Buffer vs Hootsuite vs Later: Social Scheduling Tools Compared

Buffer, Hootsuite, and Later are the three most popular social media scheduling tools for startups and small teams. Each takes a different approach to the same core problem - helping you plan, schedule, and analyze social media content across multiple platforms from a single dashboard. Buffer focuses on simplicity, Hootsuite on feature depth, and Later on visual content planning.

Choosing between them depends on your budget, the platforms you prioritize, your team size, and whether you need basic scheduling or full social media management.

How Does Buffer Work?

Buffer is a clean, straightforward scheduling tool built around simplicity. It strips away complexity and gives you a queue-based publishing system that is easy to learn and fast to use.

Buffer supports Instagram, Facebook, X (Twitter), LinkedIn, TikTok, Pinterest, YouTube, Threads, Bluesky, and Mastodon. You write your posts, add media, set your publishing schedule, and Buffer handles the rest. According to Buffer's 2025 transparency report, the platform has over 140,000 active users scheduling millions of posts monthly.

Key strengths:

• Simple interface with minimal learning curve
• AI Assistant for generating post ideas and rephrasing content
• Start Page - a free link-in-bio landing page
• Affordable pricing starting at $6 per month per channel
• Free plan with up to 3 channels and 10 scheduled posts per channel

The tradeoff is that Buffer's analytics are basic compared to Hootsuite, and it lacks advanced features like social listening, team approval workflows, and competitor tracking.

How Does Hootsuite Work?

Hootsuite is a full social media management platform designed for teams and enterprises. It covers scheduling, analytics, social listening, paid ad management, and team collaboration in one platform.

Hootsuite supports Instagram, Facebook, X, LinkedIn, TikTok, Pinterest, YouTube, and Threads. It provides a unified inbox for managing messages across platforms, competitor benchmarking, and custom reporting dashboards. Hootsuite reports serving over 200,000 customers globally.

Key strengths:

• Comprehensive analytics with custom reports and benchmarking
• Social listening to monitor brand mentions and industry conversations
• Team features including approval workflows and role-based permissions
• Ad management for boosting posts directly from the dashboard
• Unified inbox for responding to messages across all platforms

The tradeoff is price and complexity. Hootsuite starts at $99 per month for a single user, and the interface can feel overwhelming for small teams that just need to schedule posts.

How Does Later Work?

Later is a visual-first scheduling tool originally built for Instagram. It uses a drag-and-drop visual calendar that lets you plan your content grid before publishing. It has since expanded to support TikTok, Facebook, X, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

Later's visual planning approach makes it especially popular with brands that care about feed aesthetics and content consistency. The platform also includes a strong link-in-bio tool (Linkin.bio) that turns your Instagram grid into a clickable landing page.

Key strengths:

• Visual content calendar for planning your grid layout
• Linkin.bio tool for driving Instagram traffic
• Hashtag suggestions and analytics
• User-generated content collection and reposting features
• Instagram Stories and Reels scheduling

The tradeoff is that Later's non-Instagram features are less mature. If Instagram is not your primary platform, you may find the visual-first approach less useful.

Feature Comparison Table

Feature	Buffer	Hootsuite	Later
Starting price	$6/mo per channel	$99/mo (1 user)	$25/mo (1 social set)
Free plan	Yes (3 channels)	No	No
Platforms supported	10+	8+	7+
Visual content calendar	Basic	Yes	Best-in-class
Social listening	No	Yes	No
Team approval workflows	Limited	Yes	Yes (higher tiers)
AI content assistant	Yes	Yes	Yes
Unified inbox	No	Yes	No
Link-in-bio tool	Yes (Start Page)	No	Yes (Linkin.bio)
Analytics depth	Basic	Advanced	Moderate
Ad management	No	Yes	No
Learning curve	Low	High	Low

Which Tool Should Your Startup Choose?

Here is how we think about the decision at Conbersa:

Choose Buffer if you are a solo founder or small team that needs simple, affordable scheduling. Buffer does one thing well - getting your posts published on time - without burying you in features you will not use. It is the best option for startups spending under $50 per month on social tools.

Choose Hootsuite if you have a dedicated social media manager or marketing team that needs advanced analytics, social listening, and cross-platform inbox management. The $99 per month starting price is justified when you are managing multiple brands, running paid social alongside organic, or need team collaboration features. Hootsuite is overkill for most pre-seed and seed-stage startups.

Choose Later if Instagram is your primary platform and visual content planning matters to your brand. Later's drag-and-drop calendar and Linkin.bio tool make it the strongest choice for e-commerce, lifestyle, and consumer-facing startups where Instagram grid aesthetics directly impact conversions.

Can You Switch Tools Later?

Yes, and it is easier than you think. All three tools let you export your analytics data, and switching mainly means reconnecting your social accounts and rebuilding your posting schedule. The content itself lives on the platforms, not in the tool.

If you are just getting started with social media scheduling, start with Buffer's free plan. It costs nothing, takes 10 minutes to set up, and handles the core need - consistent publishing. You can always upgrade to Hootsuite or Later as your needs grow.

The biggest mistake startups make is spending too much time choosing a tool instead of creating content. Pick one, commit for 30 days, and evaluate based on your actual workflow. The best scheduling tool is the one your team actually uses consistently.