Updated November 2026
5 Hootsuite alternatives to compare in 2026
We compared Postocial, Sprout Social, Agorapulse, SocialPilot and Zoho Social with Hootsuite on price, free plans, networks, inbox, approvals, link in bio, API and MCP. Every fact links to an official source.
A card is required to start the 7-day free trial. When the trial ends, we charge your card for the plan you picked, unless you cancel before.
About Hootsuite
What is Hootsuite?
Hootsuite is an enterprise social media suite that combines publishing, a unified inbox, listening, ads and employee advocacy. USD prices are published for annual billing only, from $99 per user a month for Standard with 10 social accounts.
- Category: Enterprise social media management suite
- Starting price: $99/user/month. Standard, billed yearly
- Free plan: No
- Free trial: 14 days. No card; 10 to 20 posts a day
- Networks listed: 11
Why people switch
Why people look for Hootsuite alternatives
Most reasons come down to price, plan limits and network coverage. This is what Hootsuite's own pages show, as of November 2026.
- Pricing is per user, and monthly USD prices are not published
- Standard caps you at 10 social accounts
- Approval workflows, internal comments and message assignment start on Advanced
- There is no free plan
- Its network list does not include Mastodon, Reddit, Tumblr and Telegram
Alternative 1 of 5
Postocial
Postocial fits teams that use Hootsuite mainly for scheduling, the inbox and approvals. Prices are published: Starter costs €19.99 a month with 2 team members and approvals, Premium €29.99 with the inbox, and Agency €99 with 100 social accounts and 10 team members. It has no listening, ads or advocacy tools, so teams that rely on those should stay on a suite.
- Published monthly prices from €19.99, with 2 team members included; Hootsuite publishes USD prices only for annual billing, from $99 per user a month
- Approvals on every plan, and internal notes and inbox assignment on Premium and higher plans; Hootsuite starts them on Advanced
- A REST API on every plan; Hootsuite does not say which plans get its REST API
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Worth knowing
- Hootsuite's trial is longer: 14 days with no card, against 7 days with a card on Postocial.
- Postocial doesn't post to WhatsApp Channels or Status. On Premium and higher plans, it connects your WhatsApp Business number for chats, chatbots and template broadcasts.
- On Postocial, X needs your own X API key and pre-funded X developer credits, and there are no X analytics.
More options
Other Hootsuite alternatives
Numbered for reference, not ranked. Each card says how that tool differs from Hootsuite, using facts from its official pages.
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2. Sprout Social
Sprout Social is the other premium per-seat suite, and it does publish a monthly price: $99 per seat for Essentials, with 5 profiles. Its trial runs 30 days with no card, and approvals start on Professional.
Postocial vs Sprout Social -
3. Agorapulse
Agorapulse also charges per user, $99 a month on monthly billing for Standard, with the same 10 profiles as Hootsuite Standard. It puts community management first and offers a free Archie plan and a 30-day trial.
Postocial vs Agorapulse -
4. SocialPilot
SocialPilot starts far lower, at $30 a month for 7 accounts, on flat plans rather than per-seat pricing. Analytics, the inbox and approvals start on Standard, at $50.
Postocial vs SocialPilot -
5. Zoho Social
Zoho Social is a low-cost suite, from $15 a month for 1 brand, with a free plan that Hootsuite does not offer. Its inbox and approvals require Zoho Social Premium, at $65 a month.
Postocial vs Zoho Social
At a glance
Hootsuite and its alternatives, side by side
Entry prices, trials and the features teams ask about most. On Postocial, the inbox and link in bio come with Premium and higher plans.
| Feature | Postocial | Hootsuite | Sprout Social | Agorapulse | SocialPilot | Zoho Social |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starting priceMonthly billing unless noted | €19.99/monthStarter, or €199.90 a year | $99/user/monthStandard, billed yearly | $99/seat/monthEssentials, 5 profiles; $79 billed yearly | $99/user/monthStandard, 10 profiles; $79 billed yearly | $30/monthEssentials, 7 accounts, 1 user; $25.50 yearly | $15/monthStandard, 1 brand, 1 member; $10 yearly |
| Free plan | No | No | No | YesArchie AI plan, 4 networks | No | Yes1 brand, 6 channels; no scheduling |
| Free trial | 7 daysCard required | 14 daysNo card; 10 to 20 posts a day | 30 daysNo card | 30 daysNo card; 15 days plus a 15-day extension | 14 daysNo card | 15 daysThen the free plan |
| NetworksPublishing networks each tool lists | 14X with your own X API key | 11 listedGoogle Business Profile and WhatsApp for the inbox | 13 listedWhatsApp from Standard | 10 listedX sold as an add-on | 10 listed | 15 listedOne account per network per brand |
| Unified inbox | YesOn Premium and higher plans, with WhatsApp, a Telegram bot, SMS, live chat and chatbots | YesAssignment from Advanced | YesNot on Essentials | YesAssignment from Professional | YesFrom Standard | YesFrom Zoho Social Premium |
| Post approvals | YesClients approve from a shared link | YesFrom Advanced | YesFrom Professional | YesFrom Professional | YesFrom Standard; client approvals from SocialPilot Premium | YesFrom Zoho Social Premium |
| Link in bio | YesOn Premium and higher plans, with up to 3 custom domains | Yes | YesSproutLink, Instagram only | YesFrom Professional | Not confirmed | NoNone listed |
| Public API | YesPublishing API and webhooks; Messaging and Link in Bio APIs on Premium and higher plans | YesPlans not stated | YesFrom Advanced | YesReporting data, Custom plan | YesEnterprise, on request | Yes |
| MCP server | YesDrafts and schedules posts | YesNeeds the matching Hootsuite products | Not confirmedNo official server found | YesDrafts posts, does not publish | YesAll paid plans | Not confirmedNot in Zoho MCP services |
On Postocial, message only people who opted in or wrote to you first, and stop when they ask. Broadcasts go to contacts who opted in and skip anyone who opted out, and on Messenger and Instagram they reach only people who messaged you in the last 24 hours. Meta bills WhatsApp messages to your WhatsApp Business account, and SMS goes through your own Twilio, Plivo or SMS gateway account. Competitor details as of November 2026, from the official pricing, feature and help pages linked here. Plans change often, so check the source before you buy. Sources: Hootsuite: hootsuite.com/plans, hootsuite.com/plans/standard, hootsuite.com/…/products, hootsuite.com/integrations/mcp, developer.hootsuite.com; Sprout Social: sproutsocial.com/pricing, sproutsocial.com/features/link-in-bio, sproutsocial.com/insights/schedule-bluesky-posts, support.sproutsocial.com/…/44713446274573-Support-…, support.sproutsocial.com/…/360045006152-Sprout-Pub…; Agorapulse: agorapulse.com/pricing, support.agorapulse.com/…/8762514-agorapulse-free-p…, support.agorapulse.com/…/11748805-agorapulse-free-…, agorapulse.com/mcp-integrations; SocialPilot: socialpilot.co/plans, socialpilot.co/socialpilot-pricing.md, socialpilot.co/mcp-server; Zoho Social: zoho.com/social/pricing.html, zoho.com/social/pricing.md, zoho.com/…/social-pricing-val.json, zoho.com/social/plan-comparison.md, zoho.com/social/api.html, zoho.com/…/introduction.html, zoho.com/mcp/pricing.md.
FAQ
Hootsuite alternatives: questions and answers
Is there a free alternative to Hootsuite?
Agorapulse, Zoho Social and Buffer have free plans, as of November 2026. Hootsuite does not. Postocial has no free plan; every plan starts with a free trial instead. A card is required to start the 7-day free trial. When the trial ends, we charge your card for the plan you picked, unless you cancel before.
Which Hootsuite alternative is closest?
Sprout Social is the closest enterprise suite, and Agorapulse the closest inbox-first option. SocialPilot and Zoho Social start at much lower prices.
How did you choose these Hootsuite alternatives?
We picked Sprout Social, Agorapulse, SocialPilot and Zoho Social because they overlap with Hootsuite, which is an all-in-one suite. Then we compared starting prices, free plans, trials, networks, inbox, approvals, link in bio, API and MCP using official pricing and feature pages, as of November 2026. Postocial comes first because this is the Postocial site; the other tools are not ranked.
Try Postocial as your Hootsuite alternative
Connect your accounts, schedule a real week of posts and see how it compares with Hootsuite. Free for 7 days.
A card is required to start the 7-day free trial. When the trial ends, we charge your card for the plan you picked, unless you cancel before.