Is Hootsuite or SocialPilot cheaper?

SocialPilot is cheaper to start, from $17 against $99 for Hootsuite. The unit each one charges by differs, so the real bill depends on how many channels or seats you run.

Does Hootsuite or SocialPilot have a free plan?

Neither has a free plan. You get a free trial to test things, then you pay.

Which is better, Hootsuite or SocialPilot?

Hootsuite is the stronger pick for small teams that need listening and reporting in one place, while SocialPilot is the better fit for agencies and SMBs who want broad coverage and client reporting on a budget. We don't score them; the right call comes down to how you post.

Head to head

Hootsuite vs SocialPilot

Last updated 4 June 2026

Hootsuite

Hootsuite does more than schedule: listening, a shared inbox, and deep reporting sit in one dashboard, and you pay for the breadth. It starts at $99 a user each month and there's no longer a free plan.

From: $99 per user / mo
Free plan

Visit Hootsuite

SocialPilot

SocialPilot is the value pick for agencies and small businesses: ten networks, bulk scheduling, a social inbox, AI, and white-label client reports, at prices well under the big suites. Plans run from $17 a month on annual billing, with extra accounts and users sold cheaply on the side.

From: $17 /mo
Free plan

Visit SocialPilot

Bottom line

Hootsuite and SocialPilot both cover the basics; the right one comes down to how you post. Hootsuite is the stronger pick for Small teams that need listening and reporting in one place; choose SocialPilot for Agencies and SMBs who want broad coverage and client reporting on a budget.

Features compared

Feature	Hootsuite	SocialPilot
AI captions	Yes	Yes
Basic analytics	Yes	Yes
Advanced reports	Yes	Yes
Bulk upload	Yes	Yes
Evergreen recycling	No	Partial
Team roles	Yes	Yes
Approvals	Yes	Yes
Link in bio	Yes	No

Platforms compared

Network	Hootsuite	SocialPilot
Instagram	Auto	Auto
Facebook	Auto	Auto
X (Twitter)	Auto	Auto
LinkedIn	Auto	Auto
TikTok	Auto	Auto
Pinterest	Auto	Auto
YouTube	Auto	Auto
Threads	Auto	Auto
Bluesky	Auto	Auto
Google Business	No	Auto

Pricing

Hootsuite

Standard

$149 per user / mo

$99/mo billed annually

Seats: 1
Accounts: 10
Scheduled posts: Unlimited

$99 per user/mo on annual, $149 monthly
Up to 10 social accounts
Unlimited scheduling, AI assistant, one inbox
7-day mention search, benchmark vs 5 competitors

Advanced

Popular

$399 per user / mo

$249/mo billed annually

Seats: 1
Accounts: Unlimited
Scheduled posts: Unlimited

$249 per user/mo on annual, $399 monthly
Unlimited social accounts
Bulk schedule up to 350 posts at once
Custom reports, approval workflows, 30-day listening

Enterprise

Custom

Accounts: Unlimited

Custom pricing, 5+ users, unlimited accounts
SSO, employee advocacy (Amplify), premium listening
Salesforce, review management, compliance integrations

Priced per user/seat: the headline $99 / $249 is for one seat and multiplies by how many people you add.
No free plan. There's a 30-day trial, and the 25% trial-skip discount only applies on annual billing.
Annual billing is much cheaper than monthly: Standard is $99 vs $149 a seat, Advanced $249 vs $399.
Prices are USD list. Hootsuite renders prices client-side in local currency by region, so the annual figures were read off the live plans page and the monthly figures corroborated against current third-party listings.

SocialPilot

Essentials

$20 /mo

$17/mo billed annually

Seats: 1
Accounts: 5
Scheduled posts: Unlimited

$20/mo, $17 on annual ($204/yr)
5 social accounts, 1 user, 500 AI credits
Scheduling, content library, analytics

Standard

$40 /mo

$34/mo billed annually

Seats: 3
Accounts: 10
Scheduled posts: Unlimited

$40/mo, $34 on annual ($408/yr)
10 social accounts, 3 users, 1,000 AI credits
Adds bulk scheduling, the social inbox, and team collaboration

Premium

Popular

$100 /mo

$85/mo billed annually

Seats: 6
Accounts: 20
Scheduled posts: Unlimited

$100/mo, $85 on annual ($1,020/yr)
20 social accounts, 6 users, 5,000 AI credits
Adds advanced analytics, client approvals, custom and white-label reports

Ultimate

$200 /mo

$170/mo billed annually

Seats: Unlimited
Accounts: 40
Scheduled posts: Unlimited

$200/mo, $170 on annual ($2,040/yr)
40 social accounts, unlimited users, unlimited AI credits
Advanced security, dedicated account manager, migration support

Enterprise

Custom

Seats: Unlimited
Scheduled posts: Unlimited

Custom pricing, custom accounts, unlimited users
Unlimited AI credits, dedicated account manager
SSO and API access

Flat, quota-bundled plans: each tier bundles social accounts, users, and AI credits. Extra accounts are $4 a month each on every plan, and extra users are $5 a month on Standard and Premium, so the real cost depends on how many of each you add.
There's no free plan, only a 14-day trial, no card required.
Annual billing is a flat 15% off: Essentials works out to $17 a month, Standard $34, Premium $85, Ultimate $170.
AI credits are metered per plan (500, 1,000, 5,000, then unlimited). White-label reports and client approvals start on Premium.
Prices are USD. The live pricing page geo-located to Australia and showed AUD here, so the USD figures were taken from the page's USD view and cross-checked by converting the AUD (for example A$263.50 times about 0.66 lands near the $170 Ultimate annual rate).

Pros and cons

Hootsuite

Broad by design: scheduling, listening, inbox, and reporting together
Deep analytics and competitor benchmarking
Publishes to nine networks, including Bluesky and Threads
Strong approval workflows on Advanced and up
Expensive, and per-seat pricing climbs quickly
No free plan, and the entry price is $99 a month
Monthly billing costs far more than annual
The depth is overkill if you only schedule a few accounts

SocialPilot

Excellent value: ten networks and agency features well under the big suites
Bulk scheduling, social inbox, and white-label client reports
Cheap extra-account and extra-user add-ons
Clear, flat plans with a flat 15% annual discount
No real evergreen recycling and no visual feed planner
No broad social listening or link-in-bio
AI is metered by credits on the lower plans
Client approvals and white-label start on Premium

Hootsuite vs SocialPilot: FAQ

Is Hootsuite or SocialPilot cheaper?: SocialPilot is cheaper to start, from $17 against $99 for Hootsuite. The unit each one charges by differs, so the real bill depends on how many channels or seats you run.
Does Hootsuite or SocialPilot have a free plan?: Neither has a free plan. You get a free trial to test things, then you pay.
Which is better, Hootsuite or SocialPilot?: Hootsuite is the stronger pick for small teams that need listening and reporting in one place, while SocialPilot is the better fit for agencies and SMBs who want broad coverage and client reporting on a budget. We don't score them; the right call comes down to how you post.