Hootsuite alternative for small businesses
A Hootsuite alternative for small businesses should cost less and do more of the work for one owner. Rheos plans your week from a goal, builds your brand from your website, makes your posts and images, and shows how people find you in search, for £55 a month including VAT.
Rheos and Hootsuite, side by side
| Feature |  Rheos |  Hootsuite |
|---|---|---|
| Social media | ||
| Weekly plan from your goal | Yes | On request, from its AI assistant |
| Reach, trust and sell mix | Yes | No |
| Brand built from your website | Yes | Voice from 30 of your posts |
| Edit one line by commenting on it | Yes | No |
| AI image generation and editing | Unlimited on paid plans | Yes, on every plan |
| Platforms |     |     and more |
| Inbox for comments and DMs | Coming soon | Yes |
| Works in Claude and ChatGPT | Yes | Yes, on some plans |
| Search | ||
| How people find you in search | Beta | No |
| Mentions in AI answers | Coming soon | As an add-on |
| Ads | ||
| Make and run paid ads | Coming soon | Yes |
| Social listening | ||
| Mentions, competitors and trends | Competitor tracking. Mentions and trends coming soon | Yes, Quick Search on every plan; full listening on Enterprise |
| Price | ||
| Starting price | Free plan; Business £55 a month inc. VAT | £89 a user a month, billed yearly, ex VAT |
| A team of five | Team £145 a month inc. VAT | £89 a user a month, so £445 for five, billed yearly, ex VAT |
| Free plan or trial | Free forever, with everything unlocked for the first 10 days | No free plan; 14-day trial, no card |
From each company's own pages, checked 31 Oct 2026. Hootsuite's prices are for yearly billing and exclude VAT; its approvals need the Advanced plan, £349 a user a month. Rheos prices include VAT. "No" means the feature isn't on that company's own pages.
Pick Hootsuite if
You're a team that needs one inbox for comments and messages, social listening and ads across more platforms, with approvals from its Advanced plan.
Pick Rheos if
You're one owner on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and X, deciding what to post is the hard part, and you want to be found in search too.
A plan from your goal, not an empty calendar
Rheos picks a goal for your business and turns it into a week of open slots, split across reach, trust and sell, on the platforms your customers use. Open a slot and it suggests ideas from your own photos, recent posts and brand.
Hootsuite's AI assistant will draft a campaign or a calendar when you ask it. It doesn't keep a standing weekly plan for you.
Posts and images in your brand, without limits
Highlight a line, say what to change, and only that line changes. Make and edit the post's images in the same chat, from your own photos. Image generation and editing are unlimited on the paid plan.
Hootsuite makes AI images too, on every plan.
See how people find you in search
Rheos shows how people find your business in search, next to your social plan. It's in beta.
Hootsuite sells tracking of mentions in AI answers as an add-on. It doesn't show your search data.
What Hootsuite does that Rheos doesn't yet
One inbox for comments and messages, social listening, paid ads, approvals for a team, and TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest and Threads. If those matter most today, Hootsuite is the better fit.
The price at your size
One owner, one business: Rheos is £55 a month including VAT. Hootsuite Standard is £89 a user a month, billed yearly, plus VAT. A team of up to five is £145 a month on Team, and each extra business adds £35 a month. Search is included in both, in beta.
Rheos isn't for you if your team needs one inbox for replies today, or you post mainly to YouTube or Pinterest.
Switching in three steps
- 1Connect Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and X.
- 2Paste your website so Rheos builds your brand.
- 3Let it plan your first week. Posts already queued in Hootsuite go out as planned while your plan there is active.
Questions
Is Rheos cheaper than Hootsuite?
For one person, yes: £55 a month including VAT, against £89 a user a month plus VAT for Hootsuite Standard billed yearly.
Is there a free plan?
Yes. No card. Everything unlocked for your first 10 days, then free forever, or £55 a month for more.
Is search included?
Yes. Search data is included on Business and Team, in beta.
Does it work in Claude and ChatGPT?
Yes. Connect Rheos and plan, draft and schedule from either.
Sources
Hootsuite's plans, pricing and feature pages (hootsuite.com/plans and its help centre) and Rheos's own pricing page, read 31 Oct 2026. UK prices as Hootsuite shows them to a UK visitor.
Other comparisons
All comparisonsBe visible where your customers look
Where Rheos is better for one owner, where Hootsuite is, and the UK price, all above. Try it on your own business.