Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, Hootsuite was the king of social media with little to no competitors and all the power in the world. As time went by, the emperors kept the guard up on their kingdom; however, one day, their world came crashing down when many other similar but more affordable tools pierced the market.
That day, Hootsuite realized that it needs to keep its guard up and work on making itself more inclusive. However, their definition of inclusive was a little shaky, and they ended up making themselves even more exclusive.
The past couple of years have been quite a shaky ride for Hootsuite, from raising their prices all of a sudden to making their free plan non-existent to making it not free-at-all. The Hootsuite reviews on different platforms reflect these changes as well.
If you want a recap, here’s one:
- Until 2020, Hootsuite boosted off a free plan with many users.
- However, on April 5th, 2021, the platform decided to change its freemium model with a zillion limitations & revise the entire pricing, which has almost a 50% raise from the old plans.
- And this year, starting from March 31st, 2022, they will no longer have a free plan AT all, and the one that they called FREE will actually be a paid plan costing $1.33/ per day!
That is like $1.33*365 = $485 per year. Oh, and that’s just for the first year. In coming years, you need to pay fully for their Professional plan that starts at $99 per month!
That’s more expensive than a lot of paid plans in the market. Social Champ’s Champ plan is actually lesser than that; it sits at $384 per year with 12 social accounts & 2 users.
Since we are on the topic, let us remind you that around a year back, Hootsuite Professional was at $49 per month, and two years back, the plan was for $19 per month only. This plan only supports 10 social accounts and 1 user!
Here’s a screenshot of their pricing plan for 2021:
Here’s the one from 2022:
And here is the most recent one in 2023:
There is a stark difference in the Professional plan, but the Team plan has also undergone some incredible changes. Starting from $99 per month, this has now gone to $249 per month.
Also, these prices are exclusive of tax and are based on annual subscriptions only. For monthly plans, you need to pay extra.
Imagine that. Quite traumatized to think what Hootsuite would do next year!
Anyway, moving on, we shall evaluate why this exorbitant pricing is not justified based on Hootsuite reviews from different platforms.
Users are not really happy with the prices changing every now and then, and it reflects very well in the reviews.
So let’s get to it!
Switch To Social Champ’s Free Plan Today
Our free plan actually costs $0/per day without any limitations, frustrations, or surprises. Check it out today to enter the social media revolution.
Social Champ Reviews vs. Hootsuite Reviews – Which Is a Better Tool?
Of course, it is not easy to determine the best tool since each and every company has a different set of rules that determine the fit for them. But there are a few things that are universal for all;
- A clean and easy-to-follow UI is more important than having an interface that does not require you to pull your hair out. It can be frustrating to look for features that are hidden in plain sight continuously. Your social media manager isn’t here to play 50 clues, so please go for a plan with a clean interface and crisp content.
- Interactive customer support; good CS can make or break your business, which is why it is essential to invest in it. Having a good communication system ensures that both sides stay 100% clear on all fronts. Also, this includes a nicely maintained help desk with guides & FAQs so that you don’t have to repeat the same thing again and again.
- A wide range of pricing plans; it is super important to ensure that your pricing model is inclusive and has dollars within reach.
Let us evaluate a few review sites to see which tool is doing better in terms of public popularity!
G2 Hootsuite Reviews vs. Social Champ Reviews
Looking at the first comment on G2, we can safely see what the audience perceives about the two tools. Here are the two screenshots that show the stark reality!
Hootsuite is causing quite a stir everywhere with their new pricing plans, not only on review sites like G2 but also on social media. A couple of weeks back, when the elimination of the free plan was announced on social media, here’s what the kind folks at Twitter had to say:
Hootsuite will no longer offer a free version of its tool from March 31
h/t @TSbyJacki pic.twitter.com/NudmL338BJ
— Matt Navarra (@MattNavarra) January 26, 2023
Goodbyes were said;
https://twitter.com/robynpetrik/status/1624220347498373121
Alternatives were sought;
The free plan of Hootsuite is disappearing 😖
Does anyone have another free multi-social media platform they use that they would recommend?— 𝐉𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐲 𝐑𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞💧 (@ImJonnyRaine) February 9, 2023
Waaaah! Just seen an email from @Hootsuite informing us that our annual plan is increasing by 107% – fell off my chair as I double checked. Looking for suggestions for alternative platforms. What do you use to schedule social media?
— Pink Link HQ (@Pinklinkladies) January 25, 2023
And memes were made:
hey @hootsuite you’ve changed pic.twitter.com/YA1WjF8K7U
— Mansoor Muhammad (@mansoormansa) January 26, 2023
Oh, and Social Champ’s free plan is only $0/day, week, and month!
By the way our free plan is only $0/day #oops pic.twitter.com/DqeXi8u6gm
— Social Champ (@SocialChampSays) January 26, 2023
Honestly, we are still confused as to why Hootsuite would choose violence!
Trustpilot Hootsuite Reviews vs. Social Champ Reviews
Time to check out some of the most recent Trustpilot reviews. There are unhappy Hootsuite customers everywhere, like literally.
Apart from this person, there have been multiple such instances where Hootsuite wrongly charged people without sending out any notification. This has greatly enraged customers, forcing them to move to different Hootsuite alternatives.
Apart from this, multiple customers are again leaving Hootsuite reviews, talking about how unreasonable the increase is.
Hootsuite pricing has always been on the steeper side of the pole, but this time around, the prices have gone completely insane, leaving people with no other choice but to make a move. Maybe this is what they are targeting, an audience that can only afford this tool and none other.
On the other hand, Social Champ has always tried to keep its pricing as inclusive as possible so that a greater part of the world can take advantage. Social Champ reviews actually show that people are happy with the platform and the plans!
Capterra Hootsuite Reviews vs. Social Champ Reviews
Capterra has become one of the most trusted review sites in recent times; many people go to it for ease. Even here, Hootsuite has failed to impress the audience. The major flaw that people have pointed out over here is the useability. Hootsuite is not the easiest-to-use social media tool out there since the UI is outdated and quite complex. Plus, the lack of user onboarding and customer service always plays a huge role in making it even more undesirable.
This review shows that the interface makes it quite hard to use the tool overall.
Whereas Social Champ has, glowing reviews on the platform from another one of Hootsuite converts. Additionally, the user talks about how easy it is to post using Social Champ since the publishing dashboard is super clean and supports the lesser supported platforms. The tool is also inexpensive and comes with multiple plans that are suitable for organizations of all sizes.
SoftwareAdvice Hootsuite Reviews vs. Social Champ Reviews
You can find a lot of similar Hootsuite reviews on all of these websites, with people calling the platform mediocre at best. Initially, there was an influx of users on Hootsuite since it was a pioneer and started what no one else was offering.
The user base did take a hit in the years to come due to the lack of interface updates and stagnant feature sets.
Here is what a user has to say on Software Advice:
Here are a few Social Champ reviews from the same website.
Overall the platform users rate Social Champ at 4.55 out of 5 stars and Hootsuite at 4.36 out of 5 stars!
Getapp Hootsuite Reviews vs. Social Champ Reviews
GetApp is one of the oldest review websites; therefore, you can find reviews from some of the initial users. Here is what a review has to say about Hootsuite:
Here’s one for Social Champ as well:
Since this Social Champ review is all about customer support, let’s talk about this aspect of a social media management tool in detail. Good customer service can make or break your company, no matter what services or products you are selling.
This is why Social Champ has a keen focus on ensuring that each user gets the support they deserve. We try to make our customer support successful because we know we are nothing without YOU.
In the past years, we have provided assistance in the form of emails, live chat, and demo calls to millions of users all over the world. Not only this, but we also have a fully loaded helpdesk guide with FAQs & tutorials. You can also find walk-through videos on our YouTube channel.
Why Is Hootsuite No Longer the Ideal Social Media Management Tool? – 5 Reasons
It is true that Hootsuite once ruled the kingdom of social media scheduling, but as time went by, it lost its throne to other competitors & alternatives available in the market. No tool, no matter how good it is, can survive in the cut-through social media market if they do not move on from its stagnant feature set.
Here are the top 5 reasons why Hootsuite is no longer the one for you;
- Hootsuite is becoming insanely expensive each day, and with the world economy not doing so great, it is far from people’s reach. It is not the inclusive tool that it used to be with its amazing free plan that millions used all over the world. Even the paid plans are extremely expensive, and not everyone is willing to pay that much. They have gone through so much negative marketing in the past few months that now it just looks in bad taste. Even Hootsuite reviews on different platforms suggest that their sudden price hikes are just not everyone’s cup of tea.
- A stagnant feature set is another big drawback for Hootsuite, where other tools are looking to incorporate AI and other big functionalities in their suite, and the owls are busy increasing prices. A lot of Hootsuite reviews suggest that their current features are not worth the price offered by the platform right now.
- Slow customer support is another factor breaking their user base. No one wants to wait for hours on end when a certain issue is pending. They all want answers & quick support whenever they need be. Waiting for owls to wake up from hibernation is plain annoying. Talking of which automated answers and plan-specific demo calls are also not very amusing for the public.
- Outdated UI is weighing in on the wrong side for Hootsuite. Some might call it antique, but to be honest, it’s just plain ancient. No one wants to look for features that are hidden so well that you need to zoom in to a thousand percent. It is just not cost-effective.
- Limited social media support is also not appreciated in today’s day and time. Users need a solution that can work for them in plenty of ways. Hootsuite, unfortunately, only supports 6 basic networks; Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Pinterest. Whereas Social Champ, a competitor that charges 70% less, supports 9 networks; Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, YouTube, TikTok, Google Business Profile, & Mastodon.
The Choice Is Yours
In the battle of reviews, we would like you to be the judge and identify the best solution for you. It is definitely not as black and white as it seems; there is a grey area in between that needs to be scouted before you make a decision.
May the force be with you!
