Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Buffer
Score 8.5 out of 10
Small Businesses (1-50 employees)
Buffer is a social sharing tool. When browsing content, clicking on the Buffer icon automatically stores the content and schedules posts to social media channels throughout the day.
$15
per month
Hootsuite
Score 8.1 out of 10
N/A
Hootsuite is a social media management platform for building brand awareness, engaging with customers, and driving business results. Users can schedule posts across multiple social networks (including Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and YouTube ), manage organic and paid social content together, keep track of customer conversations, integrate with over 200+ applications, and gain actionable real-time insights from social media to make critical business decisions from…
$149
per month Starts at 1 user, 5 social accounts
Pricing
BufferHootsuite
Editions & Modules
Publish Pro
$15
per month
Analyze Pro
$35
per month
Analyze Premium
$50
per month
Publish Premium
$65
per month
Publish Business
$99
per month
Standard
$99
per month (billed annually) Starts at 1 user, 5 social accounts
Advanced
$249
per month (billed annually) Starts at 1 user, unlimited social accounts
Enterprise
Custom Pricing
per year
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
BufferHootsuite
Free Trial
YesYes
Free/Freemium Version
YesNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoYes
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeOptional
Additional DetailsHere are the prices of our various plans: Pro: $15/month Small Business: $99/month Medium Business: $199/month Large Business: $399/month Enterprise: Feel free to get in touch with us at onboarding@buffer.com. All plans can be paid on either a monthly or yearly basis. If you choose to pay yearly, you would receive a 15% discount, which works out to be approximately two months free per year.Plans can be paid monthly or annually, with a discount for annual pricing.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
BufferHootsuite
Considered Both Products
Buffer
Chose Buffer
Quite simply, I am not yet generating revenue as a content creator and Buffer's free tier was appealing to me. I also like the interface better than Hootsuite. It's more modern.
Chose Buffer
As stated in a previous point, for basic content scheduling Buffer offers simplicity and stability like no others. It doesn't have the Instagram-specific features like Later does, the evergreen content categorization and sending like MeetEdgar, or the ad campaign integration …
Chose Buffer
The price point is very affordable compared to other products that offer more features but charge a lot more. For my entire team, the price point has made it easy to get a good ROI. More than anything, it allows us to do what's necessary. Hootsuite definitely provides more …
Chose Buffer
Both Hootsuite and Buffer are excellent tools but they both target different users. If you're an individual user, small firm, or non-profit and you want to simplify your social media challenges, then Buffer is likely your best option. Hootsuite on the other hand is more likely …
Chose Buffer
Buffer is the first one I have used, and then I tried other platforms like Hootsuite, and HubSpot, but still, the other two haven't matched up to that level of ease and comfort, and the features I like of Buffer. So I switched back to Buffer.
Chose Buffer
Buffer and Hootsuite are considered as best tools for managing your social media accounts . The only difference which I feel between the two is Buffer is [more] focused on pre-scheduling and Hootsuite is a advanced version of Buffer you can say it allows you full -fledged …
Chose Buffer
We selected this tool to maintain the activity of publication in social networks at a low cost and good productivity, we consider that it adds to our objectives of brand awareness or discovery, since it allows us to keep our channels active with information and content that we …
Chose Buffer
In my opinion, Hootsuite has it all, except TikTok, which hopefully will open up some sort of interface soon. It is a much smoother and more customizable experience. I have not had any posts missing after scheduling, like I have had with Buffer in my past experience. Just an …
Chose Buffer
Buffer had the best free version, but Zoho Social had the most social media channels available in the price range.
Hootsuite was the tool we first wanted, but the price was considerably more, for tools we are not sure if we need at this time.
Chose Buffer
I think Sprout Social and Hootsuite provide more comprehensive tools and analytics, but they have more expensive plans that don't cater to businesses of all sizes. Plus, all of that complexity can make it hard to find what you're looking for. That's where Buffer excels. It's …
Chose Buffer
Hootsuite is good if you have the budget for social media baked into your communications budget/a communications budget in and of itself. Buffer is better for small teams, teams that may have a more limited budget or organizations that don't have a large social media …
Chose Buffer
Buffer is much more affordable than Hootsuite. Another benefit is that Buffer allows more accounts to be loaded onto the platform. Hootsuite charges in tiered levels based on how many accounts you want to load onto the software. This makes it difficult to schedule and post for …
Chose Buffer
Buffer is simple and easy to use and has a great free version.
Chose Buffer
Buffer's interface when logged in is more beautiful and easier to use than the others I've tried. Especially HighLevel which does a lot of other stuff as well - the difference with Buffer is that it is ONLY for social scheduling so it does that really well and the entire screen …
Chose Buffer
Buffer is way more user-friendly and gets straight to what I need to do. There is no frilly extra stuff—it's straight to the point. Buffer incorporates all the parts of the apps as well.
Chose Buffer
They all solve the same problem. Buffer initially started as a way to post content without worrying about the "when". Just add to the queue, and Buffer would post at a specified cadence. Buffer's price point is very reasonable for the services that it offers. They've grown …
Chose Buffer
Buffer has a clear, easy to use interface and a reliable scheduling calendar.
Chose Buffer
Both software are good, but personally I like Buffer just because it is easy to use and it has good costumer support. Buffer lets me put my updates on a schedule so I can set it up for weeks at a time and then not have to worry.
Chose Buffer
Buffer has all the analytics tools and features that allow us to determine whether the result of our marketing is positive or negative. There are more complete alternatives, but Buffer is all I need at the moment.
Chose Buffer
Buffer wins it on simplicity and ease of use. Furthermore, it is multichannel whereas Later, for example, is only Instagram.
Chose Buffer
Initially we selected Buffer because it is an effective tool for a low cost, especially compared to Sprout Social.

It’s pared down and doesn’t have as many bells and whistles but that is nice when you want to simply accomplish posting.
Chose Buffer
I would recommend Buffer for ease of use, social media intergration and costs, also Buffer rarely has any issues or downtime. If they do they warn you well in advance.
Hootsuite
Chose Hootsuite
Hootsuite offers a wide range of tools at a somewhat steeper cost. If you manage multiple platforms and want to survey the content being shared and interacted with across all of them, Hootsuite seems to have an easier platform to do that with. HubSpot CRM allows us to integrate …
Chose Hootsuite
I find Hootsuite better for teams to manage social media posts. It's easy for multi-channel and has link shortening within the software and makes basic reporting and analytics easy to comprehend.
Chose Hootsuite
I don't remember the name now but there was another tool I used when I first started and it was messing up all of my posts. I would find links to one post were showing up on another and the images were swapped as well. Once this started happening, I immediately stopped using …
Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
BufferHootsuite
Publishing
Comparison of Publishing features of Product A and Product B
Buffer
8.4
72 Ratings
3% above category average
Hootsuite
7.8
406 Ratings
4% below category average
Content planning and scheduling8.972 Ratings8.8405 Ratings
Content optimization7.965 Ratings7.4330 Ratings
Workflow management8.561 Ratings8.0342 Ratings
Audience targeting00 Ratings7.1277 Ratings
Reporting/analytics
Comparison of Reporting/analytics features of Product A and Product B
Buffer
8.5
65 Ratings
9% above category average
Hootsuite
7.9
327 Ratings
2% above category average
Campaign success analytics8.565 Ratings8.1302 Ratings
Real-time tracking00 Ratings7.7302 Ratings
Competitor analysis00 Ratings8.1204 Ratings
Account management
Comparison of Account management features of Product A and Product B
Buffer
9.1
67 Ratings
12% above category average
Hootsuite
7.8
333 Ratings
3% below category average
Role-based user permissions & privileges9.254 Ratings8.5282 Ratings
Mobile access9.064 Ratings7.2305 Ratings
Listening/monitoring
Comparison of Listening/monitoring features of Product A and Product B
Buffer
-
Ratings
Hootsuite
6.5
291 Ratings
16% below category average
Boolean keyword searches00 Ratings6.2194 Ratings
Filtering out noise/spam00 Ratings5.6203 Ratings
Sentiment analysis00 Ratings6.3198 Ratings
Broad channel coverage00 Ratings8.0268 Ratings
Engagement
Comparison of Engagement features of Product A and Product B
Buffer
-
Ratings
Hootsuite
7.5
325 Ratings
8% below category average
Automated routing and prioritization00 Ratings7.0233 Ratings
Customer interaction histories00 Ratings7.4251 Ratings
Bulk actions00 Ratings8.0280 Ratings
Marketing
Comparison of Marketing features of Product A and Product B
Buffer
-
Ratings
Hootsuite
7.2
308 Ratings
7% below category average
Lead generation00 Ratings6.3184 Ratings
Content marketing00 Ratings8.2275 Ratings
Paid media management00 Ratings7.0185 Ratings
Campaigns and promotions00 Ratings7.5235 Ratings
Channel coverage/integration
Comparison of Channel coverage/integration features of Product A and Product B
Buffer
-
Ratings
Hootsuite
8.8
399 Ratings
5% above category average
Twitter00 Ratings8.5360 Ratings
Facebook00 Ratings9.2382 Ratings
LinkedIn00 Ratings8.5334 Ratings
Google+00 Ratings8.960 Ratings
Instagram00 Ratings8.9338 Ratings
Pinterest00 Ratings8.7166 Ratings
YouTube00 Ratings8.5156 Ratings
Best Alternatives
BufferHootsuite
Small Businesses
CoSchedule Marketing Suite
CoSchedule Marketing Suite
Score 9.9 out of 10
CoSchedule Marketing Suite
CoSchedule Marketing Suite
Score 9.9 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
CoSchedule Marketing Suite
CoSchedule Marketing Suite
Score 9.9 out of 10
CoSchedule Marketing Suite
CoSchedule Marketing Suite
Score 9.9 out of 10
Enterprises
Social Suite by Reputation.com
Social Suite by Reputation.com
Score 9.4 out of 10
Social Suite by Reputation.com
Social Suite by Reputation.com
Score 9.4 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
BufferHootsuite
Likelihood to Recommend
8.5
(92 ratings)
8.2
(467 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
8.0
(14 ratings)
9.0
(89 ratings)
Usability
9.0
(28 ratings)
8.4
(106 ratings)
Availability
8.2
(2 ratings)
9.8
(21 ratings)
Performance
8.0
(2 ratings)
9.8
(19 ratings)
Support Rating
6.1
(23 ratings)
7.0
(263 ratings)
In-Person Training
-
(0 ratings)
6.0
(1 ratings)
Online Training
-
(0 ratings)
9.0
(17 ratings)
Implementation Rating
8.0
(2 ratings)
8.0
(39 ratings)
Configurability
10.0
(1 ratings)
7.2
(3 ratings)
Ease of integration
-
(0 ratings)
7.7
(2 ratings)
Product Scalability
8.6
(2 ratings)
8.1
(3 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
-
(0 ratings)
8.8
(3 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
-
(0 ratings)
8.3
(18 ratings)
User Testimonials
BufferHootsuite
Likelihood to Recommend
Buffer
It helps me save hours by devoting only half an hour in a month's worth of posting, in addition to that it is quite simple to use. Buffer for scheduling social posts well in advance, but I have begun using it instead of posting natively on the social apps themselves because it makes it super easy to post the same messages to more than one platform.
Read full review
Hootsuite
Hootsuite is best suited for organizations with less team members & loads of work to be done. The scheduling comes handy with such tools as it takes a lot of bandwidth of a person when posts have to be posted manually. It is less appropriate if a team member has bandwidth for daily posting.
Read full review
Pros
Buffer
  • I can plan and publish content on social channels.
  • Buffer's interface is quite tidy and generates the necessary facilities to save us time in publishing consistent content.
  • It has a special price; it is pretty affordable.
  • It has the possibility of integrating with other tools to improve its functions.
Read full review
Hootsuite
  • Scheduling of content. The ease of use for Hootsuite's planner abilities is top of the industry. It is simple and effective in posting content to different channels and accounts.
  • Analytics are superior on Hootsuite. Their custom reports allow you to view very specific KPI's that you can adjust for each channel or account. The reports are also exportable to be used for others in the company.
  • Inbox management. The inbox manager is superior to any in the industry. Hootsuite allows you to tag certain phrases or keywords to better filter messages based on importance or topic.
Read full review
Cons
Buffer
  • Expensive Analytics: The upgrade you need to access your analytics is quite expensive, and I have come across other tools that provide the same or even more for a lesser priced plan.
  • No Media Library: The one feature I have found on another social media planning tool that I wish Buffer had is a media library. This allows you to upload photos you aren't using right away to have them readily available when you do decide to use them. This is not a feature in Buffer.
Read full review
Hootsuite
  • One thing that's frustrating is when trying to change the date/time and having to go into each individual post to update it is a lot. With other calendar tools, you are able to drag and drop the post in the time you want it OR there is a pop up that allows you to change the date/time without having to go into editing the actual post.
  • It would be nice to have different calendar tabs for different brands. Instead of seeing all the brands scheduled posts on one calendar.
  • There needs to be a content library to house all the creative files so it's easier to choose and upload.
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
Buffer
I am giving buffer this rating because of a couple issues that it has compared to other platforms. It does not always post to instagram and you will need to go in an manually post. Also, one of the biggest qualms that we have with buffer is the price it costs to have robust analytics
Read full review
Hootsuite
At this time we are satisfied that Hootsuite offers the most of what we are looking for at the most reasonable price point. As the social media landscape and monitoring/scheduling software changes, so do our needs. We re-evaluate our tools semi-annually or as new tools emerge onto the market. If we find at any point that we aren't gaining an advantage, then we are open to switching products.
Read full review
Usability
Buffer
We use Buffer for certain website content that should be shared on social networks, having this tool helps us to do it faster and easier since we can send the publications from the internet browser and the stack of scheduled messages. It is really fast and easy for all team members who share access to the account, so at the same time that we analyze the information that we can share, the message stack is prepared
Read full review
Hootsuite
Hootsuite is a powerful and versatile social media management platform that streamlines scheduling, engagement, and analytics. However, there is room for improvement in user interface intuitiveness, pricing accessibility, and advanced analytics customization. Enhancing these aspects could further elevate its value and overall user experience.
Read full review
Reliability and Availability
Buffer
Buffer is always on hand and very reliable, their software suite rarely has outages
Read full review
Hootsuite
Any outages are communicated in advance and have not been a problem. We let our clients know based on communications from HootSuite. Since we operate 24/7 with multiple shifts, planned outages can interfere with our operations, but we can always work around it.
Read full review
Performance
Buffer
Buffer performs well on both desktop and mobile platforms. The one area as I have stated before is that it does not always want to automatically push to Instagram and the user will have to go do it manually. Buffer works very well pushing to other platforms. The instagram issue is the only reason buffer does not get a 10 on this section
Read full review
Hootsuite
Hootsuite makes passing on articles from the web very easy- when it works! I have had a number of gliches with Chrome where it does not open properly and the solution (after some toing and froing with support) was to uninstall and reinstall. The support staff are always very helpful (which is great!) but the gliches..... well, they suck when you are already busy!
Read full review
Support Rating
Buffer
  1. It really helped to my business to grow online.
  2. I was able to take actions mindfully as the analytics are damn good.
  3. Also used for managing clients social media accounts and it proved to be a best resource.
  4. Clients were really happy as they got high demand and growth on internet and the secret is Buffer.
  5. The user interface is really easy to understand and manage. Support is 24/7 available to help.
Read full review
Hootsuite
I can manage all of my accounts on one site! It's absolutely amazing!
The dashboard is helpful to see how you are doing as well. Still
getting to understand the analytics and may need to reach out for help
on this
Read full review
In-Person Training
Buffer
No answers on this topic
Hootsuite
Very easy to teach and learn
Read full review
Online Training
Buffer
No answers on this topic
Hootsuite
The online training is decent; however, it takes a lot more time to search for answers to my questions. Having a training session with a live person was much more effective as they were able to quickly address the business needs I have.
Read full review
Implementation Rating
Buffer
We were very satisfied with the implementation of Buffer. We had no issues switching from the platform that we were using over to buffer. Our staff did not even miss a beat when it came to posting content. It was an easy transition and I feel that is something that buffer has really done well. They have an "out of the box" usability platform
Read full review
Hootsuite
• Combination of vendor and internal. The vendor bumped up our account to the Enterprise version (quite simple and easy) and then set up our organization and team structure. We then had to log in and set up team members and assign members to social media accounts. This was pretty easy to do as they have a great user interface. We simply had to drag and drop people into the correct team giving them access to specific social media accounts.
Read full review
Alternatives Considered
Buffer
I also used Combin which is easy and free to use. However, Combin only posts when the computer is active and connected to the internet. So, posting while you are not actively using your computer at that moment is not possible, therefore Buffer is much more efficient as you can even post while being on vacation without working.
Read full review
Hootsuite
With Meta Business Manager, you are limited to posting on Facebook and Instagram. Whereas with Hootsuite, you do not have these limitations and can post beyond these two platforms. I do enjoy using Meta Business Manager. It has some of the same features as Hootsuite and there's no cost in using their social posting features. They also provide analytics as well. But since they are limited platform-wise on where you can post we kept Hootsuite.
Read full review
Scalability
Buffer
Buffer does what it say on tin as they say! you can always count on Buffer. Buffer can be scale to 25 social account with 2,000 scheduled post which is enough for most agencies or businesses
Read full review
Hootsuite
We are only using in marketing and have been able to scale.
Read full review
Return on Investment
Buffer
  • It has saved money by allowing us to automate our social using one person
  • It allows us to connect one channel at a time instead of wasting money on larger account management tools
  • We are making money, because it has already delivered several clients
Read full review
Hootsuite
  • We're a small marketing team in our company so having hootsuite is a life saver, I'm spending less time posting content as I can do my plan in advance and then schedule it out over the month/months so I can get back to helping the team with the other work we deal with.
Read full review
ScreenShots

Buffer Screenshots

Screenshot of The Buffer dashboardScreenshot of Customizable posting scheduleScreenshot of Tailored PostsScreenshot of List or calendar view of scheduled postsScreenshot of Browser extensionScreenshot of Social media analytics

Hootsuite Screenshots

Screenshot of Monitoring: Monitors social media profiles and tracks the topics that matter to the brand.Screenshot of Publishing: Create, publish and schedule engaging posts across social channels.Screenshot of Customer Engagement: A consolidated stream of messages across networks that can be triaged and assigned to respond to customers faster. Provides optional chatbot handover for automated responses.Screenshot of Scheduling: Social content can be planned as a team with a shared calendar that features collaborative post drafts and built-in approval workflows.Screenshot of Analytics & Reporting: Measures the effectiveness of a social media strategy to help turn strategy into execution with meaningful and actionable insights. Reports can be customized and shared according to unique business goals and objectives.