Hootsuite alternatives: 8 free & open-source picks
Curated, verified, and actually free. No trials, no crippled tiers. Star counts and last-activity dates checked by hand, not scraped and forgotten.
Twenty-eight-plus channels and a proper calendar; the price is running a small software company in your basement.
licenseAGPL-3.0+
runsyour machine or their cloud
installHosted signup, or the official Docker Compose stack
dataSelf-hosted data spans PostgreSQL, Redis, and Temporal; uploads use local persistent storage or configured object storage such as Cloudflare R2. Hosted data lives in Postiz's cloud.
the catch vs HootsuitePostiz can cover publishing, but it does not make Hootsuite's managed monitoring, inbox reliability, and support disappear, you become the operator.
setupSelf-hosting is a substantial stack: the docs call for PostgreSQL, Redis, Temporal, persistent storage, a public domain, and each network's OAuth credentials, with 4 vCPU and 8 GB RAM recommended.
facts verified 2026-08-10
Queues, publishing and basic analytics in one Dockerized scheduler; one user only.
licenseMIT
runsyour server
installDocker Compose; manual Laravel installation is also documented
dataApplication data lives in MySQL or MariaDB, queues and cache in Redis, and media on local disk or configured S3-compatible storage.
the catch vs HootsuiteMixpost Lite gives up Hootsuite's managed inbox, monitoring, and support in exchange for a single-user server that you operate yourself.
setupA non-expert needs a server, Docker, a domain with TLS, cron/queue workers, and social-platform application credentials.
facts verified 2026-08-10
One approved network is easy work for its calendar; you also get an inbox and analytics without paying.
licenseAGPL-3.0
runsyour machine or their cloud
installHosted signup, or Docker Compose for self-hosting
dataThe hosted service stores application data in BrightBean's infrastructure; self-hosting uses PostgreSQL for application data and server-controlled storage for media, while local development can use SQLite.
the catch vs HootsuiteBrightBean's smaller project and service do not offer Hootsuite's established listening, governance, and enterprise-support depth.
setupThe hosted version is straightforward; self-hosting needs Docker, a public domain, and developer credentials or OAuth apps for the social networks.
facts verified 2026-08-10
Six networks and a thousand scheduled posts a month; for one basic calendar, it is almost comically sufficient.
licenseproprietary, free
runstheir cloud
installHosted web signup or Adobe Express mobile app
enginesAdobe Firefly powers generative text and image features; Adobe does not publish a complete backend-model list.
dataDesigns, media, drafts, and scheduled-post metadata live in Adobe's cloud; connected social networks receive the published content, and the internal storage format is not disclosed.
the catch vs HootsuiteAdobe Express schedules content, but it lacks Hootsuite's unified social inbox, brand monitoring, and competitor-monitoring workflow.
setupEach social profile needs OAuth authorization, and Adobe says scheduler connections expire after 60 days and must be reconnected.
facts verified 2026-08-10
Three channels and ten queued posts each; the eight-lifetime-connection cap discourages account musical chairs.
licenseproprietary, free
runstheir cloud
installHosted signup plus social-account connections
enginesBuffer AI Assistant; Buffer does not disclose the underlying model provider on its pricing page.
dataPosts, drafts, ideas, analytics, and connected-account metadata live in Buffer's cloud; the internal storage format is not disclosed.
setup✓ installs clean
the catch vs HootsuiteBuffer Free is limited to three channels and 10 queued posts per channel, whereas Hootsuite Standard manages 10 accounts with unlimited scheduled posts.
facts verified 2026-08-10
Ten accounts, unlimited monthly posts and a ten-item live queue; small queues refill indefinitely.
licenseproprietary, free
runstheir cloud
installHosted signup plus social-account connections
dataQueued posts, account connections, and analytics live in Fedica's cloud; the internal storage format is not disclosed.
setup✓ installs clean
the catch vs HootsuiteIts 10-item account-wide queue and one-account-per-platform rule are much less forgiving than Hootsuite's 10-account managed calendar.
facts verified 2026-08-10
Three non-X accounts and ten queued posts each, with a calendar and reusable media.
licenseproprietary, free
runstheir cloud
installHosted signup plus social-account connections
dataPosts, media, drafts, history, and connected-account metadata live in Publer's cloud; the internal storage format is not disclosed.
setup✓ installs clean
the catch vs HootsuitePubler Free omits X, deletes free-plan post history after 24 hours, and does not replace Hootsuite's monitoring layer.
facts verified 2026-08-10
Three non-X accounts and fifteen queued posts each; enough for the stated one-network calendar.
licenseproprietary, free
runstheir cloud
installHosted signup plus social-account connections
enginesChamp AI Suite; Social Champ does not identify the underlying model provider on its pricing page.
dataPosts, media, analytics, inbox messages, and connected-account metadata live in Social Champ's cloud; the internal storage format is not disclosed.
setup✓ installs clean
the catch vs HootsuiteThe free tier excludes X and omits the listening, competitor analysis, and approval workflows that distinguish Hootsuite from a bare calendar.
facts verified 2026-08-10
last updated 2026-08-10 · no votes, no pay-to-list · just what's real
| tool | license | running it | platforms | stars | active |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Postiz | AGPL-3.0+ | self-host, real ops | web, self-hosted, cli | 34,300 | 2026-08 |
| Mixpost Lite | MIT | docker to self-host | web, self-hosted | 3,500 | 2026-03 |
| BrightBean Studio | AGPL-3.0 | they host it | web, self-hosted, cli | 2,100 | 2026-07 |
| Adobe Express Free | proprietary, free | they host it | web, ios, android | — | — |
| Buffer Free | proprietary, free | they host it | web, ios, android, browser-extension | — | — |
| Fedica Free | proprietary, free | they host it | web, browser-extension | — | — |
| Publer Free | proprietary, free | they host it | web, ios, android, browser-extension | — | — |
| Social Champ Free | proprietary, free | they host it | web, ios, android | — | — |
Se paga la bandeja compartida y los permisos del equipo. If none of that applies to you, any pick above saves $1,188 a year.
Is there a free alternative to Hootsuite?
Yes: Postiz, Mixpost Lite, BrightBean Studio and 5 more. Every tool on this page is either open source or genuinely free to use long-term: no trials, no crippled tiers.
Should I just build my own Hootsuite?
Our verdict is NO TANTO. Un post programado sí. La bandeja de varios usuarios y el compliance del equipo no. If you'd rather build, the exact one-shot prompt is free at puedovibecodearlo.app/hootsuite.
