Overview
What Is Hootsuite Used For?
Hootsuite is a complete social media marketing tool that integrates scheduling & publishing, content curation, audience insights as well as post-performance data, and so much more.
Since the dawn of social media management, Hootsuite has been a household name. Being one of the first of its kind in the market, it has built itself to be a dynamic tool with an assortment of features any social media marketer, agency, or business would ever need.
When using Hootsuite, the hassle of managing multiple social media accounts, groups, and pages on different platforms is eliminated. Since you can handle it all from one integrated dashboard of Hootsuite, switching to native platforms is hardly required.
Hootsuite also helps manage and monitor social media messages, reviews, and comments in real-time so you can proactively engage with your audience. Streams are a part of Hootsuite’s dashboard, where you can keep track of all your social pages.
What Is Buffer Used For?
Buffer is a multi-purpose social media management tool, empowering solopreneurs and marketing agencies. It helps automate their content scheduling, providing audience insights and content-performance analytics and streamlining the collaborative workflow of social media teams to function smoothly together.
Buffer supports multitudes of social media platforms, meaning you can schedule and publish posts for Facebook, Google Business, Instagram, Linkedin, Twitter, TikTok, Pinterest, and Shopify, all from the tool’s dashboard without going to the native platforms. Buffer is one of the first tools to integrate with the brand-new social platform Mastodon.
The tool has four types of subscriptions, one of which is a free plan with limited capabilities. The advanced features are available under paid subscriptions only.
One of the unique capabilities of Buffer is the Start Page builder. It enables you to build a landing page from the tool and share the link on your social media. This page helps you showcase your brand and its offerings to your target audience, which is easier than creating a whole website.
Best Suitable for
Hootsuite
Start with $99
Professional Teams, Small business, Enterprises
Buffer
Free
Freelancer, Small Business, Agency
SocialPilot
Start with $30
SMB's, Agency
At a Glance
According to user reviews for both tools, Buffer turns out to be the more liked, with a higher overall rating than Hootsuite.
It is a well-known fact that Hootsuite is a more complicated tool to learn than its alternatives. So Buffer scores much higher when it comes to ease of use. The same goes for the set-up process. For the quality of customer support, Hootsuite is closer to Buffer but still scores lower.
However, if we take the Hootsuite vs. Buffer comparison and put SocialPilot into the mix, SocialPilot comes out with the best scores. That may be the reason why it is such a well-liked tool by the social media marketing community.
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Hootsuite |
Buffer |
SocialPilot |
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|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Reviews | 3781 | 962 | 473 |
| Overall Star Rating | |||
| Ease of Use | |||
| Quality of Support | |||
| Ease of Setup | |||
| Learn More | Learn More | 14 Days Trial |
Quick Comparison – Hootsuite Vs. Buffer
After seeing what the users think of Buffer vs. Hootsuite, let us do a quick study of all the critical facts you must know before making your choice.
If we take one look at the prices, Hootsuite is a much more costly tool than Buffer. However, the latter charges users for each social account they connect, which might take a toll on expenses in the long run. Keeping a cap on the costs is possible if you go with an excellent Buffer alternative like SocialPilot. It proves to be a much more economical option.
Hootsuite allows a team of 5, but with Buffer, you can have unlimited team members, which makes it stronger than other Buffer alternatives. Also, they support all the major platforms except Youtube and Whatsapp, which are integrated into Hootsuite but not Buffer.
Note: Despite being at a much lower price point, SocialPilot comes across as an accomplished tool, with multiple avenues available for customer support. Also, considering the international users, the tool is available in various languages, which both Hootsuite and Buffer lack.
Have a look at the features, Hootsuite vs. Buffer, along with SocialPilot, to get a clearer view.
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Hootsuite |
Buffer |
SocialPilot |
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|---|---|---|---|
| Can't Miss to Compare | |||
| Minimum Pricing | $99/Month | Free | $30/Month |
| Number of Accounts | 35 | 10 | 30 |
| Number of Team Members | 5 | Unlimited | 6 |
| Number of Posts that Can Be Scheduled | Unlimited | 2000 | Unlimited |
| Core Capabilities | |||
| Scheduling & Publishing |
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| Analytics |
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| Inbox |
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| Collaboration |
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| Competitor Tracking |
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| Whitelabel |
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| Localization | English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish | English & Spanish | German, English, French, Portuguese, Spanish |
| Support | Email, Chat, Tweet for Support | FAQs, How-To-Guides, Video Tutorials, Social Media Support & Email Support | Email, Chat, Social Media, Phone |
| Learn More | Learn More | 14 Days Trial | |
Reviews
Positive
- The tool provides the best time to post on the networks so that your large audience can see your post.
- Setting up and linking different social media platforms on Hootsuite is very easy. Also, the “Streams” layout of Hootsuite's UI is another perk, making it easy to separate interaction activities across all of our social media handles.
- Hootsuite is a social publishing tool that is the most user-friendly for any platform, and it makes you feel as if you are making the post on the platform itself.
Negative
- Hootsuite has a limitation of size for uploading, due to which you can't schedule large files such as animations.
- Sometimes the social profiles get occasionally disconnected from the platform, and it is difficult to reconnect the profiles.
- The lower plans have limited reporting capabilities, which could greatly impact your ability to effectively monitor and analyze your social media performance.
Positive
- Buffer also offers a convenient feature where users can create a new page with the help of free templates, providing a jumpstart to their content creation process.
- Buffer is known for its highly helpful customer support team, who are both quick and responsive in addressing users' inquiries and concerns.
- It offers a powerful, interactive platform that brings all the necessary features for running successful campaigns in the fast-paced world of social media, all in one centralized location.
Negative
- Users have experienced performance issues with Buffer, such as slowing down or crashing, when handling multiple image uploads or managing numerous accounts simultaneously.
- One potential drawback of Buffer is that its analytics capabilities are limited. Users have noted that the platform should offer a more in-depth analysis of each post's performance and engagement levels.
- The lack of assistance in handling social media conversations in Buffer could hinder its effectiveness as a complete social media management solution.
Positive
- SocialPilot can schedule posts in advance on multiple platforms at once while customizing the post for each one of them for the scheduler.
- SocialPilot's interface is easy to use. Unlike other tools, it doesn't require a learning curve hence users get used to it pretty quickly.
- SocialPilot offers multiple features at a very affordable price. Different pricing plans make it an excellent choice even for small businesses. And it can upgrade the plans anytime as per requirement.
Negative
- Users can post directly using their Instagram business account, but they will get mobile reminders in case of a personal account. This is a common issue on all social media management platforms since there is no available API for Instagram personal accounts.
- Some users have reported receiving error messages with scheduled posts. However, they acknowledge that this issue is not unique to SocialPilot and is also present in other social posting platforms. It is simply a minor inconvenience at times.
- Users have expressed a desire for the ability to add music from platforms such as Instagram and TikTok to their reels. However, this limitation is not exclusive to SocialPilot and is also present in many other scheduling platforms.
Pricing – Hootsuite Vs. Buffer
In this section, we will take a better look at the pricing plans, be it Hootsuite or Buffer, to determine which of them offers more cost-effective social media marketing solutions.
Both tools have four different functional subscription models, but only Buffer has a free plan. For its business plan, Hootsuite costs $739 per month and lets you connect 35 social accounts and schedule unlimited posts. Buffer, on the other hand, with its agency plan coming at only $120 per month, lets you connect only 10 social accounts and publish up to 2000. However, you can add extra accounts at the cost of $6 each.
If we weigh in SocialPilot, which is considered to be a strong Hootsuite alternative, it allows users to connect up to 30 social accounts at just $100, which is just a tiny fraction of what Hootsuite costs for 35 accounts!
Note: Taking a look at SocialPilot’s pricing, it charges a fraction of what Buffer and Hootsuite are while matching them feature for feature. This makes SocialPilot a more cost-effective choice to go with.
Now let’s compare each pricing plan, Hootsuite vs. Buffer, along with SocialPilot to get a clearer picture of what is most suitable for you.
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Hootsuite |
Buffer |
SocialPilot |
|---|---|---|
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Professional
$99/per month
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Free
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Professional
$30/per month
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Small Team
$249/per month
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Essential
$6/per channel
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Small Team
$50/per month
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Business
$739/per month
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Team
$12/per channel
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Agency
$100/per month
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Enterprise
Custom
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Agency
$120/per channel
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Agency+
$200/per month
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30 Days Free Trial
Credit Card Required
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14 Days Free Trial
No Credit Card Required
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14 Days Free Trial
No Credit Card Required
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| Learn More | Learn More | Start Your free Trial |
In-depth Scheduling and Publishing Capabilities Comparison
Scheduling and publishing are the primary features on which we determine the efficiency of any
social media management tool. Hence, comparing each aspect of these features, Hootsuite vs. Buffer, can’t be skipped.
Now, both the tools have strong scheduling and publishing capabilities to match each other, but there are some disparities we’ll point out.
However, both tools do not let users schedule Facebook reels and Youtube shorts. Also, neither of them has the feature of first comment scheduling for Facebook and LinkedIn, which users have started to use actively with other tools.
Note: SocialPilot has some commendable content scheduling features which have been found lacking in top players like Hootsuite and Buffer. This includes Facebook Reels and Instagram Shorts scheduling, as well as first comment scheduling along with posts on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
Take a look at all the scheduling and publishing features, Buffer vs. Hootsuite, along with SocialPilot, for a clearer picture.
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Hootsuite |
Buffer |
SocialPilot |
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| Smart & Advanced Queueing |
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| Customize Post for Each Platform |
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| Post Preview |
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| Canva Integration |
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| Unsplash Integration |
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| Slack Integration |
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| URL Shortener |
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| Visual Post Support (Image, Video, GIF) |
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| UTM Parameters |
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| Cloud Storage |
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| Hashtag Suggestions |
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| Advance Publishing Capabilities | |||
| Save Draft Posts |
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| AI Assistant |
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| Watermark on Images |
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| Bulk Scheduling |
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| Content Curation |
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| Auto publishing from RSS |
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| Social media calendar |
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| Mobile App |
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| Browser Extension |
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| Advance Facebook Publishing Capabilities | |||
| Reel Scheduling |
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| Support Album Posts |
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| Support Carousel Posts |
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| Alternate Text on Image |
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| Support Facebook First Comment |
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| Audience Targeting |
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| Boost Post Scheduling |
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| Support Mention and Hashtags |
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| Advance Twitter Publishing Capabilities | |||
| Location Tagging |
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| Support Mention and Hashtags |
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| Support Multiple Image Posts |
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| Threads Scheduling |
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| Advance Instagram Publishing Capabilities | |||
| Reel Scheduling |
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| Story Scheduling |
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| Tag Profiles on Images |
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| Location Tagging |
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| Support Instagram First Comment |
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| Instagram Grid |
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| Advance LinkedIn Publishing Capabilities | |||
| Audience Targeting |
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| Support LinkedIn First Comment |
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| Advance YouTube Publishing Capabilities | |||
| #shorts Scheduling |
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| Mention of Other Youtube Accounts |
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| Learn More | Learn More | 14 Days Trial | |
In-depth Analytics Capability Comparison
Analytical capabilities are the backbone of any social media management tool. It is essential that we verify this aspect to make a thorough comparison of Buffer vs. Hootsuite.
It seems like the pair is evenly matched for possessing all the preliminary analytics features. But Buffer is somewhat lagging regarding the reporting aspect of analytics. The ability to email PDF reports or schedule them to be later shared with team members and clients is missing from Buffer’s repertoire.
Following is a comparative chart of the analytics capabilities of Hootsuite vs. Buffer, along with SocialPilot.
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Hootsuite |
Buffer |
SocialPilot |
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| Whitelabel Downloadable Report in PDF Format |
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| Email PDF Report to Client |
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| Auto Schedule Report with Team and Client |
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| Custom Report Builder |
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| Learn More | Learn More | 14 Days Trial |
In-depth Inbox/Listening Capability Comparison
Social listening is vital for gauging the opinions of your target audience. Doing so would help you take steps in the right direction to build your brand image.
When you go through specifics, you will see that compared to Hootsuite, Buffer has little to boast about regarding social listening.
Note: It is interesting that with SocialPilot’s social inbox, you can comment on a visitor’s post on your page, but this is not possible with Hootsuite or Buffer.
Here is all you need to know about the listening capabilities of Buffer vs. Hootsuite and SocialPilot for a better perspective.
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Hootsuite |
Buffer |
SocialPilot |
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| Can Reply Message |
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| Can Reply Questions and Reviews |
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| Can Reply on Visitor Posts |
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| Real-Time Social Listening |
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| Learn More | Learn More | 14 Days Trial |
In-depth Social Media Collaboration Capability Comparison
When marketing agencies or businesses use social media management tools, multiple people work on it. Hence the tool needs to enable multiple team members to work together collaboratively. Also, clients should be able to get involved in the flow of social media activities.
Hootsuite and Buffer both have efficient team workflows, so all the members can be onboarded and work in sync together. Account admins can give selective access and assign roles to each member. Content approval makes the back-and-forth communication between the team and clients quick and easy, making publishing content more efficient.
In the table below, you can go through each capability regarding team collaboration, Hootsuite vs. Buffer, along with SocialPilot.
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Hootsuite |
Buffer |
SocialPilot |
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| Free Unlimited Client Onboarding |
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| Per Post Multi-User Collaboration |
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| Access Management |
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| Content Approval Workflow |
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| Learn More | Learn More | 14 Days Trial |
