Buffer vs Hootsuite
Buffer and Hootsuite side by side: what each one is, what it costs to start, and whether you can try it free. Everything below comes from the vendors' own sites and other public sources, not from hands-on testing.
At a glance
| Buffer | Hootsuite | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Marketing & SEO | Marketing & SEO |
| Starting price | Free; paid plans from $5/mo (checked October 2026) | $99/mo (checked October 2026) |
| Free tier | Yes | Not listed |
| Profile | Read profile | Read profile |
Prices are in US dollars unless shown otherwise. Confirm the current price on the vendor's site before you buy.
Key differences
Buffer lists a free tier and Hootsuite does not.
Buffer has the lower starting price ($5/mo against $99/mo for Hootsuite). The cheapest plan rarely has the same limits or features, so compare plans before choosing on price.
Both are in our Marketing & SEO category.
About each tool
Buffer
Social media scheduling tool priced per channel, with a free plan for 3 channels and an AI Assistant for drafting and repurposing post text.
Who it is for
The vendor describes Essentials as for solo creators and small businesses. The Team plan adds unlimited users, approval workflows and access levels for groups that work together.
Strengths
- A free plan with up to 3 channels, 10 scheduled posts per channel, 100 ideas and 1 user
- Paid plans are priced per connected channel, and the per-channel price falls as the channel count grows
- The AI Assistant is listed on Free, Essentials and Team
- Paid plans have a 14-day free trial, and nonprofits and charities get 50% off paid plans
- Team has unlimited users, access levels and approval workflows
Limitations
- Free allows 3 connected channels at once, 1 user and 30 days of insights
- Free caps lifetime channel connections at 8 unique channels, counting ones you disconnect later
- AI reply suggestions in the community inbox are limited to 5 a week on Free
Hootsuite
Social media management suite with AI for scheduling, inbox, listening and analytics. Standard is $99 per user a month billed annually.
Who it is for
Hootsuite sells per-seat plans for individuals and teams managing social profiles, from Standard (10 accounts) to Enterprise for organizations that need SSO, governance and expert onboarding. Its pages say Standard is not designed for more than 10 accounts, advanced approvals or routing, or high-volume messaging.
Strengths
- Hootsuite lists unlimited scheduled posts, AI post and image generation, one inbox and brand and competitor monitoring on Standard, with up to 10 social accounts.
- Hootsuite says Professional adds unlimited accounts, automated inbox replies and DM automation, trend forecasting up to 90 days ahead, custom reports, and benchmarking against up to 20 competitors (five on Standard).
- Hootsuite says Advanced adds content approvals, internal comments, message assignment with skill-based routing, customer satisfaction surveys, and team performance measurement.
- Hootsuite lists SSO, custom compliance, Salesforce integration, advanced listening with 13 months of historical data, and expert onboarding on Enterprise.
- Hootsuite's FAQ lists Facebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube, Threads, WhatsApp and Pinterest as supported networks; Instagram and TikTok scheduling require business accounts.
- Hootsuite offers a 14-day free trial with no credit card required and says you can cancel anytime; Standard, Professional and Advanced are sold on monthly or annual billing.
Limitations
- There is no permanent free plan. Trial accounts are capped at 10-20 posts a day per organization, depending on plan, and cannot use bulk scheduling.
- Hootsuite's pages disagree in places: the Standard page body says 10 accounts but its meta description says up to five, and the plans page says you are not charged automatically after the trial while the Terms of Service say Hootsuite charges automatically when a trial ends.
- The Terms of Service say that if you cancel or downgrade a paid plan you pay for the rest of the current term and are not entitled to a refund; plans renew automatically.
- Hootsuite's AI terms (last modified July 29, 2025) say it may use Customer Content and outputs to improve its AI services during and after the term, may send content to third-party AI providers, and describe no opt-out. They also make the customer responsible for checking output accuracy and bar uses such as spam and building competing models.
