---
title: "Social media scheduling tools: Which brands are most popular in search?"
description: "Compare tools for planning, scheduling, and publishing social media posts, measured through worldwide English-language branded search demand. Share of Search among Hootsuite, Buffer, Sprout Social, Planoly, Loomly and Later, the social media scheduling tools Brandwave compares worldwide, using the same methodology, market, and reporting period. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time."
canonical: "https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/social-media-scheduling-tools"
publisher: "Brandwave"
---

# Social media scheduling tools: Which brands are most popular in search?

Compare tools for planning, scheduling, and publishing social media posts, measured through worldwide English-language branded search demand. Share of Search among Hootsuite, Buffer, Sprout Social, Planoly, Loomly and Later, the social media scheduling tools Brandwave compares worldwide, using the same methodology, market, and reporting period. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time.

## Key facts

- **Competitive set**: Social media scheduling tools
- **Market**: Global
- **Brands compared**: 6
- **Month measured**: Aug 2026
- **Highest Share of Search**: Hootsuite, 32.3%

## Which brand is most popular in search among social media scheduling tools worldwide?

- In August 2026, Hootsuite was the most searched among social media scheduling tools worldwide, with an estimated 125K branded searches and 32.3% estimated Share of Search within this set.
- Buffer is in 2nd place, 3.4 percentage points behind at 28.9% Share of Search.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Hootsuite’s estimated Share of Search among social media scheduling tools worldwide decreased from 46% to 32.3%.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Buffer’s estimated Share of Search among social media scheduling tools worldwide increased from 7.5% to 28.9%.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Sprout Social’s estimated Share of Search among social media scheduling tools worldwide decreased from 29.1% to 24.8%.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Planoly’s estimated Share of Search among social media scheduling tools worldwide decreased from 5.9% to 5%.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Loomly’s estimated Share of Search among social media scheduling tools worldwide decreased from 7.2% to 4.9%.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Hootsuite’s estimated Share of Search among social media scheduling tools worldwide peaked at 52.8% in January 2026 and was lowest at 29.5% in July 2026.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Buffer’s estimated Share of Search among social media scheduling tools worldwide peaked at 35.8% in July 2026 and was lowest at 6.6% in November 2025.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Sprout Social’s estimated Share of Search among social media scheduling tools worldwide peaked at 29.1% in October 2025 and was lowest at 21.5% in February 2026.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Planoly’s estimated Share of Search among social media scheduling tools worldwide peaked at 6.3% in December 2025 and was lowest at 3.8% in July 2026.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Loomly’s estimated Share of Search among social media scheduling tools worldwide peaked at 7.2% in October 2025 and was lowest at 4.4% in July 2026.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Buffer rose from 3rd to 2nd among social media scheduling tools worldwide.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Sprout Social fell from 2nd to 3rd among social media scheduling tools worldwide.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Planoly rose from 5th to 4th among social media scheduling tools worldwide.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Loomly fell from 4th to 5th among social media scheduling tools worldwide.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Later held steady: its estimated Share of Search among social media scheduling tools worldwide moved less than 0.5 percentage points.

## Compare search popularity between leading brands

- [Hootsuite vs Buffer: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/buffer-vs-hootsuite): 32.3% against 28.9% Share of Search.
- [Hootsuite vs Sprout Social: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/hootsuite-vs-sprout-social): 32.3% against 24.8% Share of Search.
- [Hootsuite vs Planoly: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/hootsuite-vs-planoly): 32.3% against 5% Share of Search.
- [Hootsuite vs Loomly: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/hootsuite-vs-loomly): 32.3% against 4.9% Share of Search.
- [Buffer vs Sprout Social: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/buffer-vs-sprout-social): 28.9% against 24.8% Share of Search.
- [Buffer vs Planoly: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/buffer-vs-planoly): 28.9% against 5% Share of Search.
- [Buffer vs Loomly: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/buffer-vs-loomly): 28.9% against 4.9% Share of Search.
- [Sprout Social vs Planoly: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/planoly-vs-sprout-social): 24.8% against 5% Share of Search.
- [Sprout Social vs Loomly: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/loomly-vs-sprout-social): 24.8% against 4.9% Share of Search.
- [Planoly vs Loomly: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/loomly-vs-planoly): 5% against 4.9% Share of Search.

## How did search popularity change for social media scheduling tools worldwide in August 2026?

- In August 2026, Hootsuite overtook Buffer to take the highest estimated Share of Search among social media scheduling tools worldwide, at 32.3%.
- In August 2026, Planoly overtook Later to rank 4th among social media scheduling tools worldwide, at 5%.
- In August 2026, Sprout Social gained estimated Share of Search among social media scheduling tools worldwide, from 22.5% to 24.8%.
- In August 2026, Buffer lost estimated Share of Search among social media scheduling tools worldwide, from 35.8% to 28.9%.
- Estimated monthly branded searches for Loomly worldwide fell 46.4% over 11 measured months, from 35K to 18.8K in August 2026.
- Estimated monthly branded searches for Later worldwide fell 23.7% over 11 measured months, from 20.4K to 15.6K in August 2026.

## Share of Search ranking

| Rank | Brand | Share of Search | Estimated monthly branded searches | Change vs prior month | Owned by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | Hootsuite | 32.3% | 125K | -1.1% | Hootsuite |
| 2 | Buffer | 28.9% | 112K | -27.3% | Buffer |
| 3 | Sprout Social | 24.8% | 95.6K | -0.9% | Sprout Social |
| 4 | Planoly | 5% | 19.4K | +19.4% | Planoly |
| 5 | Loomly | 4.9% | 18.8K | -0.5% | Loomly |
| 6 | Later | 4% | 15.6K | -8.0% | Later |

## Historical estimated branded-search demand

| Month | Brand | Estimated monthly branded searches | Share of Search | Rank |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Oct 2025 | Hootsuite | 224K | 46% | 1 |
| Oct 2025 | Sprout Social | 142K | 29.1% | 2 |
| Oct 2025 | Buffer | 36.4K | 7.5% | 3 |
| Oct 2025 | Loomly | 35K | 7.2% | 4 |
| Oct 2025 | Planoly | 28.8K | 5.9% | 5 |
| Oct 2025 | Later | 20.4K | 4.2% | 6 |
| Nov 2025 | Hootsuite | 222K | 50.8% | 1 |
| Nov 2025 | Sprout Social | 116K | 26.4% | 2 |
| Nov 2025 | Loomly | 29K | 6.6% | 3 |
| Nov 2025 | Buffer | 28.9K | 6.6% | 4 |
| Nov 2025 | Planoly | 23.6K | 5.4% | 5 |
| Nov 2025 | Later | 18.4K | 4.2% | 6 |
| Dec 2025 | Hootsuite | 183K | 48.8% | 1 |
| Dec 2025 | Sprout Social | 95.5K | 25.5% | 2 |
| Dec 2025 | Buffer | 33.9K | 9% | 3 |
| Dec 2025 | Loomly | 23.6K | 6.3% | 4 |
| Dec 2025 | Planoly | 23.6K | 6.3% | 5 |
| Dec 2025 | Later | 15.3K | 4.1% | 6 |
| Jan 2026 | Hootsuite | 267K | 52.8% | 1 |
| Jan 2026 | Sprout Social | 116K | 22.9% | 2 |
| Jan 2026 | Buffer | 46K | 9.1% | 3 |
| Jan 2026 | Planoly | 28.8K | 5.7% | 4 |
| Jan 2026 | Loomly | 28.8K | 5.7% | 5 |
| Jan 2026 | Later | 19.7K | 3.9% | 6 |
| Feb 2026 | Hootsuite | 227K | 50.7% | 1 |
| Feb 2026 | Sprout Social | 96.1K | 21.5% | 2 |
| Feb 2026 | Buffer | 58.9K | 13.2% | 3 |
| Feb 2026 | Planoly | 23.8K | 5.3% | 4 |
| Feb 2026 | Loomly | 23.6K | 5.3% | 5 |
| Feb 2026 | Later | 18.1K | 4% | 6 |
| Mar 2026 | Hootsuite | 227K | 47.3% | 1 |
| Mar 2026 | Sprout Social | 117K | 24.4% | 2 |
| Mar 2026 | Buffer | 62.3K | 13% | 3 |
| Mar 2026 | Loomly | 28.6K | 6% | 4 |
| Mar 2026 | Planoly | 23.9K | 5% | 5 |
| Mar 2026 | Later | 20.9K | 4.4% | 6 |
| Apr 2026 | Hootsuite | 189K | 43.6% | 1 |
| Apr 2026 | Sprout Social | 96K | 22.1% | 2 |
| Apr 2026 | Buffer | 78.1K | 18% | 3 |
| Apr 2026 | Loomly | 28.2K | 6.5% | 4 |
| Apr 2026 | Planoly | 23.7K | 5.5% | 5 |
| Apr 2026 | Later | 18.7K | 4.3% | 6 |
| May 2026 | Hootsuite | 171K | 42.2% | 1 |
| May 2026 | Sprout Social | 96.5K | 23.9% | 2 |
| May 2026 | Buffer | 77.2K | 19.1% | 3 |
| May 2026 | Loomly | 23.1K | 5.7% | 4 |
| May 2026 | Planoly | 19.6K | 4.8% | 5 |
| May 2026 | Later | 17.6K | 4.3% | 6 |
| Jun 2026 | Hootsuite | 168K | 41% | 1 |
| Jun 2026 | Sprout Social | 97.3K | 23.7% | 2 |
| Jun 2026 | Buffer | 83.5K | 20.3% | 3 |
| Jun 2026 | Loomly | 23.1K | 5.6% | 4 |
| Jun 2026 | Planoly | 19.5K | 4.7% | 5 |
| Jun 2026 | Later | 18.9K | 4.6% | 6 |
| Jul 2026 | Buffer | 154K | 35.8% | 1 |
| Jul 2026 | Hootsuite | 126K | 29.5% | 2 |
| Jul 2026 | Sprout Social | 96.5K | 22.5% | 3 |
| Jul 2026 | Loomly | 18.9K | 4.4% | 4 |
| Jul 2026 | Later | 16.9K | 4% | 5 |
| Jul 2026 | Planoly | 16.3K | 3.8% | 6 |
| Aug 2026 | Hootsuite | 125K | 32.3% | 1 |
| Aug 2026 | Buffer | 112K | 28.9% | 2 |
| Aug 2026 | Sprout Social | 95.6K | 24.8% | 3 |
| Aug 2026 | Planoly | 19.4K | 5% | 4 |
| Aug 2026 | Loomly | 18.8K | 4.9% | 5 |
| Aug 2026 | Later | 15.6K | 4% | 6 |
| Sep 2026 | Buffer | — | — | — |
| Sep 2026 | Hootsuite | — | — | — |
| Sep 2026 | Later | — | — | — |
| Sep 2026 | Loomly | — | — | — |
| Sep 2026 | Planoly | — | — | — |
| Sep 2026 | Sprout Social | — | — | — |

## What is being compared

- **Buffer**: Measured on the search terms “buffer app for instagram”, “buffer app instagram”, “buffer app twitter”, “buffer com”, “buffer for instagram”, “buffer for twitter”, “buffer instagram scheduling”, “buffer linkedin”, “buffer linkedin scheduling”, “buffer pricing”, “buffer publish”, “buffer scheduling tool”, “buffer social”, “buffer social management”, “buffer social media”, “buffer social media management”, “buffer social media management tool”, “buffer social media marketing”, “buffer social media marketing tool”, “buffer social media scheduling”, “buffer social media tool”, “buffer social tool” and “Buffer.com”, summed into one figure.
- **Hootsuite**: Measured on the search terms “hoot suite com”, “hootsuite”, “hootsuite ads”, “hootsuite advertising”, “hootsuite analytics”, “hootsuite app”, “hootsuite application”, “hootsuite cost”, “hootsuite enterprise”, “hootsuite for nonprofits”, “hootsuite insights”, “hootsuite media”, “hootsuite planner”, “hootsuite plans”, “hootsuite plans and pricing”, “hootsuite pricing”, “hootsuite pricing plans”, “hootsuite professional plan”, “hootsuite reports”, “hootsuite sentiment analysis”, “hootsuite social”, “hootsuite social listening”, “hootsuite social listening tool”, “hootsuite social marketing”, “hootsuite social media”, “hootsuite social media analytics”, “hootsuite social media listening”, “hootsuite social media management”, “hootsuite social media manager”, “hootsuite social media marketing”, “hootsuite social media monitoring”, “hootsuite social media planner”, “hootsuite social media scheduler”, “hootsuite social media scheduling”, “hootsuite social media tools”, “hootsuite social monitoring”, “professional plan hootsuite”, “social listening on hootsuite”, “social media analytics hootsuite” and “social media plan hootsuite”, summed into one figure.
- **Later**: Measured on the search terms “later app”, “later com”, “later influencer marketing”, “later instagram planning”, “later instagram scheduler”, “later instagram scheduling”, “later link in bio”, “later pricing”, “later scheduling app”, “later social media”, “later social media management”, “later social media management tool”, “later social media planning”, “later social media scheduler”, “later social media tool”, “later social scheduling”, “Later.com”, “linkinbio by later” and “linkinbio later”, summed into one figure.
- **Loomly**: Measured on the search terms “loomly”, “loomly ai”, “loomly analytics”, “loomly calendar”, “loomly com”, “loomly content calendar”, “loomly cost”, “loomly free”, “loomly free plan”, “loomly free trial”, “loomly pricing”, “loomly social media” and “loomly social media management”, summed into one figure.
- **Planoly**: Measured on the search terms “app planoly”, “instagram planoly”, “planoly”, “planoly analytics”, “planoly app”, “planoly calendar”, “planoly com”, “planoly cost”, “planoly desktop”, “planoly for desktop”, “planoly for instagram”, “planoly free”, “planoly free plan”, “planoly instagram”, “planoly instagram planner”, “planoly plans”, “planoly pricing” and “planoly social media”, summed into one figure.
- **Sprout Social**: Measured on the search terms “social listening sprout social”, “social media sprout social”, “sprout social”, “sprout social analytics”, “sprout social app”, “sprout social com”, “sprout social community management”, “sprout social cost”, “sprout social for agencies”, “sprout social for nonprofits”, “sprout social influencer marketing”, “sprout social influencers”, “sprout social link in bio”, “sprout social listening”, “sprout social management”, “sprout social media”, “sprout social media analytics”, “sprout social media management”, “sprout social media monitoring”, “sprout social platform”, “sprout social premium analytics”, “sprout social pricing”, “sprout social reporting”, “sprout social social listening”, “sprout social social media”, “sprout social tiktok” and “sproutsocialcom”, summed into one figure.

- [Buffer](/demand/global-en/brands/buffer)
- [Hootsuite](/demand/global-en/brands/hootsuite)
- [Later](/demand/global-en/brands/later)
- [Loomly](/demand/global-en/brands/loomly)
- [Planoly](/demand/global-en/brands/planoly)
- [Sprout Social](/demand/global-en/brands/sprout-social)

## Methodology

- [How is branded search demand measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused.

## Frequently asked questions

### Which brand is most popular in search among social media scheduling tools worldwide?

In August 2026, Hootsuite was the most searched among social media scheduling tools worldwide, with an estimated 125K branded searches and 32.3% estimated Share of Search within this set. Worldwide · English terms: these are worldwide searches for English-language branded terms.

## Cite this page

Brandwave. "Social media scheduling tools: Which brands are most popular in search?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/social-media-scheduling-tools

This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/social-media-scheduling-tools. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.