Hootsuite vs Buffer
Which social media tool is right for you? Compare features, pricing, and user reviews to make the best choice.
Hootsuite
Mid-size and larger teams that want publishing, inbox, analytics and some listening in one platform and can pay per seat.
Buffer
Solo creators, small businesses and agencies that mainly need simple, affordable scheduling across many channels.
Side by side
| Hootsuite | Buffer | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | From $99/user/month (billed annually); no free plan | Free plan (3 channels); paid from $5/channel/month billed yearly ($6 monthly) |
| G2 Rating | 4.3 (7,510 reviews) | 4.3 (1,041 reviews) |
| Best For | Mid-size and larger teams that want publishing, inbox, analytics and some listening in one platform and can pay per seat. | Solo creators, small businesses and agencies that mainly need simple, affordable scheduling across many channels. |
Pros and cons
Hootsuite
Pros
- One tool covers publishing, inbox, analytics, ads and basic listening on every plan
- Unlimited social accounts from Professional
- Listening is built in (7-day search on Standard, 30-day on Professional), with an enterprise upgrade path to Lumen by Talkwalker
- No-credit-card 14-day trial
Cons
- Expensive per seat: $99/user/month is the entry price, billed annually
- Standard caps you at 10 social accounts
- Approval workflows and message assignment need Advanced at $399/user/month
- No free plan, and monthly prices are not published on the pricing page
- Full listening (13 months of history, alerts, advanced sources) is Enterprise only
Buffer
Pros
- Real free plan (3 channels) and low entry price ($5 to $6 per channel)
- Team plan includes unlimited users, so cost does not grow with headcount
- Volume discounts make many channels cheaper per channel
- Simple to understand pricing published in full, including a machine-readable page
Cons
- Essentials is single-user; approvals and access levels need Team
- Free plan limits you to 10 scheduled posts per channel and 30 days of insights
- Community inbox handles comments; Buffer does not list DMs or social listening
- Some channels have limited support (for example Instagram personal profiles and Facebook groups are notification-publishing only)
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