Buffer vs Hootsuite: Which Social Media Tool in 2025?

Buffer and Hootsuite are both social media scheduling tools, but they serve different user types. Here is the comparison for 2025.

Buffer vs Hootsuite: Which Social Media Tool in 2025?

Quick Answer

For individual creators and small businesses: Buffer — simpler, better free tier, better value. For marketing teams and agencies managing multiple clients: Hootsuite — more features, better for complex team workflows.

Buffer — Best for Simplicity and Value

Pricing: Free (3 social channels), Essentials $5/channel/month, Team $10/channel/month
Best for: Content creators, small businesses, simple scheduling needs

Buffer’s clean interface makes scheduling posts fast. The free tier allows 3 social channels with 10 posts per channel in the queue — actually sufficient for many small businesses. Analytics are clear and actionable. Creator-friendly features like link in bio pages.

Try Claude for Social Content

Hootsuite — Best for Teams and Agencies

Pricing: Professional $99/month (1 user, 10 accounts), Team $249/month, Enterprise custom
Best for: Marketing agencies, large brands managing multiple accounts, teams with approval workflows

Hootsuite supports complex team workflows with approval processes, multiple team members, and extensive analytics. The pricing is significantly higher, but justified for agencies managing 10+ client social accounts or large brands with multiple team members posting.

Using AI for Social Media Content

Regardless of scheduling tool, Claude Pro helps with the hard part: writing posts that perform. Buffer and Hootsuite schedule posts; Claude helps write posts worth scheduling.