Hootsuite vs Buffer: Difference and Comparison

This article has been written by: Supriya Kandekar

The world is digitalizing, and every marketer is shifting more focus to digital media than the traditional way. Some are curled with new businesses, some are well recognized, some are small businesses, some are large, and some are even entrepreneurs.

All of them are acknowledged and started using Social Media Marketing, online promotions, and advertising campaigns.  

Promoting online has made the markets target a vast audience, and many social media platforms are available. It is time-consuming and confusing to select the right ones.

Social Media Management Tools have made the work easy as they facilitate handling all of them in one place and let us choose our audience range which is time-saving.  

Two such tools are Hootsuite and Buffer. They both work to assist marketers in managing social media platforms and online advertisements.

And provide services like the audience’s engagement, creating brand awareness, analysing progress, and making schedules for all of it.

Key Takeaways

1. Hootsuite and Buffer are social media management tools allowing users to schedule posts and manage multiple social media accounts from a single platform.
2. Hootsuite offers more features, including social listening and analytics, while Buffer is more focused on scheduling and publishing content.
3. Hootsuite has a steeper learning curve, while Buffer is more user-friendly and is suitable for smaller businesses.

Hootsuite vs Buffer

Hootsuite offers a range of plans with varying levels of functionality, with prices ranging from $19 per month for the basic plan to $599 per month for the enterprise plan. Buffer offers a range of plans with prices ranging from $15 per month for the basic plan to $99 monthly for the premium plan.

Comparison Table  

Parameter of Comparison	Hootsuite	Buffer
Target Audience	The target audience is Large Scale Businesses, Enterprises with vast projects and products.	Small Scale Businesses, self-entrepreneur, and new businesses can start with Buffer.
Official Website Interface	The interface is more information focused on supplying details and a total overview.	The interface is filled with more Visual, Creative, and Optimistic details.
Plans	Free, Professional, Team, Business, and Enterprise plans with different services.	Free, Professional, Premium and Business plans provide different services.
Free Trial	Total 30 days of free trial is available to professional, team users, and Demo to business and Enterprise subscribers.	To all types of users, 14 days free trial with any time cancellation and no credit details perks.
Services	The primary services provided are Publish, Engage, Monitor, Advertise, Analyze, and many sub-goals.	Publish, Analyze are the primary goals and include small sub-goals.
Supportive Browsers	Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Microsoft Edge, and Microsoft Internet Explorer 11 are the supporting browsers.	Compatible browsers are Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, and Opera.
Dashboard	Mention, Reviews, Analytics, Stats, Drafts, Pins, Calendar, and many more for the wide range of approaches.	More focused on small goals with a sorted and posts-oriented View Dashboard.
Available in Languages	The multilingual website has different languages available, from Spanish to Polish.	Only available in the English language.
Social Media Courses	Certified courses by own ‘Hootsuite Academy.’	Courses and certifications are available on other learning software- Skillshare, Coursera, and Udemy.

What is Hootsuite? 

Large businesses have long planning schedules, big targets, wider audiences, and many things to handle.

Hootsuite is a software program that helps large businesses to target a large audience. To date, it has supported more than 16 million businesses.

It helps them to set and accomplish bigger goals. Its interface is detailed and explanatory.

Hootsuite’s Dashboard is also a field with a detailed analysis that provides all information sorted and on one page for a quick overview. It helps to view the overall growth of the business.   

In the beginning, the application gives 30 Days free trial. After that, it is a paid plan. Its services are planned for larger businesses as it provides plans for teams, collaborations, enterprises, and businesses.

The package offers different promotional targets, like publishing content, increasing brand recognition, advertisements, and analytics. 

The website is available in different languages English (Default) to Spanish, Japanese, French, German, Polish, and more. The application has its Hootsuite Academy, providing courses for businesses to acquire social media marketing knowledge.

It is accessible for Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Microsoft Edge, and Microsoft Internet Explorer 11 users. 

What is Buffer?

Many new businesses are emerging, and small-scale companies are in the market; they have small approaches and need compact business goals.

Buffer is the best option for such businesses as they need optimized planning and strategies. Buffer is a software application that works for small business goals focusing on creating brand awareness.

It is the best choice for those users who have to start their business; they can focus more on creating a place in the market.   

The new user gets 14 Days free trial, and then it is a paid service. As its goals are optimized, the app is only available in English.

The interface is centred on creative visuals and is less wordy. The Dashboard is more sorted and focuses only on posts and related ones.

Provided plans are concerned with publishing and analyzing. That makes the application very easy to understand and use.   

Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, and Opera are the supporting browsers for its use. They also provide social media marketing courses on online learning websites like Skillshare, Udemy, and Coursera. 75000 and more small businesses have trusted Buffer with their social media management. 

Main Differences Between Hootsuite and Buffer 

1. Hootsuite avails feature for large business firms, and Buffer, on the other hand, avail for entrepreneurs and small and new businesses. 
2. Mainly Hootsuite is used for recognizing the brand and increasing Goodwill. Oppositely, Buffer for spreading awareness about the brand and creating a new place in the market. 
3. The interface of Hootsuite has detailed information and more options to select exact goals for its accomplishments. Comparatively, Buffer does not have more options, but the interface is on point with more visualizing, attractive, and creative for users. 
4. Total 30 days of free trial served by Hootsuite Professional and Team plans. Business and Enterprise plans have demos. At the same time, all Buffer plans to give 14 days of free trial service. 
5. Publish, Engaging, Monitoring, Advertising, and Analysing are the primary services provided by Hootsuite. While Buffer only has Primary services, like Publish and Analyze. 
6. For a vast range of audiences, Hootsuite provides multilingual service, whereas Buffer serves only in English.