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Hootsuite vs. Buffer: Grow fast with the best social media management solution

Social media managers consistently rate Hootsuite number one, but how does it stack up to Buffer? To sum it up: Hootsuite can earn you more wins online with smarter analytics, a better inbox, and publishing to more networks.

Hootsuite is the only Buffer alternative worth your consideration. Here’s why we’re the best.

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Better for engaging your audience

Unlike Buffer, Hootsuite offers a single inbox where you can respond to private messages and public comments in one place.

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Better for growing businesses

Hootsuite is designed for growing teams with affordable per-user rates, up to 50 social accounts, and unlimited posts.

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Smoother publishing

With Hootsuite, you can publish to all your favorite social media platforms, including TikTok, YouTube, and Pinterest.

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Better for bringing all your tools to one place

Hootsuite has 100+ integrations that bring all your favorite tools into one dashboard. Add Google My Business, Hubspot, and more.

Feature

Hootsuite

Buffer

Price

starts at $99

starts at $5

Total customers

25 million

4.5 million

Platforms

decorative

decorative

Scheduling and publishing


Facebook ads

Yes

No

Instagram ads

Yes

No

LinkedIn ads

Yes

No

Twitter (X) ads

Yes

No

YouTube videos

Yes

No

Pinterest boards

Yes

No

Google Business Profile updates

Yes**

No

Meta Threads

Yes

No

Bulk scheduling

up to 350 posts at once

with integration

X (Twitter) threads

Yes**

Yes

Calendar view

Yes

Yes

Instagram posts

Yes

Yes

Instagram carousels

Yes

Yes

Instagram Stories

Yes

Yes

Instagram Reels

Yes

Yes

Facebook posts

Yes

Yes

Facebook group posts

Yes

Yes

X (Twitter) posts

Yes

Yes

TikToks

Yes

Yes

LinkedIn page posts


Yes

Yes

LinkedIn personal profile posts

Yes

Yes

Pinterest Pins

Yes

Yes

Analytics and reporting


Recommended time to publish based on goal

Yes

No

TikTok analytics

Yes

No

Competitive benchmarking

Yes

No

Instagram analytics

Yes

Yes

Facebook analytics

Yes

Yes

Twitter analytics

Yes

Yes

Instagram analytics

Yes

Yes

LinkedIn analytics

Yes

Yes

Web analytics integration

Yes*

No

Social ROI analysis

Yes*

No

Team productivity reporting

Yes

No

Customizable reports

Yes

Yes

White-label reports

Yes 

Yes

Content creation


AI-powered hashtag generator

Yes

No

Post templates

Yes

No

Product tags for Instagram posts

Yes

No

Content suggestions for reposting/content curation

Yes

No

Canva

Yes

with integration

AI caption writer

Yes

Yes

Link shortener

Yes

Yes

Photo editor

Yes

Yes

Alt text for Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook

Yes

Yes

Social listening


Social listening

Yes

No

Quick search

Yes

No

Sentiment analysis

Yes

No

Monitor mentions, topics, and hashtags

Yes

No

Monitor mentions in images and videos

Yes*

No

AI-powered summaries

Yes*

No

AI-powered sentiment analysis

Yes*

No

AI-powered peak detection

Yes*

No

AI-powered smart alerts

Yes*

No

News websites

Yes

No

Blogs

Yes

No

Forums

Yes

No

Review sites

Yes

No

Google My Business integration

Yes

No

Advertising


Facebook ads

Yes

No

Instagram ads

Yes

No

LinkedIn ads

Yes

No

Boost Instagram posts

Yes

No

Boost LinkedIn posts

Yes

No

Boost Facebook posts

Yes

No

Ad campaign management

Yes

No

Employee advocacy


Employee advocacy

Yes*

No

Messaging and customer service


Inbox for private messages and comments

Yes

No

Message spike alerts

Yes*

No

Message prioritization

Yes*

No

Business hours

Yes*

No

Message tags and topics

Yes*

No

Auto-resolve conversations

Yes*

No

Auto-responder

Yes*

No

Chatbot support

Yes*

No

Agent availability

Yes*

No

Manage reviews

Yes*

No

CRM integrations/API access

Yes*

No

CSAT surveys

Yes*

No

Saved and suggested replies

Yes*

for comments only

Collaboration


Project management integrations

Yes

No

Assign posts to team members

Yes

No

Export content calendar for stakeholders

Yes

No

Roles and permissions

Yes

Yes

Approval workflows

Yes***

Yes

Give feedback on drafts

Yes

Yes

Shopping


Social commerce integrations

7

No

Shoppable Instagram posts

Yes

Yes

Integrations


App store

100+

28

Artificial intelligence (AI)


AI hashtag generator

Yes

Yes

AI caption writer

Yes

Yes

Chatbot integration

Yes*

No

Creator tools


Track influencer trends

Yes*

No

One centralized inbox to communicate with influencers across platforms

Yes

No

Custom VIP lists in inbox

Yes

No

Manage Twitter lists

Yes

No

Content curation and user-generated content (UGC)


Collect the best customer content from social media and clear the rights

Yes**

No

Streams to follow and share relevant content

Yes

No

RSS feeds

Yes*

with integration

Strategy guidance


In-app Social Score to help you improve in real-time

Yes

No

Platform certification training

Yes

No

Exclusive live social media coaching sessions

Yes

Yes

Webinars

Yes

Yes

*available with add-on **available with integration ***enterprise only

Last updated Nov. 8, 2024

What we do better


Social media managers consistently rate Hootsuite the best tool for managing their channels. Here’s how we help brands of all sizes crush their goals on social media.

Transparent graphic depicting the Hootsuite dashboard with Composer, hashtag suggestions, and content ideas

Post to all your social media channels with one tool

Schedule posts to all your networks in one place. Hootsuite publishes to Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Pinterest. Buffer currently doesn’t support publishing for YouTube or Pinterest. Hootsuite also offers analytics for all your preferred platforms, not just a select few.

Graphic depicting Hootsuite's analytics tools, including when to publish, engagement rate, and brand awareness graph

Never outgrow your social media management tool

Hootsuite is an all-in-one social media management tool that grows with you. Buffer’s most basic plan only lets you link three social media channels (with a fee for each additional channel), while Hootsuite plans start out at 10. Plus, Hootsuite suits teams of all sizes, from one team member to a dozen with no additional fee.

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Boost engagement and save time

Hootsuite lets you complete the same tasks in fewer clicks than any other platform. Save time with a unified inbox that lets you respond to messages and comments across platforms in one place. Buffer only allows you to reply to Facebook and Instagram comments, not messages.

Managing content on Hootsuite is easier than Buffer. Hootsuite has a big advantage over Buffer in that the team collaboration in Hootsuite is really effective and sharing of data with the team as well.”
Roshni Gautam
Unilever

Frequently Asked Questions

Hootsuite is the clear winner in the battle of social media management tools. Hootsuite beats Buffer in content creation, publishing, inbox management, and analytics. 

Create stunning posts faster in Hootsuite with customizable Canva templates. Plus, speed up caption-writing and hashtags with the help of artificial intelligence. 

Those posts are going to get a ton of attention, so you're going to need a powerful tool to manage them. With Hootsuite, you can respond to and manage messages and comments in one easy workflow. Buffer only displays public comments.

To see for yourself why Hootsuite wins, sign up for a free trial right now!

No platform offers analytics that are as comprehensive or easy to use as Hootsuite's. In one glance, you get a clear visualization of what you're doing well and where you can improve.

In Hootsuite, you can track performance on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and TikTok in one tab. Plus, see the best times to post based on your unique audience and goal.

Unlike Buffer, Hootsuite provides reporting on paid and organic posts. It also shows you how you compare to the competition with industry benchmarking.

On the surface, Hootsuite and Buffer seem similar. They're both tools that can help you level up your social media game. But what makes them different?

For one, Hootsuite is more feature-rich than Buffer. It offers more options when publishing, tracking, and enhancing your content. Thanks to Hootsuite's over 100 integrations and world-class add-ons, it's also more customizable than Buffer.

Hootsuite is packed with features that address the challenges of social media managers. One inbox for comments and messages, Canva templates at your fingertips, AI-powered hashtags and captions. It's all about smart tools that save you time and take your message further.

Don’t get stuck buffering when you could see results right now with Hootsuite.

Start your free trial