Hootsuite and Buffer Alternatives for Publishing in Arabic (2026)

Are you looking for a Hootsuite alternative or a Buffer alternative because you mainly publish in Arabic or Darija? Here’s why many businesses are switching tools, based on the pricing and help pages of both providers, along with criteria for choosing a tool suited to Arabic and four alternatives: Postilik, Metricool, Later and Meta Business Suite. To first see how a tool for scheduling your posts across multiple networks works, start with this page.

Transparency: this article is published on the Postilik blog, and Postilik is one of the alternatives presented here. Every piece of information about the other tools therefore comes from their official pages, consulted on October 26, 2026, and we indicate when another tool may be a better fit for you. Check each tool’s page before making a decision.

Why look for a Hootsuite alternative for Arabic?

Hootsuite and Buffer both have real strengths. But their official pages show why small teams in Morocco and across the Arab world are looking elsewhere:

• No free plan with Hootsuite: the plans page offers a 14-day free trial with no credit card required, followed by paid plans starting at $99 for Standard, $199 for Professional and up to $399 for Advanced. The page specifies that prices are based on annual billing and that some are calculated per user, per month.
• Buffer charges by channel: the free plan allows 3 channels and 10 scheduled posts per channel. Paid plans are then priced according to the number of channels ($5 per channel for Essentials and $10 for Team, according to the pricing page).
• Interface language: Buffer’s help center states that the web version and iOS app are available only in English, while the Android app offers several languages, including Arabic. Hootsuite’s plans page does not list the interface languages: check during the trial.
• Writing in dialect: both tools offer AI writing assistance (Hootsuite’s Standard plan mentions AI-generated posts and images). We have not tested the quality of their texts in Darija or other dialects, so we do not assess it. The safest approach is to try a real post in your customers’ dialect before subscribing.

That does not make them bad tools: a large team may find that Hootsuite is worth the price, while Buffer’s free plan is enough for anyone publishing on two or three channels.

Criteria for choosing a tool suited to Arabic

Before comparing names, define your actual needs:

• Writing in dialect, not just translating: a customer in Casablanca does not write like a customer in Riyadh or Cairo. Test whether the tool's AI writes naturally in Darija or Egyptian Arabic, or produces translated Modern Standard Arabic.
• Right-to-left display: open the preview and check that the caption, Arabic hashtags, numbers and emojis are positioned correctly.
• Your audience's social networks: some tools support neither Snapchat, nor Google Business Profile, nor X. List your networks and compare them with each tool's list.
• Messages after publication: if your customers ask for the price in a comment or a private message, a unified inbox saves you from switching between applications.
• The calendar and key occasions: Ramadan and holidays move each year in the Gregorian calendar. Hijri dates in the calendar help you plan ahead.
• Pricing model: per user, per channel, per brand or by number of accounts. Calculate the cost based on your actual number of accounts.

4 alternatives to Hootsuite and Buffer

1. Postilik: write in dialect and publish on 9 networks

Postilik is designed for businesses that speak to their customers in Arabic. You write an idea, and the tool turns it into a different post for each network, in Moroccan Darija, Gulf Arabic, Egyptian, Levantine, Iraqi, Sudanese or Modern Standard Arabic, as well as French or English. It then schedules and publishes on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, LinkedIn, X, Threads, Pinterest, Snapchat and Google Business Profile.

• Strengths: checks each network's rules before scheduling, not after a failed attempt; image editor with 4:5 and 9:16 formats; calendar with month, week and day views, including Hijri dates and upcoming occasions; a single inbox for private messages, comments, and Google and Facebook reviews. You can invite your team by email and manage several businesses from the same account.
• Limitations: accounts are currently opened on request, so there is no immediate sign-up. Prices are in US dollars and depend on the number of accounts managed.
• Who it's for: shops, restaurants and agencies in Morocco and the region that publish in their customers' dialects across several networks and handle their own messages.

2. Metricool: a free plan and detailed analytics

Metricool, which is well established in the French-speaking market, brings together scheduling, analytics and competitor analysis. According to its pricing page, the free plan allows one brand and up to 20 scheduled posts per month, without LinkedIn or X. The Starter plan starts at $20 per month with annual billing (excluding VAT) for five brands, and X requires a paid add-on on all plans.

• Strengths: a genuine free plan, per-brand pricing suited to agencies, and detailed reports.
• Limitations: we have not tested its writing in Arabic dialects, and the free plan provides only 5 AI credits per brand per month.
• Who it's for: those who want advanced analytics on a small budget.

3. Later: visual planning for Instagram and TikTok

Later is known for its visual planning for Instagram. Its pricing page states that the plans cover Instagram, Facebook, Threads, Pinterest, TikTok, LinkedIn, YouTube and Snapchat, and that the Starter plan begins at $18.75 per month with annual billing, for one account group (8 profiles), one user and 30 posts per profile, with a 14-day free trial.

• Strengths: a visual interface for organising your Instagram feed, and Snapchat.
• Limitations: neither X nor Google Business Profile is included in the list of networks, and the first plan has a limited number of posts.
• Who it's for: brands whose content relies on images and video, especially in fashion and beauty.

4. Meta Business Suite: the free option for Facebook and Instagram

Meta Business Suite is Meta's free tool for managing Facebook, Instagram and Messenger in one place: scheduling posts, stories and ads, a calendar, an inbox and analytics. If you are only on Facebook and Instagram, it may be enough. Note that Meta launched Meta One subscriptions in September 2026, and that certain scheduling features in the Instagram app, such as scheduled stories or scheduling more than 30 days ahead, are linked to paid plans. We explain the differences in our Postilik and Meta Business Suite comparison.

• Strengths: free, directly connected to your Meta accounts, with ads included.
• Limitations: does not cover TikTok, LinkedIn, X or other networks outside Meta.
• Who it's for: beginners who work exclusively on Facebook and Instagram.

Comparison table (as of October 26, 2026)

Figures taken from the official pricing pages on October 26, 2026; they may vary depending on the country and billing frequency.

Tool	Free option	First paid plan	Things to note for Arabic
Hootsuite	14-day trial only	Starting at $99 (Standard, annual billing)	Interface languages not listed on the plans page
Buffer	3 channels, 10 posts per channel	$5 per channel (Essentials)	Web and iOS in English only, Android in Arabic
Postilik	Access upon request	Priced in dollars, depending on the number of accounts	Six dialects and Modern Standard Arabic, Hijri calendar, 9 networks
Metricool	1 brand, 20 posts per month	Starting at $20 (Starter, annual billing)	LinkedIn and X not included in the free plan
Later	14-day trial	Starting at $18.75 (Starter, annual billing)	Snapchat included, without X or a Google Business Profile
Meta Business Suite	Free	Optional Meta One subscriptions	Facebook and Instagram only

For other tools, see our comparison of scheduling tools for Morocco.

Which tool should you choose for your situation?

• Stick with Hootsuite if you are a large team that needs advanced reporting and approval workflows, and budget is not a concern.
• Choose Buffer if you post on three channels or fewer and write your own copy: the free plan may be enough.
• Choose Metricool if statistics and competitor analysis are your top priorities, or if you manage multiple brands on a tight budget.
• Choose Later if Instagram and TikTok are at the heart of your business and you want to organize your content visually.
• Choose Meta Business Suite if you are only on Facebook and Instagram and want a free solution. For the practical steps, see our guide to scheduling an Instagram post in three ways.
• Choose Postilik if you communicate with your customers in Darija or another dialect, post on multiple networks, and want messages, comments, and reviews in one place.

Read also:

• Post on Google Business Profile to Attract Local Customers
• Social Media Content Calendar: A Monthly Plan

How to test an alternative before migrating

Don't migrate everything at once. Test a week's worth of posts in the new tool:

1. Connect just two accounts, for example Instagram and Facebook.
2. Write a post about a real offer in your customers' dialect and check the preview on each network.
3. Schedule it for when your audience is active and check that it goes out at the right time in your time zone.
4. Reply to a comment or message from the tool.

If Postilik fits the way you work, you can request to open your account from the homepage: we'll write to you as soon as it's ready.