Written by Dan Barraclough Reviewed by Robyn Summers-Emler Updated on 10 August 2022 On this page 1. Sendible: Best overall 2. Sprout Social: Best for large companies 3. Buffer: Best free alternative 4. TweetDeck: Best for Twitter 5. Yell: Best for getting expert help Hootsuite alternatives: Case studies Expert verdict Expand Fly the nest from Hootsuite and choose one of our favourite Hootsuite alternatives…If you’re out there looking for an alternative to Hootsuite, fear not: our research and testing point towards Sendible being your best overall option. However, Sprout Social is great for larger companies and also ranks well on our list of best social media monitoring tools.Hootsuite is popular, but it’s not for everyone. With our 10+ years of experience in researching the market, we know there are alternative social media management platforms with more features, cheaper price plans, and sleeker interfaces, and we’re here to help you find them.In fact, we can help you find the best platform for your business via our free comparison tool. Quick, easy and free to use, you can use it to tell us what you’re looking for and we’ll match your business with providers that best fit your ambitions. They’ll then be in touch with you with more information about how their service can help grow your business, along with bespoke, no-obligation quotes.However, if you’d prefer to do the comparison by yourself, don’t worry: we got you covered. Whether you’re deciding on your first social media management platform and want to know the range of choice out there, or maybe you disliked using Hootsuite and are looking for something different – we’ve got five of the best Hootsuite alternatives for you to choose from.In this article, we’ll review each alternative, making direct comparisons to Hootsuite in order to help you decide exactly which one is right for your business. Check out our table below to see which platforms made the cut…The 5 best Hootsuite alternativesPlease note that Sprout Social and Buffer charge in USD as standard.Hootsuite alternativeBest forStarting priceSendibleBest overall Hootsuite alternative£21/monthSprout SocialBest for large companies$99/month (per user)BufferBest free alternativeFreeTweetDeckBest for using just TwitterFreeYellBest for getting expert helpBespoke pricingIf you don’t have the time or necessary skills to create social media campaigns yourself, there’s another option. Rather than sign up to and get to grips with a new software, you can hire affordable social media experts to create campaigns and bring results to you, allowing you to focus on other areas of your business. Did You Know? Excluding instant messaging, 73% of Brits use social media every single day. 1. Sendible Best overall Hootsuite alternative Sendible is our top Hootsuite alternative because it has more integrations than any other platform. Those integrations include the key social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, but also WordPress, Slack, and the online graphic design tool, Canva.What’s more, Sendible provides you with a social media inbox that gathers your messages, tweets, and social media comments into a single feed, which is something Hootsuite doesn’t do. Instead, Hootsuite has separate streams for each type of notification. Pros More integrations than any other social media management tool Get accurate reports created within 15 minutes, or create custom reports yourself Suggestions for types of content you should post based on topics you’ve previously selected Cons No free plan available Mobile app could be easier to use Sendible makes it really easy to schedule posts and grow your company’s social media presenceSendible pricingSendible has four price plans to choose from, and offers a 14-day free trial. When billed annually, the prices are:PlanCostBest forWhat you’ll getCreator£21/monthGetting started on your own1 user6 social profilesOne-click reportsTraction£65/monthSmall agencies and brands4 users24 social profilesOne-click reportsScale£145/monthGrowing agencies and brands7 users49 social profilesBuild 14 custom reportsExpansion£299/monthLarge teams and agencies15 users105 social profilesBuild 45 custom reports 2. Sprout Social Best Hootsuite alternative for large companies Used by Dove and PepsiCo, Sprout Social is one of the best social media monitoring tools, and has everything your profit margins need to shoot upwards.Our favourite thing about Sprout Social is the ability to create chatbots to have on your own social media channels to help you respond to as many of your followers as possible. We also like its response rate and time analysis reports, which can help you understand the engagement with your posts in greater detail than on Hootsuite.However, unlike Hootsuite, Sprout Social’s price plans charge per user. This means your costs on Sprout Social can quickly sprout upwards if you add just one or two extra users to your account. It’s not the cheapest Hootsuite alternative out there, but it’s one of the most powerful. Pros Ideal for large and growing businesses Powerful and insightful reporting features Chatbot tools to help you engage with customers via social media Cons Features are geared towards large businesses, so it might be overkill for startups Doesn’t support management of Facebook groups Sprout Social is designed to help large businesses reach even wider audiences via social mediaSprout Social pricingSprout Social charges per user, with three price plans to choose from. You’ll also get a 30-day free trial period. Prices are in USD.PlanCostBest forWhat you’ll getStandard$99 per user, per monthEssential tools to get started5 social profilesAll-in-one social inboxTasking and CRM (customer relationship management) toolsProfessional$149 per user, per monthPowerful tools for social business10 social profilesEverything in Standard, plus:Competitor reports for Instagram, Facebook, and TwitterSuggested scheduling for optimal send timesHelpdesk integrationAdvanced$249 per user, per monthAdvanced tools to scale your businessEverything in Professional, plus:Message spike alerts for increased message activityChatbots with automation toolsSaved and suggested repliesDigital asset and content library 3. Buffer Best free Hootsuite alternative Buffer is a great option if you’re looking for an alternative to Hootsuite’s free plan. Buffer’s free plan supports Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, but you’ll need to sign up to a paid plan if you want to use Pinterest. Buffer’s interface is easier to navigate than Hootsuite’s, but that’s about it when it comes to redeeming factors.Buffer is suitable for scheduling and re-publishing posts, but it doesn’t offer many features designed to help you engage with followers. When you compare that to Sprout Social’s live chatbot feature, then you can see how Buffer can occasionally get outshone by the competition. Pros Manage Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram on its free plan iOS and Android app to help you manage on the go Integrates with popular apps such as Zapier Cons Cannot manage Pinterest on the free plan Limited number of integrations compared to other Hootsuite alternatives Buffer has one of the most generous free plans on the marketBuffer pricingBuffer is the best free Hootsuite alternative, but it also offers four paid plans (charged in USD) to choose from, as well as a 14-day free trial on its paid plans:PlanCostBest forWhat you’ll getFree$0/monthFor individuals and businesses getting started with social media3 social channels10 scheduled posts1 userEssentials$6/monthFor professionals who use publishing, analytics & engagement1 social channel (each additional costs $6)100 scheduled posts1 userTeam$12/monthFor teams who want unlimited user seating, collaboration, and reporting1 social channel (each additional costs $12)2,000 scheduled postsUnlimited usersAgency$120/monthFor marketing agencies with 10 or more social channels10 social channels (each additional costs $12)2,000 scheduled postsUnlimited users Did You Know? Just 18% of social media users in the UK are aged between 18-24. 4. TweetDeck Best Hootsuite alternative for Twitter management Whether you found Hootsuite’s choice of channels overwhelming, or you don’t need any other channels aside from Twitter for your business, then TweetDeck’s single-platform approach could be just what you need. It’s completely free to use and comes with your Twitter membership, so there are no extra fees to worry about.With its rows of long columns displaying your Twitter messages, mentions, and new followers, TweetDeck’s interface is similar to Hootsuite’s, so you should have no problem navigating the platform.However, the main drawback of TweetDeck goes without saying: it only supports Twitter, and therefore it’s impossible to compare with Hootsuite in terms of managing other social media channels. That said, if you want to manage Twitter and no other channels, then TweetDeck is the right Hootsuite alternative for you. Pros Ideal for managing Twitter Free to use Easy to schedule tweets from within the app Cons Cannot manage any other social media channels, such as Facebook or Instagram You’ll need to install other tools if you want to manage alternative platforms TweetDeck is ideal if you want to manage only your Twitter account, at no costTweetDeck pricingTweetDeck is completely free to use and comes with your Twitter membership. 5. Yell Best Hootsuite alternative for getting expert help Yell is the best alternative to Hootsuite if you want a hands-off approach to managing your company’s social media channels. While Yell doesn’t actually offer a social media management software for you to use, Yell’s team of experts will build, manage, and maintain a bespoke social media campaign for your business, while you focus on other areas of your company.You’ll also get a dedicated ‘Reputation Manager’ who will ensure customers can find your accurate business information across a network of 40+ websites. They will also help you request and respond to online reviews 24/7, helping to build your online reputation.If you don’t have the time or the right skills to manage your company’s social media channels effectively, then using a third party like Yell is a time-saving option that can help your business grow online.Read our full Yell review to learn more about its full digital marketing services. Pros One of the largest providers of social media advertising for small businesses Allows you to focus on other areas of your business Access to expert advice on how to grow your business quickly Cons Minimum 12-month contract You’ll need to request a quote to get a clear price Yell’s social media experts will create a bespoke campaign for your business to help you reach new customers, while you focus on other areas of your businessYell pricingUnlike the other Hootsuite alternatives in this article, Yell provides a bespoke service that’s unique to your company’s needs. In order to get a clear price, you’ll need to request a free quote first. Luckily, we can help you there.Simply tell us what you need on our free comparison tool, and we’ll select trusted social media advertising agencies – from a list that includes Yell – that best suit your requirements. They’ll then be in touch with you to give you more information on how their service can help grow your business, along with no-obligation quotes for you to compare before spending a penny. It’s quick, easy, and free to get started. Hootsuite alternatives: Case studiesWe spoke to Hootsuite customers and asked them to describe their experiences. The two case studies below should help you understand what to look out for when choosing a Hootsuite alternative, and what to avoid.James Beattie, Head of Digital at KAT Marketing“Hootsuite has been a staple for us over many years as it was always the best out there, but it hasn’t moved with the trends in social media for a long time now. The biggest niggles come with imagery, as every platform needs specific sizing and Hootsuite just does not offer the flexibility you need when running multiple accounts across many clients. “The less said about how long it took the platform to effectively link with Instagram the better. It was truly staggering. It’s a platform that hasn’t moved with the times, and that’s a shame for what used to be the market leader.”Claire, Social Media Executive at itseeze.com“I often find that Hootsuite disconnects our pages or fails to post our scheduled posts without very much warning. This is a real downside to the platform, as it’s intentionally built to save time and keep all your posts in one place. The platform often requires babysitting to make sure it’s doing the job correctly.“One of our predominant social media channels is our Instagram account, with a 7.3K following. Getting our posts to look great on our grid is an important factor for us. We are, after all, a design company. “Hootsuite still doesn’t offer the function to allow you to choose a cover photo on any videos you schedule for Instagram, often resulting in a blank square on our page’s grid. This means that I have to continuously monitor our scheduled posts, and often I need to manually post the scheduled posts, just so that I am able to properly maintain our grid and keep it looking professional.” Expert verdictFinding a Hootsuite alternative should be easy, especially since we’ve selected and reviewed five of the best options in the UK. Now that you’ve reached the end of the article, you should have a clear idea which one is right for your business. But let’s quickly recap…The best Hootsuite alternatives are:Sendible – best overallSprout Social – best for large companiesBuffer – best free alternativeTweetDeck – best for TwitterYell – best for getting expert helpEven if, after reading this article, you don’t think you have the time or resources to manage your own company’s social media channels – don’t worry. The best solution would be to hire a social media advertising company to handle everything for you.They’ll create a bespoke campaign for you and help advertise your business to some of the billions of active social media users worldwide. To get started, just tell us what you need on our free comparison tool (it only takes a minute), and we’ll match you with social media experts that can best help your business grow online.They’ll then contact you with more information about how they can save you time and boost your business, along with no-obligation quotes for you to compare. It’s totally free to get started. Written by: Dan Barraclough Dan’s a Senior Writer at Expert Market, specialising in digital marketing, web design, and photocopiers, amongst other topics. Reviewed by: Robyn Summers-Emler Digital Growth Editor Robyn started working on Expert Market in 2021 as a specialist in business websites and digital marketing. As the Grow Online Editor, she ideates, commissions and optimizes content on Expert Market that helps businesses thrive in online spaces and maximize their ecommerce potential. Covering everything from choosing a website builder to scaling a social media marketing strategy - Robyn uses her expertise to help startups, SMBs, and larger businesses realize digital growth in an increasingly competitive landscape.