Buffer vs Hootsuite

Prices checked 30 September 2026 · Reviewed by Sergio Verdugo, co-founder of Quetzal

Buffer and Hootsuite both schedule posts to your social accounts, but they are priced for different buyers: Buffer by the channel, Hootsuite by the user. This page puts their published facts side by side, says which one fits most small teams, and then looks at the job neither of them does for you.

Verdict

Buffer is the better pick for most small teams. It starts at $6 a month per channel ($5 billed yearly), has a free plan for up to three channels and a 14-day trial without a card, and its queue is simple enough to learn in an afternoon.

Hootsuite wins when a team needs more than a queue: social listening, an inbox several people work from, approval routing and reporting for managers. It is priced per user and starts at $149 a month.

Both assume you arrive with the post already made. If what you are missing is the content itself, see the third option below. See the third option

Buffer and Hootsuite at a glance

Comparison
	Buffer	Hootsuite
What it is	A simple scheduler for individuals and small teams, priced per connected channel, with an AI assistant for post text.	One of the original social media management suites: scheduling, inbox, listening and reporting for teams, priced per user.
Best for	Solo owners and small teams scheduling their own posts	Teams that need listening, a shared inbox and reporting
Starts at	Essentials: $6 a month per channel ($5 a month billed yearly)	Standard: $149 a month per user ($99 a month billed yearly)
Pricing basis	Per connected channel, per month, with a volume discount above 10 channels.	Per user (seat), per month; in the eurozone the same figures are shown in euros.
Free plan and trial	Free plan and 14-day trial, no card	14-day trial, no card
Refunds	Monthly plans are refunded within 7 days of starting, annual plans within 30 days.	If you cancel or downgrade, you pay the rest of the plan term and get no refund.
AI for the content	Helps you write when you ask	Helps you write when you ask
AI video	No AI video	Not listed on their pricing page
Approvals	Yes	Yes
Inbox	Yes	Yes
Networks	13 networks: Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, X, YouTube, Threads and 6 more	Not listed on their pricing page
App languages	English only	Not listed on their pricing page

What it is

Buffer: A simple scheduler for individuals and small teams, priced per connected channel, with an AI assistant for post text.
Hootsuite: One of the original social media management suites: scheduling, inbox, listening and reporting for teams, priced per user.

Best for

Buffer: Solo owners and small teams scheduling their own posts
Hootsuite: Teams that need listening, a shared inbox and reporting

Starts at

Buffer: Essentials: $6 a month per channel ($5 a month billed yearly)
Hootsuite: Standard: $149 a month per user ($99 a month billed yearly)

Pricing basis

Buffer: Per connected channel, per month, with a volume discount above 10 channels.
Hootsuite: Per user (seat), per month; in the eurozone the same figures are shown in euros.

Free plan and trial

Buffer: Free plan and 14-day trial, no card
Hootsuite: 14-day trial, no card

Refunds

Buffer: Monthly plans are refunded within 7 days of starting, annual plans within 30 days.
Hootsuite: If you cancel or downgrade, you pay the rest of the plan term and get no refund.

AI for the content

Buffer: Helps you write when you ask
Hootsuite: Helps you write when you ask

AI video

Buffer: No AI video
Hootsuite: Not listed on their pricing page

Approvals

Buffer: Yes
Hootsuite: Yes

Inbox

Buffer: Yes
Hootsuite: Yes

Networks

Buffer: 13 networks: Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, X, YouTube, Threads and 6 more
Hootsuite: Not listed on their pricing page

App languages

Buffer: English only
Hootsuite: Not listed on their pricing page

Where Buffer wins

Price for a few channels: you pay per channel, not per person, from $6 a month.
A free plan for up to three channels, and a 14-day trial of the paid plans with no card.
A refund window it states plainly: 7 days on monthly plans, 30 days on annual plans.
Publishes to 13 networks, including Threads, Bluesky, Pinterest and Google Business Profile.

Where Hootsuite wins

Social listening and reporting built for managers who answer for the numbers.
An inbox and approval workflow for teams where several people touch every post.
Broad integrations with the rest of a marketing stack.
A long track record with larger organisations, which matters when procurement asks.

Pricing, plan by plan

Prices in the currency each vendor publishes, as shown on their own page. Mind the unit: paying per channel is not the same as paying per user.

Buffer

Per connected channel, per month, with a volume discount above 10 channels.

FreeFree
Essentials$6 a month · $5 a month billed yearly
Team$12 a month · $10 a month billed yearly

Unit: per channel. Their pricing page

Hootsuite

Per user (seat), per month; in the eurozone the same figures are shown in euros.

Standard$149 a month · $99 a month billed yearly
Professional$299 a month · $199 a month billed yearly
Advanced$499 a month · $399 a month billed yearly
EnterpriseCustom price

Unit: per user. Their pricing page

The who-makes-the-posts test

Scheduling is solved by both. The next job a small business hits is having something worth scheduling. Ticks come from each vendor's own pages; where a vendor does not say, we write "not listed".

The who-makes-the-posts test
	Buffer	Hootsuite	Quetzal
Writes post text with AI	Yes (when you ask)	Yes (when you ask)	Yes
Plans and makes the week's posts on its own	No	No	Yes (from Growth)
Makes video with AI	No	Not listed	Yes (from Pro)
Approval step before anything posts	Yes	Yes	Yes
Publishes to Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, X and YouTube	Yes	Not listed	Yes
App available in Spanish	No	Not listed	Yes
Changes the next posts from each post's results	Not listed	Not listed	Yes
Start without a card (free plan or card-free trial)	Yes	Yes	No (14 days free, card required)

Writes post text with AI

Buffer: Yes (when you ask)
Hootsuite: Yes (when you ask)
Quetzal: Yes

Plans and makes the week's posts on its own

Buffer: No
Hootsuite: No
Quetzal: Yes (from Growth)

Makes video with AI

Buffer: No
Hootsuite: Not listed
Quetzal: Yes (from Pro)

Approval step before anything posts

Buffer: Yes
Hootsuite: Yes
Quetzal: Yes

Publishes to Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, X and YouTube

Buffer: Yes
Hootsuite: Not listed
Quetzal: Yes

App available in Spanish

Buffer: No
Hootsuite: Not listed
Quetzal: Yes

Changes the next posts from each post's results

Buffer: Not listed
Hootsuite: Not listed
Quetzal: Yes

Start without a card (free plan or card-free trial)

Buffer: Yes
Hootsuite: Yes
Quetzal: No (14 days free, card required)

The third option: Quetzal

If your calendar is empty because nobody has time to fill it, a better queue will not fill it. Quetzal plans the week from your brand and website, writes and designs the posts, publishes them to Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, X and YouTube, and changes the next week from what each post did.

Quetzal (quetzaltech.app) is an AI social media manager. It reads your website and brand, plans the week, writes and designs every post, makes AI reels from the Pro plan, and publishes to Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, X and YouTube. You can approve each piece before it goes out, or let it run on full autopilot.

Price: the Starter plan is $116 a month per brand ($89 a month billed yearly), before tax.

Try for free See a week made with your brand

14 days free. Card required, nothing charged today.

Questions about Buffer and Hootsuite

Is Buffer cheaper than Hootsuite?

For a small team, yes. Buffer charges per connected channel, from $6 a month per channel, and has a free plan for up to three channels. Hootsuite charges per user, from $149 a month. Hootsuite only makes sense on price when you need its listening, inbox and reporting.

Does Buffer or Hootsuite have a free trial?

Buffer runs a 14-day trial and Hootsuite a 14-day trial, both without a card. Buffer also has a free plan with no time limit; Hootsuite does not.

Can I get a refund from Buffer or Hootsuite?

Buffer refunds monthly plans within 7 days of starting and annual plans within 30 days. Hootsuite's terms say that if you cancel or downgrade you pay the rest of the term and get no refund.

Do Buffer and Hootsuite write posts for you?

Both have an AI assistant that helps with post text when you ask. Neither plans a week of posts on its own, and neither lists AI video on its pricing page.

Is Buffer available in Spanish?

Buffer's help centre says its web app is in English only. Hootsuite does not list its app languages on its pricing page. Quetzal's app and content are in English and Spanish.