Hootsuite is a social media management platform that supports integration with social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc. This platform provides users with the possibility to schedule content across all social media networks and review posts in one place.
Along with the rich image assets database, this will help grow your social following by producing high-quality content. Another important aspect of social media presence is social listening, aka keeping an eye on all of the latest social conversations, trends, mentions, etc.
This is also available through the unified web-based dashboard. The dashboard can be accessed by your team members to collaborate on different topics to respond to customers quickly and boost positive sentiment. The company was started in 2008. and since then, they have gained more than 18 million customers worldwide, winning many awards for its great functionalities.
Being the successful tool it is, many other tools have followed in the steps of Hootsuite and presented their take on the importance of managing all social media platforms in one place with many added functionalities. Today, we will introduce a few alternatives to this popular tool.
Buffer
One of the leading alternatives to Hootsuite is Buffer, sporting many features focused on managing social media accounts and analyzing engagement outcomes. Their focus is on understanding audience engagement and keeping them satisfied. Buffer also measures social media performance to see which strategies are working and which need improvement.
In addition, it allows you to collaborate with your team to plan future campaigns, respond to comments and audience feedback with the help of labels and hotkeys for faster navigation, track your reach, engagement, and following, craft and schedule your posts for all your social media, etc.
Pricing varies all the way from a limited free plan to $100/month for agency plans.
eClincher
Trusted by thousands of brands and agencies, eClincher claims to be the only social media management tool you will ever need. This tool offers an intuitive all-in-one dashboard with great features to help manage multiple accounts.
A diverse offer of integrations is one of their key selling points, with apps like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, YouTube, Google Drive, Canva, etc. Key features include advanced publishing, content curation, keyword tracking, social media analytics, scheduling, collaboration, marketing automation, etc.
Prices for this tool range from $59/month to $219/month with a 14-day free trial.
Loomly
With Loomly, you can create posts from scratch, find inspiration in trending topics, and by using asset management features, access files easily. Aside from being able to schedule posts, collaborate with team members, manage assets in one place, you can also run ads and sponsored posts from the dashboard.
It also allows you to engage by commenting and messaging users through the community manager. Unlike Hootsuite, Loomly focuses on providing ideas and previewing social media posts before publishing them. Prices range from $35/month up to $359/month.
SocialPilot
SocialPilot focuses on small businesses and agencies and is best used for publishing and scheduling, engagement, and analytics. They claim their features provide a more powerful experience than Hootsuite at a fraction of the cost.
Those features include team collaboration and client management, integration with Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, TikTok, Tumblr, social media analytics, social inbox, Facebook ads, 24/7 support, etc. Pricing starts at $50/month for small teams and goes up to $150/month for agencies. All packages come with a 14-day free trial.
Sprout Social
If you have a large team or if just a substantially sized company, then Sprout Social is a great Hootsuite alternative. The platform comes with a unified social inbox, as well as a powerful scheduling tool. What makes it so great for a large team is a built-in calendar functionality that keeps things organized.
Key features include content scheduling, social inbox, social calendar, reporting, custom workflows, chatbot, etc. Prices start at $89/month per user up to $249/month per user, with a 30-day free trial available.
Final Thoughts
There you go, 5 great alternatives to a great tool. Even though Hootsuite is one of the oldest and best social marketing tools, these alternatives give it a run for its money. All of them cover those key functionalities with some differences, be they in features or pricing.
Either way, consider your needs and choose the best one for you. All things considered, the best alternative for Hootsuite is the one that fulfills your needs. Decide based on the features you need, social media integration possibilities, your budget, and the scalability of your business and tools.
Consider that all of these tools come with a free trial, and you can test them to see if the tool has what you need.