Published by the Zolyp team ·
SocialPilot vs Hootsuite at a glance
Figures from each vendor's own pricing page, checked on 15 October 2026:
| SocialPilot | Hootsuite | |
|---|---|---|
| How you pay | Per plan, by social accounts and users | Per user (seat), per month |
| Free plan | No; 14-day free trial, no card | No; 14-day free trial, no card, with 10 to 20 posts a day |
| Cheapest paid plan | Essentials, $17 a month billed yearly ($20 monthly) | Standard, $99 per user a month billed yearly |
| Accounts on entry plan | 5; 10 on Standard, 20 on Premium, 40 on Ultimate | 10; unlimited from Professional ($199 per user) |
| Users | 1 on Essentials, 3 on Standard, 6 on Premium, unlimited on Ultimate | Buy a seat for each person |
| Approvals | Team approvals from Standard ($34); client approvals from Premium ($85) | Advanced plan ($399 per user) |
| Inbox | From Standard | On every plan; automated replies and DM workflows from Professional |
| Monitoring and listening | Not listed | Brand and competitor monitoring on every plan |
| Analytics | Basic on Essentials; PDF reports from Standard; white-label and competitor reports from Premium | Analytics and benchmarking against 5 competitors on Standard; custom reports and 20 competitors on Professional |
| AI | AI credits on every plan: 500, 1,000, 5,000 or unlimited by plan | Generates posts and images; Wisdom AI on every plan |
Sources: SocialPilot pricing, checked 15 October 2026; Hootsuite plans, checked 15 October 2026
Which is cheaper, SocialPilot or Hootsuite?
SocialPilot, by a wide margin. Its plans include several users; Hootsuite bills every person separately. Some examples at yearly billing:
Hootsuite also offers monthly billing at a higher per-user rate than these yearly prices, though its plans page doesn't show that rate. SocialPilot's monthly prices are $20, $40, $100 and $200.
- 1 person, 5 accounts: SocialPilot Essentials $17 a month; Hootsuite Standard $99 a month.
- 3 people, 10 accounts, with an inbox: SocialPilot Standard $34 a month; Hootsuite Standard $297 a month.
- 3 people, 10 accounts, with approvals: SocialPilot Standard $34 a month; Hootsuite Advanced $1,197 a month.
- 1 person, 30 accounts: SocialPilot Premium plus 10 extra accounts, $125 a month; Hootsuite Professional $199 a month.
Sources: SocialPilot pricing, checked 15 October 2026; Hootsuite plans, checked 15 October 2026
Where SocialPilot is stronger
- Price: the Ultimate plan, with 40 accounts and unlimited users, costs less a month ($170 billed yearly) than one Hootsuite Professional seat.
- Team approvals from Standard and client approvals from Premium, where Hootsuite keeps approvals for Advanced.
- Client management and white-label reports on Premium, built for agencies reporting to clients.
- Bulk scheduling and CSV uploads from Standard.
- Publishing to Bluesky and Google Business, which aren't on Hootsuite's list of supported networks.
Sources: SocialPilot pricing, checked 15 October 2026; Hootsuite FAQ (supported networks), checked 15 October 2026
Where Hootsuite is stronger
- Brand and competitor monitoring on every plan, with 30-day Quick Search and trend forecasting up to 90 days ahead on Professional.
- Competitor benchmarking from Standard (5 competitors) rising to 20 on Professional.
- Inbox automation: automated replies, DM workflows and AI smart replies from Professional, plus message assignment and skill-based routing on Advanced.
- Unlimited social accounts from Professional.
- Enterprise options such as SSO, advanced listening with 13 months of history, employee advocacy and ROI reporting.
- WhatsApp among its supported networks.
Sources: Hootsuite plans, checked 15 October 2026; Hootsuite FAQ (supported networks), checked 15 October 2026
Free trials compared
Neither has a free plan; both offer 14 days with no card. Hootsuite says you won't be charged when its trial ends, and trial accounts can post 10 to 20 times a day per organisation, without bulk scheduling. SocialPilot offers its 14-day trial on each self-serve plan.
A fair test: load the same week of posts into both, invite the people who'll actually use the tool, and keep the one they opened without being asked.
Sources: Hootsuite plans, checked 15 October 2026; SocialPilot pricing, checked 15 October 2026
Choose SocialPilot or Hootsuite?
- Choose SocialPilot if you're an agency or small team that schedules for several brands and wants users included in the price.
- Choose SocialPilot if client approvals and white-label reports matter more than listening.
- Choose Hootsuite if monitoring your brand and competitors is part of the daily job.
- Choose Hootsuite if your team handles a high volume of messages and needs automation and routing in the inbox.
A third option: Zolyp (disclosed: it's our product)
SocialPilot and Hootsuite publish the posts you make. Zolyp, which we make, makes them: it plans the week, writes and designs each post against your Brand Brain, and publishes to Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google Business, X, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, and Threads after you approve. It has no inbox or listening, so Hootsuite is the better pick if those are what you need, and SocialPilot suits bulk scheduling of content you already have. Lite is $9 a month per brand for scheduling posts you make yourself; the plans that create the posts start at $29 a month, with team members included and a 3-day free trial, no card required.
Common questions
Is SocialPilot cheaper than Hootsuite?
Yes. SocialPilot Essentials is $17 a month billed yearly for 5 accounts, and Standard is $34 for 10 accounts and 3 users. Hootsuite Standard is $99 per user a month billed yearly for 10 accounts.
Does SocialPilot or Hootsuite have a free plan?
Neither does. Both have 14-day free trials with no credit card.
Which has social listening, SocialPilot or Hootsuite?
Hootsuite: brand and competitor monitoring are on every plan, with deeper listening on Professional and Enterprise. SocialPilot's pricing page lists no listening features.
Which has approvals on a cheaper plan?
SocialPilot: team approvals on Standard ($34 a month billed yearly) and client approvals on Premium ($85). Hootsuite includes approvals on Advanced, at $399 per user a month billed yearly.
Is SocialPilot good for agencies?
It's built with agencies in mind: client management, client approvals and white-label reports on Premium, and unlimited users with 40 accounts on Ultimate.