Hootsuite vs Later (2026): Which Social Media Tool Should You Use?

A practical comparison of Hootsuite and Later covering pricing, features, and which platform fits small teams vs agencies managing visual-first social content.

Updated 2026-09 · 2026

Hootsuite

All-in-one social media management for larger teams

$99/month (Professional, 1 user)user/month (billed annually for lower rate)

Strengths

+Supports the widest range of networks (X, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, TikTok)
+Strong social listening and monitoring streams
+Deep analytics and custom reporting, including competitor benchmarking

Weaknesses

-Expensive for solo users or small teams after the 2023 price hike
-Interface feels cluttered compared to newer tools
-Visual content planning (grid preview, first-comment hashtags) is weaker than Later

Best for

Agencies and larger marketing teams needing listening, reporting, and multi-network management in one dashboard

Later

Visual content calendar built for Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest

$0 (Free) or from $25/monthuser/month (billed annually)

Strengths

+Genuinely usable free plan for 1 user and 3 social sets
+Best-in-class visual content calendar with drag-and-drop grid preview
+Link in bio tool (Linkin.bio) included on all plans

Weaknesses

-No social listening or monitoring streams
-Analytics and reporting are lighter than Hootsuite's on paid tiers
-Fewer integrations outside of Canva and Google/Dropbox for media

Best for

Small teams and creators who post visual-first content and want an easy calendar without paying for enterprise features they won't use

Feature Comparison

Feature	Hootsuite	Later
Free plan	No	Yes (1 user, 3 social sets, 30 posts/month)
Instagram scheduling (auto-publish)	Yes	Yes
TikTok scheduling	Yes	Yes
Pinterest scheduling	Yes	Yes
Visual grid/content calendar preview	Basic	Advanced (drag-and-drop grid planner)
Link in bio tool	No native tool	Yes (Linkin.bio included)
Social listening/monitoring streams	Yes	No
Team approval workflows	Yes (Team plan+)	Yes (Growth plan+)
Analytics depth	Advanced, with competitor reports	Standard engagement and best-time-to-post analytics
Integrations (Canva, CRM, etc.)	Large app directory	Limited, focused on Canva and storage apps
Entry price for paid plan	$99/month (1 user)	$25/month (1 user)

The Verdict

Hootsuite makes sense if you need social listening, multi-network monitoring, and enterprise-grade reporting and are willing to pay for it. Later is the better default for small teams and creators focused on Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest who want a clean visual calendar without paying $99+/month for features they'll never touch. For most small businesses, Later's free or $25/month plan covers the actual job — scheduling and a content calendar — at a fraction of the cost.

How to switch from Hootsuite to Later

1In Hootsuite, go to Analytics and export your historical post performance as CSV so you keep a record before canceling your plan.
2Manually review your Hootsuite Planner/Composer queue and write down (or screenshot) any posts scheduled more than a few days out, since there's no automated export of the scheduling queue.
3Create your Later account, connect your Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, and other social profiles under Later's 'Social Sets.'
4Re-upload your media library into Later's Media Library (bulk upload from Google Drive/Dropbox is supported) and rebuild your content calendar using the drag-and-drop grid planner.
5Recreate any Zapier-based automations or CRM integrations that ran through Hootsuite, since Later's native integrations are more limited.
6Run both tools in parallel for one posting cycle to confirm all scheduled posts publish correctly from Later, then cancel your Hootsuite subscription.

Hootsuite vs Later: common questions

How do I export my data from Hootsuite before switching to Later?+

Hootsuite doesn't offer a one-click bulk export of scheduled posts. You'll need to manually review your Planner/Composer queue and note upcoming scheduled posts, or use Hootsuite's Analytics export (CSV) to save historical performance data before canceling. There's no automated migration path between the two tools, so plan to re-schedule pending posts manually in Later.

What features do I lose moving from Hootsuite to Later?+

You lose social listening/monitoring streams, deeper competitor analytics, and the larger third-party integration directory (Salesforce, HubSpot, etc.). If your team relies on Hootsuite's approval chains across many roles or its RSS/bulk-upload composer for high-volume posting across many networks, check Later's plan limits first since some of these require its higher-tier plans.

Is Later's free plan enough for a small marketing team?+

Later's free plan supports 1 user and 3 social sets with 30 posts per profile per month, which works for a solo marketer or very small brand posting a few times a week. If you have more than one team member or need unlimited posts, you'll need the Starter plan ($25/month) or higher.

Does Later integrate with the same tools as Hootsuite?+

No — Later's integrations are narrower, mainly Canva for design and Google Drive/Dropbox for media storage. If your team depends on Hootsuite's CRM or Slack integrations for reporting workflows, you'll need to replace those with manual exports or Zapier connections.

Will switching from Hootsuite to Later actually save money over time?+

Yes, in most cases. Hootsuite's Professional plan starts at $99/month for a single user, while Later's comparable Starter plan is $25/month, and its free tier may cover very small teams entirely. Over a year, a small team could save $800+ by switching, assuming they don't need Hootsuite's listening or advanced reporting features.