Agorapulse
9,5/ 10Free plan, paid from $ 79/month
- Agencies
- Getting started & small teams
- Data protection & EU hosting
- Enterprise
- Community management
Hootsuite alternatives
Hootsuite alternatives: 5 tools chosen by need, with facts
IN SHORT
Hootsuite alternatives make sense when the price of 99 USD per user and month, data stored in the USA or approvals only from the 399 USD Advanced plan get in your way (Hootsuite plans page, October 2026). Metricool is cheaper, has a free plan and keeps data in the EU. Agorapulse covers a similar scope with data in Ireland. Lomavis and Facelift are German vendors hosting in Germany, and Brand24 adds deeper listening at published prices.
Hootsuite and its alternatives
| # | Tool | Score | Networks & publishing | Team & approvals | Community & inbox | Analytics & reporting | Data protection & GDPR | German language | Price transparency | AI connectivity & integrations | Price | Data | HQ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| – |  Hootsuite (original) | 9,0 | 10,0 | 9,4 | 10,0 | 10,0 | 5,0 | 6,7 | 10,0 | 10,0 | from € 99/month | USA | Canada |
| 1 | Agorapulse | 9,5 | 9,6 | 9,4 | 10,0 | 10,0 | 10,0 | 6,7 | 10,0 | 8,8 | Free plan, paid from $ 79/month | EU | France |
| 2 |  Metricool | 8,9 | 9,6 | 8,8 | 6,3 | 10,0 | 8,8 | 6,7 | 10,0 | 10,0 | Free plan, paid from € 16/month | EU | Spain |
| 3 |  Swat.io | 8,7 | 9,3 | 8,8 | 5,0 | 8,1 | 10,0 | 10,0 | 10,0 | 10,0 | from € 39/month | EU | Austria |
| 4 |  Fanpage Karma | 8,6 | 8,6 | 6,9 | 10,0 | 10,0 | 8,8 | 6,7 | 10,0 | 7,5 | Free plan, paid from € 29/month | EU | Germany |
| 5 |  Sprout Social | 8,6 | 10,0 | 10,0 | 10,0 | 10,0 | 3,8 | 0,0 | 10,0 | 10,0 | from $ 79/month | USA | USA |
| 6 |  Sprinklr | 8,4 | 7,9 | 10,0 | 10,0 | 10,0 | 5,6 | 6,7 | 0,0 | 10,0 | Price on request | mixed | USA |
| 7 |  Vista Social | 8,4 | 10,0 | 9,4 | 9,4 | 10,0 | 3,8 | 0,0 | 10,0 | 10,0 | from $ 99/month | USA | USA |
| 8 |  Lomavis | 8,2 | 8,6 | 10,0 | 8,8 | 10,0 | 8,8 | 10,0 | 10,0 | 3,8 | from € 24/month | EU | Germany |
| 9 |  SocialPilot | 8,1 | 10,0 | 9,4 | 6,3 | 10,0 | 3,8 | 6,7 | 10,0 | 8,8 | from € 24,65/month | USA | USA |
| 10 |  Adhook | 8,0 | 9,3 | 10,0 | 10,0 | 10,0 | 3,8 | 10,0 | 0,0 | 7,5 | Price on request | not documented | Switzerland |
| 11 |  SocialHub | 8,0 | 10,0 | 9,4 | 10,0 | 8,8 | 10,0 | 10,0 | 0,0 | 3,8 | Price on request | EU | Germany |
| 12 |  Facelift | 7,9 | 8,6 | 9,4 | 10,0 | 10,0 | 7,5 | 6,7 | 5,0 | 5,0 | Price on request | EU | Germany |
| 13 |  Publer | 7,8 | 10,0 | 8,8 | 0,0 | 10,0 | 7,5 | 6,7 | 10,0 | 10,0 | Free plan, paid from € 3,58/month | EU | Albania |
| 14 |  Emplifi | 7,4 | 8,6 | 10,0 | 10,0 | 10,0 | 5,6 | 0,0 | 5,0 | 5,0 | from $ 1 249/month | mixed | USA |
| 15 |  Brandwatch | 7,3 | 8,6 | 10,0 | 10,0 | 10,0 | 6,9 | 0,0 | 0,0 | 5,0 | Price on request | mixed | United Kingdom |
| 16 |  Buffer | 7,0 | 10,0 | 8,8 | 3,8 | 6,3 | 3,8 | 0,0 | 10,0 | 10,0 | Free plan, paid from $ 5/month | USA | USA |
| 17 |  Meltwater | 6,7 | 6,4 | 8,1 | 10,0 | 6,3 | 8,1 | 0,0 | 0,0 | 6,3 | Price on request | mixed | Germany |
| 18 |  Planable | 6,7 | 9,3 | 9,4 | 5,6 | 4,4 | 2,5 | 0,0 | 10,0 | 10,0 | Free plan, paid from $ 33/month | USA | USA |
| 19 |  DotSimple | 6,2 prelim. | 7,1 | 8,8 | 8,8 | 3,8 | 4,4 | 3,3 | 10,0 | 5,0 | from € 16/month | mixed | Austria |
| 20 |  Later | 5,8 | 7,9 | 8,8 | 7,5 | 7,5 | 1,3 | 6,7 | 10,0 | 2,5 | Free plan, paid from $ 18,75/month | USA | Canada |
Ranked only by the fact-based score (Social Media Management). It counts documented features and conditions, not hands-on testing. Scores marked “prelim.” rest on less than 70 % documented checkpoints. Tool names link to our full reviews, which are in German.
9,5/ 10
Metricool
8,9/ 10Free plan, paid from € 16/month
- Agencies
- Getting started & small teams
- Data protection & EU hosting
Swat.io
8,7/ 10from € 39/month
- Agencies
- Getting started & small teams
- Data protection & EU hosting
- Enterprise
- Community management
- German-speaking teams
Fanpage Karma
8,6/ 10Free plan, paid from € 29/month
- Agencies
- Getting started & small teams
- Data protection & EU hosting
- Community management
Sprout Social
8,6/ 10from $ 79/month
- Agencies
- Enterprise
- Community management
Sprinklr
8,4/ 10Price on request
- Agencies
- Enterprise
- Community management
- PR & media monitoring
Why look for an alternative to Hootsuite?
Teams look for an alternative to Hootsuite when price, data location or the scope of the cheaper plans does not fit. The documented points from Hootsuite’s own pages, as of October 2026:
- Hootsuite pricing per user: Standard costs 99 USD, Professional 199 USD and Advanced 399 USD per user and month, billed annually, net; the German pricing page shows them in EUR. No free plan, only a 14-day trial.
- Team features start late: Approvals, message assignment and routing start with Advanced, and Standard is capped at 10 social accounts.
- Extended listening only in Enterprise: Basic listening is in every plan; Lumen, alerts and review monitoring need the Enterprise plan, priced on request.
- Data in the USA: The Trust Center names AWS data centres in the USA and no EU data residency.
German is a listed interface language, so language is no reason to switch. Details are in the Hootsuite review (German).
What should you check before switching?
Check first whether the alternative closes your exact gap without dropping a feature you use daily. Run the trials before your Hootsuite contract renews and compare:
- Price model: Hootsuite charges per user. Metricool charges per brand, Lomavis sells packages with 6 profiles and 3 users, Facelift includes unlimited users in every plan, and Brand24 charges by keywords and mentions.
- Listening: Many management tools have none or sell it as a paid add-on.
- Inbox: Direct messages and assignment depend on the plan.
- Data protection: Each German review lists data location, processing agreement and HQ, without a legal assessment.
The methodology explains which checkpoints we compare.
Which Hootsuite alternatives fit which need?
The 5 Hootsuite alternatives below are chosen by need, without a ranking. All details come from the vendors’ pricing, help and privacy pages, retrieved on 13 October 2026. There is no hands-on test.
Agorapulse: similar scope, data in Ireland
Agorapulse suits teams that want publishing, inbox and reporting in one tool, as with Hootsuite, but with data in the EU. The Paris-based vendor hosts customer data in the AWS region Ireland according to its security page, and the interface is available in German. Like Hootsuite, Agorapulse charges per user: its pricing page starts at 79 USD per month, billed annually, net. Assignments come with Professional at 119 USD, while Hootsuite keeps them for Advanced. Social listening is a separate add-on without a published price, and X profiles cost extra. See the Agorapulse review (German) and Agorapulse vs Hootsuite (German).
Metricool: lower entry price and a free plan
Metricool fits if Hootsuite is too expensive and you mainly plan and analyse posts with a small team. The pricing page lists a permanent free plan with 1 brand and 20 scheduled posts per month. Starter costs 16 EUR per month for up to 5 brands, billed annually, net. Metricool prices by brand, and Advanced includes unlimited team members. Its privacy policy keeps all data on EU servers, and the interface comes in German. You lose two things: inbox messages cannot be assigned, and there is no general social listening. See the Metricool review (German) and Hootsuite vs Metricool (German).
Lomavis: German vendor with earlier approvals
Lomavis suits companies and agencies that want a German vendor, a German interface and hosting in Germany and the EU. Lomalab Technologies GmbH is based in Hanover according to its legal notice. The Team package costs 24 EUR per month billed annually, net, with 6 profiles and 3 users, according to the pricing page. Two-step approvals and conversation assignment start with Business at 42 EUR, far below the price of Hootsuite’s Advanced plan. Lomavis also sells Share, its own employee advocacy product. The limit: listening covers Meta profiles only, according to the product page. See the Lomavis review (German).
Facelift: unlimited users, hosted in Germany
Facelift is an option for larger organisations where per-user pricing gets expensive as the team grows. According to the Facelift pricing page, all three plans include unlimited users. The Hamburg-based vendor hosts entirely in Germany and lists ISO 27001 and TISAX on its security page. The interface is available in German, English and French. Multi-step approvals start with Business, and SSO only comes with Enterprise. The catch: every plan is priced on request, and social listening is only a partner add-on from Business. A 14-day trial is available. See the Facelift review (German).
Brand24: more listening at published prices
Brand24 fits if Hootsuite’s basic listening is too thin and you do not want to negotiate an Enterprise contract. Brand24 is a listening tool only: it collects mentions from more than 25 million online sources, according to the vendor, which itself recommends Hootsuite or Sprout Social for publishing. That makes it a complement more than a replacement. The prices page lists Individual at 199 USD per month billed annually and Team at 299 USD with unlimited users. Downsides: there is no German interface, and data location is mixed between Poland and the USA. See the Brand24 review (German).
Hootsuite and its alternatives in a fact table
The table shows where the tools differ most. Net prices per the vendors’ pricing pages, October 2026.
| Tool | Price from | Free plan | Data location | Social listening |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hootsuite | 99 USD per user and month, annual | no, 14-day trial | USA | basic in all plans, extended in Enterprise |
| Agorapulse | 79 USD per user and month, annual | yes, scope not described | EU (Ireland) | add-on only |
| Metricool | 16 EUR per month for up to 5 brands, annual | yes, 1 brand | EU | no general listening, paid Hashtag Tracker |
| Lomavis | 24 EUR per month, annual | not documented, 14-day trial | Germany and EU | Meta profiles only |
| Facelift | on request | no, 14-day trial | Germany | partner add-on from Business |
| Brand24 | 199 USD per month, annual | no, 14-day trial | mixed (Poland, USA) | core product |
All management tools are in the table at the top and in the social media management tools; listening-first options are in the social media monitoring tools.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best free alternative to Hootsuite?
No single free alternative to Hootsuite is best for everyone, but several tools have a permanent free plan, and Hootsuite has none. According to the pricing pages, Metricool's free plan covers 1 brand and 20 scheduled posts per month, Fanpage Karma's 1 brand and 50 posts per month, and Buffer's up to 3 channels. Agorapulse also has a free plan, but its scope is not described (October 2026).
How much does Hootsuite cost?
Hootsuite costs 99 USD per user and month for Standard, 199 USD for Professional and 399 USD for Advanced, billed annually and net, as of October 2026, according to its plans page. The German pricing page shows the same figures in EUR, and Enterprise is priced on request. There is no free plan, only a 14-day trial without a credit card, limited to 10 to 20 posts a day.
Which Hootsuite alternative stores data in the EU?
Several Hootsuite alternatives store data in the EU, while Hootsuite uses AWS data centres in the USA. According to their own pages, Agorapulse hosts in the AWS region Ireland, Metricool names servers in the EU, Lomavis hosts in Germany and the EU, and Facelift hosts entirely in Germany. Whether that meets your requirements is a question for your data protection officer.
Which alternative to Hootsuite has cheaper approval workflows?
Hootsuite includes approval workflows from Advanced at 399 USD per user and month. Lomavis has two-step approvals from Business at 42 EUR per month, Metricool has an approval system from Advanced at 43 EUR for up to 15 brands, and Agorapulse has single-step approvals from Professional at 119 USD per user. All prices are net and billed annually, according to the pricing pages, October 2026.
Is Agorapulse cheaper than Hootsuite?
At entry level, yes: Agorapulse starts at 79 USD per user and month, Hootsuite at 99 USD, both billed annually and net (pricing pages, October 2026). Both charge per user. Agorapulse charges extra for X profiles, 29 USD for X Lite and 69 USD for X Plus per profile and month, and sells social listening as a separate add-on.
Which Hootsuite alternative does not charge per user?
Several alternatives use a different price model from Hootsuite's per-user pricing. Metricool charges by number of brands and includes unlimited team members from Advanced. Facelift includes unlimited users in all plans, priced on request. Brand24 charges by keywords and mentions, with unlimited users from Team. Lomavis sells packages that include 3 users and charges extra users separately.
Which Hootsuite alternative lets you assign messages in a cheaper plan?
Hootsuite keeps message assignment for Advanced at 399 USD per user and month. Agorapulse includes assignments from Professional at 119 USD per user, and Lomavis includes conversation assignment from Business at 42 EUR per month for the whole package, both billed annually and net, as of October 2026. Metricool cannot assign inbox messages at all, according to its help centre.
Does Hootsuite include social listening?
Hootsuite includes basic listening in every plan, according to its listening page. Extended listening with Lumen, which runs on Talkwalker technology, plus alerts, review monitoring and 13 months of history, comes only in the Enterprise plan, priced on request. If basic listening is too thin, a separate listening tool such as Brand24 can sit next to Hootsuite, which saves you a full switch.
Can I add a listening tool instead of switching from Hootsuite?
Yes, if publishing in Hootsuite works for you and only listening falls short. Brand24 is a listening-only tool that itself recommends Hootsuite for publishing, with published prices from 199 USD per month billed annually. Talkwalker is no independent option here: Hootsuite acquired it in 2024, and its technology powers Hootsuite's Enterprise listening.
Is there a German alternative to Hootsuite?
Yes. Lomavis from Hanover hosts in Germany and the EU, and Facelift from Hamburg hosts entirely in Germany; both offer a German interface. Fanpage Karma (Berlin) and SocialHub (Ingolstadt) are further German vendors, and Swat.io and DotSimple are based in Vienna. Hootsuite itself is based in Vancouver, Canada, and offers German as an interface language, so language alone is rarely the reason to switch.
Which Hootsuite alternative includes employee advocacy?
Hootsuite includes its employee advocacy tool Parliament only in the Enterprise plan. Facelift includes employer branding with Social Share in all plans and offers the Amplify app, with prices on request. Lomavis sells Share as a separate product, with Standard at 79 EUR per month billed annually, as of October 2026. Both vendors are based in Germany, according to their legal notices.
Sources for this page (27) in our source index · with access dates, German page