Review: Hootsuite
Hootsuite is the most established social media management tool in our 2026 test — launched in 2008, with the most integrations and the longest enterprise track record. But its value proposition has declined significantly after major price increases in 2023, making it difficult to recommend over Buffer or Later for most users.
The Pricing Problem
$99/month for a single user managing 10 profiles is Hootsuite’s entry price — the same budget buys Buffer Essentials for all 10 channels ($60/month) with a cleaner interface and better support. The 2023 price increase (from $49/month to $99/month for the Professional plan) was poorly received and caused significant churn to competitors.
Stream Dashboard Unique Value
Hootsuite’s streams dashboard is its most distinctive feature — a column-based real-time view of multiple social feeds, search results, and mentions simultaneously. For social media managers who need to monitor multiple keywords and conversations in real-time, the streams view is more functional than Buffer’s or Later’s feed views.
100+ Integrations
Hootsuite’s integration ecosystem (Canva, Google Drive, Slack, Salesforce, HubSpot, Zapier) is the largest in the test. For enterprises with complex tech stacks, Hootsuite’s integration with existing tools reduces friction significantly.
Verdict
Hootsuite is best for enterprises already using it (switching costs are high) and teams that specifically need the streams dashboard for real-time monitoring. For new users evaluating options: Buffer or Later provide better value at lower cost.