Hopper HQ vs Publer (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Publer grades higher than Hopper HQ: 2.6 against 2.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Hopper HQ grades higher on value for money. Publer grades higher on ease of use. They get the same grade on the free plan, features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Hopper HQ
Social media scheduler priced per connected account
Publer
Social media scheduler priced by connected accounts and members
Which one is for you
Pick Hopper HQ if
- Fits if you manage one to three accounts yourself and want the cost to follow the count
- Works for creators who plan an Instagram grid in advance
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want a free plan, as there's only a 14-day trial
- Pricey if you have many accounts: ten on Scale are $100 a month
- Too light for teams on Grow, which is one user
- Watch out: approvals and team permissions need Scale at double the price
Pick Publer if
- Fits if you post to less common places like Telegram, Mastodon or WordPress
- Works for one or two accounts, at $4 to $8 an account a month billed yearly
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you answer lots of comments and DMs, as no inbox is listed
- Tight if you're free: no X, 10 queued posts per account and 24 hours of post history
- Pricey if your team keeps growing, because every account and member adds to the bill
- Watch out: analytics, approvals and recycling need Business, and the API goes only to eligible customers
- Watch out: paid plans cap daily posting, and only Enterprise lifts the cap
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAHopper HQFair | 2.6GPAPublerGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | B$5 per connected account a month on yearly billing, so three accounts are $15, near the edge of the $14 cheaper quarter. Scale is $10 per account, and the bill grows with every account. | CBusiness, the plan with analytics and approvals, is $8 an account a month billed yearly, so five accounts are $40, and each extra team member adds to that. That's above this category's $29 middle and under the $58 dearer quarter. Professional is $20 for five. |
| Free plan and trial | CNo free plan. A 14-day trial on every plan; the listing doesn't say a card is asked for. | CFree for good with 3 accounts and 10 queued posts each, but no X, 25 drafts and only 24 hours of published-post history, and analytics are a Business thing. Tight for a business. |
| Features | CCalendar, bulk upload, Instagram grid planner, AI captions, analytics and link in bio. Grow is one user only, with team permissions and approvals left to Scale. | CCalendar, bulk uploads of up to 500 posts, RSS, recycling, AI, competitor tracking and approvals on Business. The gaps it shows: no social inbox in its listing, a daily posting cap only Enterprise lifts, and an API only for eligible customers. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. Each account needs connecting, and the grid planner and calendar need setting up. | AIts iPhone and iPad app averages 4.75 from about 26,600 ratings. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb plus iOS and Android apps, with the networks it posts to the only connections listed. | BWeb, iPhone, Android and a browser extension, with Canva, Google Drive, Unsplash, WordPress and Linkie. No desktop app, which an A needs. |
| Best for | scheduling priced per connected account | scheduling to lots of networks, priced per account |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Hopper HQ and Publer. How we grade
Price against what you get
Hopper HQ starts at $5 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Publer starts at $4 a month and scores 3.0.
Publer scores higher and starts $1 a month lower. Of the other social media schedulers on the chart, 1 scores higher than Hopper HQ for less, and none scores higher than Publer for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Hopper HQ also covers templates.
At a glance
| Hopper HQ | Publer | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $5 per connected account / month, billed annually ($6 billed monthly) | $4 per month for 1 social account, billed yearly ($5 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | None | 1 user, 1 workspace, 3 social accounts other than X, 10 scheduled posts per account at a time and 25 drafts. |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial on every plan | 7-day free trial of Professional, 14-day free trial of Business |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Hopper HQ Ltd | Kalemi |
| Price read from | hopperhq.com | publer.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Hopper HQ
- Price scales with each connected social account: three accounts on Grow cost $15 a month billed annually.
- Grow allows one user; team permissions and approvals need Scale.
- There is no free plan, only a 14-day trial.
Publer
- The Free plan leaves out X, holds 10 scheduled posts per account at a time and keeps published posts for 24 hours.
- Listed prices are for a single social account; each added account and team member raises the total, with every tenth one free.
- Analytics, best times, competitor analysis, recycling, approvals and unlimited AI need Business; the API goes only to eligible Business and Enterprise customers.
- Paid plans schedule without limit but cap daily posting to prevent spam; only Enterprise lifts Publer's daily cap.
Key features
Hopper HQ
- Visual calendar and auto-publishing
- Plan posts, stories, reels and carousels on one calendar; the page says they publish on schedule without phone reminders.
- Bulk upload
- Schedule hundreds of posts in one go, including through a CSV importer.
- Instagram grid planner
- Drag upcoming posts around a grid preview until the Instagram layout looks the way you want.
- AI caption and hashtag tools
- Generates captions and hashtag suggestions per post, and can add a first comment when a post goes live.
- Analytics and reports
- Shows which posts performed and when the audience is active, so later posts can be timed around it.
- Link in bio pages
- Builds a link-in-bio page that points followers to what you sell; it is included on both plans.
Publer
- Calendar and cross-posting
- Posts for Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, Threads, LinkedIn, Pinterest, YouTube, Bluesky, Mastodon, Telegram, Google Business Profile and WordPress are planned on a drag-and-drop calendar.
- Bulk scheduling and RSS
- Up to 500 posts at once from a CSV file or a bulk media upload, and RSS feeds that auto-schedule new articles, on paid plans.
- Recycling and AutoSchedule
- Posting schedules fill slots automatically on every plan, and Business adds automatic recycling of evergreen posts with Spintax variations.
- Analytics and competitors
- Business adds post and account analytics, downloadable reports, best times to post, hashtag analytics and competitor tracking.
- AI Assist
- AI writes captions, completes text, makes images and suggests comment replies; prompts are unlimited on Business.
- Workspaces and approvals
- Paid plans get unlimited workspaces and roles per social account, and Business adds approval workflows for teams and outside clients.
Plans
Hopper HQ
Grow$5
per connected account / month, billed annually ($6 billed monthly)
One user. Post planner, calendar, unlimited posts and AI assistant, analytics, link in bio and mobile apps.
Scale$10
per connected account / month, billed annually ($12 billed monthly)
Everything in Grow, plus unlimited users, team permissions and content approvals.
Publer
Free$0
3 social accounts (no X), 10 queued posts per account, 25 drafts and 24 hours of published-post history.
Professional$4
per month for 1 social account, billed yearly ($5 billed monthly)
X support, unlimited scheduling and workspaces, bulk scheduling, RSS automations and full post history. Each added account or member raises the price.
Business$8
per month for 1 social account, billed yearly ($10 billed monthly)
Analytics and reports, best times, competitor analysis, post recycling, approvals, unlimited AI and the API. Each added account or member raises the price.
EnterpriseCustom
Volume discounts, 1:1 onboarding, priority support, no daily posting cap from Publer and payment by purchase order or wire.
Ways to pay less
Hopper HQ
- Annual discount
Annual billing lowers the per-account price
Grow is $5 per account per month billed annually against $6 billed monthly; Scale is $10 against $12.
Publer
- Annual discount
20% off with yearly billing
Publer's help center gives yearly billing a 20% discount: $4 a month instead of $5 for Professional and $8 instead of $10 for Business at one account.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Hopper HQ or Publer?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Publer is cheaper to start with: $4 a month, against $5 a month for Hopper HQ. Hopper HQ starts at $5 per connected account / month, billed annually ($6 billed monthly), and Publer starts at $4 per month for 1 social account, billed yearly ($5 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, Hopper HQ or Publer?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Publer has a free plan. Hopper HQ does not, though it has a free trial.
Which platforms do Hopper HQ and Publer run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Publer lists a browser extension. Both list a web app and iOS and Android apps. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.