HubSpot and Hootsuite are often compared because both offer social media management features. However, they are designed for different purposes, and understanding that difference is essential before comparing their prices.
Hootsuite is a dedicated social media management platform. Its main focus is helping businesses schedule posts, manage social conversations, monitor brand mentions, and analyse social media performance.
HubSpot takes a broader approach. Its social media tools are part of Marketing Hub, a larger CRM and marketing automation platform that also includes email marketing, landing pages, forms, lead management, and sales-related data.
This difference affects everything from pricing and available features to the type of business each platform serves best. The less expensive option is not necessarily the better value, especially when you consider what you get beyond social media management.
This comparison looks at HubSpot and Hootsuite’s pricing, publishing tools, social listening, CRM integration, collaboration features, and AI capabilities to help you choose the right platform.
Quick Verdict: HubSpot vs Hootsuite
- Hootsuite is a dedicated social media management platform with four main plans: Standard ($99/user/month), Professional ($199/user/month), Advanced ($399/user/month), and custom-priced Enterprise. Prices are based on annual billing.
- HubSpot includes social media tools within Marketing Hub. Social publishing requires Professional, starting at $890/month for three seats, plus a mandatory one-time onboarding fee of $3,000. Free and Starter plans do not include social publishing.
- Hootsuite has a lower entry price, but its per-user pricing increases directly with team size. There is no bulk discount for additional seats.
- HubSpot’s biggest advantage is its native CRM integration. Social interactions can be connected to contact records, deals, and campaign attribution within the same platform.
- Hootsuite offers social listening from its Standard plan, while HubSpot’s social monitoring features are available only with Professional and Enterprise.
- Neither platform is primarily designed around managing numerous independent client brands. Agencies should carefully assess their workspace, account, and collaboration requirements before choosing either tool.
HubSpot vs Hootsuite at a Glance
| Comparison | HubSpot (Marketing Hub) | Hootsuite |
|---|---|---|
| Main purpose | CRM and marketing automation with built-in social tools | Dedicated social media management |
| Free plan | Yes, but without social media publishing | No permanent free plan |
| Free trial | 14 days | 14 days |
| Minimum plan for social publishing | Professional | Standard |
| Starting price for social publishing | $890/month plus $3,000 onboarding | $99/user/month, billed annually |
| Pricing structure | Platform pricing, seats, and contact tiers | Per user, per month |
| Social accounts | 50 on Professional and 300 on Enterprise, according to third-party-confirmed figures | 10 on Standard; unlimited on Professional and above |
| Social listening | Keyword monitoring and sentiment tracking on Professional and Enterprise | Available from Standard, with more advanced capabilities on higher plans |
| CRM integration | Native integration with HubSpot CRM | Third-party integrations, including HubSpot and Salesforce |
| AI features | AI social post generator and sentiment-related tools, currently in beta | OwlyWriter AI, AI captions, images, and smart replies |
| Approval workflows | Availability not clearly confirmed in public documentation | Available on Advanced and Enterprise |
Pricing and feature availability can change. Confirm current details directly with each vendor before purchasing.
Pricing: Two Very Different Cost Structures
The biggest difference between HubSpot and Hootsuite is how they charge customers.
Hootsuite sells social media management as a standalone product. HubSpot includes social publishing within a much larger marketing platform, so accessing its social features requires a higher subscription tier.
Hootsuite Pricing: Per User
Hootsuite offers four main plans, with the following prices per user per month when billed annually.
| Plan | Price per user/month | Social accounts | Key features and restrictions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | $99 | 10 | Social scheduling, basic listening, and limited listening history; no approval workflows |
| Professional | $199 | Unlimited | Expanded publishing and listening features; no advanced team approval workflows or productivity reporting |
| Advanced | $399 | Unlimited | Approval workflows, team routing, and tracking for up to 20 competitors |
| Enterprise | Custom pricing | Unlimited | SSO, advanced listening with 13 months of history, and custom compliance options |
Hootsuite’s pricing information states that paid plans start at $99 for Standard, $199 for Professional, and $399 for Advanced.
One important detail is that Hootsuite does not offer a bulk discount for additional users. The cost increases directly with the number of seats.
For example:
| Team size | Standard plan monthly cost |
|---|---|
| 1 user | $99 |
| 3 users | $297 |
| 5 users | $495 |
| 10 users | $990 |
A five-person team on Standard would pay approximately $495 per month, while a ten-person team would pay $990 per month.
Hootsuite’s public pricing page does not clearly publish the non-annual monthly billing rate or the exact cost of every possible account add-on. If you are preparing a detailed team budget, confirm these figures with Hootsuite before making a decision.
HubSpot Pricing: Bundled Marketing Platform
HubSpot’s Marketing Hub uses a more layered pricing structure. Depending on the subscription, the cost can include a platform fee, additional seats, contact limits, and a mandatory onboarding charge.
Here is a breakdown of the pricing figures used in this comparison:
| Plan | Starting price | Seats included | Contacts included | One-time onboarding |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0/month | Up to 2 users | Not stated | None |
| Starter | From $20/month per seat; promotional pricing may be as low as $7/month per seat for new customers | Not stated | 1,000 | None |
| Professional | From $890/month | 3 Core Seats; additional seats from $45/month | 2,000 | $3,000, mandatory |
| Enterprise | From $3,600/month | 5 Core Seats; additional seats from $75/month | 10,000 | $7,000, mandatory |
Promotional prices and subscription terms may change. Check HubSpot’s current pricing page for the latest figures.
The Important Detail: HubSpot Social Publishing Requires Professional
This is the pricing detail that changes the entire comparison.
HubSpot’s social media publishing and scheduling features are available only on Marketing Hub Professional and Enterprise. The Free and Starter plans do not include social post scheduling and publishing.
HubSpot’s feature documentation identifies Professional and Enterprise as the eligible plans for social publishing.
That means the realistic starting cost for using HubSpot’s social publishing tools is:
- Professional subscription: $890 per month
- Annual subscription cost: $10,680
- Mandatory onboarding fee: $3,000
- Estimated first-year cost: $13,680, before taxes, additional seats, or contact-related overages.
This is considerably different from buying a dedicated social media management tool.
You are not paying $890 per month just for social scheduling. You are purchasing a broader marketing platform that includes CRM-related capabilities, email automation, landing pages, forms, lead management, and campaign tracking.
Hootsuite, by comparison, is designed specifically for social media management.
What Does This Pricing Difference Mean in Practice?
If you only need social media scheduling
Hootsuite Standard, at $99 per user per month, is considerably more affordable than subscribing to HubSpot Professional just to access social publishing.
A solo marketer or small team that mainly needs scheduling, a content calendar, and basic reporting may find little reason to pay for HubSpot’s broader platform.
If your business already uses HubSpot
The comparison changes when HubSpot is already your CRM and marketing automation platform.
In that situation, you are paying for the wider marketing system, and social publishing is one of the included capabilities. Comparing the entire HubSpot subscription with Hootsuite’s social-only pricing would not be an equal comparison.
You would need to consider the additional cost of maintaining a separate CRM and email marketing platform if you chose Hootsuite instead.
For a five-person team focused entirely on social media
Hootsuite Standard would cost approximately $495 per month for five users.
HubSpot Professional starts at $890 per month and includes three Core Seats. Adding two more seats at $45 each brings the monthly subscription to approximately $980.
That is nearly twice the Hootsuite Standard cost, before considering HubSpot’s $3,000 onboarding fee.
For a team that only needs social media management, Hootsuite is the more affordable option in this example.
HubSpot vs Hootsuite: Feature Comparison
Pricing is only one part of the decision. The platforms also differ in how they handle publishing, social listening, CRM data, team collaboration, and AI-assisted content creation.
1. Social Media Publishing and Scheduling
Hootsuite is built around social media publishing. Its tools include bulk scheduling, a content calendar, campaign planning, and post management.
Its supported social networks include:
- TikTok
- X
- YouTube
- Threads
- Bluesky
The number of connected accounts depends on the subscription. Standard includes 10 accounts, while Professional and higher plans offer unlimited social accounts.
The Advanced plan also includes unlimited scheduled posts and post suspension controls.
HubSpot offers social publishing as part of Marketing Hub Professional and Enterprise.
Its social tools include:
- AI-powered social post generation, currently in beta
- Publishing across LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Reddit, and X
- Automatic sharing of newly published blog content to social channels
- Suggestions for the best times to publish
- Social performance tracking within the broader marketing platform
Third-party summaries of HubSpot’s feature information list 50 connected accounts for Professional and 300 for Enterprise, along with an approximate limit of 10,000 posts per month. These figures are based on summarized comparison information rather than fully reproduced official documentation, so verify them with HubSpot before relying on them for a purchase decision.
Which platform is better for publishing?
Hootsuite is the more specialised choice for businesses that want a dedicated social publishing workspace.
HubSpot is more useful when social content is part of a wider marketing process that includes blogs, lead generation, email campaigns, and CRM data.
2. Social Listening and Monitoring
Social listening helps businesses understand what people are saying about their brand, products, competitors, and industry.
Hootsuite includes listening features from its Standard plan, making them available without requiring an expensive enterprise-level subscription.
Its listening capabilities expand across the plans:
| Plan | Social listening capabilities |
|---|---|
| Standard | Search the previous 7 days, compare two search results, and benchmark against five competitors |
| Professional | 30-day search history, 90-day trend forecasting, and benchmarking against 20 competitors |
| Advanced | Additional demographic insights and an influencer finder |
| Enterprise | Advanced listening with up to 13 months of historical data |
HubSpot uses keyword-based monitoring streams to identify relevant mentions and help teams track conversations.
Its social monitoring features include:
- Keyword monitoring streams
- Email alerts for relevant mentions
- AI-powered sentiment tracking, currently in beta
- Reddit monitoring for brand and competitor sentiment
- Share-of-voice and trend-related insights
However, these capabilities are available only on Marketing Hub Professional and Enterprise. Free and Starter users do not get HubSpot’s social listening features.
Which platform is better for social listening?
Hootsuite has the advantage for businesses that want social listening without committing to a full marketing platform.
HubSpot may be more useful when monitoring social activity is part of a wider marketing and CRM strategy. However, its higher subscription requirement makes it a more expensive option for businesses that only need listening tools.
3. CRM Integration and Marketing Attribution
This is HubSpot’s strongest advantage over Hootsuite.
Because HubSpot’s social tools operate within the same platform as its CRM, social interactions can be connected to customer contact records.
This allows businesses to:
- Associate social interactions with existing contact records
- Track visits and leads generated through social campaigns
- Connect marketing activities with customer journeys
- Measure how social campaigns contribute to wider marketing performance
- Link marketing activity with sales pipeline information
Hootsuite supports integrations with platforms such as Salesforce, HubSpot, Mailchimp, Marketo, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Asana, and Zapier.
However, these are integrations between separate systems rather than the native, shared CRM database available within HubSpot.
If your business needs to understand how a social media interaction eventually contributes to a lead, opportunity, or closed deal, HubSpot has a structural advantage.
Hootsuite can connect to external CRM tools, but it does not provide the same built-in relationship between social activity and HubSpot contact records.
4. Team Collaboration and Approval Workflows
Team collaboration becomes important when several people create, review, and publish content.
Hootsuite makes its more advanced collaboration tools available on Advanced and Enterprise.
The Advanced plan, priced at $399 per user per month, includes features such as:
- Approval workflows
- Internal comments
- Content collaboration
- Scheduled post suspension
- Inbox routing based on skills
- Message assignment
- Team productivity tracking
Standard and Professional do not include the same advanced approval and collaboration capabilities.
HubSpot’s public documentation does not clearly confirm the availability of social-specific approval workflows across Professional and Enterprise.
Therefore, businesses that depend on multi-step content approvals should confirm the exact workflow capabilities with HubSpot before purchasing. Do not assume that its approval process matches Hootsuite’s Advanced plan.
5. AI Content Creation Tools
Both platforms offer AI-assisted features, but their approaches are slightly different.
Hootsuite AI
Hootsuite’s OwlyWriter AI supports content creation and social media management.
Its capabilities include:
- Social media caption generation
- Content ideas and post suggestions
- Hashtag assistance
- AI-generated images
- Smart replies
- AI-assisted inbox response handling
These tools are available from the Standard plan.
HubSpot AI
HubSpot’s social-specific AI features include an AI-powered social post generator and sentiment-related insights.
Both are labelled as beta in the referenced HubSpot feature information, which suggests they are still developing.
HubSpot also offers broader AI capabilities across its marketing platform, including a separate AI Social Media Agent product.
Which platform has better AI tools?
Hootsuite offers a more established set of social-focused AI tools within its social management plans.
HubSpot’s AI features may be useful for businesses already using its wider marketing ecosystem, but the beta status of its social-specific tools is worth considering.
6. Mobile Apps and API Access
Both HubSpot and Hootsuite offer mobile applications for iOS and Android, allowing users to manage aspects of their marketing and social media activities away from a desktop.
Hootsuite’s public information referenced for this comparison did not clearly confirm API access or the exact availability of API features across its plans.
If your business requires API access, custom integrations, or automated workflows, confirm the technical requirements directly with Hootsuite before choosing a subscription.
The same applies to any specific integration requirement that is essential to your operations. Do not assume that a feature is included simply because a platform supports integrations in general.
Which Platform Is Best for Different Types of Businesses?
The right choice depends on what your business needs from its software.
Hootsuite Is Better for Dedicated Social Media Management
Hootsuite is a strong option for businesses and teams whose main responsibility is managing social media.
It makes sense when you need:
- A dedicated social media scheduling platform
- A central content calendar
- Social listening and competitor monitoring
- Publishing across multiple social networks
- Social inbox management
- Reporting and performance tracking
Its pricing is relatively straightforward for a small social-only team, although the per-user model can become expensive as the team grows.
HubSpot Is Better for CRM-Driven Marketing
HubSpot is a better fit for businesses that already use, or are planning to adopt, its CRM and marketing automation platform.
It is particularly useful when you want:
- CRM and marketing data in one system
- Social activity connected to customer records
- Email marketing and automation
- Landing pages and lead-generation forms
- Campaign attribution
- Marketing and sales alignment
HubSpot is not an economical choice if you only want social media scheduling. Its Professional plan includes a much broader set of capabilities, and the price reflects that wider purpose.
Pros and Cons of HubSpot and Hootsuite
Hootsuite: Pros and Cons
Advantages
- Designed specifically for social media management
- Social listening is available from the entry-level paid plan
- Clear per-user pricing structure
- Supports a wide range of social media platforms
- Offers AI-assisted content creation and smart replies
- Provides advanced collaboration and approval workflows on higher plans
Disadvantages
- No permanent free plan
- Costs increase directly with the number of users
- No bulk discount for additional seats
- Advanced approval workflows are restricted to higher-priced plans
- Some pricing and technical details, including API access and certain account limits, are not clearly published on the public pricing pages
HubSpot: Pros and Cons
Advantages
- Native CRM integration and social campaign attribution
- Combines social publishing with email marketing and automation
- Connects marketing activities with customer and sales data
- Offers a broader platform that can support growing marketing operations
- Free and Starter plans are available for businesses that need other basic marketing features
Disadvantages
- Social publishing requires Professional or Enterprise
- Professional starts at $890 per month
- Mandatory $3,000 onboarding fee applies to Professional
- No lower-cost subscription option for accessing social publishing
- Social-specific AI tools referenced here are still in beta
- Pricing is more complex because of seats, contact tiers, and onboarding charges
HubSpot vs Hootsuite: Final Verdict
HubSpot and Hootsuite are built for different types of customers. The best choice depends on whether social media management is your primary requirement or one part of a larger marketing operation.
Choose Hootsuite if social media management is your main priority.
It offers dedicated scheduling, listening, publishing, and reporting tools without requiring you to purchase an entire CRM and marketing automation suite.
For a business that mainly wants to manage social media accounts, Hootsuite is generally the more direct and affordable option.
Choose HubSpot if your business needs an integrated CRM and marketing platform.
Its native connection between social activity, customer records, and campaign attribution is a significant advantage. If your organisation already relies on HubSpot for email marketing, lead generation, and sales processes, having social publishing within the same system can be convenient.
However, purchasing HubSpot Professional purely to access social media features is difficult to justify when you do not need the rest of the platform.
Ultimately, compare the complete cost of the tools you need, not just their starting prices. A platform that looks more expensive may provide better value if you use its wider capabilities, while a specialised tool may be the smarter purchase when your requirements are limited to social media management.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is HubSpot or Hootsuite Cheaper for Social Media Management?
Hootsuite is considerably cheaper if social media scheduling is your main requirement.
Its Standard plan starts at $99 per user per month with annual billing. HubSpot requires Marketing Hub Professional, starting at $890 per month, plus a mandatory $3,000 onboarding fee, before social publishing becomes available.
Can I Use HubSpot for Social Media Without Paying for the Whole Platform?
No. HubSpot’s Free and Starter plans do not include social post scheduling and publishing.
The feature is available on Marketing Hub Professional and Enterprise. There is no lower-cost plan that provides access to HubSpot’s social publishing tools on their own.
Does Hootsuite Have a Free Plan?
No. Hootsuite does not offer a permanent free plan.
It provides a 14-day free trial for its Standard, Professional, and Advanced plans, allowing potential customers to test the platform before subscribing.
Which Platform Has Better Social Listening: HubSpot or Hootsuite?
Hootsuite is the more accessible option for social listening because its Standard plan includes listening features.
HubSpot offers keyword monitoring and sentiment-related tools on Professional and Enterprise, but these features are not available on its Free or Starter plans.
If you want social listening without paying for a larger marketing platform, Hootsuite is the more practical choice.
Does HubSpot’s Social Media Tool Integrate With Its CRM?
Yes. HubSpot’s social tools operate within its CRM and marketing platform.
Social interactions can be associated with contact records, while social campaign activity can contribute to marketing attribution and customer journey reporting.
This native integration is one of HubSpot’s biggest advantages over standalone social media management platforms.
Does Hootsuite Charge Per User?
Yes. Hootsuite’s plans use per-user pricing, with the monthly cost increasing as you add more seats.
There is no bulk discount in the pricing structure described in this comparison. For example, five users on Standard cost approximately $495 per month with annual billing.
Which Platform Is Better for a Small Team That Only Needs Social Media Scheduling?
Hootsuite is generally the better option.
Its Standard plan provides dedicated social media scheduling at a much lower starting price than HubSpot Professional.
A small team that does not need CRM, email automation, or advanced marketing tools may find HubSpot’s higher subscription cost unnecessary.
Does HubSpot or Hootsuite Offer AI Content Creation Tools?
Both platforms offer AI-assisted content features.
Hootsuite’s OwlyWriter AI supports captions, content ideas, hashtags, images, and smart replies.
HubSpot offers an AI-powered social post generator and sentiment-related tools, although these social-specific features are labelled as beta in the referenced product information.
What Is the Real First-Year Cost of Using HubSpot for Social Media?
Based on the pricing figures in this comparison, HubSpot Professional costs approximately $13,680 in the first year.
That includes:
- $890 per month for 12 months: $10,680
- Mandatory one-time onboarding fee: $3,000
The total is before taxes, additional seats, or contact-related overages.
This is the cost of accessing the wider Marketing Hub Professional subscription, not a standalone social media plan.
Is HubSpot or Hootsuite Better for Agencies Managing Client Social Accounts?
Hootsuite is more directly focused on social media management, making it a more natural option for agencies that primarily need scheduling, monitoring, and publishing.
However, agencies should check its user, account, and collaboration limits carefully.
HubSpot is structured around an organisation’s CRM and marketing operations rather than the management of multiple independent client brands. Agencies that need separate client workspaces, permissions, and reporting should evaluate these requirements before choosing either platform.
I am the author of this blog from Saandip Kumar Jha from Aitechtonic.com. Through this website, I give website blog AI & Tech News updates which I have learned and understood from my experience.
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