Social media management is a gargantuan responsibility. However, with the right tools and a proper approach, one can smoothly tackle all the roadblocks in this task. Multiple software and applications for planning are readily available nowadays.
If you are a budding social media manager, it is imperative for you to be aware of the features of all the social media management tools in the market at present. The significance of these tools is non-negotiable – one simply cannot make do without them.
Hence, we have come up with a comparison of the two frontrunners for the position of the best social media management tool currently – Sprout Social and Hootsuite. Read on to learn about the pros and cons of each software and pick the one that suits you the best!
Sprout Social – The History
In 2010, Justyn Howard, the CEO of Sprout Social, founded this company. Social media management is their core area of expertise, and the company has steadily climbed the ladder amidst its competitors.
The primary reason for the company’s exponential growth is the meticulously organized functions and areas of focus. Sprout Social offers its users an in-depth solution to all their management requirements in the form of end-to-end support.
The different aspects that are in crucial emphasis for the success of this management platform are:
- Monitoring
- Engagement
- Scheduling and Publishing
- Analytics and Reporting
Another milestone that has been achieved by Sprout Social is the introduction of the automated response delivery feature that enables communication with no hassles. This feature is unique to Sprout Social to date.
What Is Sprout Social Best Suited For?
Does your domain of work mainly revolve around customer service and its associated management? If yes, you can opt for the services of Sprout Social without second thoughts! Sprout Social remains unchallenged in the realm of customer relations services.
As mentioned earlier, Sprout Social’s automation feature gives it a notable edge over its competitors. Customers can communicate straightforwardly with zero hassles. The feature to obtain regular reports based on user analytics is another highlight.
Salient Features Of Sprout Social
The key features offered by Sprout Social include:
- Multiple accounts management
- Multiple users administration
- Data visualization and exporting
- Keyword tracking
- Calendar and brand management
- Dashboard with a modern interface
- Integration with Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, HubSpot, Google Analytics, Bit.ly, Zendesk
- Notifications
- Third-Party plug-ins
- Social media engagement and monitoring
Pricing And Schemes
Now, let us discuss the different plans that Sprout Social has. This comparison will aid you in picking the scheme that is best suited for you.
Standard |
Professional |
Advanced |
| Extensive management for social media | ALL STANDARD FEATURES INCLUDED | ALL PROFESSIONAL FEATURES INCLUDED |
| Social inbox maintenance | Multiple features for inbox messaging such as tagging, categorizing, and reporting | Comprehensive customer support tools |
| All-round posts management – Includes publishing, scheduling, drafting, and queueing | Productivity and team activity monitoring | Optimized keyword reports maintenance |
| Locations, profiles, and keywords monitoring | Engagement and trends observation | Automation facility with a custom chatbot |
| CRM toolset and tasking | Audience targetting and workflow approval | Assets library for media storage |
| Calendar maintenance for social content | Benchmark reporting | URL tracking facility |
| Multiple reporting levels – group, profile, and post | Campaign reports and tagging | Report building and delivery available |
| Mobile applications for iOS and Android | Social listening suites are present | Social listening suites are present |
| Supports 5 social profiles | Supports 10 social profiles | Supports 10 social profiles |
Hootsuite – The History
Hootsuite was initially founded to aid the management of Twitter in 2008. Ryan Holmes is the founder of this social media management tool. Hootsuite boasts an impressive user base of over 18 million profiles under its belt.
It also grabbed the limelight for having the reputation of managing around 800 Fortune 1000 companies. This management platform can be expanded over 100+ social media channels and aid you in integrating all of them conveniently.
The primary attributes of Hootsuite that make it stand apart from the rest include:
- Social campaigning and team management
- Streamlines overall management across all social media channels
- Powerful consolidated analytics across all areas of social media activity
- Maintenance of content in a content library
Hootsuite has received numerous accolades for being a publishing powerhouse. Managers can work in a collaborative manner without room for any miscommunication.
What Is Hootsuite Best Suited For?
Hootsuite has been built, keeping in mind the requirements of teams exclusively. If you need to collaborate with a large number of people simultaneously, Hootsuite is the best software for you, hands down!
All the features of this platform are built for flexibility and consistent expansion. As a result, you can keep multiple specialists in the loop and ensure that no updates are missed! You can post and schedule unlimited posts on Hootsuite – which is a great asset indeed.
Salient Features Of Hootsuite
The key features offered by Hootsuite include:
- Free plan
- Immersive social media platforms integration option
- Hootsuite App Discovery Suite has 100+ applications
- Chrome extension is available for quick social sharing
- Setup is simple and quick
- Scheduling and planning is unlimited
- 3 types of customer support are available
- 3 types of user roles are available to pick from
- Software is easy to navigate and access
- Overview feature has 4 segments to increase ease of use
Pricing And Schemes
To make the best choice regarding your planning needs, it is essential to analyze all the structure plans that Hootsuite has to offer. They have been discussed in detail in the table given below:
Professional |
Team |
Business |
Enterprise |
| Designed for 1 user | ALL FEATURES OF PROFESSIONAL | ALL FEATURES OF TEAM | ALL FEATURES OF BUSINESS |
| Supports up to 10 social accounts | Designed for 5 users | Designed for 5 users | Designed for 5+ users |
| Unlimited posts scheduling and can access all messages in one inbox | Supports up to 20 social accounts | Supports up to 35 social accounts | Supports 50+ social accounts |
| Live chat support is available | Management of team access and roles of members is simplified | Customized dashboard notifications are available | All features are highly customizable and tailored to your needs |
| Integration of over 250+ applications is made possible | Assignment of posts and comments is possible | Lucrative business plans and add-ons are available | Extensive metric tracking facility is available |
| Ready to access analytics to boost business | Platform training and industry certifications are easily accessible | Publishing approvals is easy and quick | |
| Performance reports are available | Accurate message response automation | ||
| Monthly boost option is present | |||
| Comprehensive work environment to get the job done completely |
Conclusion
Now that we have seen the features of Sprout Social and Hootsuite in-depth, it will be easier for us to select the best social media management tool from them. Both of them are tailored for different purposes.
Hence, it is crucial to select the best option amongst the two after performing a thorough introspective analysis of your social media management needs. It will help you draw comparisons between the features of both the software before coming to a conclusion.
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