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Limited features, dated interface...but hey, it's Free.
January 19, 2018

Limited features, dated interface...but hey, it's Free.

Benjamin Hale | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 6 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User

Software Version

Hootsuite Free

Overall Satisfaction with Hootsuite

Our organization used Hootsuite Free to manage social media channels for our clients. In our case, we had a few different clients that used Hootsuite, but most of my experience is was with one particular client. This was used to help keep track of social posts and social trends for this client.
  • The best strength of Hootsuite is the price. Free is a great price.
  • Built in URL shortener is nice.
  • Support is solid, with real people to speak with.
  • Being a free version, you are limited to just three services.
  • The interface is a bit clunky and feels dated. It feels like it is more for viewing social media than creating posts.
  • It is glitchy at times, and this can be frustrating.
  • The draft mode should have some section to leave notes, but it does not, and requires secondary communication if collaborating.
  • With no cost, it helped us manage some of our social marketing channels without software cost overhead.
  • On the other hand, we spent more time in some areas when Hootsuite Free didn't have the features or integrations that some competitors have.
Most competitors offer more robust, scalable, and complete solutions than Hootsuite Free, but they also cost more than zero. The biggest sell of Hootsuite Free is that it has not entry fee and can help you get into the world of social media marketing. It can do many things for you, but if you are serious about social media marketing, it is time to pony up some money and go for a paid version.
Hootsuite, being free, is a good choice for someone who is running on a limited budget or testing the waters on a certain brand or product. It allows someone to "get their feet wet" in the social arena. It is less appropriate for a serious social marketer or for those who have the desire to expand beyond the three services that are offered.

Hootsuite Feature Ratings

6.3
Boolean keyword searches
7
Filtering out noise/spam
8
Sentiment analysis
7
Broad channel coverage
3
5.7
Content planning and scheduling
6
Audience targeting
5
Content optimization
6
Not Rated
Bulk actions
Not Rated
7.0
Content marketing
7
10.0
Twitter
10
Facebook
10
LinkedIn
10
Google+
Not Rated
Instagram
Not Rated
Pinterest
Not Rated
YouTube
Not Rated
8.0
Real-time tracking
8
8.0
Role-based user permissions & privileges
Not Rated
Mobile access
8

Using Hootsuite

3 - We had two writers/creatives on staff that would create the posts, and one manager who would review and submit the posts and do research on trends and topics of interest. They would then send that information back to the writers/creatives. Hootsuite was used by all these people to create the content and do the research.