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Marketing · head to head

Hootsuite vs Simplecast

Hootsuite logo

Hootsuite

Marketing

Save time and grow on social media

From
$99/year
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Simplecast logo

Simplecast

Podcasting

Hosting for professional podcast networks

From
$15/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Hootsuite no free tier available; minimum cost is $99/user/year annually; Simplecast basic plan at $15 per month includes only 20,000 monthly downloads and 2 team seats
  • They diverge on capability: Hootsuite covers Content scheduling, Simplecast covers Unlimited hosting.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Hootsuite and Simplecast actually diverge.

Attributes where Hootsuite and Simplecast differ
AttributeHootsuiteSimplecast
Starting price$99/year$15/month
Pricing modelUnknownsubscription
CategoryMarketingPodcasting
Founded20082014

Identical on both: free tier (No), platforms (Web), 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
  • Approval workflows
  • Bulk scheduling
  • Facebook

Only in Simplecast

  • Unlimited hosting
  • Analytics
  • Dynamic ad insertion
  • Distribution
  • API access
  • All podcast platforms
  • Advertising networks
  • CMS systems

Both cover

  • Team collaboration

What people use each for

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

Hootsuite

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

Simplecast

  • Hosting podcasts with per-episode analytics and audience metricsnot Hootsuite
  • Distributing shows to Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other directoriesnot Hootsuite
  • Monetising podcasts through dynamic ad insertion at the Professional tiernot 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

Simplecast

  • Basic plan at $15 per month includes only 20,000 monthly downloads and 2 team seats
  • Essential plan at $35 per month includes 50,000 monthly downloads and 4 team seats
  • Dynamic ad insertion and campaign management are only on the Professional plan, which is quoted by sales with no published rate
  • API access for publishing and campaign management is Enterprise only
  • Annual prepayment is required to get the 10 percent discount

Pricing, plan by plan

Hootsuite

$99/year

No published plan breakdown. See the Hootsuite review.

Simplecast

$15/month
  • Basic$15/month
    • Annual option: $13.50/month when prepaid
    • 2 team seats
    • Unlimited storage
  • Essential$35/month
    • Annual option: $31.50/month when prepaid
    • 4 team seats
    • Everything in Basic plus additional web players
  • Professional$null/custom
    • Contact sales for custom pricing
    • Dynamic ad insertion
    • Campaign management
  • Enterprise$null/custom
    • Contact sales for custom features
    • Everything in Professional plus API integration
    • White-labeled RSS

Which should you pick?

Choose Hootsuite if

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

Choose Simplecast if

  • You need unlimited hosting.
  • You also want analytics.
Simplecast review

Questions people ask

Is Hootsuite or Simplecast better?
Neither clearly leads. Hootsuite starts at $99/year and Simplecast at $15/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Hootsuite or Simplecast?
Hootsuite starts at $99/year and Simplecast at $15/month.
Does Hootsuite or Simplecast run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
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 Simplecast is typically brought in for.
What can Hootsuite do that Simplecast cannot?
Hootsuite covers Content scheduling, Social inbox, Content calendar, Analytics & reporting. Simplecast covers Unlimited hosting, Analytics, Dynamic ad insertion, Distribution. Both handle Team collaboration.

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
Simplecast: How much does Simplecast cost?

Simplecast offers a 14-day free trial (no credit card required) followed by paid plans starting at $15/month for Basic ($13.50/month annual) and $35/month for Essential ($31.50/month annual). Professional and Enterprise plans require contacting sales for custom pricing.

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
Simplecast: Can I change my Simplecast plan anytime?

Yes. Plan changes are allowed anytime with prorated adjustments. You can cancel anytime with no long-term contracts or penalties.

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
Simplecast: What is included in the Basic plan?

The Basic plan ($15/month or $13.50/month annually) includes 2 team seats, unlimited storage, distribution to all platforms, basic analytics, custom domain website, and 20,000 downloads per month.

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
Simplecast: What makes the Essential plan different from Basic?

The Essential plan ($35/month or $31.50/month annually) adds 2 more team seats (4 total), comparative analytics, location analytics, unique listener reports, and increases the monthly download allowance to 50,000.

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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