By Jahed Ahmed, Founder, rmvbg 6 min read
Quick answer
At the time of writing Hootsuite Standard starts at $99 per user a month billed yearly, with a 14-day trial. Cheaper alternatives: Buffer (free plan, then $5–6 per channel a month), Later (free plan, Starter from $18.75 a month billed yearly), Canva Pro's Content Planner if you already pay for Canva, and Immense Studio — a 14-day trial with no card, then $3 a month for every channel. Sprout Social (from $79 per seat a month billed yearly) is an alternative for teams that want Hootsuite-level reporting.
The options at a glance
| Tool | Free option | Paid from (at the time of writing) | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Immense Studio | 14-day trial, no card | $3/month (rmvbg Pro), all channels | Small shops and creators; calendar + auto-replies |
| Buffer | Free plan, 3 channels | $6/channel/month, $5 billed yearly | Simple queues, many networks |
| Later | Free plan | Starter $18.75/month billed yearly | Visual planning |
| Canva Content Planner | — | Included in Canva Pro | Teams already designing in Canva |
| Sprout Social | 30-day trial | Essentials from $79/seat/month billed yearly | Teams that need reports |
Prices were checked on each company's own pricing page at the time of writing and may change; billing period and currency affect the final price.
What you give up compared with Hootsuite
- Bigger-team extras such as detailed reports and approval steps are where the higher-priced tools focus — compare their plan pages if you need them.
- Network lists differ: Immense Studio does not post to X, TikTok or Pinterest today.
Why small businesses pick Immense Studio
- Connect Facebook Pages, LinkedIn, YouTube, Threads, Bluesky, Mastodon and Discord with their own login buttons — no developer keys.
- Write once, tick channels, schedule; posts go out from our servers.
- Auto-reply to comments on Facebook Pages, YouTube and Bluesky with your words or a friendly AI reply.
- One price, part of rmvbg Pro — so you also get the background remover and seller photo tools.
