Buffer vs Hootsuite vs Later: social scheduling pricing, and the per-channel vs per-user split

Buffer bills per social channel. Hootsuite bills per user. That one structural difference matters more than any feature comparison, and it flips which tool is cheaper depending entirely on your team's shape.

Buffer's Essentials tier runs about $5 per channel per month on annual billing, Team about $10 per channel — and unlimited team members come along for free at either tier. A five-person marketing team managing six social accounts pays for six channels, not five people; add a sixth teammate and the bill doesn't move. Hootsuite starts its clock differently and much higher: $99/user/month for Standard, $249/user for Advanced, after a 30-day trial. Add that same sixth teammate on Hootsuite and you've added another $99–249 to the bill regardless of how many channels they touch.

Later occupies a third lane, priced per plan rather than per seat or channel: Starter is $18/month for one account per platform with unlimited posts; Professional, $99/month, covers one user managing up to 10 accounts. It leans visual-first — built originally around Instagram grid planning — which shows in who actually reaches for it: creators and lifestyle brands more than in-house enterprise social teams.

| | Billing unit | Entry price |
|---|---|---|
| Buffer | per channel | ~$5/channel/mo |
| Later | per plan | $18/mo (1 account/platform) |
| Hootsuite | per user | $99/user/mo |

If you're a small team with a handful of people who all need access to the same accounts, Buffer's per-channel model is a straightforward win — you can add teammates freely without the bill growing. If you're a large in-house social team where headcount is the real driver of cost, run the numbers carefully before assuming Hootsuite's breadth of features (which is real — it covers far more than either competitor at scale) is worth the per-seat multiplier. Later is the right default specifically for visually-driven brands planning content around Instagram and TikTok grids, less so for a team managing LinkedIn and X at enterprise scale.