Built for small businesses, not enterprise.
Rheos replaces Hootsuite at a fraction of the price, with AI content creation built in, not a separate subscription.
TL;DR
- Hootsuite's entry paid plan (Standard) starts from ~$99/month billed annually with no creative AI content generation.
- Rheos Business is £55/month with AI that creates text, images, and carousels (video coming soon) on-brand.
- Hootsuite's roots are in enterprise and agency management. Its complexity and price reflect that.
- If you don't need enterprise approval workflows and 20+ accounts, Hootsuite is overkill.
Why small businesses are switching from Hootsuite
A fraction of enterprise pricing
Rheos Business is £55/mo vs Hootsuite Standard at ~$99/mo (annual). Rheos Growth is £145/mo vs Hootsuite Advanced at ~$249/mo per user. Rheos also includes AI content creation.
AI content is included, not generic
Hootsuite's OwlyWriter generates captions and repurposes text content, but it can't generate images or video and doesn't learn your brand from your website. Rheos generates full on-brand posts across every content type.
No enterprise approval bloat for solo founders
Hootsuite's UI and plan structure reflect its enterprise and multi-client agency heritage. Rheos is built for one business owner or small team. Fewer clicks to ship.
Free tier that actually exists
Rheos Free is £0 with a few posts/week and all 10 platforms. Hootsuite retired its free plan in 2023. You get a 30-day trial only.
Platform coverage at a glance
Rheos publishes to all 10 platforms on every plan. Here's what Hootsuite covers, and what it doesn't.
Rheos
All 10 platformsHootsuite
8 of 10 supportedHootsuite Standard includes 10 social accounts; Advanced is unlimited. Rheos includes all 10 platforms on every tier with no per-account limits.
Plus: only Rheos has this
The first MCP server for social media.
Rheos ships with an MCP (Model Context Protocol) server plus a full REST API. Draft posts directly from Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, or Cursor. The AI reads your brand context, formulas, and scheduled calendar, then writes and queues the post in Rheos. Hootsuite doesn't offer this.
Available on Business and Team plans. Free to set up. Works with any MCP-compatible AI client.
Learn about the Rheos MCP serverRheos vs Hootsuite: feature by feature
Both tools do scheduling. Here's every other feature side by side.
| Feature | Rheos | Hootsuite |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | £0 Free · £55/mo Business · £145/mo Growth | From ~$99/mo Standard · ~$249/user/mo Advanced (annual billing) |
| Free plan | Yes, all 10 platforms | Removed in 2023 (30-day trial only) |
| AI content generation | On-brand text, images, and carousels (video coming) | OwlyWriter: text only (captions, repurposing); no images, no brand voice |
| Learns your brand | Yes, scrapes website and imports brand context | No |
| Image / carousel generation | Yes, built in (AI video coming) | No native generation |
| Social accounts included | 10 platforms, all tiers | 10 accounts on Standard, unlimited on Advanced |
| Analytics depth | Post performance + brand fit score | Deep analytics on Advanced+ (you pay for it) |
| Approval workflows | Simple (owner + seats on Growth plan) | Enterprise-grade, designed for agencies |
| Best for | SMEs, founders, small teams | Agencies, enterprises, multi-client setups |
Pricing side by side
| Plan | Rheos | Hootsuite |
|---|---|---|
| Free | £0 | Not available (30-day trial only) |
| Entry paid | £55/mo Business | From ~$99/mo Standard (annual, 1 user) |
| Growth | £145/mo · 5 seats | From ~$249/user/mo Advanced (annual) |
Pick Rheos if…
- You're a small business or solo founder, not a marketing agency.
- You want AI to create the content, not just schedule it.
- You don't need enterprise approval workflows.
- ~$99/month for a scheduler with no creative AI feels like overkill.
Stick with Hootsuite if…
- You manage 20+ social accounts across multiple clients.
- You need deep approval workflows and role-based access.
- Your team is already trained on Hootsuite and switching is a heavy lift.
Frequently asked questions
How much cheaper is Rheos than Hootsuite?
Rheos Business is £55/month vs Hootsuite Standard at ~$99/month (annual billing) — meaningfully cheaper, in GBP with no FX, and Rheos includes AI content generation (text, images, and carousels, with video coming) which Hootsuite does not. For a small business that also pays for Canva or a content designer, the real saving is typically £100 to £200/month.
Does Hootsuite have AI content generation?
Hootsuite has OwlyWriter AI which generates captions, repurposes content, and creates post ideas. It's text-only, with no image or video generation, and it doesn't learn your brand voice from your website. Rheos's AI learns your brand and generates full on-brand posts across every content type.
Can Rheos handle multiple brands like Hootsuite?
Yes. Rheos Growth (£145/mo) supports up to 3 brands and 5 seats, with add-ons for more. Hootsuite Enterprise handles more brands but uses custom pricing (typically $15,000+/year). For 1-3 brands, Rheos is a significant saving.
Is Rheos good for agencies?
Rheos Growth handles up to 3 brands (with add-ons for more), so small agencies or consultants with a handful of clients fit. True agency use (20+ clients, white-label) is best served by our Done-for-you option, run by our team.
Will Rheos replace Hootsuite fully for my small business?
If you're on Hootsuite Standard or Advanced for a business with fewer than 5 brands, yes. Rheos covers scheduling, publishing, analytics, and content creation that Hootsuite doesn't do. Most SMEs find Rheos replaces Hootsuite + Canva + their AI tool of choice in one subscription.
Try Rheos free.
5 posts per week, LinkedIn + X + Threads publishing. No credit card.