Buffer vs Hootsuite Comparison 2026
Buffer prices by channel and stays simple: a queue, suggested times and reporting, free for three channels and $5 per channel after that. Hootsuite prices by user and bundles a unified inbox and brand monitoring on top of scheduling, from $99 a user a month for ten accounts. Hootsuite's own listing gives the verdict away: a solo creator posting to two or three accounts is paying enterprise rates for a queue that Buffer does for a fraction of it.
Schedule posts across every account at once
Scheduling and monitoring for ten accounts up
At a glance
- Buffer starts cheaper, at $5.
- Only Buffer has a free tier.
Side by side
Buffer | Hootsuite | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price (they differ) | From $5 | From $99 |
| Pricing model (they differ) | Free plan, paid tiers | Free trial, then paid |
| Free tier (they differ) | Yes | No |
| Billing | Monthly or annual | Not stated |
| Free trial | 14 days | 14 days |
Buffer
Schedule posts across every account at once
Buffer queues posts for most networks, suggests times and reports on what landed. The free plan covers three channels, which is enough for a lot of people. It stays out of the way, which is the main thing a scheduler can do.
Our note
Buy it for the calm rather than the features. Per-channel pricing punishes anyone posting everywhere, so count your channels before comparing the headline price with a competitor's flat fee.
Only on this side
- Works with YouTube
- Works with Instagram
- Works with TikTok
- Works with Facebook
- Works with LinkedIn
- Works with Pinterest
- Works with X
- Works with Threads
Hootsuite
Scheduling and monitoring for ten accounts up
Hootsuite schedules posts, answers messages from one inbox and monitors what is being said about a brand and its competitors, which is the combination that keeps it in agencies and marketing teams. The entry plan covers ten social accounts for one person; the tier above lifts that to unlimited and adds inbox automation. Analytics and approval workflows are what the upper plans are actually sold on. It is priced per user per month, so a second person on the account roughly doubles it.
Why people weigh these two
- Hootsuite instead of Buffer
- Hootsuite covers the same scheduling plus monitoring for ten accounts and up at $99, suited to teams that outgrew Buffer's lighter footprint.
- Buffer instead of Hootsuite
- Buffer schedules posts across accounts from $5 a month with a free tier, a plain queue for a creator who does not need Hootsuite's monitoring or approval workflow.
Which one should you pick
Pick Buffer if scheduling is the whole job and nothing more, with a free plan for three channels and $5 per channel after that. It stays out of the way, and per-channel pricing keeps a small account cheap in a way Hootsuite's per-user rate never will.
Pick Hootsuite if a marketing team or agency needs a shared inbox, brand monitoring and approval workflows alongside scheduling, since those are bundled into the Standard plan at $99 a user a month for ten accounts. A second person on the account roughly doubles that bill, so model headcount before committing, and know that Hootsuite's own listing steers a solo creator back toward Buffer.
Common questions
- Which one is Hootsuite's own listing pointing a solo creator toward?
- Buffer, by name. Hootsuite's listing says a solo creator posting to two or three accounts is paying enterprise rates for a queue, and that Buffer or Metricool will do that for a fraction of it.
- Which one is cheaper for a single person?
- Buffer, clearly. Three channels are free, and each additional one is $5 a month. Hootsuite starts at $99 a user a month even for the entry Standard plan, aimed at a team rather than an individual.
- Does Buffer have a shared inbox or brand monitoring like Hootsuite?
- No. Buffer is built around scheduling, ideas and per-channel insights. Hootsuite bundles a unified inbox and brand and competitor monitoring into its Standard plan, which is the reason agencies and marketing teams pick it over a plain scheduler.
- How does a second team member change the price on each?
- On Hootsuite, a second person roughly doubles the bill, since pricing is per user per month. On Buffer, adding people does not change the price at all. What raises Buffer's bill is adding channels, at $5 or $10 each depending on the plan.
Ratings are the average of reviews readers left. The facts are stated by each tool’s own listing and are not verified by CloutStack. How we make money.