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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Hootsuite

    Score8.2 out of 10
    N/AHootsuite is a social media management platform for building brand awareness, engaging with customers, and driving business results. Users can schedule posts across multiple social networks (including Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and YouTube ), manage organic and paid social content together, keep track of customer conversations, integrate with over 200+ applications, and gain actionable real-time insights from social media to make critical business decisions from…

    $249

    per month per user

    iContact

    Score6.8 out of 10
    N/AiContact is an email marketing solution that was acquired by Vocus in 2012. The product is integrated with Facebook and Twitter and is aimed at SMBs with unlimited sending as a key feature.

    $14

    per month

    Pricing
    HootsuiteiContact
    Editions & Modules
    Standard
    $199
    per month (billed annually) Starts at 1 user, 10 social accounts
    Advanced
    $399
    per month (billed annually) Starts at 1 user, unlimited social accounts
    Enterprise
    Custom Pricing
    per year
    1500 Users
    $15.00
    per month
    2500 Users
    $25.00
    per month
    5000 Users
    $45.00
    per month
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    HootsuiteiContact
    Free Trial
    YesNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoYes
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    YesNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeOptionalNo setup fee
    Additional DetailsPlans can be paid monthly or annually, with a discount for annual pricing.—
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    HootsuiteiContact
    Considered Both Products
    Hootsuite
    No answer on this topic
    iContact
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    93%
    Would buy again
    328 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Delivers good value for the price
    92%
    Delivers good value for the price
    283 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Happy with the feature set
    94%
    Happy with the feature set
    333 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    93%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    280 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Implementation went as expected
    98%
    Implementation went as expected
    316 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Features
    HootsuiteiContact
    Listening/monitoring
    Comparison of Listening/monitoring features of Hootsuite and iContact
    Feature
    Hootsuite
    7.0
    324 Ratings
    9% below category average
    iContact
    -
    Ratings
    Boolean keyword searches7.0212 Ratings00 Ratings
    Filtering out noise/spam6.4224 Ratings00 Ratings
    Sentiment analysis6.7224 Ratings00 Ratings
    Broad channel coverage7.7298 Ratings00 Ratings
    Publishing
    Comparison of Publishing features of Hootsuite and iContact
    Feature
    Hootsuite
    8.0
    447 Ratings
    2% below category average
    iContact
    -
    Ratings
    Content planning and scheduling9.0447 Ratings00 Ratings
    Audience targeting7.2304 Ratings00 Ratings
    Content optimization7.7368 Ratings00 Ratings
    Workflow management8.3379 Ratings00 Ratings
    Engagement
    Comparison of Engagement features of Hootsuite and iContact
    Feature
    Hootsuite
    7.5
    359 Ratings
    8% below category average
    iContact
    -
    Ratings
    Automated routing and prioritization7.4260 Ratings00 Ratings
    Customer interaction histories7.3280 Ratings00 Ratings
    Bulk actions7.9311 Ratings00 Ratings
    Marketing
    Comparison of Marketing features of Hootsuite and iContact
    Feature
    Hootsuite
    7.0
    338 Ratings
    10% below category average
    iContact
    -
    Ratings
    Lead generation6.6208 Ratings00 Ratings
    Content marketing7.6305 Ratings00 Ratings
    Paid media management6.8206 Ratings00 Ratings
    Campaigns and promotions6.7256 Ratings00 Ratings
    Channel coverage/integration
    Comparison of Channel coverage/integration features of Hootsuite and iContact
    Feature
    Hootsuite
    8.1
    438 Ratings
    3% below category average
    iContact
    -
    Ratings
    Twitter7.6393 Ratings00 Ratings
    Facebook8.5421 Ratings00 Ratings
    LinkedIn8.0369 Ratings00 Ratings
    Google+8.960 Ratings00 Ratings
    Instagram8.6376 Ratings00 Ratings
    Pinterest7.2182 Ratings00 Ratings
    YouTube7.6175 Ratings00 Ratings
    Reporting/analytics
    Comparison of Reporting/analytics features of Hootsuite and iContact
    Feature
    Hootsuite
    7.8
    360 Ratings
    1% above category average
    iContact
    -
    Ratings
    Campaign success analytics8.2333 Ratings00 Ratings
    Real-time tracking7.7335 Ratings00 Ratings
    Competitor analysis7.6231 Ratings00 Ratings
    Account management
    Comparison of Account management features of Hootsuite and iContact
    Feature
    Hootsuite
    7.9
    369 Ratings
    0% below category average
    iContact
    -
    Ratings
    Role-based user permissions & privileges8.3317 Ratings00 Ratings
    Mobile access7.5336 Ratings00 Ratings
    Email & Online Marketing
    Comparison of Email & Online Marketing features of Hootsuite and iContact
    Feature
    Hootsuite
    -
    Ratings
    iContact
    6.6
    26 Ratings
    20% below category average
    WYSIWYG email editor00 Ratings7.024 Ratings
    Dynamic content00 Ratings7.021 Ratings
    Ability to test dynamic content00 Ratings5.021 Ratings
    Landing pages00 Ratings7.014 Ratings
    A/B testing00 Ratings5.017 Ratings
    Mobile optimization00 Ratings7.021 Ratings
    Email deliverability reporting00 Ratings7.025 Ratings
    List management00 Ratings8.025 Ratings
    Triggered drip sequences00 Ratings6.015 Ratings
    Reporting & Analytics
    Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Hootsuite and iContact
    Feature
    Hootsuite
    -
    Ratings
    iContact
    8.0
    26 Ratings
    5% above category average
    Dashboards00 Ratings8.026 Ratings
    Standard reports00 Ratings8.025 Ratings
    Custom reports00 Ratings8.015 Ratings
    Pre-Send Testing
    Comparison of Pre-Send Testing features of Hootsuite and iContact
    Feature
    Hootsuite
    -
    Ratings
    iContact
    7.0
    1 Ratings
    15% below category average
    URL Validation00 Ratings7.01 Ratings
    Link Tracking00 Ratings7.01 Ratings
    Image Validation00 Ratings7.01 Ratings
    Inbox Display00 Ratings7.01 Ratings
    Email Accessibility Tools00 Ratings7.01 Ratings
    Spelling and Grammar Check00 Ratings7.01 Ratings
    Spam Testing00 Ratings7.01 Ratings
    Email Previews00 Ratings7.01 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    HootsuiteiContact
    Small Businesses
    Sendible
    Score7.2 out of 10
    Mad Mimi
    Score10 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Emplifi
    Score8.9 out of 10
    Campaign Monitor by Marigold
    Score9 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Salesforce Marketing Cloud Social Studio (discontinued)
    Score8.1 out of 10
    Emma by Marigold
    Score8.5 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    HootsuiteiContact
    Likelihood to Recommend
    8.4
    (510 ratings)
    8.0
    (45 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    8.6
    (89 ratings)
    3.4
    (19 ratings)
    Usability
    8.3
    (149 ratings)
    8.0
    (6 ratings)
    Availability
    9.8
    (21 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    Performance
    9.8
    (19 ratings)
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    Support Rating
    7.0
    (263 ratings)
    9.9
    (9 ratings)
    In-Person Training
    6.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Online Training
    9.0
    (17 ratings)
    1.0
    (1 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    8.0
    (39 ratings)
    8.5
    (2 ratings)
    Configurability
    7.2
    (3 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    7.6
    (2 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    8.1
    (3 ratings)
    7.0
    (1 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    8.9
    (3 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    8.3
    (18 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    HootsuiteiContact
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Hootsuite
    Hootsuite presents my team everything we need to manage the social media function. Even writing the "what can be improved" section strained me, because there really isn't a whole lot to complain about. At this point, I (and my social media manager) need to explore the platform more, specifically OwlyGPT, campaigns, and listening. It's pretty much everything we need right now
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    iContact
    I would only recommend it if someone was a small business. I think they are the best suited for companies who will send out a coupon or offer here and there. The most recent updates made it more complicated to use for more complicated processes. It is easy to train someone on the program, and so quick to learn. But I would also only stick to the simpler things. I also think the colorful templates are great, and show great creativity. But again, it is hard to justify recommending the program when it isn't WYSIWYG.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    Hootsuite
    • Reporting. We are able to pull accurate and concise data points on our channels.
    • Planning and calendaring. We love that we are able to have our teams plan out content across months so that we are never feeling behind schedule on getting content out there.
    • Creating content natively in the platform!
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    iContact
    • Contact management. iContact is really great for entering all your contact. You are able to put them onto different lists, and let them choose which lists they would like to be a part of as well. There are many data fields provided to fill in information.
    • Emailing. We use the email feature at least once a month. They are always improving and adding new features, which is very helpful in presenting content in a new and exciting way to our readers. There are many options with remade templates and themes, or you can add your own.
    • Insights. It is really helpful being able to have the data to see what is working and what isn't. It is nice to be able to go back and see how things went in the past compared to now. Opens, clicks, shares, etc.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    Hootsuite
    • TikTok is an area for improvement as it's newer to Hootsuite. It would be beneficial to be able to link non-business profiles on TikTok to Hootsuite as many businesses use personal accounts to access TikTok's expansive music library.
    • Hootsuite does have room to improve the analytics capabilities. There could be more ways to customize each aspect of their reports. There isn't much manipulation of data in each type of data set.
    • Simplicity is an area of improvement for Hootsuite. The streams are one example of an area that is super cluttered and difficult to view. Their platform could really use an aesthetic overhaul to make things look more pleasing.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    iContact
    • We also would like to send transactional messages which don't require an opt-out, this is a challenge with iContact. (May be a feature with pro?)
    • The regular version of iContact doesn't support event management or logic flows for automated messaging.
    • Custom form fields have limited field type options (can't build a drop-down).
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Hootsuite
    At this time we are satisfied that Hootsuite offers the most of what we are looking for at the most reasonable price point. As the social media landscape and monitoring/scheduling software changes, so do our needs. We re-evaluate our tools semi-annually or as new tools emerge onto the market. If we find at any point that we aren't gaining an advantage, then we are open to switching products.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    iContact
    iContact has been a quick and easy way to send any announcements and news directly to email and social media subscribers. Its tracking and reporting capabilities turn a simple email into a marketing campaign that can be used as a tool to efficiently gauge reader response and customer satisfaction, and ultimately to reach potential customers. The consistency and excellent customer service is what makes this program a pleasant experience.
    Read full review
    Usability
    Hootsuite
    I will give Hootsuite a rating of 10/10 because it has delivered measurable business impact through social media. It helps centralize and streamline content planning, approvals, scheduling, and reporting in one place. It has significantly reduced manual workload and improved team efficiency. We achieved higher engagement rates, faster customer response times, and improved lead quality through social channels. It has also helped us with centralized reporting across different social media channels.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    iContact
    I rate iContact as an easy to use program due to its user friendly dashboard and user interface. Most companies of small to medium size do not have a dedicated marketer, therefore it is someone multitasking who may or may not have this kind of experience. iContact makes it relatively simple and can actually expand one's knowledge in the area of business promotion.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Reliability and Availability
    Hootsuite
    Gliches have made it a bit of a bind, particularly when you just want to 'click and send' a web article after you have read it - and then you have to deal with support (a great team but not always able to solve the problems with the gliches). Gliches with it loading properly, gliches with 'double ups in FB on the posts (the personal page and the business page if both clicked will lead to 2 lots of postings to each page!)
    Read full review
    iContact
    iContact is regularly up and running. Only once has it been unavailable for maintenance, which is to be expected and even desired for optimal performance when needed.
    Read full review
    Performance
    Hootsuite
    HootSuite does everything it is designed to do very well: the product's performance is very reliable and efficient. Like other tools, there is always a room for new developments and updates, and the HootSuite team recognizes this and focuses on new development as well.
    Read full review
    iContact
    No answers on this topic
    Support Rating
    Hootsuite
    I can manage all of my accounts on one site! It's absolutely amazing!
    The dashboard is helpful to see how you are doing as well. Still
    getting to understand the analytics and may need to reach out for help
    on this
    Read full review
    iContact
    They have always been responsive to any issues or concerns that have arisen with our account. Our customer account manager participates in our monthly county-wide communicators meetings via telephone to ensure that we are getting the most from the service. He also analyzes our lists to help us weed out inactive contacts.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    In-Person Training
    Hootsuite
    Very easy to teach and learn
    Read full review
    iContact
    No answers on this topic
    Online Training
    Hootsuite
    The online training is decent; however, it takes a lot more time to search for answers to my questions. Having a training session with a live person was much more effective as they were able to quickly address the business needs I have.
    Read full review
    iContact
    The templates are difficult to customize, and they don't render well in email platforms
    Read full review
    Implementation Rating
    Hootsuite
    Simple and easy to use, and have never had any issues. We like how it saves me time and allows me to plan in advance. I plan on using this for as long as I can and will encourage others to use it too. If you haven't tried it you should. I hope my review is helpful to everyone.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    iContact
    i wouldn't be using it if i wasn't satisfied. time is money
    Read full review
    Alternatives Considered
    Hootsuite
    Hootsuite offers a wide range of tools at a somewhat steeper cost. If you manage multiple platforms and want to survey the content being shared and interacted with across all of them, Hootsuite seems to have an easier platform to do that with. HubSpot CRM allows us to integrate our social platforms into our existing CRM, which is a cost saver, but Hootsuite is social media-focused, so the set-up is easier.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    iContact
    I didn't have a say in the decision because I wasn't with the company at the time. I listed HubSpot here because I know we used it in conjunction with iContact for email automation, but HubSpot Email was only recently built-out to the point where it is today. Now, iContact and HubSpot are no longer integrated.
    Read full review
    Scalability
    Hootsuite
    We are only using in marketing and have been able to scale.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    iContact
    iContact stays the same with the number of users added or taken away. It certainly remains reliable despite increased usage, and so, can be considered scaleable in that aspect.
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    Hootsuite
    • For our organization, all ROI was on time saved and efficiency: for creating posts, for scheduling and publishing, for interacting with users, and for analyzing performances. It all comes in one place and this makes a very huge difference in your workflows. We would say that Hootsuite went beyond our expectations on this front, for example with the dynamics UTMs and the media library. Saving time was the main reason why we wanted to purchase the platform and it did not disappoint at all.
    • The ROI in time was also fast to get. The learning curse is very short and this is also an important element. Benefiting from the platform did not take long to be experienced.
    Incentivized
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    iContact
    • We have a template for webinars that we send every month. We just edit it and send. This couldn't be easier (once you know where to find it).
    • We like the breakdown of statistics in the dashboard. They're easy to read.
    • iContact isn't a comprehensive solution, so it is only one of a few products we use for marketing.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots

    Hootsuite Screenshots

    Screenshot of Monitoring: Monitors social media profiles and tracks the topics that matter to the brand.Screenshot of Publishing: Create, publish and schedule engaging posts across social channels.Screenshot of Customer Engagement: A consolidated stream of messages across networks that can be triaged and assigned to respond to customers faster. Provides optional chatbot handover for automated responses.Screenshot of Scheduling: Social content can be planned as a team with a shared calendar that features collaborative post drafts and built-in approval workflows.Screenshot of Analytics & Reporting: Measures the effectiveness of a social media strategy to help turn strategy into execution with meaningful and actionable insights. Reports can be customized and shared according to unique business goals and objectives.