If you find the cost of Hootsuite to be impractical or the free service too limiting, then you probably are looking for an alternative social media manager.
The good news is, there are open-source alternatives to Hootsuite.
While there may not be many options available, these Hootsuite alternatives can serve as a template for a more personalized experience.
Here Is What You Need to Know about Open-Source Alternatives to Hootsuite
The few open-source alternatives to Hootsuite that exist allow you to customize source codes. However, customization requires knowledge of software development, and you might be better off subscribing to Hootsuite or another social media management tool if you are not a software expert.
What Are the Best Open-Source Alternatives to Hootsuite?
1. Socioboard
Socioboard is a social media management system that helps you engage with your audience and make management easier.
It has scheduling functions, news feeds, analytics, CRM, and a help desk, among other tools.
You can customize Socioboard to adapt to your workflow. It also features social listening so you can gauge the sentiments of your audience.
It also has a mobile app and offers collaboration with other Socioboard users.
Socioboard has a free plan, and paid subscriptions start at $4.99 a month.
2. Circular
Circular is an open-source Twitter management tool.
To use it, you must log in to your Twitter profile to create your account.
According to the developers, Circular is based on the social media management tool Buffer—but it only takes the good parts of it.
Circular is a free service, which makes it the most affordable. But, as mentioned, it focuses on Twitter, so you can only add Twitter profiles for management.
3. Kontentino
If there is an open-source social media dashboard that can match up to Hootsuite, it’s Kontentino.
The features of Kontentino are not that far off from Hootsuite—it actually has most of Hootsuite’s features.
It is also a service trusted by many other businesses worldwide, including high-profile brands such as Asahi and Ikea.
The cost of Kontentino starts at around $51 with add-ons at cost, depending on the features you need.
How Good Is Socioboard Compared to Hootsuite?
Socioboard is free to use, but, like Hootsuite, you get to unlock more features when you sign-up for its paid subscriptions.
These paid subscriptions start at $4.99 a month, which unlocks up to five team members and a few other features.
When comparing Hootsuite’s features to Socioboard, Socioboard gives you features that are between the Team (worth $99 monthly) and Business (costs $599 a month) plan of Hootsuite.
At that price point, it seems Socioboard would be hard to beat. But the strength of Hootsuite comes down to the quality of its features.
Hootsuite is known for its easy-to-use integrations and plug-ins with lots of other software and services.
While you can do integrations with Socioboard, it is more complicated. Since it is open-source, beginners and those who are not familiar with coding or altering a system’s source code will have a hard time integrating other services.
How Good is Kontentino Compared to Hootsuite?
Kontentino itself has admitted that Hootsuite has more features.
But the company takes pride in being more streamlined and up-to-date, and it has integrated other newer post formats, such as image carousels.
Posting-wise, Hootsuite has a faster process. This easy publishing process gives Hootsuite an edge since it allows you to post updates quickly.
While Kontentino’s more involved posting process may put it at a disadvantage, the process does help you put measures in place so that all your content meets a standard.
How Good is Circular Compared to Hootsuite?
Given the Twitter-centric nature of Circular, this open-source management system does not match up to Hootsuite, as Hootsuite can manage Twitter as well as other social media accounts.
The main point of having third-party services such as Hootsuite is to have a single system to help you oversee your different social media assets.
If you can only use your social media manager for Twitter, then that defeats the purpose of using a social media management tool.
We suggest using more established Twitter-oriented systems such as Tweetdeck or using the native Twitter app, which already offers scheduling and basic analytics.
How Many People Use These Open-Source Social Media Management Tools?
The truth is, these open-source social media management tools are not that popular.
Even though the opportunity to alter these systems’ source codes and customize your experience sounds appealing, the overhead needed to customize these systems costs as much, if not more, as subscribing to Hootsuite.
But if you are confident in your ability to customize the code and create an ideal experience, give it a shot!
While there may not be as many users of these open-source alternatives, there are some, like Kontentino, that are reputable and are used by big businesses and brands such as BBDO, Ikea, Ogilvy, and Asahi, among others.
Are Any Parts of Hootsuite Open-Source?
Most of the components of Hootsuite are proprietary. There are only a handful of open-source services available, such as the WordPress integration.
But Hootsuite is open to developers to customize their Hootsuite experience. Developers may register with Hootsuite to be given access.
App developers who register with Hootsuite may opt to submit their apps for review and inclusion in the app directory.
Note that app submission is not mandatory if the add-on is only for the use of the developer.
How Do I Know if the System Is Open-Source?
An open-source system means that the codes used to make the software or application are available for anyone to download and improve.
But what sets open-source apart from any other system that has its codes published on the web is that the developers themselves publish and distribute it for free.
Developers encourage other users to improve and customize the system and link or cite them as the basis of the system.
Final Thoughts
If you have programming knowledge, exploring open-source solutions for social media is a good idea, but it may take time. You will need to study them and compare how they perform compared to proprietary systems.
The nice thing about open-source is that it provides a template, and you can add features that leading systems cannot provide so that you can have apps that are representative of the needs of your business.
But be aware that open-source social media solutions may need a lot of work on the front-end, and Hootsuite or another social media management system like it may end up being the best option.
Sources:
Hootsuite vs. Kontentino: Which tool is better for you?
10 Best Free and Open Source Social Media Management Software
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