Metricool vs Hootsuite, read from the source
Metricool vs Hootsuite for a small business
The first thing to compare is what you pay for: a brand, or a seat. Metricool prices per brand, Hootsuite prices per seat, and every figure below was read from metricool.com/pricing and hootsuite.com/plans on 18 September 2026.
The two vendors are priced in different units, so every figure below carries its billing mode, and each one links back to the page it was read from.
Metricool is the pick when you want one dashboard that watches your own numbers and your competitors: its free plan measures one brand against five competitor profiles, and paid plans price by brand.
Hootsuite is the pick when several people work social as a job and need approvals, an inbox and tiered analytics: its entry plan is $99 per user a month billed annually for up to 10 accounts.
Neither tool writes the caption, image or video for you, and only one publishes a permanent free plan, which is the gap a one to three person shop feels first.
Where every number came from
Metricool
- The pricing page carried an Annual/Monthly toggle reading "Annual (save up to 24%)" with USD as the default currency. Billed monthly it listed Free at $0 a month, Starter from $25 a month with "Up to 5 brands for $25/month" and "Up to 10 brands for $45/month", and Advanced from $67 a month with "Up to 15 brands for $67/month", "Up to 25 brands for $107/month" and "Manage up to 50 brands for $210/month". Billed annually Starter read from $20 a month for 5 brands or $36 a month for 10, and Advanced from $53 a month for 15 brands, $85 a month for 25 or $159 a month for 50. A footnote read "The prices indicated do not include any applicable VAT." metricool.com/pricing, read 18 September 2026
- The Free plan was listed at $0 a month and described as managing 1 brand, managing social networks except LinkedIn and Twitter, scheduling up to 20 posts a month, analyzing 5 competitor profiles and keeping 30 days of analytics, with an AI social media assistant and Metricool MCP. The FAQ read "Yes! You can use Metricool for free, forever." metricool.com/pricing, read 18 September 2026
- The feature comparison listed the "AI Social Media Assistant" at 5 credits per brand a month on Free, 20 on Starter and 35 on Advanced, with recurring scheduling marked "Included in your plan (no credits needed)". No plan listed image or video generation. metricool.com/pricing, read 18 September 2026
- The Advanced plan listed a "Post approval system" alongside "Team and client management" and "Role management", and the Custom plan listed a "Dedicated account manager". Analytics kept 30 days of metrics storage on Free and unlimited history on paid plans, with competitor analysis at 5 profiles on Free and up to 100 on paid plans. metricool.com/pricing, read 18 September 2026
Hootsuite
- The plans page carried no monthly or yearly toggle and priced a single billing mode. It headed the tiers "Standard $99 per user a month, billed annually", "Professional $199 per user a month, billed annually" and "Advanced $399 per user a month, billed annually", above an Enterprise shown as "Custom" with a "Request a demo" button. A footnote read "Prices displayed in USD, based on annual billing". hootsuite.com/plans, read 18 September 2026
- No free plan appeared on the plans page. Each paid tier opened with a free 14-day trial that asked for no card, and the page footnote said trial accounts have daily posting limits of 10 to 20 posts per organization depending on plan, with bulk scheduling unavailable during the trial. hootsuite.com/plans, read 18 September 2026
- The plans page described Standard as managing up to 10 social media accounts from one calendar, with unlimited accounts on Professional, Advanced and Enterprise. The seat row read 1+ on all three paid tiers, and the page prices plans per user, or seat, rather than per account. hootsuite.com/plans, read 18 September 2026
- Every paid tier listed "Generate posts and images with AI", and the page introduced "Wisdom", an AI teammate it said drafts, recommends and analyzes on every plan. The feature table put "Review and approve content with your team" on Advanced and Enterprise only, and the page printed no credit allowance or cap for its AI. hootsuite.com/plans, read 18 September 2026
- Analytics scaled by tier on the plans page: Standard listed monitoring your brand and competitors, Professional added custom performance reports and forecasts up to 90 days ahead, Advanced added measuring team performance and efficiency, and Enterprise listed advanced analytics. The page did not break support out by tier. hootsuite.com/plans, read 18 September 2026
Metricool vs Hootsuite, side by side
Every cell above was read on 18 September 2026 from metricool.com/pricing and hootsuite.com/plans, and the full quotations with links sit in the section above. Metricool prices per brand in two modes and prints the annual figures first; Hootsuite prices per user in one mode, billed annually.
| What to compare | Metricool | Hootsuite |
|---|---|---|
| Price at one seat | Starter is $25 a month for up to 5 brands billed monthly, or $20 a month billed annually. | Standard is $99 per user a month, billed annually. |
| Number of social accounts | 1 brand free, then 5 or 10 brands on Starter and up to 50 on Advanced, one profile per network. | 10 on Standard, unlimited on Professional and above. |
| Scheduling limits | 20 posts a month on Free, unlimited on paid plans. | Unlimited scheduled posts on every paid plan. |
| AI writing | An AI assistant at 5, 20 and 35 credits per brand a month by tier. | Generate posts and images with AI on every paid plan, no printed cap. |
| Approval flow | Post approval system on the Advanced plan only. | Review and approve with your team on Advanced and Enterprise only. |
| Analytics | 30 days of history on Free, unlimited on paid, 5 competitor profiles on Free. | Custom reports and 90 day forecasts from Professional up. |
| Support | No named tier on the pricing page; a dedicated account manager on Custom. | Not broken out by tier on the plans page. |
| Free tier | Free forever, one brand, 20 posts a month. | None; a 14-day trial instead. |
Source: metricool.com/pricing and hootsuite.com/plans, read 18 September 2026
What actually decides the purchase
Price: per brand versus per seat
Metricool prices per brand. On 18 September 2026 Starter was $25 a month for 5 brands billed monthly, or $20 a month billed annually, and Advanced began at $67 a month. Hootsuite prices per user: Standard was $99 per user a month billed annually, then $199 and $399. The two ladders measure different units, so the cheaper one depends on how many brands and people you actually run.
The free tier: one permanent plan, one trial clock
Metricool publishes a permanent free plan, which Hootsuite does not. Metricool's covers one brand with 20 posts a month, 5 competitor profiles and 30 days of analytics, and its FAQ read "Yes! You can use Metricool for free, forever." Hootsuite offered a free 14-day trial that asks for no card, capped at 10 to 20 posts per organization per day. One keeps going; the other stops when the countdown ends.
What the AI writes
Metricool meters its AI assistant at 5, 20 and 35 credits per brand a month by tier, and none of its plans listed image or video generation. Hootsuite put "Generate posts and images with AI" on every paid plan and described "Wisdom" as an AI teammate that drafts, recommends and analyzes, with no printed credit cap. Neither plans page claimed its AI generates video.
Approvals and team features
Metricool lists a post approval system on its Advanced plan, which starts at $67 a month billed monthly. Hootsuite put "Review and approve content with your team" on Advanced and Enterprise, which begin at $399 per user a month billed annually. On the entry plans neither gives you a formal approval queue.
Scheduling caps
Metricool caps its free plan at 20 posts a month and lists unlimited publishing on paid plans. Hootsuite listed unlimited scheduled posts on its paid plans, with a trial-time cap of 10 to 20 posts per organization per day. The cap that binds first depends on how many brands you post to.
Analytics and support
Metricool keeps 30 days of analytics on Free and unlimited history on paid plans, with competitor analysis at 5 profiles on Free and up to 100 on paid, but names no support tier beyond a dedicated account manager on Custom. Hootsuite added custom reports and 90 day forecasts from Professional up and did not break support out by tier. Reports matter more once more than one person answers to the numbers.
What changed recently
On 18 September 2026 this page read metricool.com/pricing and hootsuite.com/plans from scratch, so every figure here carries that date and no number was carried over from an earlier page.
The two vendors present their prices differently. Metricool opens with the annual figures first behind an Annual/Monthly toggle, so the first Starter number it shows is the discounted yearly rate, not the monthly one underneath. Hootsuite has no toggle at all and prints one rate per tier: per user a month, billed annually.
Both vendors reprice and reshuffle features without notice. Treat the figures on this page as correct for the date printed, and open the two linked pages before any number decides a purchase.
When neither one makes the posts
Metricool is right when you want competitor tracking and multi-brand reporting alongside the posting. Hootsuite is right when a staffed team needs approvals, an inbox and monitoring. The owner this page is written for has neither the drafts nor the hours, and both tools quietly assume somebody else made the content before they came along.
That gap is where SpeedRun Social sits. It reads your website into a brand kit and generates the caption, the image and the short video for each post, then publishes after you approve. The free plan is 300 credits a month refilled forever, one free campaign a week (3 posts, 1 video, 1 cross-post), no card, watermarked media on free. Paid plans are $49.99, $99.99 and $199.99 a month, flat per workspace and not per user or per brand, with image and video generation included on every tier.
We are new and have very few customers, so treat this as a pricing and feature comparison of two established tools, not a recommendation backed by a large installed base. The links above exist so you can check both vendors, and the signup link exists so you can check ours.
Metricool vs Hootsuite, answered
metricool vs hootsuite: which should a small business pick?
It depends on who makes the posts. On 18 September 2026 Metricool's Starter was $25 a month for 5 brands billed monthly, or $20 a month billed annually, and Hootsuite's Standard was $99 per user a month billed annually for up to 10 accounts. If you want a dashboard that watches your own numbers and five competitors, pick Metricool. If several people work social as a job and need approvals and an inbox, pick Hootsuite. If neither description matches, neither tool makes the posts for you.
Which is cheaper, Metricool or Hootsuite?
Metricool, at the entry tier. Its Starter plan was $25 a month for 5 brands billed monthly, or $20 a month billed annually, against Hootsuite's $99 per user a month billed annually. The two prices buy different things: Metricool's brand price is a dashboard for content you still measure, and Hootsuite's seat price includes a team console.
Does Metricool have a free plan?
Yes. On 18 September 2026 Metricool's Free plan was $0 a month for one brand, with 20 scheduled posts a month, 5 competitor profiles and 30 days of analytics, and its FAQ read "Yes! You can use Metricool for free, forever."
Does Hootsuite have a free plan?
No. On 18 September 2026 Hootsuite's plans page listed Standard, Professional, Advanced and a custom-priced Enterprise, each with a free 14-day trial that asked for no card. No permanent free tier appeared.
Can Metricool or Hootsuite write my posts for me?
Neither writes the post from your business. Metricool meters its AI assistant at 5, 20 and 35 credits per brand a month by tier, and lists no image or video generation. Hootsuite lists generating posts and images with AI on every paid plan without a printed cap. Neither plans page claimed its AI generates video, which is the part of the job both leave to you.
How many social accounts do I get with each?
Metricool's free plan manages 1 brand, its Starter covers up to 5 brands or 10 on the higher card, and its Advanced plan reaches up to 50 brands, with one profile per network under each brand. Hootsuite's Standard manages up to 10 accounts, with unlimited accounts on Professional, Advanced and Enterprise.
How much does SpeedRun Social cost next to these?
Paid plans are $49.99, $99.99 and $199.99 a month, flat per workspace and not per user or per brand, with image and video generation included on every tier. The free plan underneath is 300 credits a month refilled forever, one free campaign a week (3 posts, 1 video, 1 cross-post), no card, watermarked media on free. Unlike both tools, the caption, image and video are generated for you rather than assembled from content you produced first.
How current are the figures on this page?
Every number was read on 18 September 2026 from metricool.com/pricing or hootsuite.com/plans, and each claim links back to the page it came from. The two vendors reprice on their own schedules, so open both pricing pages yourself before a figure here settles anything.
Check the numbers on your own roster
Count your brands and your people, then open both pricing pages. Metricool bills per brand, Hootsuite bills per user, and the two links above are there so you can re-read both before deciding.
Every figure on this page was read on 18 September 2026 from metricool.com/pricing and hootsuite.com/plans. Prices move; the links exist so you can check theirs and ours.