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Marketing · head to head

Hootsuite vs Microsoft Teams Live Events

Hootsuite logo

Hootsuite

Marketing

Save time and grow on social media

From
$99/year
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Microsoft Teams Live Events logo

Microsoft Teams Live Events

Webinars

Enterprise live event and webinar platform by Microsoft

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Microsoft Teams Live Events has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Hootsuite no free tier available; minimum cost is $99/user/year annually; Microsoft Teams Live Events teams live events retired on June 30, 2026, and only events scheduled before that date remain supported through February 28, 2027
  • They diverge on capability: Hootsuite covers Content scheduling, Microsoft Teams Live Events covers Live Q&A.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Hootsuite and Microsoft Teams Live Events actually diverge.

Attributes where Hootsuite and Microsoft Teams Live Events differ
AttributeHootsuiteMicrosoft Teams Live Events
Starting price$99/yearFree
Pricing modelUnknownsubscription
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWebWindows, Mac, IOS, Android, Web
CategoryMarketingWebinars
Founded20081975

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 Hootsuite

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

Only in Microsoft Teams Live Events

  • Live Q&A
  • Attendee engagement
  • RTMP support
  • Recording
  • Microsoft 365 integration
  • Microsoft 365
  • Azure
  • SharePoint

What people use each for

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

Hootsuite

  • Social media schedulingnot Microsoft Teams Live Events
  • Community managementnot Microsoft Teams Live Events
  • Social advertisingnot Microsoft Teams Live Events
  • Analytics & reportingnot Microsoft Teams Live Events
  • Team collaborationnot Microsoft Teams Live Events

Microsoft Teams Live Events

  • One to many broadcast of company town halls to large internal audiencesnot Hootsuite
  • Streaming an externally produced RTMP feed from a hardware encoder to Teams viewersnot Hootsuite

Where each one falls short

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

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

Microsoft Teams Live Events

  • Teams live events retired on June 30, 2026, and only events scheduled before that date remain supported through February 28, 2027
  • Microsoft directs users to the separate unified Teams events experience instead
  • Organizers must use the Teams web client to schedule a live event; scheduling is not available in the desktop client
  • Users cannot schedule meetings or live events when offline or running with limited bandwidth
  • Keeping internal broadcast traffic off the corporate network requires an eCDN, either Microsoft's own or a certified partner such as Hive, Kollective or Ramp

Pricing, plan by plan

Hootsuite

$99/year

No published plan breakdown. See the Hootsuite review.

Microsoft Teams Live Events

Free
  • Microsoft Teams FreeFree
    • Up to 300 participants
    • Live events
  • Microsoft 365 Business Basic$6/month
    • Enhanced live events
    • 10000 attendees
  • Microsoft 365 Business Standard$12.5/month
    • Advanced features
    • Unlimited events

Which should you pick?

Choose Hootsuite if

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

Choose Microsoft Teams Live Events if

  • You need live q&a.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Windows, Mac, IOS, Android, Web.
  • You also want attendee engagement.
Microsoft Teams Live Events review

Questions people ask

Is Hootsuite or Microsoft Teams Live Events better?
Neither clearly leads. Hootsuite starts at $99/year and Microsoft Teams Live Events at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Hootsuite or Microsoft Teams Live Events?
Microsoft Teams Live Events has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $99/year for Hootsuite and Free for Microsoft Teams Live Events.
Does Hootsuite or Microsoft Teams Live Events run on more platforms?
Hootsuite runs on Web. Microsoft Teams Live Events runs on Windows, Mac, IOS, Android, Web.
Can I use Microsoft Teams Live Events for free?
Yes. Microsoft Teams Live Events has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Hootsuite starts at $99/year.
What is Hootsuite best used for?
Hootsuite is most often used for social media scheduling, community management, social advertising, analytics & reporting. Of those, social media scheduling and community management are not what Microsoft Teams Live Events is typically brought in for.
What can Hootsuite do that Microsoft Teams Live Events cannot?
Hootsuite covers Content scheduling, Social inbox, Content calendar, Analytics & reporting. Microsoft Teams Live Events covers Live Q&A, Attendee engagement, RTMP support, Recording.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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
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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Related pages

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