Buffer vs Hootsuite: Which Social Media Tool Has the Edge
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Overview
Premium Plans With Advanced Features
Hootsuite and Buffer offer premium plans with varied features for businesses, agencies, and individuals. These tools provide features that help you automate daily workflows and streamline tasks, keeping your team in the loop. Comparing Buffer vs Hootsuite and Social Champ, the features are quite competitive.
Buffer offers efficient post-scheduling by allowing users to set posting times, share drafts within the team, and shuffle the order of the posts in your queue anytime.
While Hootsuite provides similar features for content scheduling, it also offers extended management features of content discovery streams, assets and content library, and outgoing message content tagging. However, Hootsuite has a reputation for making things complex, while Buffer keeps it all simple.
Buffer offers a FREE plan for beginners, allowing them to connect up to 3 channels and utilize planning and publishing tools and an AI assistant. For advanced features with publishing, analytics, and engagement tools, Buffer has its ‘Essentials’ plan starting at $6 per month per channel. You can increase the number of channels according to your requirements.
At the same time, Hootsuite offers 10 social accounts and 1 user with unlimited post scheduling and a Smart Inbox within its ‘Professional’ plan starting from $99 per month. Moreover, it does not offer a FREE plan, proving to be a major pain point for fresh users.
Buffer vs. Hootsuite, in terms of pricing, is quite edge-to-edge. However, Buffer’s FREE plan stands out among the hefty plans of Hootsuite.
In comparison, Social Champ facilitates business owners and fresh marketers with a FREE plan with all the features. Paid plans start at just $29 per month, offering powerful features and responsive customer support.
Buffer
Starts with $6/month for one channel
Professional, Team, Enterprise
Hootsuite
Starts with $99/month for all channels
Creator, Traction, White Label, White Label+
Social Champ
FREE
(with limited features)
Champion, Business, Agency
Social Media Automation Tools for Effortless Marketing in 2025
Opt for hassle-free social media management with easy-to-navigate features of these giant tools. Integrate them within your social media accounts to create, schedule, and publish content across all networks.
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|---|---|---|---|
| Easy-to-Use Interface | 4.6 | 4.3 | 4.6 |
| Value for Money | 4.4 | 4.2 | 4.6 |
| G2 Reviews | 4.3 | 4.1 | 4.4 |
| Customer Support | 4.4 | 4.2 | 4.6 |
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Power-Packed Features to Achieve Extraordinary Marketing Goals
Get access to advanced marketing automation features to optimize marketing workflows. Discover capabilities like content curation, post-scheduling, team collaboration, monitoring analytics, and much more.
| Features |
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|---|---|---|---|
| Post Scheduling | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Smart Queueing | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Content Calendar | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Post Preview | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Social Inbox | Yes | No | Yes |
| Stock Photo Library | No | Yes | Yes |
| Repeat Posts | No | No | Yes |
| Custom Thumbnails | Yes | No | Yes |
| Shareable Drafts | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Post Analytics | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Custom Reports | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| AI Chatbot | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Content Suggestions | No | Yes | Yes |
| Recycling Evergreen Content | Yes | Yes | Yes |
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Reviews: Buffer vs Hootsuite and Social Champ
Positive
- Streamlined scheduling and posting: Users can easily schedule posts across multiple social media platforms, ensuring consistent content publishing within the dashboard.
- Visual content creation native tools: Buffer offers a suite of visual content creation tools, including Pablo, a drag-and-drop image creation platform, and Buffer Compose, a social media post composer.
- Team collaboration and approval workflows: Buffer facilitates seamless collaboration among team members, allowing for content approval workflows.
Negative
- Limited analytics and reporting: Buffer’s analytics and reporting capabilities are somewhat limited compared to others.
- Lack of advanced engagement tools: Buffer doesn’t offer extensive engagement tools, such as social listening or social media monitoring.
- Limited customization options: Buffer’s interface and features are relatively rigid, offering fewer customization options compared to platforms that allow for more personalized branding and workflows.
Positive
- Robust social media management suite: Hootsuite provides a comprehensive suite of social media management tools, encompassing scheduling, publishing, engagement, analytics, and reporting.
- Powerful social listening and monitoring: Hootsuite’s social listening and monitoring capabilities enable users to track brand mentions, analyze competitor activity, and gain valuable insights into audience sentiment.
- Customizable dashboards and workflows: Hootsuite offers a high degree of customization, allowing users to tailor their dashboards and workflows to specific business needs and preferences.
Negative
- Steep learning curve: Hootsuite’s comprehensive features can be overwhelming for new users, requiring a significant investment in time and effort to master the platform.
- Complex pricing structure: Hootsuite’s pricing structure is complex and may not be transparent for businesses with varying social media management needs.
- Limited mobile app functionality: Hootsuite’s mobile app lacks some of the advanced features available in the desktop version, making it less versatile for on-the-go social media management.
Positive
- AI-powered content suggestions: Social Champ’s AI-powered content suggestions help users discover and schedule relevant content from their industry or niche.
- Social media analytics with actionable insights: Social Champ provides in-depth social media analytics with actionable insights that can guide content strategy and improve engagement.
- Affordable pricing for small businesses: Social Champ’s pricing structure is relatively affordable for small businesses and startups, making it a cost-effective option for social media management.
Negative
- Limited language support: Social Champ does not support languages other than English.
- Lack of team collaboration features: Social Champ’s team collaboration features are relatively basic, lacking more advanced functionalities for seamless team workflows.
- Limited integration with third-party tools: Social Champ’s integrations with third-party tools are somewhat limited compared to platforms that offer a wider range of integrations.
Frequently Asked Questions: Buffer vs Hootsuite and Social Champ
Social Champ and Buffer are generally considered the most beginner-friendly options due to their simple interface and intuitive features.
When comparing Buffer vs Hootsuite & Social Champ, Hootsuite and Social Champ boast the broadest range of features, covering social media scheduling, posting, engagement, analytics, and reporting.
Social Champ stands out with its AI-powered content creation and scheduling suggestions, along with visual content creation tools.
Social Champ's free plan offers scheduling and posting features, making it a cost-effective option for small businesses starting out with social media management.