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News · head to head

Cision vs Hootsuite

Cision logo

Cision

News

The complete PR and earned media platform

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Hootsuite logo

Hootsuite

Marketing

Save time and grow on social media

From
$99/year
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Cision no transparent pricing published for media monitoring and PR tools; Hootsuite no free tier available; minimum cost is $99/user/year annually
  • They diverge on capability: Cision covers Media monitoring, Hootsuite covers Content scheduling.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Cision and Hootsuite actually diverge.

Attributes where Cision and Hootsuite differ
AttributeCisionHootsuite
Starting priceOn request$99/year
Pricing modelsubscriptionUnknown
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidWeb
CategoryNewsMarketing
Founded18672008

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Cision

  • Media monitoring
  • PR Newswire distribution
  • Media database
  • Influencer identification
  • Salesforce
  • Google Analytics
  • Slack
  • Microsoft 365

Only in Hootsuite

  • Content scheduling
  • Social inbox
  • Content calendar
  • Social listening
  • Team collaboration
  • Approval workflows
  • Bulk scheduling
  • Facebook

Both cover

  • Analytics & reporting

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Cision

  • Press release distributionnot Hootsuite
  • Media monitoringnot Hootsuite
  • PR measurementnot Hootsuite
  • Media outreachnot Hootsuite
  • Crisis communicationsnot Hootsuite

Hootsuite

  • Social media schedulingnot Cision
  • Community managementnot Cision
  • Social advertisingnot Cision
  • Analytics & reportingnot Cision
  • Team collaborationnot Cision

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Cision

  • No transparent pricing published for media monitoring and PR tools

Hootsuite

  • No free tier available; minimum cost is $99/user/year annually
  • Monthly billing significantly more expensive than annual (20-30% premium)
  • Advanced data export via SFTP available only to Enterprise tier customers

Pricing, plan by plan

Cision

On request
  • Cision Communications CloudFree
    • Media monitoring
    • Media database
    • PR analytics
  • EnterpriseFree
    • Full platform access
    • PR Newswire distribution
    • Custom integrations

Hootsuite

$99/year

No published plan breakdown. See the Hootsuite review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Cision if

  • You need media monitoring.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want pr newswire distribution.
Cision review

Choose Hootsuite if

  • You need content scheduling.
  • You also want social inbox.
Hootsuite review

Questions people ask

Is Cision or Hootsuite better?
Neither clearly leads. Cision starts at On request and Hootsuite at $99/year, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Cision or Hootsuite?
Cision starts at On request and Hootsuite at $99/year.
Does Cision or Hootsuite run on more platforms?
Cision runs on Web, Ios, Android. Hootsuite runs on Web.
What is Cision best used for?
Cision is most often used for press release distribution, media monitoring, pr measurement, media outreach. Of those, press release distribution and media monitoring are not what Hootsuite is typically brought in for.
What can Cision do that Hootsuite cannot?
Cision covers Media monitoring, PR Newswire distribution, Media database, Influencer identification. Hootsuite covers Content scheduling, Social inbox, Content calendar, Social listening. Both handle Analytics & reporting.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Cision: How much does Cision cost?

Cision does not publish standard pricing on its website. The company offers media monitoring, journalist outreach, and social listening tools through CisionOne platform with pricing based on media monitoring scope, number of keywords, and service level. Contact sales for quotes.

Source
Hootsuite: What is Hootsuite's pricing structure?

Hootsuite offers four annual plans: Standard at $99/user/year, Professional at $199/user/year, Advanced at $399/user/year, and Enterprise with custom pricing. Monthly billing is available at 20-30% higher cost.

Source
Cision: What services does Cision offer?

Cision offers media monitoring, instant insights and reporting, journalist outreach, social listening and management, professional services, and CisionOne AI. All services are part of the CisionOne unified platform.

Source
Hootsuite: Does Hootsuite offer a free tier?

No. Hootsuite does not offer a free tier or freemium plan. A 30-day trial is available, and skipping the trial provides 25% off annual plans.

Source
Hootsuite: How many integrations does Hootsuite support?

Hootsuite advertises support for over 100 integrations, claiming more than any other social media management platform.

Source
Hootsuite: Can users export their data from Hootsuite?

Yes. Hootsuite offers Advanced Analytics data export as CSV files to SFTP folders for Enterprise users, with daily exports and 90-day retention. Standard and Professional plans have more limited export capabilities.

Source
Hootsuite: Does Hootsuite offer API access?

Yes. Hootsuite provides a REST API for building custom applications and integrations, though API capabilities vary by plan level.

Source
Hootsuite: Does Hootsuite offer self-hosted or on-premise deployment?

No. Hootsuite is a cloud-based SaaS platform only. There is no self-hosted or on-premise deployment option available.

Source
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