Metricool vs Hootsuite vs Buffer: 2026 Compared

Prices verified 30 September 2026 on metricool.com/pricing, hootsuite.com/plans and buffer.com/pricing.

Metricool vs Hootsuite comes down to the job. Metricool is the analytics pick for small teams and agencies, from $25 a month billed monthly for 5 brands. Hootsuite is the customer-care and listening pick, from $99 per user a month billed annually. Buffer, the third column, is the simple publishing pick, from $6 per channel a month billed monthly.

Most comparisons set two of these tools against each other; this one adds Buffer as a third column, because the three bill on different units, Metricool by brand, Hootsuite by seat and Buffer by channel, so “which is cheaper?” only has an answer for a given team. Below: a verdict per team type, then one team priced on all three. How we compare tools explains where each figure comes from.

Table of Contents

• Metricool vs Hootsuite vs Buffer: which one suits which team?
• How do the three tools’ prices compare for the same team?
• Which has the strongest analytics and reporting?
• Does Metricool have social listening like Hootsuite?
• Which one is best for an agency managing several client brands?
• Which is the best free starting point?
• What do Metricool, Hootsuite and Buffer all do badly?
• Where does Outfeed AI fit next to these three?
• Frequently asked questions

Metricool vs Hootsuite vs Buffer: which one suits which team?

Match the tool to the team. A solo creator on a budget should start on Buffer’s or Metricool’s free plan. A one-brand small business fits Metricool Starter or Buffer Essentials, an agency with many client brands fits Metricool Advanced, and a customer-care team fits Hootsuite. The table gives the reason for each call.

Disclosure: Outfeed AI makes a competing social media tool. We read every price on the vendor’s own page and recommend the competitor where it fits better.

How do the three tools’ prices compare for the same team?

For 3 people managing 5 brands on 3 networks each, billed annually, a year costs $636 on Metricool Advanced, $1,400 on Buffer Team and $7,164 on Hootsuite Professional. We compare on annual billing only because Hootsuite doesn’t publish a month-to-month price; its plans page says monthly billing costs more but gives no figure.

The team: 3 people who all log in, 5 client brands, each on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn, so 15 social profiles. Rows are sorted by yearly cost.

Prices verified 30 September 2026 on metricool.com/pricing, buffer.com/pricing and hootsuite.com/plans.

Three tools, three structures. Metricool’s bill follows clients, so adding a network to a brand costs nothing (on Starter, X is a paid add-on). Buffer’s follows connected accounts, but people are free on Team. Hootsuite’s follows people: each one is a full-price seat, and Professional is the cheapest plan certain to hold 15 profiles. Our guide to per-seat vs per-account pricing shows the same effect at other team sizes.

For each tool on its own: Metricool pricing by brand count, Buffer pricing per channel, and, for every Hootsuite plan and what month-to-month billing means there, our Hootsuite pricing breakdown.

Which has the strongest analytics and reporting?

Metricool, for the money. It reports on 11 networks, benchmarks up to 100 competitors on Starter, combines organic posts with Facebook, Instagram and Google ads, and automates branded reports. Hootsuite goes further at the top end, with custom reports and benchmarking against up to 20 competitors on Professional, and social ROI reporting on Enterprise. Buffer’s analytics are simpler.

The detail, from each vendor’s own pages:

• Metricool: 30 days of history on Free, unlimited on paid plans. PDF and PPT reports from Starter; customizable templates and monthly automated sending on Advanced. Its 11 networks include Twitch, Google Business Profile and Bluesky. Metricool Studio builds a report from a plain-language prompt.
• Hootsuite: competitor benchmarking starts at 5 competitors on Standard and rises to 20 on Professional, which also adds custom reports and 90-day trend forecasting. Advanced adds team performance metrics, and Enterprise adds attribution and ROI reporting.
• Buffer: 30 days of history on Free; unlimited history, custom analytics and CSV or PDF exports on Essentials; branded reports on Team.

For client reporting, Metricool gives the most per dollar; our full Metricool review collects what users say about its reports. To prove social’s return to a board, Hootsuite Enterprise is built for that.

Does Metricool have social listening like Hootsuite?

No. Metricool tracks competitor profiles and has a Hashtag Tracker, but it doesn’t monitor mentions of your brand across the web. Hootsuite includes brand monitoring on every plan, covering social networks, news sites, blogs, podcasts and forums. Its full listening suite, powered by Talkwalker with 13 months of history, is on Enterprise. Buffer’s pricing page lists no listening at all.

Hootsuite’s listening page describes the scale: 150 million websites and more than 30 social channels, with sentiment and AI summaries it brands Blue Silk. Hootsuite now calls its AI assistant Wisdom, which absorbed Yeti and OwlyGPT and answers questions about your social activity in plain language.

The inboxes differ as much. Hootsuite’s handles WhatsApp and SMS alongside social messages, with automation from Professional and routing to the right person on Advanced. Metricool’s covers Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, LinkedIn and Google Business Profile (X with its add-on), and Buffer handles comment replies. If listening decides it, the closer contest is Hootsuite vs Sprout Social.

Which one is best for an agency managing several client brands?

Metricool, for most agencies. Advanced adds team and client management, roles and post approvals, and covers up to 15 brands for $67 a month billed monthly, with every network a client uses inside one brand. Buffer Team suits agencies with many staff and few channels, because users are unlimited. Hootsuite suits agencies that sell listening or customer care.

Two things decide it. Approvals: none of the three has them on its entry plan, and the table above shows Metricool Advanced is the cheapest way to get them for 3 people, by a wide margin. Growth: on Hootsuite, every freelancer or client reviewer who needs a login is another seat; on Buffer, every client network is another channel; on Metricool, a new client fills a slot in the bundle, until Advanced jumps from 25 brands to 50. Past 50, Metricool’s custom plan adds white label.

If none of the three fits, our guides to Metricool alternatives and Hootsuite alternatives rank the next options.

Which is the best free starting point?

Buffer or Metricool, depending on your networks. Metricool Free covers 1 brand, 20 posts a month and 30 days of analytics, but not LinkedIn or X. Buffer Free covers 3 channels, LinkedIn and X included, with 10 queued posts per channel. Hootsuite has no free plan; it offers a 14-day trial with no credit card.

Hootsuite’s trial caps posting at 10 to 20 posts a day per organisation, depending on plan, excludes bulk scheduling, and doesn’t charge you automatically when it ends. Buffer’s paid plans also come with a 14-day trial, after which you drop to Free if you haven’t added a card. For a publishing-only comparison of those two, see Buffer vs Hootsuite.

What do Metricool, Hootsuite and Buffer all do badly?

None of the three puts approvals on its entry plan: Metricool and Hootsuite keep them for Advanced, Buffer for Team. All three pricing pages open on the annual price, so the first figure you see isn’t what month-to-month billing costs. And two leave prices off the page: Hootsuite doesn’t publish its monthly rate, and Metricool doesn’t show its X or Advanced Analytics add-on prices on its plan cards. Read the toggle, and ask for the add-on price before you commit. Our social media tool comparisons put every tool’s billing unit and basis side by side.

Where does Outfeed AI fit next to these three?

Outfeed AI is a chat-first social media manager: you describe a post in a message, and it writes, schedules and publishes a native version for each of up to 9 platforms. It is not an analytics or listening tool. Metricool’s analytics and Hootsuite’s listening are both beyond anything we offer. Outfeed has no analytics inside the product, and no inbox or approval workflow. Other limits: 9 platforms, fewer than Buffer; X posts are text-only with a monthly cap; and TikTok posts publish as private for now, while TikTok reviews our app.

Starter is $29 a month billed monthly ($24 billed annually) for 10 accounts and 1 team member. Pro is $59 a month billed monthly ($49 billed annually) for 25 accounts and 3 team members. For the 3-person, 15-profile team above, Pro comes to $588 a year billed annually. That’s below Metricool Advanced and Buffer Team, though both include analytics and approvals that Pro doesn’t. Of the tools that bill per seat — Sprout Social and Hootsuite — Outfeed is not one of them at Starter or Pro; our per-seat tier starts at Agency.

Starter includes a 3-day free trial with 100 AI credits. Card required. Pro and Agency are billed from the first day. If Hootsuite is the tool you’re weighing us against directly, Outfeed AI vs Hootsuite covers that head to head.

Try Outfeed AI on the Starter trial

Frequently asked questions

Is Metricool better than Hootsuite?

For analytics on a budget, yes: Metricool has a free plan that never expires and paid plans priced per brand bundle, from $25 a month billed monthly for up to 5 brands. For customer care, social listening and large teams, Hootsuite is stronger: it includes brand monitoring on every plan and a routing inbox, but bills every user, from $99 per user a month billed annually.

Does Metricool have social listening?

Not in the way Hootsuite does. Metricool tracks competitor profiles, 5 on the free plan and up to 100 on Starter, and has a Hashtag Tracker, but it does not monitor mentions of your brand across the web. Hootsuite includes brand monitoring on every plan and a full listening suite, powered by Talkwalker, on Enterprise.

Which is better for agencies, Metricool or Hootsuite?

Metricool, for most small and mid-size agencies. Its Advanced plan covers up to 15 client brands with team roles and post approvals for $67 a month billed monthly, or $53 a month billed annually, because it bills per brand bundle rather than per person. Hootsuite bills per user and keeps content approvals for its Advanced plan, at $399 per user a month billed annually.

Which is the best free option: Metricool, Hootsuite or Buffer?

Metricool Free suits analytics for one brand: 20 posts a month and 30 days of history, but no LinkedIn or X. Buffer Free suits publishing: up to 3 channels, LinkedIn and X included, with 10 scheduled posts per channel at a time. Hootsuite has no free plan; it offers a 14-day trial without a credit card.

Is Buffer cheaper than Metricool?

It depends on how many networks each brand uses. Buffer Essentials costs $6 per channel a month billed monthly, while Metricool Starter costs $25 a month billed monthly for up to 5 brands, each holding one profile per network. One brand on two networks is cheaper on Buffer; several brands on several networks are usually cheaper on Metricool.