+ accounts.
Pricing: Free plan; Essentials US$5/channel/mo
7. Later
Visual, Instagram-first planner with link-in-bioLater swaps Hootsuite's dashboard for a visual, Instagram-first planner: an excellent drag-and-drop calendar with grid preview and first-to-market link-in-bio. Published pricing starts at US$25/month for Starter (US$18.75/month billed annually), then Growth at $50 and Scale at $110, metered by "social sets" with paid add-ons for extra sets, users and AI credits (later.com/pricing, seen July 2026). It runs a 14-day trial and has discontinued its free plan. Honest limitation: Later's creator/UGC tooling is influencer marketing, not customer-media collection with rights at submission, and it is Instagram-centric rather than an enterprise suite.
Pricing: US$25/mo (US$18.75/mo billed annually)
Weighing up Jam against Hootsuite directly? Read the full head-to-head: Jam vs Hootsuite — pricing, features and verdict
Choosing a Hootsuite alternative, answered
What is the best alternative to Hootsuite?
It depends on why you are leaving. If you want a rights-aware content system rather than just a scheduler, Jam replaces the stack — DAM, UGC collection with rights at submission, and native publishing to seven platforms — at a flat, published US$99/month with no per-seat charge. For a more capable premium suite, Sprout Social; for a strong middle ground, Agorapulse; for the cheapest clean scheduler, Buffer; and for analytics on a budget, Metricool.
Has Hootsuite raised its prices?
Yes. Hootsuite's entry Standard plan is around US$99/user/month, and independent tracking indicates SMB pricing has risen sharply year on year, with annual escalators common on contracts. Its mid-tier is currently being repriced and public sources disagree on the exact figure, so we cite only the confirmed anchors — a roughly US$99 entry, a top listed paid tier around US$399, and custom Enterprise — and note that unlimited social accounts require a higher paid tier. Check Hootsuite's own page for the current mid-tier number before committing.
Which Hootsuite alternatives do not charge per user?
Several here avoid per-user pricing. Jam is flat (US$99 or US$299/month, unlimited users). Sendible includes unlimited users on every tier. Buffer charges per connected channel rather than per seat, with unlimited team members on its Team tier. Metricool prices per brand. Sprout Social and Agorapulse, by contrast, are billed per user like Hootsuite.
Methodology: prices checked July 24, 2026 against each vendor's live pricing page (Sprout, Agorapulse, Metricool, Sendible, Buffer, Later, Jam); Metricool's entry price was corroborated against third-party trackers. Hootsuite's own pricing page rendered blank price fields on our last check and its mid-tier is being repriced with sources in disagreement, so we cite only its confirmed anchors and flag the rest rather than estimating. Found something out of date? Tell us and we'll fix it.
Flat price, no escalators
Jam is flat US$99/month, however many people log in: DAM, UGC collection with rights, and social publishing in one, free for 14 days — no credit card, no demo call required.