# Hootsuite: what it does, who it is for and alternatives > Hootsuite: Social media management for teams: scheduling, inbox, listening and AI-written captions. Source: https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/ai-tools/tool/hootsuite · Updated 2026-10-20 · Free from Stepthrough (https://learn.ynteractive.com) Updated October 20, 2026 · By [Robert Breen](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/about) Social media management for teams: scheduling, inbox, listening and AI-written captions. [Marketing & social](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/ai-tools/marketing-social) · Free trial Official site: [hootsuite.com](https://www.hootsuite.com) ## What Hootsuite does Teams plan and bulk-schedule posts on one calendar, then work private and public messages in one inbox with saved replies, routing, assignments and internal notes. Listening tracks trends and searches by topic, company or hashtag, and competitive analysis follows rivals' posting and sentiment. Its AI, Hootsuite Wisdom, helps write content and surface insights. ## Who Hootsuite is for - Marketers - Communications teams - Agency account managers - Support teams ## Key features - Schedule and bulk-schedule posts from one calendar - Shared inbox with routing, assignments and internal notes - Social listening by topic, company or hashtag - Competitor tracking and sentiment analysis - Hootsuite Wisdom AI for content and insights - Analytics with best-time-to-post reports ## Privacy and data Its Trust Center lists a SOC 2 Type II report audited yearly, a public SOC 3 report, UK Cyber Essentials and FedRAMP Tailored Li-SaaS authorization. Source: [Hootsuite’s own page](https://www.hootsuite.com/trust-center/compliance). Before you put client data in, check your company’s AI rules and the plan’s data settings. ## Learn Hootsuite free on Stepthrough - Comparison: [The best AI social media schedulers for small teams in 2026](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/compare/best-ai-social-media-schedulers) ## Alternatives to Hootsuite Other AI marketing and social media tools in the directory. - [**Buffer**](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/ai-tools/tool/buffer) Free plan Schedule posts to every major social network, with an AI assistant for ideas and rewrites. Simple analytics. - [**SocialBee**](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/ai-tools/tool/socialbee) Free trial Plan a week of social posts in one sitting with content categories, AI captions and evergreen recycling. - [**Manychat**](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/ai-tools/tool/manychat) Free plan Manychat automates Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp DMs, so comments and messages turn into leads and bookings. It has a free plan. It fits small businesses and creators who get the same questions in direct messages again and again. - [**Olum**](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/ai-tools/tool/olum) Paid Checks which buyer questions ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Bing and Google's AI answers reply to without naming your business, then drafts fixes such as content and FAQ schema for you to approve. - [**Later**](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/ai-tools/tool/later) Free trial Visual social scheduling for Instagram, TikTok and more, with AI captions and link-in-bio pages. - [**Metricool**](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/ai-tools/tool/metricool) Free plan Plan, schedule and measure social media and ads in one dashboard. Free plan for one brand. [All 40 AI marketing and social media tools](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/ai-tools/marketing-social) ## Frequently asked questions **What is Hootsuite?** Social media management for teams: scheduling, inbox, listening and AI-written captions. Teams plan and bulk-schedule posts on one calendar, then work private and public messages in one inbox with saved replies, routing, assignments and internal notes. Listening tracks trends and searches by topic, company or hashtag, and competitive analysis follows rivals' posting and sentiment. Its AI, Hootsuite Wisdom, helps write content and surface insights. **Who is Hootsuite for?** Hootsuite fits marketers, communications teams, agency account managers and support teams, and other office teams with the same job to do. **Is Hootsuite free?** Hootsuite has a free trial, then it is a paid tool. Plans change often, so check the official pricing page before you commit. **What are some alternatives to Hootsuite?** Other AI marketing and social media tools include Buffer, SocialBee, Manychat, Olum and Later. **Is Hootsuite safe for work data?** Its Trust Center lists a SOC 2 Type II report audited yearly, a public SOC 3 report, UK Cyber Essentials and FedRAMP Tailored Li-SaaS authorization. Check your own company’s rules, and use a business plan with training turned off for client data. ## “Listed on Stepthrough” badge Add this badge to the Hootsuite website, press page or docs. It links to this page, so your visitors can see the listing. Copy the HTML ```text Listed on Stepthrough ``` Checked against Hootsuite’s official site on October 20, 2026: [source 1](https://www.hootsuite.com), [source 2](https://www.hootsuite.com/trust-center/compliance). Spotted something out of date? Email [rbreen@ynteractive.com](mailto:rbreen@ynteractive.com). Listings are free; [submit your AI tool](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/ai-tools/submit). [The full AI tools directory](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/ai-tools) · [Marketing & social](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/ai-tools/marketing-social) · [Tool comparisons](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/compare)