6 Excellent Hootsuite Alternatives That You Should Automate Your Social Media With

Need Hootsuite alternatives? You might be wondering why I am talking about alternates to Hootsuite. Well, it is one of my secret sauces to balancing my life is automating my social media so that it is less on my plate. I personally use Hootsuite for all my Instagram needs but if you are using Hootsuite’s free plan as a tool to organize your social media accounts, you are going to want to hear this!

As of  April 5th, 2021, Hootsuite is changing its FREE plan and reducing all the awesomeness out of it completely. Since I personally have used this company for years to organize my social media and love their free service, I figured I am not the only one wondering what am I going to do next. Should I buy their professional plan or search for Hootsuite alternatives and try a completely new company with better features?

Here is what is going to change in Hootsuite FREE plan:

❌ You CAN’T manage 3 social accounts.

❌ Also, you CAN’T schedule 30 scheduled posts.

Hootsuite new free plan is now going to be:

✔ You CAN manage 2 social accounts.

✔ Also, you CAN schedule up to 5 posts.

This is a huge game-changer if you are relying on the free version! I completely get it, they were completely generous with us for years, and now more than ever need to make money. I get it, but it doesn’t mean I have to stick around for it which is why I am searching for Hootsuite alternatives.

So if you were loving their Free plan you might want to consider getting yourself a paid version or be like me and start rethinking about being with them all together.

Hootsuite’s Plans & Pricing

Speaking about Hootsuite’s plans, you can choose from their Professional, Teams, Business and Enterprise. The one you would most likely consider is the Professional plan because its Core features include:

• 1 user
• 10 social accounts
• Schedule unlimited posts
• Access messages in one inbox
• Schedule posts in advance
• Always post at the optimal time
• Schedule multiple posts at a time

Of course, you have the choice of choosing their $49 plan or a higher plan depending on what you need for your blog or business. Those prices currently range from $129-599 and up.

Can Anyone Recommend an Alternative to Hootsuite?

That was my question when I heard the news… can anyone recommend an alternative to Hootsuite because if I am going to pay, I want to get the best features for my hard-earned money? Am I wrong? How I spend my money is very important to me, which is why when I am investing my money into a company, it better be worth it.

So, based on research, here are 6 excellent Hootsuite alternatives that you should automate your social media with:

Hootsuite Alternatives:

1. Later

Later is a company I hear about all the time whenever someone talks about scheduling or automating their social media. They are considered the #1 Marketing Platform for Instagram and have a visual way of doing things for all those who need more of a visual approach to organizing your social media content.

Plus, they have a free option for individuals where you can add your Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest where you can schedule 30 posts per social media profile. 

Pros

2. Tailwind

Tailwind is a company I use a lot for my Pinterest scheduling. I use their paid version so that I can schedule as much as I want. Their site is easy to use. I love the design of the website and the fact you can join collaborative boards and share with other content creators.

One of the things they have added is that they also have an Instagram scheduling as well which I am not too much of a fan of personally, but it is another great Hootsuite alternative option if you are looking to switch things up.

Pros

• Official Facebook Partner
• Free plan option.
• Auto Post
• SmartSchedule
• Photo Posts
• Carousel Posts (Multi-Image)
• Video Posts
• Stories Scheduling
• iOS & Android Apps
• Hashtag Finder / Suggestions & Reusable Hashtag
• Drag and Drop Calendar
• Saved Captions
• Image / Graphic Design Tool
• Smart.bio Custom Link

3. Planoly

Planoly is a company that I am just starting to use but have heard great things about. The company’s beautiful story about making a visual planner in order to make life easier for Instagram scheduling is the reason I started using this. Not only has nailed Instagram scheduling they are also involved in an even more easy-to-use platform that you can use for your Facebook and Pinterest social marketing too!

• Official Facebook Partner
• Free plan option.
• 2 Social Media Profiles
• one Unlimited Upload
• One 30 Uploads per month
• 1 User
• Auto Post
• Photo Posts
• Carousel Posts (Multi-Image)
• Video Posts
• Stories Scheduling
• iOS & Android Apps

4. Sendible

Sendible is a company that was recommended a lot as I researched especially for solopreneurs to use. It is known to handle everything you need in regard to your social accounts, plus provides you with schedule updates as well as they run reports for you.

They have no free plan, but all plans include a free 14-day trial. Their start-up plan is the same price as Hootsuite, which makes this a great Hootsuite alternative, also you gain these benefits:

Pros

• Facebook & Instagram Marketing Partner
• 12 Profiles
• 2 Users
• Integrates with Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Google+, Pinterest
• Also, integrates with blogs like Medium, WordPress, Blogger.com
• Bulk-scheduling content
• User permissions and team workflows available.
• A mobile app is available for iOS and Android.

5. Preview

Preview is an app run by a couple that lives in Australia by the names of Alexandra and Andrew. This app is not partnered with Instagram or Facebook. They do not offer auto-publishing or smart scheduling, but they are affordable and an option that you can consider when searching for an alternate. 

Pros

• Photo Posts
• Carousel Posts (Multi-Image)
• Video Posts
• Stories Scheduling
• iOS & Android Apps
• Hashtags in First Comment
• Reusable Hashtag Lists
• 9 Grid Preview
• Drag and Drop Calendar
• Schedule Posts with Links

6. Plann

Plann is a visual designer, planner and scheduling app that is used for social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn. This is the last Hootsuite alternatives that I placed on my list. They are an affordable all-in-one auto-scheduler that really is shaking up things unlike all their other competitors with these benefits:

Pros

• Unlimited auto-posts + stories (for the paid version)
• Stock image libraries that is unlimited (for the paid version)
• Reply to all comments + mentions (for the paid version)
• Image editing tool (for the paid version)
• Unlimited designs with Canva (for the paid version)
• Media uploads and collections that is unlimited (for the paid version)

Final Thoughts

Personally, through it all, it was fun finding Hootsuite alternatives, however, I was struggling to choose between Later and Planoly. They both were sites that a lot of my favourite bloggers, entrepreneurs, and YouTube creators were talking about.

I really had to do my research, but finally decided on Planoly. It had things that I wanted which were the Instagram stories, plus as much as other sites allow you to have more than one social media account, I only really needed it for my Instagram. Since I want to keep it simple, I think this company is worth giving a try, and we will see how it goes from there.

Lastly, I want to know your take, do you have any alternatives to Hootsuite that you want me to know? Also, which platform do you use to schedule your social media content?

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