- Hootsuite is sold per user; most alternatives here price per channel, workspace or flat plan.
- Buffer and Metricool have free plans; the others use trials.
- Vista Social is the closest all-in-one match, with inbox, reviews and approvals.
- Loomly and Planable focus on ideas and approvals for teams and clients.
- Moonya creates branded posts and Reels from your website and publishes only after your approval.
- Stay with Hootsuite if you depend on social listening or large team workflows.
How we chose these tools
Hootsuite is a full platform built for social teams: scheduling, inbox, analytics and social listening. For a small business, that can be more than you need, and the per-user pricing adds up. Others want something with stronger approvals, cleaner reporting, or help creating the posts.
We judged each alternative on:
- Fit for a small team. Price for one to three people, not fifty.
- What you get out of it. A scheduler, an approval tool, an analytics tool or a content creator.
- Inbox and reviews. Many local businesses care about replies and Google reviews as much as posting.
- Pricing model. Per user, per workspace, per channel or flat plan.
Prices and plan details below come from each company's own pricing page, checked on October 29, 2026. Always confirm before buying.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Best for | Free plan | Starting price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moonya | Small businesses that want posts created for them | No ($1 7-day trial) | $29/month |
| Buffer | Simple scheduling on a budget | Yes | $5/month per channel |
| Metricool | Analytics and competitor tracking | Yes | From $25/month (monthly billing) |
| Vista Social | Inbox, reviews and DM automation in one place | No (14-day trial) | $99/month |
| Loomly | Post ideas plus approval workflows | No (free trial) | $49/month billed yearly |
| Planable | Client and team approvals | No (free trial up to 50 posts) | $33 per workspace/month |
1. Moonya: best if creating posts is the bottleneck
What it is. A social media autopilot for small businesses. Its Brand Brain reads several pages of your website and learns your offer, voice, audience and colors. It then creates carousels, image posts, Stories and Reels designed in your brand colors and fonts.
Best for. Owners of salons, clinics, gyms, restaurants and local services who do not have a social media team.
What it does well. Post automations create drafts on a schedule you set, and every post waits for your approval. It publishes to Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, Threads, YouTube, Pinterest and Google Business (X as a paid add-on). It also includes comment-to-DM automations for Instagram and Facebook and a unified inbox for messages, comments and Facebook and Google Business reviews.
Things to consider. Moonya does not do social listening, and there is no free plan. Starter is $29/month for 3 social channels and Pro is $79/month for 15 channels, after a 7-day trial for $1. See pricing and Moonya vs Hootsuite.
2. Buffer: best simple, low cost scheduler
What it is. A clean scheduler priced per channel.
Best for. Owners who make their own posts and just want them scheduled.
What it does well. Buffer's pricing page lists a free plan for up to 3 channels and Essentials at $5/month per channel. It supports 12 networks, and every plan includes an AI Assistant, a community inbox and Start Page.
Things to consider. Buffer focuses on scheduling, engagement and analytics; social listening is not its focus. Team features like approvals are on the Team plan. See Moonya vs Buffer and our Buffer alternatives.
3. Metricool: best for analytics on a budget
What it is. A planner and analytics tool organized by brands.
Best for. Owners who liked Hootsuite's reports and competitor benchmarks but want a lower entry price.
What it does well. Metricool's pricing page lists a free plan for 1 brand with 20 scheduled posts per month and 5 competitor profiles. Starter starts from $25/month on monthly billing and adds unlimited publishing under fair use and analysis of up to 100 competitors.
Things to consider. LinkedIn and Twitter/X are not on the free plan. Approvals and team roles are on the Advanced plan. See Moonya vs Metricool.
4. Vista Social: best all-in-one for engagement
What it is. A social media management platform with publishing, inbox, reviews, reporting and DM automations.
Best for. Multi-location businesses and small agencies that want Hootsuite-like breadth.
What it does well. Vista Social's pricing page lists Professional at $99/month with 15 social profiles, a social inbox, single-stage approvals and review monitoring for Facebook and Google Business. Advanced ($199/month, 30 profiles) adds multi-stage approvals, custom reports and more review sites.
Things to consider. No free plan (14-day trial). Wider listening across web and news is a paid add-on. See Moonya vs Vista Social.
5. Loomly: best for ideas and approvals
What it is. A content calendar with post ideas and approval workflows.
Best for. Small marketing teams where someone has to sign off on posts.
What it does well. Loomly's pricing page lists Starter at $49/month billed yearly ($65 monthly) with 12 social accounts and 3 users. It includes an ideas board, post inspiration, approval workflows, an inbox and analytics.
Things to consider. The next plan, Beyond, is a big jump in price. There is a free trial but no free plan. See Moonya vs Loomly.
6. Planable: best for client approvals
What it is. A collaboration first tool where teams and clients comment on and approve posts.
Best for. Small agencies and freelancers managing clients.
What it does well. Planable's pricing page lists Basic at $33 per workspace/month (60 posts, 4 social pages) and Pro at $49 per workspace/month, with unlimited users on every plan. The free trial covers 50 posts with no time limit.
Things to consider. Analytics and the social inbox are paid add-ons on Basic and Pro. See Moonya vs Planable.
When Hootsuite is still the right choice
Hootsuite remains a strong choice for bigger teams. Hootsuite's plans page shows Standard with 10 social accounts, AI post generation, an inbox, analytics with competitor benchmarking and brand monitoring. Higher plans add inbox automation, content approvals, team routing and, on Enterprise, advanced listening. The FAQ says paid plans start at $99 for Standard, sold per user, with a 14-day trial.
Stay with Hootsuite if you rely on social listening, manage many accounts with several people, or need enterprise reporting. If you are a small business that mainly needs good posts going out every week, a lighter tool will likely fit better.
How to switch without a gap in posting
- Export what you need. Save any reports you want to keep and note the posts already scheduled for the coming weeks.
- Start the trial in the new tool. Connect your accounts and test one full week: create, schedule, publish and check the inbox.
- Overlap for a short time. Let posts already queued in Hootsuite go out while the new tool handles the weeks after.
- Move your saved replies and templates. If you used saved replies or post templates, copy them over before you cancel.
- Cancel last. Only cancel once the new tool has published reliably for at least a week.
If your team is one or two people, keep the setup simple. A tool you open every day beats a bigger tool you avoid.
Tip: Write down the three Hootsuite features you used last month. Pick the alternative that covers those three, not the one with the longest feature list.
Keep reading
Compare more options in our best Buffer alternatives and best ManyChat alternatives. If replies are what eat your time, see how to reply to comments and DMs faster, and how comment-to-DM automation works.
By industry: see how this works for social media agencies, real estate agents and coaches and consultants, or browse all industry playbooks.
FAQ
What is a cheaper alternative to Hootsuite?
Buffer and Metricool both have free plans and low cost paid plans. Moonya starts at $29/month and also creates the posts for you.
Does Hootsuite have a free plan?
Its plans page lists a 14-day free trial but no permanent free plan.
Which Hootsuite alternative handles Google reviews?
Vista Social lists review monitoring for Facebook and Google Business on its Professional plan. Moonya's inbox also covers Facebook and Google Business reviews with replies.
Does Moonya do social listening like Hootsuite?
No. Moonya focuses on creating posts and videos, publishing after your approval, the inbox and comment-to-DM automations.
Which alternative is best for agencies?
Planable is built around client approvals. Vista Social and Moonya Agency support many profiles or workspaces as well.
Can a small business start with a free tool and upgrade later?
Yes. Starting with a free plan such as Buffer or Metricool is a fair way to learn your needs before paying.
Sources
- Hootsuite plans page (per-user pricing, $99 Standard start, 14-day trial, 10 accounts) (checked October 29, 2026)
- Buffer pricing page (checked October 29, 2026)
- Metricool pricing page (checked October 29, 2026)
- Vista Social pricing page (checked October 29, 2026)
- Loomly pricing page (checked October 29, 2026)
- Planable pricing page (checked October 29, 2026)