Hootsuite vs. Later: Which social media management tool is best for you?
Looking for a tool to manage all your social media channels in one place? Here at Hootsuite, we don't play favorites. Our all-in-one platform lets you schedule, analyze, and grow all across social — not just on Instagram. That’s just one of the reasons why Hootsuite beats Later across the board.
TL;DR: Hootsuite is the obvious Later alternative.
- A unified social media inbox Boost engagement with Hootsuite’s social media inbox that lets you respond to comments and messages in one place.
A unified social media inbox
Boost engagement with Hootsuite’s social media inbox that lets you respond to comments and messages in one place. - More than just an Instagram scheduler Unlike Later, Hootsuite publishes to and measures performance across all your favorite social media networks.
More than just an Instagram scheduler
Unlike Later, Hootsuite publishes to and measures performance across all your favorite social media networks. - More in-depth analytics Hootsuite tracks hundreds of metrics. Use analytics to monitor organic and paid social posts side by side.
More in-depth analytics
Hootsuite tracks hundreds of metrics. Use analytics to monitor organic and paid social posts side by side. - Premium content creation tools Make your content sparkle with an AI caption writer, post templates, and Canva in the window where you draft your content.
Premium content creation tools
Make your content sparkle with an AI caption writer, post templates, and Canva in the window where you draft your content.
Feature | Hootsuite | Later |
|---|
Price | Starts at $99 | Starts at $17 |
Avg. cost per user seat | $110 | $15 |
Total customers | 25 million | 7 million |
Post limit (per month) | Unlimited for all plans | Depends on the plan |
Platforms | | |
Scheduling and publishing |
|
|
|---|---|---|
Facebook ads | Yes*** | No |
Instagram ads | Yes*** | No |
LinkedIn ads | Yes*** | No |
LinkedIn ads | Yes*** | No |
X (Twitter) treads | Yes | No |
Pinterest boards | Yes | No |
YouTube videos | Yes | No |
Google Business Profile Updates | Yes** | No |
Facebook group posts | Yes | No |
Meta Threads | Yes | No |
Calendar view | Yes | Yes |
Instagram posts | Yes | Yes |
Instagram carousels | Yes | Yes |
Instagram Stories | Yes | Yes |
Instagram Reels | Yes | Yes |
Facebook posts | Yes | Yes |
X (Twitter) posts | Yes | Yes |
TikToks | Yes | Yes |
LinkedIn page posts | Yes | Yes |
LinkedIn personal profile posts | Yes | Yes |
Pinterest Pins | Yes | Yes |
Meta Threads | Yes (Beta) | No |
Analytics and reporting |
|
|
|---|---|---|
Analytics for |
|
|
Recommended time to publish based on goal | Yes | No |
Paid and organic reporting | Yes | No |
Competitive benchmarking | Yes | No |
White-label reports | Yes | No |
Channel analytics | Yes | No |
Customizable reports | Yes | Yes |
Channel post performance | Yes | Up to 1 year |
Web analytics integration | Yes* | No |
Social ROI analysis | Yes* | No |
Content creation |
|
|
|---|---|---|
Canva | Yes | No |
Post templates | Yes | No |
Alt text for Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook | Yes | No |
AI caption writer | Yes | Instagram only |
Link shortener | Yes | Only for Twitter and Pinterest |
Automated link tracking | Yes | Only for Twitter and Pinterest |
Hashtag generator | Yes | Yes |
Photo editor | Yes | Yes |
Content suggestions for reposting/content curation | Yes | Yes |
Social listening | ||
Social listening | Yes* | No |
Sentiment analysis | Yes* | No |
Hashtag and mention monitoring | Yes | Yes |
Advertising |
|
|
|---|---|---|
Facebook ads | Yes | No |
Instagram ads | Yes | No |
LinkedIn ads | Yes | No |
Boost Instagram posts | Yes | No |
Boost LinkedIn posts | Yes | No |
Boost Facebook posts | Yes | No |
Ad campaign management | Yes*** | No |
Paid social reporting | Yes | No |
Employee advocacy |
|
|
|---|---|---|
Employee advocacy | Yes* | No |
Messaging and customer service |
| |
|---|---|---|
Inbox | Yes | Comments only |
Message spike alerts | Yes* | No |
Message prioritization | Yes | No |
Saved and suggested replies | Yes* | No |
Business hours | Yes* | No |
Message tags and topics | Yes* | No |
Auto-resolve conversations | Yes* | No |
Auto-responder | Yes* | No |
Agent availability | Yes* | No |
Team performance metrics | Yes* | No |
Chatbot support | Yes* | No |
Review management | Yes* | No |
CRM integrations/API access | Yes* | No |
CSAT surveys | Yes* | No |
Collaboration |
|
|
|---|---|---|
Project management integrations | Yes | No |
Assign posts to team members | Yes | No |
Approval workflows*** | Yes | No |
Give feedback on drafts | Yes | No |
Export content calendar for stakeholders | Yes | Instagram only |
Roles and permissions | Yes | Yes |
Shopping |
|
|
|---|---|---|
Social commerce integrations | 7 (Shopify, Magento, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, etc.) | 1 (Shopify) |
Shoppable Instagram posts | Yes* | Yes |
Integrations |
|
|
|---|---|---|
App store | 100+ | Limited |
Zapier integration (lets you connect 5,000+ apps) | Yes | No |
Artificial intelligence (AI) |
|
|
|---|---|---|
AI copywriter | Yes | Instagram only |
AI hashtag generator | Yes | Instagram only |
Chatbot integration | Yes | No |
Work-life balance |
| |
|---|---|---|
Save difficult comments for later | Yes | No |
Global publishing pause | Yes | No |
Accessibility |
|
|
|---|---|---|
Alt text for posts | Yes | No |
Creator tools |
|
|
|---|---|---|
Fourstarzz integration | Yes | No |
Insense integration | Yes | No |
Track influencer trends | Yes* | No |
One centralized inbox to communicate with influencers across platforms | Yes | No |
Content curation and user-generated content (UGC) |
|
|
|---|---|---|
Manage Twitter lists | Yes | No |
Collect the best customer content from social media and clear the rights | Yes** | No |
Streams to follow and share relevant content | Yes | Yes |
RSS Feeds | Yes** | No |
WordPress integration | Yes | No |
Tumblr integration | Yes | No |
Canva | Yes | No |
Compliance |
|
|
|---|---|---|
Safeguards to prevent accidental publishing | Yes | No |
Option to add publishing security with Proofpoint | Yes | No |
Multi-factor authentication | Yes | No |
Single sign-on | Yes | No |
Strategy guidance |
|
|
|---|---|---|
In-app Social Score to help you improve in real-time | Yes | No |
Link shortener | Yes | No |
Webinars | Yes | Yes |
Platform certification training | Yes | Yes |
*available with add-on **available with free integration ***enterprise only
What we do better
Here are a few of the reasons savvy marketers choose Hootsuite over any other social media management tool.
Earn more wins across all social media platforms
We’re no one-trick pony. Hootsuite delivers seamless multi-platform publishing and analytics for all your social media networks. Of course you can schedule, advertise, and track metrics on Instagram with Hootsuite. But, unlike Later, we also offer scheduling and in-depth analytics for Facebook, LinkedIn, and more.
Dazzle your audience with content creation tools
Take the dread out of crafting content with time-saving content creation tools you won’t find in Later. Design beautiful posts in seconds with Canva. Plus, write engaging captions fast with AI-powered tools and hashtag suggestions — all for free with your Hootsuite plan.
Save time and boost engagement with a better inbox
Hootsuite brings all your conversations — comments, mentions, and messages—into one inbox. Save time with an organized space for conversations across Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Later only lets you reply to public TikTok and Instagram comments, not messages.
Hootsuite is more advanced and more user-friendly than Later.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Hootsuite is the clear winner in the battle of the best social media management tools. With Hootsuite, you'll only need a single tool to publish content across all channels. Post to all the main players plus YouTube, Pinterest, Google My Business, and more. Plus, unlike Later, Hootsuite offers analytics for LinkedIn and more in-depth analytics for Facebook.
Hootsuite is the best solution for social media managers dealing with overflowing inboxes. Save time and keep your audience happy by responding to comments and messages in one place. Content creation is superior with Hootsuite, too. Make better content faster with Canva and an AI writer — all built into the product.
Last but not least: Hootsuite has way more integrations (over 100, in fact). Use it as your central marketing dashboard with all your most-used tools in one tab. Add Google My Business, Canva, WordPress, RSS feeds, and more.
Hootsuite is the best social media management solution for growing businesses. It lets you connect up to 50 social media accounts and schedule as many posts as you need. Most Later plans limit the number of posts you can publish each month.
Plus, Hootsuite has a whole suite of extra tools designed to help you go further as you grow. Ramp up your efforts with social media listening, employee advocacy, and advanced analytics add-ons.
Hootsuite Insights is the best social media listening solution out there. It can help you simplify consumer research and better protect your brand. Hootsuite Amplify lets you turn your team into advocates and send your message even further. If you want to prove the ROI of your social media efforts, add Hootsuite Impact.
Hootsuite makes the best social media inbox manager, hands down. It allows you to respond to public comments and private messages within a single inbox.
Save time, delight your customer, and deliver top-notch customer service with a unified inbox. Hootsuite lets you automate responses, assign messages to team members, and keep your inbox tidy.
With Hootsuite, you can reply to conversations across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Later’s limited inbox only lets you reply to Instagram and TikTok comments. It doesn't currently support private message replies on any network.
Hootsuite makes the best employee advocacy tool. Hootsuite Amplify lets you grow your reach exponentially by setting up your employees to share relevant, on-brand content. This translates to a significant boost in revenue, reach, and employee engagement. Later does not currently offer an employee advocacy solution.