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» What Exactly is Hootsuite?
Hootsuite is a third-party tool that is specifically designed to cater to your social media management needs. It lets you manage multiple channels on a single platform and keep track of all the activities on these accounts. This multiple streaming platform allows you to monitor your social media, manage team members, get reports and statistics of the performance, measure ROI, post and schedule updates, etc.» Why Opt for Hootsuite Alternatives?
Obviously, there are reasons why you should opt for Hootsuite alternatives, but by this, we do not mean that you shouldn’t consider Hootsuite for social media management. It’s just that there are other apps out there that offer you the same or more features at a better price.» Here are 3 reasons Why You Should Opt for Hootsuite Alternatives
› It is Expensive
Yes, you read it right. Although the pricing may seem to be considerable in the beginning, as you start exploring this platform, you feel bound to the features within the pricing you are opting for. In case you wish to opt for a free plan, then you are limited to 3 social profiles and only 30 scheduled messages.› The interface is Clunky- Less Organized Stream
The UI has been almost the same since the beginning and it's time they come up with something much faster and attractive.› Professional Plan lacks Advance Features
You expect to have all the features when you purchase the Premium Plan. But this is not the case. The basic premium plan costs around $29 per month and to use additional apps and features, you need to pay for each of them.» 12 Budget-Friendly Hootsuite Alternatives
1. Sendible
One of the strong rivals of Hootsuite is Sendible. This is also a single platform all-in-one tool that enables post-scheduling, analytics, and content curation. Hootsuite has a multi-column approach and Sendible is a hybrid between a single dashboard and a multi-column approach. Here, you have a single priority inbox where you also have the option to add customizable streams for the various profiles that you have.
Pros and Cons of Sendible
› Pros:
• Multiple platform support
• Monitor and Filter Keywords based on various aspects easily
• Send emails and publish blogs
• Visual Calendar
• Integrated Analytics & Tracking
• Ability to upload a CSV file for scheduling a lot of posts at once
• Canva integration.
› Cons:
• Sendible doesn’t offer any free plan but has an option of a 30-day trial
• The analytics feature does not seem to be user-friendly and has a steep learning curve
• Less accuracy in Geographic Keyword Monitoring
› Cost:
• Starts at $25 per month billed yearly for 6 social profiles
• No free account available. Although you can opt for a 30-day free trial.
2. AgoraPulse
AgoraPulse is a tool whose features are not just confined to publishing. On this platform, you can research your competitors and also do social listening. It seems to be an all-rounder social media management tool that enables users to keep themselves engaged with their followers. It also has a clutter-free and user-friendly dashboard.
Pros and Cons of AgoraPulse
› Pros:
• Supports all social media handles
• Unlimited and free report making
• Automated comments moderation
• Unified Inbox for viewing, replying, or assigning comments
• Visual calendar
• User profiling
• Bulk upload options
• Unlimited RSS feeds
• Monitor competing social channels(Facebook, Instagram & Twitter)
• Republish Content
› Cons:
• As compared to other available tools, AgoraPulse is expensive
• It has many tools which you cannot keep track of
› Cost:
• Free Trial for 30 days available
• Standard plan for $49 per month per user while annual billing.
3. Buffer
Buffer is considered to be the closest tool to Hootsuite. It has a smart scheduling feature that has an integrated user interface where you can add your posts in any form ranging from photos, videos, articles, etc. These posts can be scheduled with a virtual queue. This tool has the capability of predicting the best time to post your content to get more audience engagement.
Pros and Cons of Buffer
› Pros:
• Integration with multiple social media profiles
• You don’t need to individually schedule posts
• Integration with Pablo
• RSS feed integration
• Cheapest plan costs.
› Cons:
• Limited scheduling of posts even for the premium plan
• The Cheapest Plan limits only 100 scheduled posts.
› Cost:
• Free plan for the basic account that allows 3 social media profiles and only 10 scheduled posts
• Free trial of 14 days for all premium plans
• Premium plan starts at $5 per month per account
• The most expensive plan is $100 per month
4. Contentstudio
Discovering, planning, publishing, and monitoring trending content could mean the difference between a successful and otherwise content strategy. ContentStudio offers Content Discovery, Media Monitoring, Content Management, and social media management all under one roof to allow its users an unfair advantage in the digital marketing arena.
Pros and Cons of Contentstudio
› Pros:
• Amazing content curation and Content discovery - very easy to find content quickly in many niches
• Highly Customized Topic Feeds
• Content Insights - popular hashtag suggestions
• Built-in influencer discovery module
• Multiple publishing queues
• Evergreen recycling
• Content approval workflow for agencies
• Dedicated workspace for each client
• Integration with Pocket, Bitly, and Content Spinners
• UTM tracking available
› Cons:
• Instagram integration isn’t direct due to API restrictions but this is something being worked on and will be solved soon.
› Cost:
• Free plan for the basic account that allows 3 social media profiles and only 10 scheduled posts
• Free Trial for 14 days available (no credit card required!)
• Starter plan $25/month, Pro plan $49/month and Agency plan $99/month
5. Sprout Social
In case you are looking for a minimalist yet all-in-one platform for your social media management, Sprout Social is your choice. This is great at scheduling and analytics and has a different approach as compared to Hootsuite.
Pros and Cons of Sprout Social
› Pros:
• Simple integration with almost all social media platforms
• User-friendly interface with minimal design
• Advanced scheduling tools
• Social CRM features that help you view and share customer records
• Integrated inbox.
› Cons:
• LinkedIn Integration is not up to the mark
• Expensive as compared to other platforms with pricing starting at $99 per month.
› Cost:
• No free plan
• 30-day free trial for all premium features
• Starts at $199 per month which allows 5 social profiles. For additional features, the pricing can go up to $399 per month.
6. SocialPilot
If you are looking for an affordable package that includes publishing, analytics, and engagement, SocialPilot is the right choice for you. This platform has a unified dashboard to manage social media feeds. Social channels can also be grouped based on any kind of specifics. This seems to be a great feature when you are working for a client and you do not intend to do any kind of mix-up.
Pros and Cons of SocialPilot
› Pros:
• Single dashboard for managing all social channels
• Post-scheduling in various time zones
• Automated RSS Feeds
• Visual Calendar
• Branding on Facebook
• Team Collaboration
• Content Suggestions based on the niche
• Link Shorteners available
› Cons:
• The support for Instagram is limited
• The iOS application for this platform requires more work
› Cost:
• 14 days of free trial available
• Basic pricing starts at $25.50 per month.
7. SocialOomph
SocialOomph was originally a Twitter Automation and Management tool named TweetLater, but it has now broadened its virtue across other social media platforms as well. This tool is very powerful in Twitter management considering the history and contains features like keyword search and tweeting via mail for the Twitter platform. It has a simple UI and an easy-to-schedule management system, thus making it a very affordable tool.
› Pros and Cons of SocialOomph
› Pros:
• Affordable prices starting at $15 per month
• Specialty in Twitter marketing also extends to platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, etc.
• Unlimited scheduled posts for all plans
• Create posts and blogs automatically from RSS feeds
• Bulk content uploading
› Cons:
• It has almost all advanced features just for Twitter
• It has limited reporting features and analytics.
› Cost:
• 30-day free trial available
• Free plan allows only one social profile
• The pricing starts at $15 per month but is limited to only one social profile with added features.
• The professional plan starts at $25 per month allowing 10 social profiles.
8. eClincher
Pros and Cons of eClincher
› Pros:
• Smart Visual Calendar
• Select & share stock images in high-quality
• Have control of your links using Google UTM tracking
• Shorten links using Sniply
• Monitor keywords, hashtags, and mentions
• Autopost with Smart Queues and RSS feed
• Analytics Dashboards & Reports customized as per your requirements
• Built-in Visual Marketing tools like Canva, Giphy, etc.
› Cons:
• No collaboration on social media tasks. Need to do this via email/slack.
• Does not have a user-friendly UI.
› Cost:
• All plans include a 14-day free trial.
• Plans start at $58.50 per month and range to $382.50 per month.
9. Zoho Social
As their platform promotes, Zoho Social is an excellent platform for managing your brands on social media. It allows each team member to create their individual accounts and thus prevent the mess of using a single account for a large number of people. Here, users can be assigned specific tasks and they can also be viewed.
Pros and Cons of Zoho Social
› Pros:
• Instagram Direct Scheduling
• View edits, tasks of other people
• Time predictions for more user engagements
• Content Calendar
• Sticky Monitoring Dashboard
• Pre-built reports for Analytics
• Bulk Schedule & Content Queues.
› Cons:
• Instagram Direct Scheduling is only limited to Images
• Does not support Google My Business Profile
• You cannot moderate a Facebook Group.
› Cost:
• Ranges from $10 per month to $300 per month depending on the features needed.
10. Khoros Marketing
Khoros Marketing platform enables people to turn complex social marketing into simpler social marketing. This also enables them to build their brand. Social media campaigns can be orchestrated, governed, and engaged using this tool. It is an easy-to-configure and highly adaptable tool that helps you to stay ahead in the market, know your competition and your audience, and get real-time insights.
Pros and Cons of Khoros Marketing
› Pros:
• Unlimited search across public social channels
• Access and credential management
• Single platform for all the social channels & centralized visibility
• Crisis Management
• Competitive intelligence
› Cons:
• Not very up-to-date with the latest social media functionalities.
• Automatic posting is not very accurate.
• Complicated User Interface
› Cost:
• Customized based on your requirements and specifications.
» Conclusion
There is no doubt an abundance of alternative options for Hootsuite. They mostly differ based on pricing and features. While some may seem affordable, others may provide excellent overall features. Each tool has its unique feature for example, for budget-conscious people, SocialPilot is the best option whereas people who are looking for enterprise-grade tools should opt for AgoraPulse.
We know for a fact that social media is the driving force for all businesses, and we must take our approaches cautiously. When the right tools are combined with great strategy, you can expect excellent results and also gain customer loyalty.
» Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1) What is Hootsuite used for?
Hootsuite is a leading social media dashboard that helps you manage your social media accounts. It is the best tool for social media managers. It lets you create content schedule the time of posting and even manage your team members and calculate the ROI with a few clicks, without any prominent coding knowledge.
2) How much does Hootsuite cost?
The professional plan of Hootsuite starts from $29 per month allowing you to access ten media profiles for one user. The team plan enables three users to manage 20 social media profiles for $129 per month. The Business plan lets you use 35 social profiles of 5 users with a monthly charge of $599, and the Enterprise account can set the custom pricing according to your needs. It gives you a 30-day trial period to choose and check whether the plan and the application work for you.
3) Which is better: Buffer or Hootsuite?
If you have a small business and need at most 8-10 social media profiles, you should opt for Hootsuite, as it will give you more access and customization despite being costlier. But from the Business plan onwards, buffer exceeds Hootsuite as it will let you access far more profiles with significantly fewer price models.
4) What are the best Hootsuite alternatives?
- Sendible
- AgoraPulse
- Buffer
- Content studio
- Sprout Social
- SocialPilot
- SocialOomph
- eClincher
- Zoho Social
- Khoros Marketing
5) What is the best free alternative to Hootsuite?
For services like tweet scheduling, URL shortening, and keyword tracking, SocialOomph gives you the best outcome in the free version. You can handle up to 5 Twitter accounts. But for features like Email, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Pinterest accounts, you need to upgrade to a paid version that costs you $18 per month.