Brandwave

Hootsuite vs Later:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Hootsuite had more branded searches than Later among AI social media tools worldwide. Hootsuite had about 113,000 branded searches, while Later had 9,280. Hootsuite made up 12.9% of all AI social media tool searches we track, and Later accounted for 1.1%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about AI social media tools, Hootsuite and Later each appeared in four of the five answers. Later was mentioned before Hootsuite in three out of five answers.

Among AI social media tools worldwide in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Hootsuite, about 12 searches for every 1 for Later

Hootsuite 113K searchesLater 9.3K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Both were mentioned in 4 of 5 answers.

Hootsuite in 4 of 5Later in 4 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Later, named ahead of Hootsuite in 3 of 5 answers

Later first in 3Hootsuite first in 2

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Top AI social media tools in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Hootsuite was mentioned in four out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in both Google AI Overviews. Later was mentioned in four out of five: in all three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Later was listed before Hootsuite in three out of five answers.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Buffer1st
  2. Later2nd
  3. Hootsuite3rd
  4. Predis.ai4th
  5. Metricool5th
  6. Sprout Social6th
  7. Ocoya–
  8. Postwise–

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • Buffer5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Hootsuite4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Later4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Metricool3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Sprout Social3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Predis.ai3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Ocoya0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Postwise0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about AI social media tools

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 20, 2026.

Is Hootsuite or Later more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Hootsuite and Later by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all eight AI social media tools we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.

Hootsuite and Later among AI social media tools worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for Hootsuite, Later. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthMetricoolBufferHootsuiteSprout SocialPredis.aiLaterOcoyaPostwise
Oct 202541.9%3.8%28.7%19%3.8%1.8%0.92%0.14%
Nov 202543.9%3.2%30%16.3%3.9%1.7%0.79%0.15%
Dec 202548.2%3.9%27.1%14.7%3.6%1.6%0.7%0.14%
Jan 202640%4.8%33.4%14.9%4.4%1.7%0.72%0.13%
Feb 202643%7.1%29.5%13.2%4.7%1.7%0.63%0.13%
Mar 202646.3%6.9%26%14.1%4.2%1.7%0.68%0.13%
Apr 202648.8%9.3%22.7%12.2%4.4%1.6%0.87%0.12%
May 202651.2%9.5%20.4%12.8%3.8%1.6%0.61%0.08%
Jun 202651.1%9.1%21.7%12.8%3.1%1.7%0.5%0.08%
Jul 202649.3%18.7%15.2%12.3%2.4%1.5%0.59%0.06%
Aug 202652.3%14.2%16%13%2.6%1.4%0.51%0.07%
Sep 202651.4%21.4%12.9%10.5%2.1%1.1%0.5%0.11%

How has the Hootsuite and Later comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • Hootsuite was ahead of Later in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Hootsuite’s share of searches among AI social media tools worldwide moved from 28.7% to 12.9%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 207K to 113K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Later’s share of searches among AI social media tools worldwide moved from 1.8% to 1.1%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 13.2K to 9.3K.

How did search popularity change for AI social media tools worldwide in September 2026?

3 changes

  1. In September 2026, Buffer overtook Hootsuite to rank 2nd among AI social media tools worldwide, with 21.4% of the searches.

  2. In September 2026, Hootsuite lost share of searches among AI social media tools worldwide, from 16% to 12.9%.

  3. Later’s share of searches among AI social media tools worldwide has lost ground for 3 months in a row, from 1.7% to 1.1% in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted?

30 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Hootsuite’s and Later’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.

Hootsuite

20 branded search terms

  • hootsuite
  • hootsuite ads
  • hootsuite analytics
  • hootsuite app
  • hootsuite application
  • hootsuite enterprise
  • hootsuite for nonprofits
  • hootsuite insights
  • hootsuite media
  • hootsuite reports
  • hootsuite sentiment analysis
  • hootsuite social
  • hootsuite social listening
  • hootsuite social marketing
  • hootsuite social media
  • hootsuite social media listening
  • hootsuite social media marketing
  • hootsuite social media monitoring
  • hootsuite social monitoring
  • social listening on hootsuite

Later

10 branded search terms

  • later app
  • later influencer marketing
  • later instagram planning
  • later instagram scheduler
  • later instagram scheduling
  • later scheduling app
  • later social media
  • later social scheduling
  • linkinbio by later
  • linkinbio later

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among AI social media tools

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