Hootsuite alternativesfor teams paying per seat
These Hootsuite alternatives suit teams that want approvals without paying $399 a user a month for Advanced. We compare Posty, Planable, Buffer and Sprout Social on how they bill, who can approve and what the inbox covers.
- Posty$96/mo
3 workspaces on Growth
- Hootsuite$1,995/mo
Advanced
$22,788 a year less on Posty. Price your own team
Why teams look for Hootsuite alternatives
$1,995a month for five people on Advanced
Every user is billed at the plan’s rate
Hootsuite charges each user the plan’s rate: $99 a month on Standard, $199 on Professional and $399 on Advanced, billed annually. A team of five on Advanced pays $1,995 a month before any add-ons.
$399a user a month for approval workflows
Approvals sit on the Advanced plan
Approval workflows are listed on Advanced and Enterprise only. Teams on Standard or Professional who want a sign-off step have to move up a plan for every seat.
10social accounts in total on Standard
Standard stops at 10 social accounts
Standard allows 10 social accounts in total. An agency running three or four clients can reach that before it reaches the people limit.
4 Hootsuite alternatives worth a trial
Each option replaces Hootsuite for a different kind of team. Prices are list prices in USD, checked on each vendor’s own site; the sources are listed below.
Posty
Teams and agencies that want approvals, the inbox and analytics in one price per brand or client.
Billed per workspace, so five people running three brands pay for three workspaces, not five seats. Required approval starts on Growth, clients approve inside their own workspace, and the inbox and analytics come with every paid plan.
Where it falls short
No X, WhatsApp or Google Business Profile. Growth allows 10 people per workspace, clients included; beyond that you need Accelerate. The inbox covers Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram, Threads and YouTube.
- How you pay
- Per workspace (one brand or client), never per seat
- Approval workflows
- Growth and Accelerate; your team then the client on Accelerate
- Comments and DMs inbox
- Comments and messages on every paid plan, from Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram, Threads and YouTube
Planable
Content teams that want unlimited users per workspace and publish to X, within a monthly post allowance.
Also billed per workspace, with unlimited users on every plan. Required approval and client approvers start on Pro, and it publishes to X and Google Business Profile.
Where it falls short
Posts are limited to 60 or 150 per workspace a month, and the inbox and analytics are paid add-ons. No Bluesky.
- How you pay
- Per workspace, with unlimited users
- Approval workflows
- Optional approval on Basic; required approval from Pro; multi-level on Enterprise
- Comments and DMs inbox
- An add-on at $9 a workspace a month ($90 a year); DMs from Facebook and Instagram only
Buffer
Creators and small teams that mainly publish, want a low entry price and reply to comments rather than messages.
The lowest entry price, billed per channel, with unlimited users and approvals on the Team plan. Publishes to X, Mastodon and Google Business Profile.
Where it falls short
The inbox replies to comments but takes no direct messages. Clients approve with their own Buffer login, and the bill grows with every channel.
- How you pay
- Per connected channel
- Approval workflows
- Team plan only ($10 a channel a month, billed annually)
- Comments and DMs inbox
- Comment replies on every plan; no direct messages
Sprout Social
Larger social teams that want deep reporting and external approvers, and are used to paying per seat.
The closest like-for-like replacement for a larger team: the Smart Inbox from Standard, approvals from Professional, and external approvers who sign off from an email link.
Where it falls short
Still billed per seat, from $79 a seat a month. External approvers are limited to three and need Advanced at $399 a seat a month.
- How you pay
- Per seat, every seat billed at the plan’s rate
- Approval workflows
- Professional ($299 a seat a month, billed annually) and above
- Comments and DMs inbox
- Smart Inbox from Standard ($199 a seat a month); not on Essentials
Every option in one table
Posty first, then Hootsuite and the rest of the shortlist.
- How you pay
- PostyPer workspace (one brand or client), never per seat
- HootsuitePer user, every seat billed at the plan’s rate
- PlanablePer workspace, with unlimited users
- BufferPer connected channel
- Sprout SocialPer seat, every seat billed at the plan’s rate
- Lowest paid plan
- PostyStarter, $24 a workspace a month billed annually, or $29 monthly
- HootsuiteStandard, $99 a user a month billed annually
- PlanableBasic, $32.50 a workspace a month billed annually, or $39 monthly
- BufferEssentials, $5 a channel a month billed annually, or $6 monthly
- Sprout SocialEssentials, $79 a seat a month billed annually, or $99 monthly
- People included
- Posty1 on Starter, up to 10 per workspace on Growth, unlimited on Accelerate
- HootsuiteAs many seats as you buy, each at the per-user price
- PlanableUnlimited users on every plan
- Buffer1 on Essentials; unlimited on Team at no extra charge
- Sprout SocialAs many seats as you buy, each at the per-seat price
- Approval workflows
- PostyGrowth and Accelerate; your team then the client on Accelerate
- HootsuiteAdvanced ($399 a user a month, billed annually) and Enterprise
- PlanableOptional approval on Basic; required approval from Pro; multi-level on Enterprise
- BufferTeam plan only ($10 a channel a month, billed annually)
- Sprout SocialProfessional ($299 a seat a month, billed annually) and above
- Client approvals
- PostyClients approve in their own workspace and count towards its people
- HootsuiteNo external approvers documented; approvers are team members with access to the account
- PlanableClients join as approvers with their own account, from Pro; not on Basic
- BufferClients approve with their own Buffer login on the Team plan
- Sprout SocialUp to three external approvers, on Advanced ($399 a seat a month) and Enterprise; they approve from an email link
- Comments and DMs inbox
- PostyComments and messages on every paid plan, from Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram, Threads and YouTube
- HootsuiteComments and DMs on every plan; assignment and routing from Advanced
- PlanableAn add-on at $9 a workspace a month ($90 a year); DMs from Facebook and Instagram only
- BufferComment replies on every plan; no direct messages
- Sprout SocialSmart Inbox from Standard ($199 a seat a month); not on Essentials
- Analytics
- PostyEvery paid plan: 30-day history on Starter, 90-day on Growth, 1-year on Accelerate
- HootsuiteReports on every plan; custom reports from Professional; branded and shared reports on Advanced
- PlanableAn add-on at $14 a workspace a month ($140 a year); included on Enterprise
- Buffer30 days of history on Free; unlimited history and reports on paid plans; branded reports on Team
- Sprout SocialProfile and post reports on every plan; Premium Analytics is an add-on with no published price
- Post limits
- PostyUnlimited posts on every paid plan
- HootsuiteUnlimited posts on paid plans
- Planable60 posts a workspace a month on Basic, 150 on Pro, unlimited on Enterprise
- BufferUnlimited on paid plans, within a 5,000 post fair use cap per channel
- Sprout SocialNo monthly cap; the queue allows 10 to 30 posts a day by plan
- Networks
- PostyBluesky, Discord, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Threads, TikTok, WordPress and YouTube. No X or Google Business Profile.
- HootsuiteFacebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube, Threads, Pinterest and Bluesky, plus WhatsApp in the inbox
- PlanableFacebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, Threads and Google Business Profile
- BufferInstagram, Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn, YouTube Shorts, Threads, Pinterest, Bluesky, X, Mastodon and Google Business Profile
- Sprout SocialX, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, Pinterest, YouTube, Bluesky, Threads, WhatsApp and Google Business Profile
- Free plan
- PostyLink in Bio only; scheduling needs a paid plan
- HootsuiteNone; a 14 day trial with no card required
- Planable50 posts in total, with no time limit and no card required
- BufferYes: 3 channels, 10 scheduled posts per channel at a time, 1 user
- Sprout SocialNone; a 30 day trial with no card required
What your team would pay on Posty and Hootsuite
Set your team size and number of brands or clients. Each product is priced on its cheapest plan with approval workflows, or without them if you switch approvals off.
Approval workflows
- Posty$96/mo
3 workspaces on Growth at $32
- Hootsuite$1,995/mo
Advanced: 5 people at $399
Posty: Growth includes approvals, the inbox and analytics for up to 10 people per workspace, clients included.
Hootsuite: Approval workflows start on Advanced. Social accounts are unlimited.
Posty costs $22,788 a year less than Hootsuite for this team.
List prices in USD per month on annual billing, before tax. Monthly billing costs more on every product here. Social account and post limits differ by plan; see the table above.
How to choose a Hootsuite alternative
- Count the people, not just the price
- Hootsuite and Sprout Social bill per person, Buffer per channel, Posty and Planable per workspace. Price your actual team and number of brands under each model before comparing headline prices.
- Check who can approve, and on which plan
- Approval workflows sit on different plans everywhere: Advanced on Hootsuite, Professional on Sprout Social, Team on Buffer, Pro on Planable for required approval, and Growth on Posty. Check whether clients need their own login and whether the plan you can afford includes them.
- Look at what the inbox covers
- Some inboxes take direct messages; Buffer’s replies to comments only. Planable sells its inbox as an add-on. List the networks where your audience writes to you and check each tool covers them.
- Match the networks you publish to
- Hootsuite, Sprout Social, Buffer and Planable publish to X; Posty does not. Posty publishes to Discord and WordPress, which the others do not list.
Questions about Hootsuite alternatives
- What is the best Hootsuite alternative for agencies?
- It depends on how you bill clients and who signs off. Posty gives each client a workspace with client approvals and is billed per workspace. Planable is also per workspace with unlimited users, but limits posts. Sprout Social suits larger teams that are used to per-seat pricing.
- Is there a Hootsuite alternative without per-user pricing?
- Posty and Planable bill per workspace, so adding people does not add seats. Buffer bills per channel, with unlimited users on its Team plan.
- Which Hootsuite alternative is cheapest?
- Buffer has the lowest entry price, at $5 a channel a month billed annually on Essentials, but approvals need its Team plan. For a team that needs approvals, the per-workspace tools usually cost least.
- Does Hootsuite have a free plan?
- No. Hootsuite’s plans page lists no free plan; it offers a 14 day trial with no card required.
- Can I move my scheduled posts from Hootsuite?
- Posty does not import from Hootsuite. Connect your accounts to Posty, recreate the posts still scheduled, and remove them from Hootsuite so nothing publishes twice.
Sources
Vendors change plans often. Every competitor fact on this page comes from the vendor’s own pricing page or help centre, checked on the date shown. Posty’s figures come from the pricing page.
Hootsuite, checked 27 October 2026
Planable, checked 27 October 2026
Buffer, checked 27 October 2026
Sprout Social, checked 27 October 2026
See whether Posty fits your team
Create a workspace, connect your accounts and run a week of posts through your approval rule before you decide.