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Most buyers should pick Metricool.
Choose Metricool if price, a free plan, and brand-based limits matter most: its entry tier is $20/month billed annually for five brands, or $25 monthly. Choose Hootsuite if your team needs broader coordination, including approvals on Advanced and more extensive inbox workflows on Professional. Hootsuite starts at $99 per user/month billed annually and has no free plan, though it offers a 14-day trial. The published reviews rate Metricool higher for value and ease of use.
01Side by side
| Metricool | Hootsuite | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $20/month annually; $25 monthly at five-brand entry tier | $99/user/month, billed annually |
| Free plan | Yes: 1 brand, 20 scheduled posts monthly | No free plan; 14-day trial |
| Best for | Solo users and small teams managing brands | Teams needing coordination and deeper reporting |
| Core strength | Planning, analytics, reports, inbox, and ads | Team workflows, inbox, trends, competitor analysis |
| Learning curve | Higher published ease-of-use score: 7/10 | Published ease-of-use score: 6/10 |
| Integrations/data | Data Studio connector and Zapier/Make API on Advanced | MCP connectors for ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, Gemini |
| Team/seat costs | Brand-based limits; five brands at entry tier | $99 per user monthly; extra seats add cost |
| Support | Our review score: 6/10 | Our review score: 5/10 |
Metricool Choose Metricool if
- Choose Metricool if you want a free plan to start.
- Choose Metricool if lower entry pricing matters more than add-ons.
- Choose Metricool if you prefer brand-based limits over per-user pricing.
Hootsuite Choose Hootsuite if
- Choose Hootsuite if your team needs content approval workflows.
- Choose Hootsuite if you need automated inbox replies and workflows.
- Choose Hootsuite if MCP connections to AI assistants fit your stack.
02Pricing compared
Metricool has a free plan for one brand, capped at 20 scheduled posts a month, five competitor profiles and 30 days of analytics. Its Starter entry tier is $20 per month with annual billing or $25 month to month, and covers five brands; the plan allows up to 10 at higher tiers. Annual pricing saves up to 24%, according to the pricing page. Flows and some analytics cost extra.
Hootsuite has no free plan, but offers a 14-day trial. Standard starts at $99 per user/month billed annually, for up to 10 social accounts. Professional is $199 per user/month and Advanced is $399. Monthly billing costs more, but its price is not published on the vendor's site. Because Hootsuite charges per seat while Metricool’s entry price is brand-based, adding teammates can widen the cost gap.
03Features and depth
Both tools cover scheduling, analytics and a unified inbox, but their plan structures put different features behind different limits. Metricool combines a calendar, competitor analytics, reporting, inbox, ads management and Smartlinks. Its Free plan has 30 days of analytics history; Starter lists unlimited history, PDF and PPT reports, and LinkedIn connection. Advanced adds team, client and role management, approvals, API access and a Data Studio connector. Check add-ons before comparing: Twitter/X is $10 per connected account, Advanced Analytics starts at $12/month on Starter, and Flows costs $12 for 2,500 executions plus $0.01 per extra execution.
Hootsuite’s Standard plan includes unlimited scheduled posts, one inbox and benchmarking against five competitors. Professional adds automated inbox replies and workflows, custom scheduled reports, and benchmarking against 20 competitors. Advanced adds approval workflows, message assignment and skill-based routing. Hootsuite also lists trend tracking, AI content help and MCP connectors; its broader coordination options come with a much higher per-user price.
04Ease of use and learning curve
Our review scores Metricool higher for ease of use: 7/10 versus Hootsuite’s 6/10. That is a useful signal, not a guarantee that either interface will suit your team. Metricool’s free plan lets one brand try the planner and basic analytics before paying, though its 20-post cap and limited history constrain that evaluation.
Hootsuite’s per-user pricing and tier-specific features require more planning around seats and access. Standard supports multiple seats, but approvals appear on Advanced, while automated inbox replies and workflows are on Professional. Teams should map those needs to the plan before switching; the published pricing does not list monthly rates.
Questions people ask
Do people still use Hootsuite?
The published material does not include current user counts, so we can’t quantify how many people still use it. Hootsuite remains an actively offered product with Standard, Professional, Advanced and Enterprise plans, plus a 14-day trial, according to the published pricing details.
Who are competitors to Hootsuite?
Metricool is one direct alternative in this comparison. It covers scheduling, analytics, reporting and inbox management, with a free plan and an entry tier at $20/month billed annually. The published material does not provide a complete list of Hootsuite competitors.
What are the downsides of using Hootsuite?
The clearest downside here is price: Standard starts at $99 per user/month with annual billing, and Hootsuite has no free plan. Some coordination features also require higher tiers: automated inbox replies are on Professional, while approval workflows are on Advanced. Monthly rates are not published on the vendor's site.
What's better than Metricool?
That depends on what you need. Hootsuite may fit teams that need automated inbox workflows on Professional or approval workflows and message routing on Advanced. Metricool is the stronger price-led option in this comparison, with a free plan and a lower brand-based entry price. Check add-on costs before deciding.