Hootsuite Review (2024)
Our Research
Hootsuite is one of the oldest social media management tools in the industry. It boasts a wide feature set that serves as a digital social media manager. Granted, it doesn’t eliminate the need for an in-house marketing professional but it does help supercharge their social media marketing efforts. While it used to offer a free plan, it has discontinued it as of March 2023 and with prices starting at $99 per month (with annual billing), it’s not the most affordable option on the market. Find out if it’s the right choice for you with our hands-on Hootsuite review.
Hootsuite Pros & Cons
Pros
- Multiprofile scheduling
- Unlimited posts with all plans
- Schedule and publish directly from Hootsuite
- Post time optimization
- Includes stock photos
- Integrates with Canva
- Grammarly is built in
- Free 30-day trial
Cons
- No longer offers a free plan
- It’s expensive
- Free trial requires a credit card
- Support is slow to reply
- Does not integrate with Google Business Profile
Hootsuite at a Glance 9.5 Editor Score
Features & Integrations
9.5
Analytics & Reporting
9.5
Ease Of Use
9.5
Pricing & Packages
9.6
Customer Service
9.5
9.5 Editor Score
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Hootsuite: At a Glance
- Hootsuite is a leading social media management tool that streamlines and supercharges the process of managing multiple social media accounts.
- It is one of the biggest names in the social media management industry as it was one of the first social media management platforms of its kind.
- In addition to its core features, it uniquely offers a depth of data-driven insights that are hard to come by with competing products.
Pros
Hootsuite has grown into a very comprehensive platform and yet, despite its long list of features, it is very user-friendly. What’s nice is that it is evolving and improving constantly―with a focus on making the process of simultaneously managing multiple social accounts easier and more efficient. For example, it now integrates with Grammarly to help uphold quality writing and Canva for creating graphics for social posts easily.
Cons
While Hootsuite was once available for free, that is no longer the case. With plans starting at $99 per year, it’s not the most competitively priced platform in the market. For example, two of its direct competitors cost a fraction of the price, with Zoho Social starting at $10 per month and Buffer at $0. Aside from pricing, another pitfall of Hootsuite is that it only includes training and advanced analytics with its top-tier plan and its support can take hours to respond.
How Hootsuite Works
With Hootsuite, users can collect all of their social media accounts and manage them simultaneously from one centralized platform. Not only does it streamline the social media marketing efforts but it also helps businesses stay organized with content calendars, the ability to create, schedule and publish posts, manage social ads, engage with your audience and get informative insights based on your social media data and analytics.
Hootsuite Core Features
As one of the most robust social media management tools, Hootsuite has a large number of features that help businesses manage different social media accounts in one place more effectively. Its core offerings include social media content planning and publishing, audience engagement tools, analytics and social advertising.
Content Planning and Publishing
Hootsuite’s original main feature was its ability to connect multiple social accounts in one place and use one content calendar to schedule and publish content―and it’s still one of the key features today. It has a robust content calendar where users can view and edit all upcoming posts. In my experience, I found its post creator to be very a user-friendly tool, largely because it is very intuitive. It comes complete with the ability to upload images or graphics, add images from its built-in stock library or design visuals with Canva directly through the Hootsuite interface. When its time publish the post, users can choose to publish immediately or select a future date when Hootsuite will automatically push it live.
Additionally, it also has features that are designed help assist users create and publish content more easily. For example, it has a built-in artificial intelligence (AI) writing assistant to help users craft compelling social content. It also has an “Inspiration” section to help you come up with new content ideas, repurpose high-performing content and convert website content, such as blog posts, into social posts.
Social Media Engagement Tools
In addition to helping users build out quality content, Hootsuite also helps users more effectively engage with their audiences. It has a helpful unified social inbox where you can monitor all direct messages across social platforms in one place. As simple as it sounds, it’s a tremendous time-saver and helps ensure that you and your team never miss a message. It also has listening streams to help you identify and stay ahead of trending topics better, auto-responders to answer questions 24/7 and assignment tags quickly to route communications better.
Analytics
Part of what makes Hootsuite so powerful is its ability to collect, unify and disseminate data across all social accounts with its unified social analytics, giving users great insights that they might be hard-pressed to gain on their own. It has customizable social media analytics reports as well as reports that compare your performance to others in your industry. This way businesses can gauge their own performance to industry benchmarks and use the insights to stay ahead of the competition.
Advertising
Businesses that advertise on social, can manage their paid content in addition to their organic content on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. How it works is that you can set up “auto-boost” existing ad campaigns through Hootsuite, which auto-optimize effectively based on your set objectives, timelines, criteria and audiences. However, it’s worth noting that you have to set up ad campaigns directly through the ad platforms, such as Facebook Ads to use this feature.
This can be an insightful feature for businesses that are interested in streamlining the platforms that they use as ads can be created, deployed and monitored directly through Hootsuite. What’s nice about this feature is that while it makes the process of ad creation really easy, it also gives a great deal of insights. On top of that, businesses can then have an easier way of comparing the performance of their organic content to their paid content.
What Sets Hootsuite Apart
Hootsuite stands out for two main reasons―and for two reasons that rarely occur in conjunction. First, Hootsuite is extremely feature-rich. It does do just about anything and everything that a social media manager would need to do to perform their job. However, that doesn’t mean you won’t need someone to manage Hootsuite and develop social strategy. The second reason is that it’s extremely easy to use. So, despite offering a wide range of features, it doesn’t have much of a learning curve, making it quick to get set up and a painless process to learn how to use.
Hootsuite Pricing and Plans
| Professional | Team | Enterprise | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Price (Billed Annually) | $99 per month | $249 per month | Custom |
| Maximum Social Accounts | 10 | 20 | 50 |
| Maximum Users | One | Three | Five |
| Social Networks | Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube and Pinterest | Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube and Pinterest | Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube and Pinterest |
| Unlimited Posts | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Draft, Schedule and Publish Posts | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Post Time Optimization | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Bulk Scheduling | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Reports and Analytics | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Canva Integration | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Grammarly Integration | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Roles and Permissions | No | Yes | Yes |
| Social Content Calendar Sharing | No | Yes | Yes |
| Automated Link Tracking | No | Yes | Yes |
| Approval Workflows | No | No | Yes |
| Advanced Reporting | No | No | Yes |
Professional Plan
Hootsuite’s Professional plan costs $99 per month with annual billing and includes the one user and up to 10 social connections. While it’s an entry-level plan, it is still very feature-rich. Users get access to the full content calendar, the ability to create, schedule and public unlimited posts per month, analytics and a variety of social engagement tools, such as an all-in-one centralized inbox and contact management.
It’s a good choice for the average business looking to streamline and enhance its in-house social media effort. However, it’s not ideal for large businesses or agencies managing other businesses’ social accounts.
Team Plan
The Team plan jumps up to $249 per month with annual billing and includes up to three users and 20 social accounts. It comes with everything from the Professional plan, but a handful of additional features, such as automated link tracking and social content calendar sharing. Because it includes more social accounts and users it’s well-suited for medium to large businesses with an in-house marketing team.
Enterprise Plan
The Enterprise plan has custom pricing and you can request a demo. It includes up to five users and 50 social accounts. On top of the additional users and social connections, it also includes a further depth of insight with more advanced analytics and reporting that data-savvy businesses can use to better inform social strategy. It also includes advanced user permissions, approval workflows, dashboard notifications, campaign planning and more. It’s geared toward large businesses. It may also be a good option for a growing agency managing a limited number of client accounts.
Setup
The setup process is pretty straightforward and it offers a 30-day free trial to help new users decide whether it’s right for them. To start your free trial, you will first need to input your full name, business email address and password. From there, you will be redirected to a page where you are required to select a paid plan and input your payment information. Be sure to select whether you would like to sign up for a monthly plan or annual plan as it defaults to the annual option.
After submitting your payment successfully, you will be prompted to connect at least two social accounts, which include Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, TikTok Business, YouTube and Pinterest. It’s very easy to connect, you must have a business account on the social network and have the login information (or already be logged in from your device).
Ease Of Use
Hootsuite has come a long way for those who tried it years ago. From the outset, it’s easy to set up. The process of connecting social platforms is surprisingly easy―especially if you’re already logged in your social accounts from your device. Once, within the user dashboard, it’s very well-designed and intuitive, making the learning curve very minimal. Granted, it is also very robust so, while it’s very easy, it will take a little time to familiarize yourself with all that it has to offer.
Security
Hootsuite has a number of built-in security features, that account for infrastructure (with physical and cloud-based data centers), host security, data rights and protection and, interestingly, monetary rewards to users who submit security incidents. For example, if you submit a security incident that is deemed critical, you get a $100 CAD Amazon gift card.
Meanwhile, it does not offer many security options for users. For example, while users can set up two-step verification, it does not offer user permissions and controls on its low and midtier plans.
Customer Service and Support
Support is available for users via live chat, which can be accessed from within the user dashboard. You are first connected to a bot that attempts to answer your question, but if you have a question beyond its scope, you are prompted to input your name and email address to be connected to a live agent. It says that users should be connected to an agent within a few minutes. In my experience, I contacted support and over two and a half hours later, had yet to receive a response. According to user reviews, this is not uncommon for Hootsuite support. For a fairly expensive product, its support quality is disappointing.
Additionally, it has 24/7 support via Twitter and Facebook. However, this isn’t likely to be a particularly useful support channel for users with technical issues or account questions. As with live support, it’s not likely to provide a prompt response.
Hootsuite Additional Features Worth Noting
One of my favorite features of Hootsuite, beyond its scheduling and reporting capabilities, is its “Streams” tool, which gives users a Kanban-style dashboard of their social profiles. It displays the performance of your recent posts, a column listing your upcoming scheduled posts as well as social media activity and mentions. Though all of this data can be found elsewhere, it’s a convenient way to check the pulse and performance of each of your social accounts quickly.
Hootsuite Alternatives and How They Compare
| Hootsuite | Zoho Social | Buffer | Sprout Social | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Price (Billed Annually) | $99 per month | $10 per month | Free; $5 per month | $249 per month |
| Free Trial | 30 days (credit card required) | 15 days (no credit card required) | 14 days | 30 days (no credit card required) |
| Social Networks | Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube and Pinterest | Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, TikTok, YoutTube, Pinterest and Google Business Profile | Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, TikTok, YoutTube, Pinterest, Google Business Profile and Mastodon, | Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, YouTube, WhatsApp and Pinterest |
| Unlimited Posts | Yes | Yes | Yes, with all paid plans | Yes |
| Draft, Schedule and Publish Posts | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Post Time Optimization | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes, with the Professional plan ($399 per month) |
| Reports and Analytics | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Canva Integration | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Grammarly Integration | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Customer Support | Live chat and 24/7 support via Facebook and Twitter | 24/5 support via email | By email only | 24/5 via live chat, tickets and phone |
Hootsuite vs. Zoho Social
Zoho Social has become a leading competitor of Hootsuite quickly and, although the two have many similarities, they are not without their differences. To start, Zoho Social starts at $10 per month with annual billing of $15 per month without a contract for up to nine social accounts. While Hootsuite starts at $99 per month (billed annually) for up to 10 accounts. This is a steep price difference for the addition of one account. Granted, Hootsuite is a more robust social media management platform.
Hootsuite vs. Buffer
Like Hootsuite, Buffer is another one of the oldest social media management platforms. Buffer is the far better value for those on a budget as it not only offers a free plan, but it also has industry-low prices starting at $5 per month with annual billing or $6 per month when billed monthly. It offers a number of the same features as Hootsuite, although it does lack Hootsuite’s depth. While both are widely considered easy to use, Buffer is more simplistic lending to an overall shorter learning curve.
Hootsuite vs. Sprout Social
Hootsuite and Sprout Social are two head-to-head competitors that are both comprehensive social media management platforms geared toward businesses that depend heavily on social for sales and marketing as well as agencies managing client’s social accounts. The main difference between the two is not only the Sprout Social is over double the price at $249 per month, but business goals as well. For example, Hootsuite is aligned better with businesses that are looking to bolster their social media presence while Sprout Social is more aligned with businesses looking to better manage customer relationships with its built-in customer relationship management (CRM) and reviews management features.
Who Is Hootsuite Best For?
Hootsuite is a great solution for data-driven marketing teams looking for a helpful way to organize content, collect data and make informed strategy decisions. Businesses with in-house marketing teams that are looking to save staff time and supercharge their efforts will find Hootsuite to be a good value for price. However, it’s not the ideal solution for those who are looking for a simple content scheduler or agencies looking to manage client accounts.
Bottom Line
Hootsuite is an overall very user-friendly tool that streamlines the process of managing various social media accounts in one centralized place. It can help simplify social media management in general, and it can also help businesses understand their audiences better and optimize content that reaches them more effectively―never mind resonating with them. However, it no longer offers a free version and it’s not the most affordable platform in the market, so it may not be the ideal solution for businesses that won’t take full advantage of its robust data insights.
