Hootsuite vs. Buffer: Comparing Features, Pricing, and More

With over 62% of the world’s population on social media, the fact remains that your brand needs a presence on these digital channels. And with so many social media accounts to manage simultaneously, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and burnt out. This is where social media management tools come into play. 

Among the top contenders in this space are Hootsuite and Buffer – two popular social media management tools that offer a range of features and functionalities to simplify the process of managing multiple social media accounts. However, selecting the right social media management tool can be a daunting task, with various factors such as features, pricing, and user-friendliness to consider. 

This article aims to provide an in-depth comparison of Hootsuite and Buffer, helping you make an informed decision on which platform best aligns with your specific needs and preferences. 

Whether you’re a solopreneur, a marketing agency, or just someone trying to up their social media game, this blog post is here to help you make the right choice. We’ll be comparing features, and pricing, and exploring all the hidden gems these platforms have to offer. 

So sit back, relax, and get ready for a friendly competition that will boost your social media strategy!

Hootsuite vs. Buffer Overview

Buffer and Hootsuite have established themselves as top contenders in the social media management tools arena. These platforms assist small and medium-sized businesses in effectively managing their social media accounts, providing a centralized interface for all their social media needs.

While there are similarities between Buffer and Hootsuite, they do cater to slightly different audiences. Before diving into the main details, let’s take a quick look at what these tools offer.

What is Hootsuite? 

Hootsuite is a popular social media management platform that enables users to manage multiple social media networks from one centralized dashboard. With Hootsuite, you can schedule and post content to various platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and many more. This feature alone saves you the hassle of logging into each account separately and streamlines the process of publishing consistent and engaging content.

Hootsuite’s robust scheduling feature goes beyond basic posting. It allows you to create a content calendar, ensuring a cohesive social media strategy with posts scheduled in advance. Moreover, Hootsuite simplifies collaboration by providing a user-friendly interface where teams can work together, assign tasks, and track progress. 

The platform also offers detailed analytics and reporting tools, giving you valuable insights into your social media performance. As an added feature, Hootsuite even lets you monitor keywords, mentions, and engagements related to your brand.

Some features of Hootsuite include; 

1. Social Media Scheduling: Users can schedule and publish posts across multiple social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and more.

2. Content Calendar: Hootsuite provides a visual content calendar that allows users to plan and organize their social media posts in advance.

3. Analytics and Reporting: Hootsuite offers comprehensive analytics and reporting tools to track and measure the performance of social media campaigns. Users can access data on engagement, reach, clicks, and more to gain insights into their audience and refine their strategies.

4. Team Collaboration: Hootsuite enables team collaboration by allowing users to assign tasks, create approvals workflows, and communicate within the platform. This feature is especially useful for businesses with multiple team members managing social media accounts.

5. Social Listening: With Hootsuite’s social listening feature, users can monitor and track mentions, keywords, and hashtags across various social media channels. This helps businesses stay updated on relevant conversations and engage with their audience effectively.

6. Ad Campaign Management: Hootsuite integrates with advertising platforms such as Facebook Ads and Instagram Ads, enabling users to manage their ad campaigns directly from the Hootsuite platform.

7. App Integrations: Hootsuite supports integrations with various other apps and tools, including Dropbox, Google Drive, Slack, and Canva, to streamline workflows and enhance productivity.

What is Buffer?

Buffer is another top-notch social media management tool that allows you to schedule and publish content, very much like Hootsuite. While it supports popular social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn, Buffer also integrates with other platforms, such as Pinterest. This versatility makes it an excellent choice for businesses or individuals who heavily rely on specific platforms.

With Buffer, you can easily organize and plan your content, maintaining a consistent posting frequency. Buffer’s key strength lies in its intuitive interface and user-friendly experience. It delivers a clean and straightforward process, making it ideal for beginners or small businesses seeking efficient social media management solutions.

Buffer also offers detailed analytics to help you track the performance of your posts, engagement rates, and follower growth. While it may not provide as extensive analytics as Hootsuite, Buffer’s simplicity and ease of use make up for it.

Here are some features of Buffer;

1. Social Media Scheduling: Buffer allows users to schedule and publish posts to various social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Pinterest. The scheduling feature helps users plan and organize their content in advance, saving time and ensuring consistent posting.

2. Content Calendar: Buffer provides users with a visual content calendar that displays scheduled posts and their timings. This feature gives users an overview of their social media content and allows for easy editing and rearranging of posts.

3. Link Shortening and Tracking: Buffer includes a built-in link shortener that allows users to track the performance of their shared links. This feature helps users understand which links are generating the most engagement and click-throughs.

4. Analytics and Reporting: Buffer offers analytics to track the performance of social media posts. Users can view key metrics such as engagement, reach, and clicks, helping them understand their audience’s response to their content and make data-driven decisions.

5. RSS Feeds Integration: Buffer supports the integration of RSS feeds, allowing users to automatically share blog posts and articles from their favorite sources. This feature saves time by automating content curation and sharing.

6. Social Media Advertising: Buffer integrates with Facebook Ads and Instagram Ads, enabling users to create, manage, and analyze their paid social media campaigns directly from the platform.

7. Mobile App: Buffer offers a mobile app for iOS and Android devices, allowing users to manage their social media accounts on the go. The app ensures that businesses can stay connected and engaged with their audience at all times.

Hootsuite vs. Buffer Pricing 

Hootsuite Pricing

Hootsuite offers a tiered pricing structure with various plans catering to different needs and team sizes. Here’s a breakdown of each of them:

A. Professional Plan: Priced at $99/month, this plan is ideal for individuals or small businesses managing up to 10 social media accounts, for just 1 user. It offers features like:

• Unlimited post scheduling
• Best time to post recommendations
• Canva integration
• Hashtag generator
• One inbox for all social accounts
• Custom analytics and reports
• Competitive benchmarking tool

B. Team Plan: This plan costs $249/month, and it caters to growing teams managing up to 20 social media accounts, with 5 users. It includes;

Everything in PROFESSIONAL, plus:

• Link in bio tool
• Suspend scheduled posts
• Team roles and permissions
• Assign DMs to teammates
• One custom-branded URL
• Automatic link tracking
• Up to $2,000 limit for post boosting

C. Enterprise Plan: This plan targets large teams, and businesses managing up to 50 social media accounts. This plan provides a fully customizable solution that aligns with the unique requirements of the enterprise, and the price is available upon request (custom pricing). It includes;

Everything in TEAM, plus:

• Approval workflow and asset mgmt.
• Advanced content curation
• Organic and paid campaign mgmt.
• Added automation tools in inbox
• Premium support

Buffer Pricing

Buffer also employs a tiered pricing structure with plans designed for individuals, small businesses, and agencies. Here’s a breakdown of their pricing options:

A. Free Plan: Buffer’s free plan allows users to manage up to 3 social media accounts, schedule up to 10 posts per profile, and access basic analytics. This plan is suitable for individuals or small businesses who are just starting with social media management.

B. Essentials Plan: Billed monthly at $6, this plan is ideal for professionals who use publishing, analytics & engagement tools. It lets one user post on up to 8 social channels and schedule up to 100 posts per channel. It expands on the Free plan by offering engagement tools, and analytic reports.

C. Team Plan: Priced at $12/month, this plan caters to teams who want unlimited users, collaboration, and reporting. It builds upon the Essentials plan by allowing users to schedule up to 2,000 posts per profile, providing advanced analytics, and more sophisticated team collaboration features.

D. Agency Plan: Priced at $120/month, this plan targets large agencies and corporations with 10 or more channels. It provides access to 25 social channels with 2,000 scheduled posts per channel and also gives the complete Buffer toolset access. 

Hootsuite vs. Buffer: Pros and Cons

Hootsuite Pros:

• Robust Social Media Management: Hootsuite offers a comprehensive suite of social media management tools, allowing users to schedule posts, monitor conversations, engage with followers, analyze performance, and more.
• Team Collaboration: Hootsuite’s Team Plan and Business Plan offer advanced team collaboration features, such as approval workflows and task assignments, making it easier for teams to work together on social media management.
• Extensive Integrations: Hootsuite integrates with a wide range of other apps and platforms, including popular ones like Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics, and Slack, providing a seamless workflow and enhanced functionality.
• Advanced Analytics: It also provides detailed analytics and reporting features, helping users understand their social media performance and make data-driven decisions.

Hootsuite Cons:

• Steeper Learning Curve: While Hootsuite offers powerful features and functionalities, it may take some time to fully grasp and utilize all the capabilities of the platform.
• Higher Price Point: Hootsuite’s pricing plans are generally a bit higher than some other social media management tools, especially for larger teams or businesses with more extensive management needs.
• User Interface: Some users find Hootsuite’s interface to be slightly complex and overwhelming, especially for beginners or those with limited experience in social media management.

Buffer Pros:

• Simple and User-Friendly Interface: Buffer is known for its clean and intuitive interface, making it easy for users to navigate and manage their social media accounts.
• Scheduling and Publishing: Buffer excels in scheduling and publishing content, allowing users to easily schedule and share posts across multiple social media platforms.
• Pocket Integration: Buffer integrates with Pocket, a content curation app, enabling users to save and share curated content effortlessly.
• Competitive Pricing: Buffer offers reasonably priced plans, including a free plan for basic social media management needs.

Buffer Cons:

• Limited Team Collaboration: Buffer’s team collaboration features are more limited compared to Hootsuite, which could be a drawback for larger teams or businesses that require more robust collaboration capabilities.
• Less Comprehensive Analytics: While Buffer provides basic analytics, it may not have the same depth of analytics features as Hootsuite, which might be a limitation for users who rely heavily on detailed data insights.
• Fewer Features: Buffer’s feature set is not as extensive as Hootsuite’s, especially when it comes to advanced social media management functionalities like monitoring and engagement.

Hootsuite vs. Buffer: A Detailed Comparison

Hootsuite and Buffer are two popular social media management tools that offer similar features but have key differences. Here’s a detailed comparison of Hootsuite and Buffer:

1. User Interface

– Hootsuite: Hootsuite has a comprehensive and feature-rich user interface that offers users numerous options and settings. While this can be overwhelming for beginners, it provides advanced users with extensive customization and control over their social media management.

– Buffer: Buffer has a clean and user-friendly interface that is easier to navigate. It prioritizes simplicity and provides a straightforward experience, making it more accessible for beginners or users who prefer a simpler interface.

2. Features and Functionalities

– Hootsuite: Hootsuite offers a wide range of features to meet diverse social media management needs. These include social media scheduling, content curation, social listening, team collaboration, analytics, and integration with third-party apps. Hootsuite’s rich feature set also provides users with a comprehensive toolset for managing their social media presence.

– Buffer: Buffer provides essential social media management features, such as scheduling and publishing content, content creation, analytics, team collaboration, and integration with third-party apps. However, Buffer does not offer built-in social listening or social monitoring features, which could be a limitation for users who require these functionalities.

3. Social Media Platforms

– Hootsuite: Hootsuite supports a wide range of social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Pinterest. This allows users to manage multiple accounts across different platforms from a single dashboard.

– Buffer: Buffer also supports popular social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest. While it covers the major platforms, it may not support as many platforms as Hootsuite.

4. Collaboration and Team Management

– Hootsuite: Hootsuite provides robust team collaboration features to enhance collaboration and workflow management. It offers features such as task assignments, approval workflows, and access controls for team members. These features enable effective teamwork and streamline the social media management process for teams.

– Buffer: Buffer also offers team collaboration features, but they are more limited compared to Hootsuite. It provides basic access controls and team member permissions, which may be sufficient for smaller teams or businesses with simpler collaboration needs.

5. Analytics and Reporting

– Hootsuite: Hootsuite offers in-depth analytics and reporting capabilities, as users can track engagement metrics, reach, impressions, demographics, and more. The platform provides customizable reports and data visualizations to help users analyze their social media performance effectively.

– Buffer: Buffer provides basic analytics to track post performance, engagement rates, and follower growth. However, more advanced analytics options are only available in higher-tier plans. Users who require detailed insights may find the analytics offerings of Buffer to be limited compared to Hootsuite.

6. Customer Support

– Hootsuite: Hootsuite provides customer support through email and live chat. They also have a Help Center that offers a wealth of resources, including articles, tutorials, and webinars, to assist users in troubleshooting issues and learning how to use the platform effectively.

– Buffer: Buffer offers customer support through email and live chat. Similar to Hootsuite, they have a Help Center with resources such as articles, guides, frequently asked questions (FAQs), and other self-help materials.

7. Mobile Apps

– Hootsuite: Hootsuite offers mobile apps for both iOS and Android devices, allowing users to manage their social media accounts on the go. The mobile apps offer similar functionality to the desktop version, enabling users to schedule posts, monitor their feeds, and engage with their audience from their mobile devices.

– Buffer: Buffer also provides mobile apps for iOS and Android, giving users the flexibility to manage their social media accounts and schedule content remotely. The mobile apps allow users to schedule and publish content, track post performance, and make changes to their posting schedule conveniently while on their mobile devices.

8. Integrations

– Hootsuite: Hootsuite integrates with a wide range of third-party apps and tools to provide users with a seamless workflow and enhanced functionality. Some popular integrations include Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics, Slack, and several others. These integrations enable users to efficiently access and utilize data, collaborate with teams, and connect different systems.

– Buffer: While Buffer also offers integrations with apps and platforms, its selection is more limited compared to Hootsuite. Some notable integrations include Pocket for content curation and Zendesk for customer support. Although the integration options may be fewer, they still provide additional functionality and value to users.

Conclusion

Both Hootsuite and Buffer are fantastic social media management tools that simplify the process of scheduling, publishing, and analyzing your social media content. While Hootsuite offers a more comprehensive feature set, including social listening and more robust team collaboration features, Buffer has a more streamlined interface and offers a free plan for those on a budget. 

Ultimately, the best way to decide is to explore both platforms. Take advantage of their free trials to test out their functionalities and see which one best fits your workflow and budget. 

Regardless of which tool you choose, integrating these social media management platforms into your content strategy will undoubtedly save you time, increase productivity, and ensure a more impactful social media presence. 

So, why wait? Try out either Hootsuite or Buffer and take the first step towards enhanced social media management today!

See more alternative: 7 Best Social Media Management Tools

Did your favorite between the above mentioned social media management tool? Kindly leave a comment below and share why you love it.