As one of the most widely used social media tools, Hootsuite is well known by many social media managers. As a so-called “all-in-one” platform, Hootsuite allows users to manage and monitor multiple social media channels, publish posts, analyze performance metrics and much more. Due to its many features and solid brand reputation, it is no surprise that many think of Hootsuite when considering what social media tool is right for them. 

However, when taking a deeper look into what the tool actually offers, there are some that important factors to think about when deciding whether it is the right tool for you. For this reason, we will go over what you should consider when deciding whether Hootsuite may is right for you. We will then highlight the best alternatives to Hootsuite you can choose from, depending on what your needs are.  

Why you might be looking for Alternatives to Hootsuite

Below, we will outline some of the possible reasons that you may be considering Hootsuite alternatives. While these will not be relevant to all Hootsuite users, they do cast some light on possible drawbacks to choosing this social media tool.

Subscription Costs

For those are looking for a Hootsuite alternative, it will come as no surprise that one of the primary reasons for that may be the platform’s cost. Hootsuite does not offer a freemium version, with the cheapest plan starting at $99. However, this plan, labeled as “Professional,” only gives you one user and does not allow for the possibility to add more. Therefore, if you need more users, then you have to look into the “Team” and “Enterprise” options. However, you should also note that the “Team” subscription only allows for a maximum of 3 users.

While having only one user may be fine for some companies, you need to think about whether this is worth the relatively high entry price and whether one user is really enough. The restriction of users for the Team plan, means that, if you want more than 3 users, you essentially need to inquire about the Enterprise pricing, even if you don’t need all the functions that come with that. Social media agencies or larger businesses especially may be thinking twice because of these user restrictions. So, if this sounds like you, then there might be better alternatives than Hootsuite you should consider looking at.

Limits on Competitor Analysis

At the end of the day, unlimited profile tracking can be a powerful feature of your social media tool. Unfortunately, with restrictions limits on the number of competitor profiles you can track and analyze, you may not be getting what you need regarding competitor analysis with Hootsuite.

Restrictions for Adding Additional Users

These days, there could be several reasons why people on your marketing, social media, and/or customer service teams need access to a social media tool. Therefore, many businesses may want to have the option to add users to the account of their social media tool. This may be problematic with Hoostuie since it limits its professional plan to only 1 user and even limits the number of users in their plan called “Team” to 3. In order to be able to add more than 3 users to a company’s subscription, you must select the Enterprise package.   

Of course, there are social media marketing teams that might not want to purchase a more expensive plan with features they don’t need, but at the same time add more than only 3 users. This reduces the type of flexibility you get when choosing the plan that may suit your needs while being able to add users to it. If you want to add many users to a plan but not pay the Enterprise price, then there may be better options than Hootsuite.

What are the Best Alternatives to Hootsuite?

There are social media platforms like Hootsuite that offer similar features in terms of publishing, monitoring, and analyzing, that may be better suited to your needs. So, what are the best alternatives to Hootsuite? Luckily for you, we will give you an overview of Hootsuite’s competitors in this regard.

Fanpage Karma: Analyze and Monitor Unlimited Profiles

You may haven’t heard of Fanpage Karma before, so you might be asking whether it is the best alternative to Hootsuite? If you are a business with many profiles to track or a social media agency, then it may be. As one of the competitors to Hootsuite, Fanpage Karma stands out by offering unlimited profiles that you can track, allowing users unparalleled capability for competitor analysis and benchmarking. As an alternative to Hootsuite, Fanpage Karma provides all the features you would expect from a leading social media management tool similar to Hootsuite. Some of the Fanpage Karma’s key features include:

Some of the Fanpage Karma’s key features include:

✅ Unlimited tracking of profiles for competitor analysis

Fanpage Karma allows users to monitor and analyze an unlimited number of profiles across different social media networks. This ensures businesses can comprehensively track and benchmark against a wide range of competitors within their industry, as well as any other profiles that they find interesting.

✅ Report templates

Fanpage Karma simplifies benchmarking analysis and reporting by providing a large range of premade reporting templates. These templates allow any type of business or agency to highlight their progress, present data and various metrics, and benchmark their performance against competitors. Fanpage Karma provides options to export reports in a variety of formats (Excel, PowerPoint, etc.), to send report dashboards directly to other stakeholders or clients, or even present reports directly in the platform. What’s more is the dynamic analytics options that Fanpage Karma allows for analysis. Whether it’s line graphs, bar charts, or pie charts, Fanpage Karma offers a diverse range of visual representations and metrics to effectively track and compare competitor performance and industry positioning.

✅ Teamwork Features for Publishing

Fanpage Karma’s publishing feature is designed to help teams exchange ideas and delegate tasks in order to create their posts’ captions and images. With an increasing number of teams working remote, Fanpage Karma has designed its tool to help them brainstorm and work together effectively.

✅ Shareable Dashboards and Dynamic Analytics

 In addition to the unlimited profiles for tracking that Fanpage Karma offers, there is also the option to provide shareable, public dashboards that allow even those who don’t have access to an account to track progress. This provides accessible views to all stakeholders involved, whether they use Fanpage Karma or not. What’s more is the dynamic analytics options that Fanpage Karma allows for analysis. Whether it’s line graphs, bar charts, or pie charts, Fanpage Karma offers a diverse range of visual representations and metrics to effectively track and compare competitor performance and industry positioning.

You may think that these features would be for agencies or large businesses. However,  Fanpage Karma also represents a great Hootsuite alternative for small businesses, especially for those who need to analyze many different profiles and manage their communities of followers. Overall, Fanpage Karma emerges as a noteworthy Hootsuite alternative as an all-in-one social media tool.

Buffer

If a deal is what you are looking for (aka free), then Buffer’s freemium version may be a good alternative to Hootsuite, as long as you don’t expect too many features or analytical insights. As a reliable free alternative to Hootsuite, Buffer provides users with a user-friendly interface, so anyone can get started right away.

While Buffer provides the core basics, users should be aware that it offers only limited features in its free plan. So, if you are looking for a free alternative to Hootsuite that is easy to use, Buffer is a suitable option to consider. However, for businesses who want to track hundreds or thousands of profiles, there may be better options.

Sprout Social

Sprout Social has a well-deserved reputation as a high-quality social media tool. Along these lines, strong analytical features and collaboration tools make Sprout Social a suitable app like Hootsuite that works for small teams to larger enterprises seeking to optimize their social media management efforts.

However, it is worth noting that Sprout Social’s comprehensive features and advanced functionalities come at a higher price point compared to many other social media tools. The cost of Sprout Social’s plans can be a limiting factor for smaller businesses or those operating on tighter budgets. While the investment in Sprout Social can provide significant value for businesses seeking advanced social media management capabilities, it is essential to consider the cost implications.

Sprinklr

While Sprinklr is less well-known than some of the other tools mentioned above, it does provide some strong features in terms of analytics. Sprinklr is a notable alternative of Hootsuite that stands out when it comes to social listening capabilities. With its robust social listening tools, Sprinklr enables businesses to monitor and analyze online conversations to help you stay on top of trends.

While Sprinklr offers a range of cutting-edge features for social listening, it is essential to think about what you need in an alternative to Hootsuite. While social listening may be important for some businesses, Sprinklr’s pricing options may not be suitable for many businesses, especially those not requiring social listening. 

Agorapulse

Agorapulse offers a full range of social media management features for publishing, analytics, reporting, etc. Importantly, Agorapulse has a freemium version that allows users to get going with their platform that gives you the basic function of the tool and the ability to track 3 profiles.

You should keep in mind, however, that Agorapulse charges €10 per extra profile to track that exceeds the 10 that are included within its Standard, Professional and Advanced plans. This means that exceeding 10 profiles can really get expensive if you need to track many profiles.

Social Pilot

SocialPilot has become a leading tool to manage your social media profiles. It allows for automated content publishing and provides valuable insights through comprehensive reporting. It also has a number of different pricing options that gives those who want a relatively affordable social media tool a suitable choice.

However, similar to some other Hootsuite alternatives, there are limits to how many profiles you can track depending on what plan you choose. Moreover, the cheapest plan is Professional, which limits some analytical features that other plans have.

ZOHO Social

ZOHO Social has many of the features and functions you look for in a social media tool. It provides strong publishing capabilities that really is one of the highlights of the tool. Additionally, reporting features help you to analyze your social media performance and gain valuable insights. It also has affordable options available, allowing even those on a limited budget to get started on social media management.

However, if you need to track a lot of profiles for analytics purposes or need to many users, you will have to pay to add more. This can make this tool expensive for larger companies with the need to track many profiles, as well as agencies managing multiple client accounts.