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Social Media · head to head

Facebook vs Hootsuite

Facebook logo

Facebook

Social Media

Meta's social network app, free to use and monetised entirely through targeted advertising

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Hootsuite logo

Hootsuite

Marketing

Save time and grow on social media

From
$99/year
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Facebook has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Facebook there is no paid ad-free tier for personal accounts, so using it at all means being profiled for advertising targeting, including in markets where Meta has introduced a paid subscription for reduced ads on Instagram and Facebook in the EU, not globally.; Hootsuite no free tier available; minimum cost is $99/user/year annually
  • They diverge on capability: Facebook covers News Feed, Hootsuite covers Content scheduling.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Facebook and Hootsuite actually diverge.

Attributes where Facebook and Hootsuite differ
AttributeFacebookHootsuite
Starting priceFree$99/year
Pricing modelFree, funded entirely by targeted advertisingUnknown
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsiOS, Android, WebWeb
CategorySocial MediaMarketing
FoundedUnknown2008

Identical on both: 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 Facebook

  • News Feed
  • Marketplace
  • Groups
  • Events
  • Reels and Watch
  • Ad preference controls

Only in Hootsuite

  • Content scheduling
  • Social inbox
  • Content calendar
  • Analytics & reporting
  • Social listening
  • Team collaboration
  • Approval workflows
  • Bulk scheduling

What people use each for

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

Facebook

  • Staying connected with a broad network of friends and family through a shared feednot Hootsuite
  • Buying and selling locally through Marketplacenot Hootsuite
  • Joining Groups organised around a specific interest, neighbourhood or eventnot Hootsuite
  • Following Pages for local businesses, public figures or organisationsnot Hootsuite

Hootsuite

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

Where each one falls short

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

Facebook

  • There is no paid ad-free tier for personal accounts, so using it at all means being profiled for advertising targeting, including in markets where Meta has introduced a paid subscription for reduced ads on Instagram and Facebook in the EU, not globally.
  • The default feed is algorithmically ranked for engagement rather than shown chronologically, which shapes what content a user sees in ways that are not fully transparent.
  • Cross-app and off-platform tracking through Meta's advertising tools means behaviour on other websites and apps can inform the ads and targeting shown inside Facebook.
  • Group and Marketplace content moderation is inconsistent at Facebook's scale, and scams on Marketplace and misinformation in Groups are recurring, documented problems.
  • Younger user growth has shifted to other platforms in many markets, so Facebook's core demographic skews older than some competing social apps, which matters if the goal is reaching a younger audience.

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

Facebook

Free
  • FreeFree
    • No subscription tier for personal accounts
    • Ad supported

Hootsuite

$99/year

No published plan breakdown. See the Hootsuite review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Facebook if

  • You need news feed.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on iOS, Android, Web.
  • You also want marketplace.
Facebook review

Choose Hootsuite if

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

Questions people ask

Is Facebook or Hootsuite better?
Neither clearly leads. Facebook starts at Free and Hootsuite at $99/year, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Facebook or Hootsuite?
Facebook has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Facebook and $99/year for Hootsuite.
Does Facebook or Hootsuite run on more platforms?
Facebook runs on iOS, Android, Web. Hootsuite runs on Web.
Can I use Facebook for free?
Yes. Facebook has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Hootsuite starts at $99/year.
What is Facebook best used for?
Facebook is most often used for staying connected with a broad network of friends and family through a shared feed, buying and selling locally through marketplace, joining groups organised around a specific interest, neighbourhood or event, following pages for local businesses, public figures or organisations. Of those, staying connected with a broad network of friends and family through a shared feed and buying and selling locally through marketplace are not what Hootsuite is typically brought in for.
What can Facebook do that Hootsuite cannot?
Facebook covers News Feed, Marketplace, Groups, Events. Hootsuite covers Content scheduling, Social inbox, Content calendar, Analytics & reporting.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Facebook: Does Facebook have a paid ad-free version?

In the EU, Meta has offered a paid subscription for reduced ads on Facebook and Instagram; outside the EU there is generally no ad-free personal tier.

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
Facebook: How does Facebook make money if it is free?

Entirely through advertising, targeted using data about in-app behaviour and, via Meta's broader advertising tools, activity on other websites and apps.

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
Facebook: Is the feed shown in chronological order?

Not by default; it is algorithmically ranked, though a chronological "Most Recent" feed option exists and can be selected manually.

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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