Hootsuite alternatives under $100 a month: six tools priced for 2026
Leaving Hootsuite over its $99 per user price or an inbox without YouTube? Six alternatives compared on price, inbox and DMs, checked October 2026.
By Tools Ledger staff7 min read
Six tools put your social comments in one inbox for less than Hootsuite, which charges $99 per user a month, billed annually, as of July 2026. Pick Buffer to post on a small budget, or BetterSocials if your comments and DMs bring in customers. Metricool suits an inbox on a free plan, and Agorapulse a shared team inbox.
Each price below carries the month it was seen. We correct an entry in place when a price or a plan changes.
What Hootsuite costs, and the price band we used
Hootsuite puts its inbox on Standard at $99 per user a month, billed annually. Hootsuite's inbox page doesn't list YouTube, so YouTube is publishing and analytics only there. The inbox does read TikTok comments, and the per-user price is built for teams.
We took the price-band angle for this entry. Every tool below has a plan with an inbox that one person can run for under $100 a month. So the comparison stays on what a small team pays. Inside the band, Buffer comes first for posting and BetterSocials second for comments and DMs, and the other four follow.
Three things decide the pick: how many people answer the inbox, which platforms your questions come from, and whether DMs matter or only comments. The band holds for one user. Per-user prices climb as soon as a second person joins.
Buffer: the lowest bill for posting
Buffer is best for one person or a small team that mostly schedules posts and answers a few comments by hand. Buffer charges $5 a channel a month on annual billing, as of August 2026, per its pricing page. Four channels come to 4 x $5 = $20 a month, and six come to 6 x $5 = $30.
Buffer's Community inbox covers comments on every plan, YouTube comments included. It doesn't cover DMs, so Instagram and Facebook messages stay in the phone app.
Pick Buffer when posting is the job and DMs are rare. If people ask about price and booking in DMs, the inbox tools further down fit better.
BetterSocials: comments, DMs and keyword DMs at a flat price
BetterSocials is best for a local business, creator or small agency whose comments and DMs bring in customers. BetterSocials posts to six platforms: Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Threads, TikTok and LinkedIn. It puts their comments, plus Instagram, Facebook and TikTok DMs, in one inbox, and its AI answers comments and DMs in the owner's voice, as drafts to approve or as replies that send on their own.
Later and Pallyy also bring Instagram DMs into their inboxes, and Meta Business Suite runs keyword comment-to-message on Instagram and Facebook for free. Comment-to-DM means a keyword in a comment sends that person a private message with your link. BetterSocials adds it on Instagram and Facebook inside the same inbox, with unlimited keywords and no flow to build.
On TikTok and YouTube, no tool can turn a comment into a private DM. There, and on Threads and LinkedIn Company Pages, the BetterSocials keyword posts a public reply with your link. BetterSocials doesn't connect X, email, WhatsApp or SMS.
BetterSocials Creator is $29 a month, or $24 billed yearly, for four accounts and one login, as of October 22, 2026. Pro is $49 a month, or $39 billed yearly, for six accounts. Team is $99 a month, or $79 billed yearly, for 12 accounts and unlimited teammates.
Buffer is cheaper for posting alone. Four Buffer channels cost $20 a month on annual billing, against $24 a month billed yearly for BetterSocials Creator's four accounts. The few dollars between them buy the DM inbox, AI replies and keyword comment-to-DM.
Every BetterSocials plan has unlimited contacts and a 7-day free trial, with a card required. Pick BetterSocials if a missed DM means a missed booking or sale.
Metricool: an inbox before you pay
Metricool is best for a small business that wants scheduling, analytics and an inbox on a free or low-cost plan. Metricool's free plan covers one brand and up to 20 scheduled posts a month, and the inbox is there from that plan. It reads YouTube comments on the free tier too, as of August 2026.
Metricool prices per brand. Starter is from $25 a month, or from $20 a month billed yearly, for five brands, and Advanced is from $67 a month, or $53 billed yearly, as of October 2026, per Metricool's pricing page. LinkedIn joins the inbox on Starter.
Metricool keeps its focus on scheduling, analytics and the inbox rather than keyword DMs. Start with Metricool if you'd rather see analytics and an inbox before paying anything.
Agorapulse: one team inbox for less per user
Agorapulse is best for a team that wants one combined inbox on every tier at a lower per-user price than Hootsuite. Agorapulse Standard is $79 per user a month on annual billing, as of July 2026. That's $20 less per user than Hootsuite's $99.
Agorapulse ships one combined inbox on every tier, so the cheapest plan already has it. Email isn't in its channel list.
Per-user pricing means the bill grows with the team. A second user doubles the Agorapulse bill, which takes it past our $100 band, so only a solo user stays inside it. Pick Agorapulse if a team shares the inbox and a per-user bill fits the budget.
Later: an inbox for Instagram, Facebook and TikTok
Later is best for a brand that lives on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok and wants DMs and comments next to its scheduler. Later's Conversations inbox covers Instagram DMs and comments, Facebook DMs and comments, and TikTok comments. Conversations start on Growth, at $37.50 a month billed yearly or $50 monthly, as of September 2026.
Starter is $18.75 a month billed yearly, or $25 monthly. Scale is $82.50 billed yearly, or $110 monthly, which puts monthly Scale above our band.
Later has no YouTube or LinkedIn conversations. Later makes sense if Instagram, Facebook and TikTok are where your questions come from.
Pallyy: a low-cost inbox that holds Google reviews
Pallyy is best for a small business that wants a low-cost inbox that also holds its Google reviews. Pallyy's inbox starts on Pro, at $25 a month or $20 billed yearly, as of October 2026.
The Pallyy inbox covers Instagram DMs and comments, Facebook messages and comments, LinkedIn comments, TikTok comments and Google reviews. YouTube isn't in it.
Go with Pallyy if Google reviews matter as much to you as social comments.
Hootsuite and the six alternatives, side by side
Hootsuite sits in the first row as the baseline, and the rest follow the order of the entries above. Each price below is the monthly rate on annual billing for the plan named in that tool's entry, as seen between July and October 2026.
| Tool | Price | Best fit | Main limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hootsuite | $99 per user | Teams already on Hootsuite | No YouTube comments in the inbox |
| Buffer | $5 per channel | Posting on a small budget | No DMs in the inbox |
| BetterSocials | $24 for four accounts | Comments and DMs that bring customers | No X, email or WhatsApp |
| Metricool | $0 for one brand | Free inbox and analytics | No keyword automation |
| Agorapulse | $79 per user | Team inbox on every tier | No email channel |
| Later | $37.50 for the inbox tier | Instagram, Facebook and TikTok brands | No YouTube or LinkedIn conversations |
| Pallyy | $20 for the inbox tier | Inbox plus Google reviews | No YouTube in the inbox |
Hootsuite and Agorapulse price by user, while BetterSocials prices by social account, so count both people and accounts before you compare. For three people, Hootsuite comes to three times $99 a month and Agorapulse to three times $79, both billed annually. BetterSocials Team is $79 a month billed yearly for 12 accounts and unlimited teammates.
Sprout Social sits well above the band. Its inbox starts on Standard at $199 per seat a month, billed annually, as of July 2026, so three seats run close to six hundred dollars a month.
FAQ
Which Hootsuite alternatives cost less than $99 a month?
Buffer is $5 a channel on annual billing, so four channels are $20 a month. BetterSocials Creator is $29 a month, or $24 billed yearly, for four accounts, with comments and DMs in one inbox. Metricool's free plan covers one brand, and Starter is $20 a month billed yearly. Sprout Social costs more, with its inbox on Standard at $199 per seat a month, billed annually.
How do I move my accounts from Hootsuite to another tool?
In BetterSocials, you connect each account by signing in on that platform's own screen, which takes under a minute, and your password never touches BetterSocials. Older comments from Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Threads and LinkedIn are pulled into the inbox once per account when it connects. The 7-day trial on Creator connects four accounts, so you can try it before the first charge.
What do I lose if I leave Hootsuite?
Leaving Hootsuite costs you different things depending on where you go. Buffer's inbox covers comments only, so Instagram and Facebook DMs go back to the phone app. Later's Conversations cover Instagram, Facebook and TikTok, and BetterSocials doesn't connect X, email, WhatsApp or SMS. Check each tool against the platforms where your customers ask questions today.
Who should stay on Hootsuite?
Stay on Hootsuite if a team already works in it and $99 per user a month, billed annually, fits the budget. Hootsuite's inbox reads TikTok comments, and like Agorapulse it prices per user for teams. If YouTube comments bring in your questions, Buffer, Metricool and BetterSocials all bring YouTube comments into their inboxes.
Can a Hootsuite alternative turn a comment into a DM?
Yes, BetterSocials sends a DM with your link when someone comments your keyword on Instagram or Facebook, from $29 a month for four accounts. Meta Business Suite's comment-to-message automation does this on Instagram and Facebook for free, with a fixed template you write. On TikTok and YouTube, no tool can turn a comment into a private DM.