Ever thought of what makes the businesses attain their audience targets at ease on social media platforms? This is nothing but a good way of reaching out to your audience.
By and large, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Linkedin, Google+, Pinterest are some of the widely tapped zones by the marketers. However in order to meet the growing needs of the businesses, one need social media management platforms. We have already discussed a lot about such social media platforms and its feature but since last couple of days, we received various emails asking for Hootsuite alternatives! I personally tested almost all popular tools and Hootsuite is one of my favorite one. But all tools has its own limitation and in this article I will try to share pros and cons of Hootsuite and its best alternatives to use. Here we start with Hootsuite first and then will discuss the features of its close competitors.
Hootsuite features
I have been using Hootsuite since long and I loved its all amazing features. The important aspect of this tool is; it can connect all social media accounts at one go on a dashboard. This feature sometime becomes confusing for the users who want clean interface. Again choice can be different from person to person. Here are few attractive features you can find in Hootsuite:
- Streaming On Dashboards: It helps to plan, construct, transmit as well as record all your movements of the accounts. Dashboard offers easy switch between accounts and you can see all your activities from the single interface of HootSuite. This feature is hardly offered by Hootsuite alternatives as they mostly focus on offering clean interface on account level.
- No additional Downloads: You can start using Hootsuite directly from their web interface by connecting social media accounts. It aids in analyzing your social media activities easily without installing any desktop version of the application.
- Managing the Account: From increase of group members to keep a tap of the work- flow, everything! It enhances team work.
- Scheduling directly from your connected social media accounts.
- Browser compatibility.
- Detailed Analytical Report: Through emails you get to know on which of your social media sharing got most likes, favored, tweet, RT and information about engagement.
- Social Media Sites: It is due to the system’s user interface (dashboard) that Hootsuite is able to support social network integration such as twitter, facebook, Google+, Linkedin, Mailchimp, Reddit, Storify, Tumblr, Marketo and so on are possible.
There are few points where Hootsuite is lacking behind its direct competitors and this is the reason people are looking for Hootsuite alternatives. These are the points we received from our readers:
- Pricing: This is one of the major reason why people are looking for Hootsuite alternatives. Their pricing is bit high as compare to other competitors listed below.
- Analytics: The reports they are offering is very basic and one has to pay extra for detailed report.
- URL shortener: Some of the users also mentioned that they want bit.ly or other URL shortener which are not available at Hootsuite.
- Dashboard: We also learned from our readers that; when they integrate over 10 to 15 accounts, they found it very confusing and difficult to manage from single dashboard.
Best Hootsuite alternatives
There is no doubt about the usability of Hootsuite but if you are facing challenges as explained in cons, you can try few best Hootsuite alternatives mentioned below.
1. SocialPilot
SocialPilot was launched before 1-2 years and within small time frame, they emerge as one of the fastest growing social media tool in industry. If you check our detailed comparison of SocialPilot vs Buffer vs Hootsuite, you will find many comments praising feature of SocialPilot. SocialPilot can be best Hootsuite alternatives by considering all amazing features they offers at highly competitive price in industry.
Lets see some salient features of socialpilot:
- Managing Twitter Account: You can easily plan the tweets and post in huge volumes at time of the day. Even when you are offline, you can tap any part of the world with your scheduling aspect.
- Facebook Management: The custom Facebook Branding and Custom short URLs increases the brand visibility by heaps and tons. Apart from Twitter & Facebook, they also offer other social media account integration as well.
- Strong Social Media Analytics: They recently launched analytics integration which gives you a total perspective of what your followers is looking for. You can thereby change your plans accordingly.
- Ease Of Posting: You need not post one by one on every social media account, instead one post and Socialpilot does it all by posting it to your other accounts.
- Social Media Scheduling Calendar: Here you can record your posts and track your account.
- Teams and Collaboration: This is where you can add members who have been designated with their job profiles. This can be in the mode of moderators, editors etc.
- Easy Access: Social Pilot can be accessed on your android and iOS devices as well.
- The Content Suggestions and Feeds: The feature enables you for recommendations and feeds. This helps you to share with your favorites and generate the web traffic.
SocialPilot vs Hootsuite Comparison
Features | SocialPilot | Hootsuite |
---|---|---|
Social Media Calendars | Yes | Yes |
Custom FB Branding | Yes | No |
Bulk Scheduling | Yes | Yes |
Bulk Scheduling with Image | Yes | No |
Team & Collaboration | Yes | Yes |
Content Suggestion | Yes | Yes |
Browser Extension | Yes | Yes |
RSS Feed | Automated+Manual | Automated |
Video Uploader | Working | Yes |
GIF Support | Yes | Yes |
Link Shortening | Yes | Yes |
Social Analytics | Yes | Yes |
Visual Composor | Canva Integration using Browser Extension | No |
Social Media Profiles | 8 (TWT,FB,LNKD,INSTA etc) | 7 (FB,TWT,LNKD,INSTA,G+) |
TUMBLR,XING, | YOUTBE,WORDPRESS) | |
PINT,VK) | ||
Optimal Scheduling | No | No |
Click Tracking | Using Bit.ly | Yes |
Reporting | No | Yes |
Re-use Posts | Yes | Yes |
Pricing | Free to $300/yearly | Free to Custom |
Number of Profiles | 3 to 200 profiles | 3 to 50 profiles |
Number of Posts Per day | 10-500/Day | 30 posts at a time |
Advanced Scheduling | Yes | Yes |
Support | Chat + Email | Chat + Email |
Mobile Apps | Yes | Yes |
API Integration | Yes | Yes |
Test Now | Test Now |
2. Buffer
Buffer app is one of the most popular social media management tool in the industry and the strong competitor of Hootsuite. If you are having budget and want all amazing feature, Buffer is the best hootsuite alternatives you can go with. Here are few features you can enjoy with Bufferapp.
- Plans Your Posts: It shares the content at the best time when it thinks the right kind of audience can be tapped. This enables your followers and fans to get updated on you.
- Feedly Integration: To get quick access to title, URL or even content of the postFeedly is used. Itmakes it possible for you to read without opening another browser.
- Followerwonk: It helps you tap your fans easily. This integration benefits to know what time your fans are online. You can thereby calendar your activities on the social media accordingly.
- Top Post:It makes an effort to let you learn on your post. It will guide you in knowing which post is running well than other posts.
- Analytical Report: This reported is submitted on every account for a better understanding via email.
- Buffer’s Integration of Pocket: This element allows you to save an article for future reading and sharing.
- Buffer inside Echofon: It allows you to plan your postings without you leaving the Twitter windows.
- Buffer allows you to examine various blog titles to give you the finest title to attract web traffic.
Buffer vs Hootsuite Comparison
Features | Buffer | Hootsuite |
---|---|---|
Social Media Calendars | Yes | Yes |
Custom FB Branding | No | No |
Bulk Scheduling | No | Yes |
Bulk Scheduling with Image | No | No |
Team & Collaboration | Yes | Yes |
Content Suggestion | No | Yes |
Browser Extension | Yes | Yes |
RSS Feed | Manual | Automated |
Video Uploader | Yes | Yes |
GIF Support | Yes | Yes |
Link Shortening | Yes | Yes |
Social Analytics | Yes | Yes |
Visual Composor | Pablo | No |
Social Media Profiles | 6 (FB,TWT,LNKD, | 7(FB,TWT,LNKD,INSTA,G+, |
G+,PINT,INSTA) | YOUTBE,WORDPRESS) | |
Optimal Scheduling | Yes | No |
Click Tracking | Yes | Yes |
Reporting | Yes | Yes |
Re-use Posts | Yes | Yes |
Pricing | Free to $399/pearly | Free to Custom |
Number of Profiles | 1 to 150 Profiles | 3 to 50 profiles |
Number of Posts Per day | 10-2000/daily | 30 posts at a time |
Advanced Scheduling | Yes | Yes |
Support | Chat + Email | Chat + Email |
Mobile Apps | Yes | Yes |
API Integration | Yes | Yes |
Test Now | Test Now |
3. Agorapulse
This app has more than to do with analysis, issuing, contests, moderation. With AgoraPulse you will never miss a tweet, message or a comment. This tool offers all the amazing features listed below that makes it strong alternative of Hootsuite you can go with.
- One Dashboard: It Has One Dashboard For All The Media Accounts.
- Plana Post: This is to grab the followers’ attention.
- The Automatic Moderation: These benefits in flagging, concealing or allowing content in spite of you being away.
- Publishing: Helps publishing all your posts at once to all your accoutns in one go. It enables you to queue your posts with the content calendar being handy.
- Facebook Management: Quiz app, photo contest app, facebook sweepstakes app, you can run quizzes, photo contests or rewards respectively on facebook. Even the Facebook Personality test app, fan vote app and Facebook instant win app are used for animation of the page, building fan base and casting vote for favorite posts or videos correspondingly.
- Management of Users for Twitter Accounts: It is easy to reply to by bifurcating audience to fans, clientele, prospect customers, influencers etc. For example, ambassadors (red symbol) who retweet your content, engaged (green symbol) for those who have directly communicated with you, and of course influencers (blue symbol) are the high grade audience who have made an attempt to retweet your posts more than 20 times in a month’s time.
- Page Views: Under this; you come to know the average number of regular visitors during the day on your facebook page in the last 30 days.
- Management Of Instagram Account: Here you will be able to keep a watch on important hashtags and places on Instagram
AgoraPulse and Hootsuite Comparision
features | Agorapulse | Hootsuite |
---|---|---|
Social Media Calendars | Yes | Yes |
Custom FB Branding | Yes | No |
Bulk Scheduling | Yes | Yes |
Bulk Scheduling with Image | Yes | No |
Team & Collaboration | Yes | Yes |
Content Suggestion | Yes | Yes |
Browser Extension | Yes | Yes |
RSS Feed | Manual/Automated | Automated |
Video Uploader | Yes | Yes |
GIF Support | Yes | Yes |
Link Shortening | Yes | Yes |
Social Analytics | Yes | Yes |
Visual Composor | No | No |
Social Media Profiles | 5 (FB,TWT,INSTA,LNKD, | 7 (FB,TWT,LNKD,INSTA,G+) |
YOUTUBE) | YOUTBE,WORDPRESS) | |
Optimal Scheduling | Yes | No |
Click Tracking | Yes | Yes |
Reporting | Yes | Yes |
Re-use Posts | Yes | Yes |
Pricing | Free to 399$ yearly | Free to Custom |
Number of Profiles | 0 to 60 profiles | 3 to 50 profiles |
Number of Posts Per day | No limit | 30 posts at a time |
Advanced Scheduling | Yes | Yes |
Support | Chat + Email | |
Mobile Apps | Yes | Yes |
API Integration | Yes | Yes |
Test Now | Test Now |
4. Eclincher
Eclincher is an easy to use social media management platform that offers a variety of features such as post scheduling, content calendar, social inbox, data analytics, related content suggestions & team collaboration. You can use mobile app and Chrome extension as well. A free trial is available for marketers to test below features.
- Publishing & Scheduling: You can Schedule or Publish posts on multiple social media profiles and places with a single click.
- Visual Calendar: Plan create and schedule content.
- Social Media Campaigns: Analyse social media campaigns. Rearrange instagram posts from live feed.
- Link Shortener & Tracking: Create short links with Google utm, Bitly and Sniply.
- Image Editor: Get access to premium image and video library with classic editor.
- Advanced Analytics Reporting: Analyse data to create unlimited reports and track competitors.
- Monitor, Engage & Listen Feeds: Monitor real time social media activities using keywords and hashtags. You can also engage with posts with likes, shares and comments.
- Pocket App Integration: Integrate pocket app and share articles.
- Reputation Management: Listening tool for Brand management. Get real time updates on what people are thinking about your brand.
- Pinterest Integration: Integrate your Pinterest account, organise and schedule pins on your board.
- Media Library & Cloud Storage: Store content on secure cloud servers such as Google Drive, Dropbox etc.
Eclincher and Hootsuite Comparision
features | Eclincher | Hootsuite |
---|---|---|
Social Media Calendars | Yes | Yes |
Custom FB Branding | Yes | No |
Bulk Scheduling | Yes | Yes |
Bulk Scheduling with Image | Yes | No |
Team & Collaboration | Yes | Yes |
Content Suggestion | Yes | Yes |
Browser Extension | Yes | Yes |
RSS Feed | Automated | Automated |
Video Uploader | Yes | Yes |
GIF Support | Yes | Yes |
Link Shortening | Yes | Yes |
Social Analytics | Yes | Yes |
Visual Composor | Yes | No |
Social Media Profiles | 5 (FB,TWT,YOUTBE | 7 (FB,TWT,LNKD,INSTA,G+ |
INSTA,LNKD) | YOUTBE,WORDPRESS) | |
Optimal Scheduling | Yes | No |
Click Tracking | Yes | Yes |
Reporting | Yes | Yes |
Re-use Posts | Yes | Yes |
Pricing | Free to 2234$ per year | Free to Custom |
Number of Profiles | No limit | 3 to 50 profiles |
Number of Posts Per day | According to the social media platform | 30 posts at a time |
Advanced Scheduling | Yes | Yes |
Support | Chat + Email | Chat + Email |
Mobile Apps | Yes | Yes |
API Integration | Yes | Yes |
Test Now | Test Now |
5. Zoho Social
Zoho social is a good choice to handle your daily social media campaigns with accuracy. It is very important to maintain your brand presence online and Zoho social is a perfect social media management tool for your business. We have narrated a few features to help you understand more about Zoho social platform.
- Publishing Calendar: Manage your social media activity from a single screen. Preview scheduled posts, rearrange content with drag and drop easily.
- Content Queues: Publish your content when your audience is most active on social media with SmartQ predictions.
- Bulk Schedule: Bulk schedule Create a spreadsheet to schedule posts in bulk.
- Listening Dashboard: Track social media conversations related to your business through keywords, hashtags and mentions. Build better connections through active participation in social media conversations.
- Direct Messages: Monitor interactions with social media users. See who replied to social media messages from your team.
- Roles and Permissions: Provide necessary access to team members to maintain given responsibility.
- Stats and Analytics: Know how your social media campaigns are performing real-time. Analyse what people are saying about your brand or products.
- Custom Reports: Generate custom reports for multiple social channels with colourful graphs and charts.
- Schedule Reports: Send automated reports to your team for better performance analysis on a regular interval.
Zoho Social vs Hootsuite Comparision
features | Zoho Social | Hootsuite |
---|---|---|
Social Media Calendars | Yes | Yes |
Custom FB Branding | Yes | No |
Bulk Scheduling | Yes | Yes |
Bulk Scheduling with Image | Yes | No |
Team & Collaboration | Yes | Yes |
Content Suggestion | Yes | Yes |
Browser Extension | Yes | Yes |
RSS Feed | Automated | Automated |
Video Uploader | Yes | Yes |
GIF Support | Yes | Yes |
Link Shortening | Yes | Yes |
Social Analytics | Yes | Yes |
Visual Composor | Yes | No |
Social Media Profiles | 5 (TWT,FB,YOUTBE, | 7 (FB,TWT,LNKD,INSTA,G+) |
,LNKD,INSTA) | YOUTBE,WORDPRESS) | |
Optimal Scheduling | Yes | No |
Click Tracking | Yes | Yes |
Reporting | Yes | Yes |
Re-use Posts | Yes | Yes |
Pricing | Free to 243$ per year | Free to Custom |
Number of Profiles | 1 page/profile per social network | 3 to 50 profiles |
Advanced Scheduling | Yes | Yes |
Support | Chat + Email | |
Mobile Apps | Yes | Yes |
API Integration | Yes | Yes |
Test Now | Test Now |
Conclusion
As you can see in feature comparison, Hootsuite is no way behind with their competitor. The only reason we found is; the pricing and the usability when people asking for Hootsuite alternatives. The more web traffic you attract the better is the scope for your market. It is therefore imperative that before you indulge in using any of the social media management tool, do go through the pros and cons for the same.
Note: This comparison between different social media management tools is just for your reference. Please do your research before you migrate or choose any tools. It may happen that the features listed in this article may updated or removed from respective tools. Here we do not claim accuracy of any data listed in this article as it may change from brand side. Use them as reference only.