Metricool vs Hootsuite (2026): Which Is Better for Agencies?

Metricool advertises “from $25/month”. That’s for 5 brands. An agency managing 20 clients pays $107/month. Hootsuite charges $249 per user per month. A team of 3 pays $747/month before scheduling a single post.

This comparison is for agency owners and freelancers managing multiple client accounts. Not solo users posting for one brand. The pricing math matters. The workflow gaps matter. For some agencies, the right tool isn’t either of these two.

Short version: Metricool is dramatically cheaper and covers more platforms, including Google Business Profile and ad analytics. Hootsuite is more reliable for Instagram Reels, offers true social listening, and handles client approval without requiring clients to create accounts. Which one works depends on your team size, budget, and the specific services you offer.

If you’re evaluating both tools, you might also want to check the Metricool vs Buffer comparison before deciding.

Metricool vs Hootsuite: Quick Comparison

Metricool and Hootsuite are both social media management platforms, but they’re built for different budgets and team sizes.

What is the difference between Metricool and Hootsuite?

Metricool’s pricing scales by brand count. 5 brands cost $25/month, and 25 brands cost $107/month. Hootsuite charges $249 per user per month regardless of client count. A 3-person team pays $747/month on Hootsuite right from day one.

Metricool wins on price, platform breadth, and ad analytics. Hootsuite wins on publishing reliability, social listening depth, and client approval UX.

Pricing: The Biggest Difference Between the Two

The price difference between Metricool and Hootsuite has a 10x gap for comparable agency features.

How Metricool charges: Metricool sells by “brand.” One brand is one set of social profiles where you can connect one account per social network. While this may appear straightforward, it often presents challenges for agencies in practice.

A client with two Facebook Pages counts as 2 brands. The same rule applies to the Instagram accounts.  A franchise with 5 location pages counts as 5 brands. Besides, for multi-page clients, adding 20%-30% is the expected brand count.

Metricool Pricing (Monthly Billing)

A note on how Metricool displays pricing: The headline says “from $25/month” for Starter and “from $67/month” for Advanced. The feature list under each plan mentions “up to 10 brands” and “up to 50 brands” as the maximums. Those maximums cost $45/month and $210/month, respectively. The “from” price reflects only the entry brand count for that tier: 5 brands for Starter and 15 brands for Advanced. Check the bottom of each pricing card carefully before assuming what’s included at the advertised price.

The headline specifies pricing “from $25/month” for the Starter plan and “from $67/month” for the Advanced plan. However, the features listed “up to 10 brands” and “up to 50 brands” in the real sense correspond to maximum costs of $45/month and $210/month, respectively. The advertised “from” price applies only to the initial brand tier: 5 brands for Starter and 15 for Advanced. It is recommended to review the details at the bottom of each pricing card to confirm exactly what is included at the entry-level price.

How Hootsuite charges: Hootsuite sells by user seat. Every team member who needs full access is a separate seat at $249/month. No free plan. 30-day trial only.

Hootsuite Pricing (Monthly Billing)

The Real Cost for Agencies

Here’s the math with 1 team member:

And with 3 team members:

The Hootsuite column stays flat at $747 regardless of how many clients you take on. Metricool scales with your client roster. That’s the core trade-off.

Unit of Pricing: How Each Tool Counts Accounts

Contract flexibility: Metricool offers monthly billing (cancel anytime). Annual plans save roughly 2 months of cost. First-time paid subscribers get a 15-day full refund window (first purchase only, not renewals).

Hootsuite’s Standard and Advanced plans are annual commitments. $249/user/month becomes $2,988/user/year up front. For agencies whose client rosters fluctuate, Metricool’s monthly option reduces financial exposure.

Scheduling and Publishing Features

Metricool covers 12 social platforms, plus web properties and 3 ad platforms. Hootsuite covers 10 social platforms. The gap shows up most clearly in Google Business Profile, Twitch, and ad network support.

Metricool Scheduling

Metricool supports 12 social platforms plus web (WordPress, JavaScript, Tracking Pixel), Meta Ads, Google Ads, and TikTok Ads.

Metricool’s queue system is called Autolist. You set time slots, and Metricool fills them from a content pool. Best-time recommendations are available for TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn. Bulk scheduling works via CSV, RSS feed, social account import, or direct video upload. Error validation checks platform-specific rules before you can save or schedule a post. This catches formatting issues before they become publish failures.

Key publishing capabilities of Metricool are: 

• Instagram: Trial reels, collaborators (up to 3), first comment, feed preview
• LinkedIn: PDF/PPT/DOC upload (up to 300MB), polls on paid plans, first comment
• YouTube: Auto-publishes as a Short if the video is under 60 seconds; supports subtitles and custom titles
• TikTok: Add music for business accounts
• Google Business Profile: Posting supported (no CTA button customization; RecurPost handles GBP CTAs)
• Twitter/X and Bluesky: Thread posting supported
• Threads: Ghost posting available

Hootsuite Scheduling

Hootsuite supports 10 platforms, including Facebook Page, Instagram Business, X, LinkedIn, YouTube, Pinterest, TikTok, Threads, Bluesky, and WhatsApp Business.

One operational detail that catches agencies off guard is that connecting a client’s Instagram requires the account to be linked to a Facebook Page in Meta Accounts Center. If it isn’t (common for newer Instagram Business accounts), you can’t connect it to Hootsuite at all. 

Fixing this requires the client to link their accounts in Meta’s settings. If a different team manages their Facebook Page, it can take several days. 

Metricool handles this differently. Instagram can connect without a Facebook link (with limited functionality), so you can start work while the client sorts out their Meta setup.

Other Hootsuite scheduling features are :

• Post templates and bulk CSV upload
• Seasonal and evergreen content libraries
• Best-time recommendations
• Calendar export as PDF or CSV
• Hootbio (Instagram bio link tool for influencers)
• OwlyGPT AI content creation: 300 tokens/month, resets on the 1st of each month

No Twitter/X thread support. DM automation applies to scheduled Instagram posts only.

Platform Support Comparison

Metricool’s Post Reliability Limitations

For agencies, a post that doesn’t go out is a client’s problem. Metricool has a documented reliability issue with Instagram Reels and TikTok.

Metricool frequently fails to publish Instagram Reels due to persistent video file size errors. Agencies running regular Reels content reports have to manually reformat video files before each upload. The tool shows platform-specific errors and suggestions before publishing, so it catches some issues upfront. The Reels failures happen after that validation step, at the point of actual publication.

TikTok is a separate issue. Scheduled posts lose caption formatting on publish. Line breaks and emojis are stripped, so posts go live looking disorganized. That means manual edits after the fact or monitoring every TikTok post at publish time.

For agencies, a missed post directly impacts client outcomes. This is where reliability becomes a decisive factor.

Metricool reports challenges with publishing Instagram Reels and TikTok content. In the case of Instagram Reels, uploads fail due to recurring video file size issues. As a result, agencies often need to manually reformat video files before publishing. While the platform does provide pre-publish checks with platform-specific error messages and suggestions, these issues can still occur at the final publishing stage.

For TikTok, scheduled posts may lose caption formatting upon publication. Elements such as line breaks and emojis can be stripped, causing posts to appear unstructured. This requires either post-publication edits or close monitoring at the time of publishing to ensure content appears as intended.

Hootsuite is more dependable for Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts at scale. Fewer failures have been reported across agency communities. This reliability becomes increasingly important as the number of managed clients grows

Hootsuite is generally regarded as more dependable for publishing Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts at scale. 

For smaller agencies handling a handful of clients, an occasional publishing issue may be a manageable trade-off given Metricool’s cost advantage.

However, for agencies managing 20+ clients, even a single failed post can lead to client escalations. In such cases, the value of consistent, reliable publishing begins to outweigh pricing considerations.

Analytics and Reporting

Metricool vs Hootsuite client reporting is one of the most-searched aspects of this comparison. Both tools offer white-label reports.

Metricool Analytics

White-label reporting is available from the Starter plan ($25/mo monthly, $20/mo annual). This allows agencies to deliver branded client reports without upgrading to higher-tier plans. The platform provides expansive coverage for analytics across a wide range of channels, such as – 

• Facebook, 
• Instagram, 
• Threads, 
• Bluesky, 
• LinkedIn, 
• Pinterest, 
• TikTok, 
• GBP, 
• YouTube, 
• Web, 
• Twitter/X, 
• Meta Ads and Google Ads. 

Reports can be exported in PDF or PPT formats, and automated monthly email delivery is also included.  Plus, competitor analytics cover up to 100 competitors (Starter plan and above) across Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, YouTube, and Twitch.

There are a few limitations to consider- 

1. full Twitter/X analytics only unlock on the Advanced plan, andLooker Studio integration also requires the advanced tier.
2. The hashtag tracker is a separate paid add-on at €25 per 24 hours per network per session, limited to 25,000 X posts and 10,000 Instagram posts per session.

Hootsuite Analytics

White-label reporting is available on all paid plans, starting at $249/user/month. Hootsuite’s reporting depth is quite robust, including- 

• 53 pre-built report templates, 
• a custom report builder, 
• data can be exported in PDF, CSV, Excel, and PowerPoint, 
• inbox analytics and campaign analytics for Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Industry-specific benchmarking against up to 20 competitor brands is also included. 

Hootsuite’s performance-enhancing features include a social performance score, best times to publish reporting, and weekly or monthly scheduled report delivery. 

One limitation to note is that Hootsuite does not currently provide analytics for Google Business Profile (GBP).

Reporting Comparison

The reporting comparison between Metricool and Hootsuite ultimately comes down to cost-effective automation versus enterprise-grade data depth. The fundamental trade-off is Metricool for cost-effective, comprehensive reporting covering essential agency needs and Hootsuite for advanced customization and reporting depth, specifically for agencies managing enterprising accounts.

Social Listening

Metricool’s listening is better described as competitor analytics. It also covers hashtag tracking for Instagram and TikTok (paid add-on at €25/24hrs per network per session), plus competitor profile analytics for Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, YouTube, and Twitch. Up to 100 competitors are included in the Starter plan.

However, Metricool does not provide web-wide mention tracking or sentiment analysis. This makes it better suited for performance benchmarking rather than full-scale social listening.

Social listening (tracking brand mentions, trends, and sentiment across the web) is included on every Hootsuite paid plan.

Hootsuite’s social listening capabilities are powered by Talkwalker, enabling in-depth monitoring of brand names, topics, and public figures across the web. The platform provides rich insights, including sentiment analysis, trending themes, influencer identification, and audience demographics such as age, gender, language, occupation, family status, and interests.

It also offers visual analytics like global map views and data visualizations, making it easier to interpret trends at a glance. Reports can be exported in PDF or PowerPoint formats. Plus, users can compare up to five brands simultaneously for competitive analysis.

Team Collaboration and Approval Workflows

Both tools offer content approval workflows. The cost to access them is vastly different. For agencies, approval is often the feature that determines whether a tool is workable.

Metricool Team Features

Post approval requires the Advanced plan (from $67/mo for 15 brands). One subscription covers the entire team. Roles follow fixed defaults, such as Client, Content Creator, Analyst, Editor, and Manager, plus custom roles. Access to individual social profiles can be set per person. Organization-level roles (Co-owner, Manager, Advanced Member, Member) control overall workspace access.

Client Connect, available on the Advanced plan, allows clients to authorize their social accounts through a secure, shareable link. This eliminates the need to share login credentials or interact directly with the Metricool platform.

By contrast, agencies on the Starter plan have to share credentials to connect accounts, making it a drawback from a data security and client management perspective.

Hootsuite Team Features

Approval workflows are available on the Standard plan ($249/user/mo). Hootsuite supports approval for both posts and inbox replies. Team members can be assigned messages and tasks, with bulk approve or resolve options, CSAT surveys, and VIP contact flagging. Advanced admin settings include fallback team routing for unassigned messages.

One difference that matters for agencies is that clients do not need a Hootsuite account to approve content. Hootsuite’s external approver model sends a link. The client views the post exactly as it will appear, approves or requests changes, and never logs into any tool. Automatic reminders go out 24 and 48 hours before the scheduled publish deadline. You can set up to 3 approval layers (for example: copywriter, account manager, then client).

How Do You Add a New Client?

This is where the two tools differ most in practice.

Metricool (Advanced plan)

To facilitate a secure and professional onboarding process, the following steps are included in Metricool’s Advanced plan- 

• Generate a Client Connect link within Metricool
• Send the link to the client
• The client authorizes their social accounts using their own login
• The connected accounts appear directly in your dashboard
• The client never needs access to your Metricool account

A point to note is that the starter plan limitation requires direct credential sharing by the client.

Hootsuite:

The Hootsuite onboarding workflow follows a structured sequence that requires active participation from the client; this includes – 

• Admin invites the client via email
• Client creates a Hootsuite account
• Client connects their social media accounts
• The agency assigns roles and permissions

Functional considerations

• The requirement for clients to create a Hootsuite account can introduce friction, while some clients may hesitate, and some may delay setup. 
• In time-sensitive scenarios (e.g., a client signed on Friday), onboarding may not begin until the client completes account setup, potentially pushing work to the following week. 

What’s the Approval Experience Like for Clients?

The approval process significantly impacts the user experience for both the agency and the client. Below is a step-by-step breakdown of how each platform facilitates content review.

Metricool: Account-Based Approval Workflow

1. The client must create and log in to a free Metricool account.
2. The client accesses the Planner, where scheduled content is color-coded by status.
3. Pending posts are marked in yellow for the client’s review.
4. The post turns green and is queued for publishing.
5. The client adds a note, and the post turns red, alerting the agency to necessary revisions.

Hootsuite: Frictionless External Approval

1. The agency generates and shares a secure, external approval link with the client.
2. The client accesses the link without account creation or login required to view a live preview of the post.
3. The client approves the content or requests modifications directly through the shared interface.

Approval Cost Comparison

Approval UX Comparison

Strategic Analysis

• Hootsuite’s “no-account” model eliminates a common friction point where clients resist managing additional platform credentials.
• While Metricool offers approval features at a significantly lower price point, Hootsuite’s streamlined user experience (UX) provides a clear professional advantage for agencies prioritizing client convenience.

Social Inbox

Both Metricool and Hootsuite offer a social inbox, but their capabilities differ in scope and depth.

Metricool’s inbox covers five social media platforms, namely Facebook, Instagram, Twitter/X, Google Business Profile (GBP), and LinkedIn Company Pages. It supports private messages for Facebook and Instagram, as well as comments for Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube. A notable advantage is its GBP review management, allowing agencies to read and respond to Google reviews directly, something Hootsuite does not currently support.

Metricool also includes practical tools like canned responses and contact notes. However, it does not offer AI reply suggestions or built-in CSAT surveys. This positions it as a more streamlined, functional inbox compared to Hootsuite’s feature-rich approach.

Hootsuite provides a more fully developed inbox experience, including features such as AI-generated reply suggestions, CSAT (customer satisfaction) surveys, and VIP contact tagging. This makes it well-suited for teams managing high volumes of interactions and prioritizing customer experience.

AI Features

Both Metricool and Hootsuite include AI for caption writing. Each cap’s usage is with monthly credits.

Metricool’s AI covers captions with platform-specific writing style configuration. The tool does not support AI image generation and AI for the inbox.

Credit limits by plan comprise 5 (Free), 20 per brand per month (Starter), and 35 per brand per month (Advanced).

Hootsuite’s AI assistant is called OwlyGPT. It covers –

• caption creation and optimization, 
• image generation, 
• performance insight summaries, 
• special day content prompts, and 
• repurposing top-performing posts. 

The Advanced plan adds AI inbox automation. Each monthly billing cycle includes 300 AI tokens, which reset on the first of every month.

It is important to note that neither platform currently features deep AI integration across the entire product suite.

For organizations prioritizing advanced capabilities, such as conversational AI reporting or AI-assisted inbox responses, the unique approach of RecurPost is worth a comparison.

Integrations and Automation

Metricool connects with Google Drive, Canva, Adobe Express, GIPHY, and Pexels. RSS feed scheduling is built in and free. No add-on needed. API access, Zapier, Make, and MCP require the Advanced plan. Looker Studio integration also requires Advanced. UTM tracking is built in. Both Bit.ly and Pulse.ly (Metricool’s own link shortener) are supported. Bulk scheduling works via CSV, RSS, social import, or video upload.

Hootsuite offers 31 third-party integrations out of the box. Metricool’s API and Zapier access only unlock from the Advanced plan.

Hootsuite connects natively with Canva, Adobe Express, Pexels, GIPHY, and Bit.ly, among others. RSS feed scheduling is available via Hootsuite Syndicator, a paid add-on. Bulk upload via CSV is included.

The practical difference for most agencies is that Metricool’s RSS integration comes at no extra cost, whereas Hootsuite charges for it.

Mobile App

Both Metricool and Hootsuite offer mobile apps for iOS and Android. Full scheduling, content management, and inbox access are available on both. Hootsuite’s mobile app includes notification-based posting for personal Facebook and Instagram accounts. Neither app is a primary differentiator for agency workflows, but both work well for on-the-go scheduling and inbox management.

Customer Support

Metricool and Hootsuite both offer self-serve support, but the experience differs.

Metricool provides instant message chat plus a searchable help center with articles, a changelog (What’s New), and in-tool demos. However, there is no call support. 

Hootsuite’s support leans toward self-service resources that include a help center with webinars, blog posts, and templates. Enterprise plans include a dedicated account manager. Live chat isn’t confirmed for Standard or Advanced plans.

Who Should Use Metricool?

Metricool is the better choice if you manage multiple client brands from a cost-to-value perspective. This is especially true for freelancers and small agencies handling fewer than 50 brands.

Use Metricool if:

• You’re a freelancer or small agency managing 3–15 clients and budget is the primary constraint
• You need white-label reporting at the lowest possible price (from $25/ monthly)
• You manage Google, Meta, and TikTok ad campaigns and need analytics in one place
• You need Google Business Profile posting and analytics (Hootsuite doesn’t support GBP at all)
• You manage Twitch channels or need Bluesky thread support
• You need RSS feed scheduling without a paid add-on
• Your team is 1–2 people and per-user pricing makes Hootsuite unaffordable

Metricool won’t work if:

• Your Instagram Reels workflow is non-negotiable and post failures aren’t acceptable
• You need web-wide social listening (not just hashtag or competitor tracking)
• Your team needs AI inbox reply drafts
• Reliable TikTok caption formatting is critical for client posts
• Your clients run multiple accounts on the same platform (each counts as a separate brand, and costs scale accordingly)

For comparisons with other tools in Metricool’s price range, see Metricool vs Later or Metricool vs Buffer.

Who Should Use Hootsuite?

Hootsuite makes sense for large enterprise teams where social listening, publishing reliability, and deep team management justify the cost.

Use Hootsuite if:

• You’re managing social for government bodies, financial services, healthcare, education, or real estate, where Hootsuite has specific positioning and a compliance track record
• Social listening via Talkwalker is a client requirement (brand monitoring, sentiment analysis, PR)
• Your team is large and publishing reliability for Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts is non-negotiable
• You’re already in Hootsuite’s ecosystem with 31+ integrations and enterprise SSO
• Your budget allows $249+/user/month and the depth of reporting justifies it

Hootsuite won’t work if:

• You’re a small to mid-size agency watching margins ($249/user/month per team member adds up fast)
• You need GBP posting, scheduling, or analytics for local business clients
• You need Google Ads or TikTok Ads analytics
• You need post approval at an affordable price point
• You want to benchmark against more than 20 competitors

Looking for a Better Value? Consider RecurPost

If your agency requires a solution that bridges the gap between Metricool’s technical limitations and Hootsuite’s premium pricing, RecurPost provides a compelling alternative with a focus on automation and reliability.

The four primary reasons agencies switch to RecurPost are :

1. The pricing for agencies is lower. RecurPost’s Agency plan starts at $79/month for 20 social profiles and 3 users. That’s less than Metricool Advanced (from $67/mo for 15 brands) and a fraction of Hootsuite’s $249/user/month.

2. Post-failure handling is more thorough. RecurPost handles 850+ types of post failures with automatic retry and specific error codes. The Metricool Reels problem (posts failing with unclear errors) doesn’t have an equivalent on RecurPost. You know what failed, why it failed, and what to fix.

3. Client-facing tools are more complete. Clients can view the content calendar and leave comments without needing a login. They can also connect their own social accounts via a secure invite link, no credential sharing required. Metricool requires the Advanced plan ($67+/mo) for similar client access. Hootsuite requires clients to create accounts.

4. Per-platform customization goes deeper. RecurPost supports GBP CTA buttons (Learn More, Buy, Book, Call Now, and others), Instagram collaborator tagging, TikTok content disclosure settings, LinkedIn PDF and carousel posts, and YouTube category and tag settings. More per-platform controls than either Metricool or Hootsuite.

One honest limitation: RecurPost does not include social listening. If Talkwalker-powered brand monitoring is a hard requirement for a specific client, Hootsuite is the answer for that account.

Or compare directly: RecurPost vs Hootsuite or RecurPost vs Metricool.

Frequently Asked Questions

Saurabh Chaturvedi

Saurabh Chaturvedi is a content writer at RecurPost. Specializing in social media management and marketing, Saurabh is dedicated to crafting engaging and informative articles. His passion for clear, exciting content keeps readers eager for more.