Buckle up social media mavens because we are about to serve up a sizzling hot take on a social media management powerhouse. It’s 2025, and Hootsuite has been in the game for over 16 years—but is it still at the top among the best social media software?
Whether you’re a seasoned social media manager or a small business owner trying to make sense of the digital landscape, this review will spill the tea on everything Hootsuite, from its nifty features to its potential pitfalls. So, grab your favorite caffeinated drink, settle in, and let’s unpack to see what makes Hootsuite stand out and whether it has any drawbacks.
Hootsuite Review (2025 edition)
Why choose Hootsuite?
It’s no secret that Hootsuite can be found ranking high on the list of the best social media management tools in 2025 as a leading social media management platform offering a comprehensive suite of tools for businesses and marketers to streamline their social media efforts.
With its user-friendly dashboard and powerful features, Hootsuite enables users to efficiently schedule posts, monitor conversations, analyze performance, and collaborate across teams. As social media plays a crucial role in marketing strategies, Hootsuite provides an all-in-one solution to help brands maintain a consistent and impactful online presence across multiple channels.
Hootsuite’s Pros and Cons
Strong points
Hootsuite excels at integrating various social media networks so that users can manage their accounts on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube from one dashboard, saving them time and simplifying social media management.
Hootsuite’s scheduling feature lets users plan and automate posts on different networks. Thanks to a straightforward visual layout of scheduled posts, the platform simplifies the process of maintaining a consistent posting strategy.
The platform also has a bulk upload feature, enabling users to schedule several posts simultaneously, which benefits larger organizations or agencies handling multiple accounts.
Another strong point is Hootsuite’s social listening and monitoring tools. Users can monitor mentions, hashtags, and keywords on various social networks, allowing them to keep up with important conversations and interact with their audience in real time. Use this feature to manage brand reputation and spot potential leads or customer service concerns. If you’d like to explore the competition, read this review of the top social media monitoring tools of 2025.
Hootsuite is also strong on analytics and its reporting features. Users can view in-depth insights into their social media performance, such as engagement rates, audience growth, and content effectiveness. These analytics can be turned into customizable reports to show ROI and improve social media strategies.
Hootsuite’s App Directory offers integrations with over 150 third-party applications. This ecosystem allows users to connect Hootsuite with other tools for analytics, content creation, customer relationship management, and more, creating a more comprehensive marketing tech stack.
Weaknesses
Nevertheless, Hootsuite has its weaknesses. One significant drawback is its pricing structure, which many users find expensive, especially for small businesses or individuals. Its prices have significantly increased over the years, and the absence of a free plan since March 2023 has made it less accessible to smaller teams or users. The yearly paid plan is a whopping $1,188/year—that’s $99/month for the single-user plan.
Though functional, the user interface can be overwhelming for new users. The dashboard can appear cluttered, especially when managing multiple accounts, and there’s a learning curve to navigate all the features effectively.
Hootsuite’s analytics might not be as detailed as what you’d find with specialized platforms. Also, its content creation tools are handy, but they might not be as powerful as those found in specialized design software.
Another area where Hootsuite faces criticism is in its customer support. Some users report slow response times and difficulties in resolving issues, particularly for those on lower-tier plans.
It’s great that Hootsuite integrates with many platforms, but occasional technical glitches and connectivity issues, particularly with Instagram, can be frustrating, especially for businesses relying on timely post scheduling.
Hootsuite’s use cases
Hootsuite is a versatile social media management platform that caters to various use cases in social media and marketing. At its core, Hootsuite is a centralized hub for managing multiple social media accounts across platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
Consolidation is key in today’s marketing and ad landscape, where marketers and social media managers need to streamline their workflows to save significant time in their daily operations.
As mentioned, agency marketers use Hootsuite the most. Hootsuite’s Streams feature is a powerful use case, enabling users to monitor real-time social media activity. Marketers can set up custom streams to track mentions, keywords, hashtags, and competitor activity across different social platforms.
Employees in customer service can also use Hootsuite. Tracking social media activity in real time is crucial for brand monitoring and staying on top of industry trends. Responding to comments and messages promptly and directly from the Hootsuite dashboard further enhances engagement and customer interaction.
For businesses focused on data-driven decision-making, Hootsuite’s analytics features offer valuable insights into social media performance, which I’ve mentioned as a strong point. As a marketer, it’s important to access detailed reports on metrics such as engagement rates, audience growth, and content performance as these are the kind of analytics that help you measure the ROI of your social media efforts and refine your strategies based on concrete data.
In social advertising, Hootsuite provides tools for creating, managing, and analyzing social media ad campaigns across multiple platforms so that teams can optimize their ad spend and track performance more effectively.
Marketing teams may use Hootsuite as a collaborative tool for task assignment and approval workflows. For anything else related to work management, opt for dedicated project management software.
Lastly, Hootsuite serves as an educational platform through Hootsuite Academy, offering free online education and paid certifications in social media marketing.
Hootsuite’s top 3 features
1. Post scheduler and creator
The post scheduler and creator are intuitive and include image uploading capabilities, access to a built-in stock library, and Canva integration to create custom graphics directly within the Hootsuite interface.
2. Analytics and reporting
The analytics feature also allows for easy ROI tracking, which is particularly valuable for agencies and marketing teams needing to demonstrate the impact of their social media campaigns.
3. Hootsuite’s Streams
Hootsuite’s Streams feature offers a dynamic way to monitor and engage with social media activity in real time on multiple social channels simultaneously. Additionally, Streams can be used for social listening, allowing businesses to stay on top of industry trends and competitor activities.
What users say about Hootsuite
People usually have good things to say about Hootsuite. They like its ease of use and appreciate the wide range of features for handling different social media accounts—many users like how the platform helps them schedule and automate posts on different networks. Being able to monitor social media chats, track keywords, and analyze performance metrics is often seen as a big plus.
However, user opinions are mixed about certain aspects of Hootsuite. Although some say the interface is simple, others say it is outdated relative to more recent competitors. I must agree; it does give that early 2010 vibe.
The platform’s analytics features attract compliments as well as criticism; some users find them thorough, while others believe they lack depth compared to native platform analytics.
A common complaint among users relates to Hootsuite’s pricing structure. Many feel the platform has become expensive, especially for small businesses or individuals.
Customer support is another area where user experiences vary widely. Some report positive interactions with Hootsuite’s support team, while others express frustration with slow response times and difficulty resolving issues, particularly regarding billing and account management.
The platform’s security measures, including two-factor authentication, are also viewed positively by those handling sensitive information.
Hootsuite vs. the competition
Hootsuite remains a strong contender in the social media management space but faces increasing competition from platforms like Buffer, Sprout Social, and Agorapulse. While Hootsuite offers a comprehensive suite of features, including scheduling, analytics, and team collaboration tools, some competitors have gained ground in specific areas.
Buffer, for instance, is often praised for its simpler, more intuitive interface and lower pricing, making it attractive for small businesses and individuals. However, Hootsuite still edges out Buffer in terms of advanced features and the number of supported social networks.
Sprout Social has made significant strides in analytics and reporting capabilities, with some users finding its insights more actionable than Hootsuite’s. However, Hootsuite’s broader range of integrations and more affordable entry-level plans give it an advantage for businesses looking for versatility and value.
Agorapulse has gained popularity for its user-friendly design and robust social inbox features, which some find more efficient than Hootsuite’s. However, Hootsuite’s more extensive social listening tools and broader platform support still make it a preferred choice for larger enterprises.
Price and cost comparisons
Hootsuite offers a tiered pricing structure that caters to different user needs, from individuals to large enterprises.
The platform’s Professional plan starts at $99 per month (billed annually) or $149 month-to-month, providing access for one user and up to 10 social profiles. For teams, the Team plan is priced at $249 per month (annual billing) or $399 month-to-month, supporting up to 3 users and 20 social profiles.
Larger organizations may opt for the Business plan, which starts at $739 per month (annual billing) and includes 5-10 users and up to 35 social profiles. For more extensive needs, Hootsuite offers customizable Enterprise solutions with pricing available upon request.
Although Hootsuite’s price is higher than that of some competitors, such as Buffer, it provides a complete set of capabilities, especially for advanced analytics and team collaboration. Smaller companies or those with tighter budgets could find the lack of a free plan and the notable price increase between tiers objectionable, though.
Users should carefully consider their specific needs and compare Hootsuite’s offerings with other social media management tools to determine the best value for their investment.
Ah, you’re also prompted to add more add-ons:
Privacy and security
Hootsuite prioritizes privacy and security through robust data encryption methods and secure access protocols. It aligns its Information Security Management System with the NIST Cybersecurity Framework and adheres to various security standards, including ISO 27001, SOC 2, and GDPR.
Hootsuite employs fundamental principles like least privilege and need-to-know access. It offers two-factor authentication for user accounts and undergoes independent annual SOC 2 audits. And honestly, for that price tag every month as a business expense, it better be safe and private. However, some advanced security features are limited to higher-tier plans, so make sure they’re included in yours.
Caveat: while platforms take significant measures to protect user data, it’s important to note that no system is entirely impervious to security risks.
Product updates and releases
Hootsuite typically releases updates approximately every few weeks, ensuring the platform stays current with evolving social media trends and user needs. Hootsuite has built a reputation for its transparency in communicating development roadmaps and actively engaging users in the beta testing of new features.
In recent years, Hootsuite has focused on enhancing its AI capabilities, improving analytics tools, and expanding integrations with various social media platforms and third-party applications.
Company evolution
Founded in 2008 as BrightKit, Hootsuite has evolved from a simple Twitter management tool into a comprehensive social media management platform. The company was rebranded as Hootsuite in 2009 and quickly gained traction, reaching one million users by 2010.
Over the years, Hootsuite expanded its capabilities, integrating various social networks and introducing features like analytics and team collaboration tools. In 2023, they introduced an AI assistant feature to help users generate ideas for social media posts, demonstrating their commitment to incorporating cutting-edge technology into their offerings.
Final verdict
Hootsuite is considered one of the leading social media management platforms, ranking as Forbes Advisors’ No. 3 best social media management tool in 2025.
Hootsuite offers comprehensive features for managing multiple social media accounts, content planning, analytics, and more. The platform is well-suited for larger businesses or agencies that manage multiple accounts and require in-depth analytics.
Even user reviews indicate that Hootsuite remains a solid choice for businesses and marketers looking for a comprehensive social media management solution.
However, the high price point and reported issues with customer support may make it less ideal for smaller businesses or those on a tight budget.
So, double-check that you need all of Hootsuite’s advanced features before you commit to a yearly plan.
See also: Best Social Media Management Software for Agencies
