Buffer vs. Hootsuite: Is Hootsuite or Buffer Better for Business?

In the world of social media scheduling tools, Buffer and Hootsuite are two ringleaders — and for good reason. Both tools are reasonably priced and allow businesses of all sizes to reduce the stress involved with posting consistently to their social media profiles.

But in a battle of Buffer vs. Hootsuite, which takes home the prize? Is Hootsuite or Buffer better for your business?

On this page, we’ll talk about Buffer vs. Hootsuite in 2020 and determine the pros and cons of each.

Keep reading to learn more or contact us today about our social media management services!

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Buffer vs. Hootsuite 2020: Which tool reigns supreme?

As a business, it’s only natural to want to use the best of the best in terms of tools and services.

Social media is an important part of your company’s brand and provides your business with opportunities to show off your culture, your products, and your team. Regardless of which social platforms you use, it’s critical to post consistently to optimize engagement.

That’s where Buffer and Hootsuite can help.

Each tool is a great option for social media scheduling but in a dispute of Buffer vs. Hootsuite, which would win?

Let’s talk a little more about each platform.

Buffer

Purpose of the tool: Buffer allows you to schedule posts for all your social media accounts in advance so that you never have to worry about your social platforms going quiet.

Price: $15 – $99/month

Supported networks: Buffer accommodates the following networks:

Twitter
Facebook
YouTube
Instagram
LinkedIn
Pinterest

Things we love: When you use Buffer for your business, you can rest assured that your social profiles will never run dry. As long as you supply Buffer with content to post — it’ll provide your followers with scheduled content on your queue.

You can schedule your content down to the minute, and we love that Buffer’s platform offers a visual calendar that illustrates how often you post and what time of day.

Another perk of Buffer is its ultra-intuitive interface — even if you’re new to social media scheduling, you’ll be able to understand and work with Buffer.

We also love that Buffer provides post performance analytics, and that you can download its sister tools, Buffer Analyze, to get an even more in-depth look at the analytics of your social media profiles.

Things we don’t like: As with any tool, there are bound to be a few features that we don’t like.

Admittedly, Buffer is more of a social scheduling tool than a social media management tool. That said, it lacks the baked-in analytic features that Hootsuite possesses, and it doesn’t allow you to see or reply to post engagement within the tool.

Hootsuite

Purpose of the tool: Hootsuite also allows you to schedule posts for all your social media accounts in advance, while also allowing you to engage with the content that you post.

Price: $29 – $599/month

Supported networks: Hootsuite accommodates the following networks:

Twitter
Facebook
YouTube
Instagram
LinkedIn
Pinterest

Things we love: There’s a lot to love about Hootsuite. When talking about Hootsuite vs. Buffer, it’s fair to say that Hootsuite is more of a social media management tool, while Buffer is more of a social media scheduling tool.

That said, one of our favorite things about Hootsuite is that it integrates with Google Analytics to give you insights into metrics like social traffic, how each platform performs, and post performance.

We also love that with Hootsuite, you can engage on your posts directly. The platform shows you post interactions and allows you to reply to them without ever leaving the tool.

That brings us to one of our favorite Hootsuite qualities — the fact that it does far more than post scheduling. You can essentially manage all your social platforms in one place within the tool.

Things we don’t like: As we’ve mentioned, Hootsuite is your all-in-one social media management tool that offers post scheduling, post interaction, social analytics, and more.

The only thing to note is that the cost of Hootsuite is higher than Buffer, and to have access to all its best features, it’s almost necessary to opt for the paid version.

Is Hootsuite or Buffer better?

There is no clear-cut answer for the question “is Hootsuite or Buffer better?”.

To make the right choice when considering Buffer vs. Hootsuite, you should consider your company and your needs.

Here are a few things to consider when deciding between Buffer and Hootsuite:

Your budget

Before choosing between Hootsuite vs. Buffer, you should consider your budget.

Buffer is definitely the cheaper of the two options, but it also comes with less features. Hootsuite is more expensive month-to-month but offers extensive social media management features.

Number of social channels you want to manage

Is your company just starting out with a single social media platform, or are there multiple social platforms you want to manage?

For example, Buffer’s Pro and Premium tiers allow you to manage eight social channels each, while Hootsuite’s Professional and Team tiers allow you to manage 10 and 20 social profiles respectively.

Hootsuite is likely the better value if you’re looking to manage all your social profiles in one place.

Number of users

Do you have a one-man social media team that will be the only user of the tool? If yes, Buffer’s Pro package and Hootsuite’s Professional package both offers access to one user, while you must opt for each tool’s highest tier to receive access for five or more users.

Again, Buffer is going to be the cheaper option when it comes to adding more users for a lower cost.

How often you want to post

Buffer offers 100, 2000, and 2000 scheduled posts in their Pro, Premium, and Business plans respectively, while Hootsuite offers unlimited scheduling with every pricing tier.

If you don’t want to worry about exceeding your monthly post quota, Hootsuite is the better choice.

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Want social help beyond Buffer and Hootsuite?

Are you looking for some more in-depth social media management that doesn’t require a tool? If so, WebFX is here for you.

We know the importance of social media marketing and advertising — it keeps you in touch with your target customer, allows you to sell more products, and increases clicks to your website.

To date, we’ve published more than 165,000 social media posts for clients, and we’re a Facebook Marketing Partner.

Our in-house team will work with you to craft your perfect social media marketing campaign based on your industry and your goals — and you’ll get a personal, dedicated point of contact to help you manage your strategy.

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