HootSuite vs iContact

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Our analysts compared HootSuite vs iContact based on data from our 400+ point analysis of Marketing Automation Software, user reviews and our own crowdsourced data from our free software selection platform.

HootSuite Software Tool
iContact Software Tool

Product Basics

Hootsuite, a social media management platform, empowers users to oversee multiple social media accounts from a centralized hub. Its array of features encompasses scheduling posts, tracking analytics, and fostering follower engagement. Catering primarily to businesses and organizations striving for effective social media management, Hootsuite offers user-friendly tools that simplify the complexities of social media marketing.

Notable advantages include its intuitive interface, comprehensive feature set, and cost-effective pricing structure. Plans commence at $29 per month, rendering it an attractive option for budget-conscious entities. Hootsuite's popularity is evidenced by its widespread adoption among diverse businesses and organizations, including industry giants like Coca-Cola and Nike.

While Hootsuite garners praise for its ease of use and affordability, it's essential to acknowledge that alternative social media management platforms exist, each presenting unique strengths and weaknesses. Discerning users often compare features, pricing models, and user experiences to determine the optimal solution aligned with their specific requirements.

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iContact is an email automation and marketing tool geared towards small and medium-sized businesses running Windows, MacOS and Linux. It offers several standard features, with a distinct focus on email features and easy-to-use technology. These include templates, a drag-and-drop editor, automation, A/B testing, list segmentation and campaigns.

It also comes bundled with a handful of additional features to support marketing and sales activities, such as reporting, landing pages, sign-up forms and a free email lookbook.
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$99 Monthly
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Tailored to your specific needs
$8.50 Monthly
Get a free price quote
Tailored to your specific needs
Small 
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Medium 
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Large 
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Windows
Mac
Linux
Android
Chromebook
Windows
Mac
Linux
Android
Chromebook
Cloud
On-Premise
Mobile
Cloud
On-Premise
Mobile

Product Assistance

Documentation
In Person
Live Online
Videos
Webinars
Documentation
In Person
Live Online
Videos
Webinars
Email
Phone
Chat
FAQ
Forum
Knowledge Base
24/7 Live Support
Email
Phone
Chat
FAQ
Forum
Knowledge Base
24/7 Live Support

Product Insights

  • User-Friendly: It’s easy to create immediate or scheduled posts using the point-and-click interface. Upload media files or choose from a built-in library. 
  • Time Savings: Publish a post to multiple networks at once rather than doing each individually. 
  • Effective Advertising: Automate ad solutions in one place as well as create and launch simple campaigns quickly. Teams can collaborate directly from Hootsuite Ads. 
  • Improved Social Reach: Securely share content to boost social reach with scalable advocacy solutions. The clean mobile-first environment also boosts employee management. 
  • Better Market Understanding: Gain improved insights from organic and paid social media content with social analytics. Customized dashboards help understand what drives conversions, leads and sales. Connect with Adobe Analytics and other BI tools as well. 
  • Real-Time Social Analytics: Stay up-to-date with information about competitors, measure risks and opportunities, and set alerts for unusual spikes in volume or brand sentiment. 
  • Accessibility: Easily manage and maintain a social media presence by refining content and handling the content schedule on the go, from any device. 
  • Integration: Seamlessly integrate with third-party tools like Salesforce, Zendesk, Canva, Adobe, Brandwatch, Panoramiq Multiview, Talkwalker and more for effective brand management. 
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  • Automate Funnels: Streamline all levels of the marketing funnel, taking the work of a whole marketing team and automating it. 
  • Manage Subscribers: Easily access and manage contacts list, facilitating healthy relationships with the right leads. 
  • Boost Sales: Nurture leads and pass them along to sales with included CRM integrations. 
  • Unlimited Users: Onboard unlimited new users at no additional cost. 
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  • Content Creation: Create, curate, review and publish content seamlessly from a single dashboard. Efficiently develop media-rich content and streamline post scheduling with Auto Scheduler for a strong social media presence. 
  • Audience Engagement: Monitor trends and post performances across profiles and manage customer messages from different networks in a single stream with Hootsuite’s Inbox. Efficient chatbots respond to straightforward audience inquiries quickly. 
  • Advertise: Leverage tools to create and manage ad campaigns with ease. 
    •  Boost organic Facebook content with the Hootsuite Composer. 
    •  Promote organic posts as Sponsored Content ads to target audiences on LinkedIn. 
    •  Oversee campaigns, review results, collaborate and launch creative campaigns with Hootsuite Ads. 
  • Monitoring: Understand key topics, track post performances and brand mentions, and monitor competitor activities from a single dashboard. Hootsuite Insights provides an instant overview of online conversations in real time. 
  • Analysis: Customizable reports enable setting and monitoring performance benchmarks. Calculate the real return on social media investment using Hootsuite Impact. 
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  • Email Builder: A no-code interface is included, making it easy to build effective emails without any programming experience. 
  • Automatic Email: Running without user intervention, it can accurately deliver emails on time. 
  • Scalable Templates: Built to be delivered efficiently, effectively and to display correctly on mobile or desktop platforms. 
  • Time-Based Campaigns: Create and map out time-based campaigns in a short amount of time by utilizing multiple email templates and building platforms.  
  • A/B Testing: Test content performance and customer reception by splitting email campaigns into groups. 
  • Email Lookbook: Select from 55 prebuilt email designs, free of cost, that have been proven to generate high ROI.
  • List Segmentation: Send relevant and personalized emails using audience segmentation, increase subscription chances by creating and targeting audience lists based on defined conditions, and send dynamic content by incorporating merge fields into messaging. 
  • Reporting: Stay informed with updates about campaigns through dashboards, make informed business decisions with real-time reports, and track and analyze data using granular reports. 
  • Integrations: Integrates with major platforms such as Google Forms, HubSpot CRM, Salesforce, PayPal, Zoho CRM, WordPress, Zapier, Magento, Shopify, LeadsBridge and more. 
  • Sign-Up Forms: Create forms quickly using an easy interface and embed them on a website or business Facebook page.  
  • Salesforce Mass Email: Gain insights into campaign effectiveness through reports and dashboards, send personalized emails using templates, track opens and clicks, and explore customers’ response to email campaigns. 
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Product Ranking

#27

among all
Marketing Automation Software

#17

among all
Marketing Automation Software

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User Sentiment Summary

Great User Sentiment 6045 reviews
Great User Sentiment 2227 reviews
83%
of users recommend this product

HootSuite has a 'great' User Satisfaction Rating of 83% when considering 6045 user reviews from 4 recognized software review sites.

86%
of users recommend this product

iContact has a 'great' User Satisfaction Rating of 86% when considering 2227 user reviews from 5 recognized software review sites.

4.1 (2919)
4.1 (1069)
n/a
4.48 (548)
4.3 (2516)
4.5 (521)
4.3 (81)
3.8 (4)
3.9 (529)
4.0 (85)

Synopsis of User Ratings and Reviews

Planning: All users who mention scheduling of posts noted that the ability to plan posts ahead of time is the key benefit of this solution.
Monitoring: The solution offers easy capabilities for analysis, according to all reviews referencing this aspect.
Multiple Accounts Access: All users referring to this element noted the ability to access different social media accounts from one platform as an important advantage.
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Email Automation: Equipped with every essential feature, the tool enables quick email sending, keeping track of delivered mails, mass emails, marketing campaigns and more, according to 97% of reviewers referencing it.
Ease of Use: The system is easy to learn, understand and use, note 96% of reviewers referencing user-friendliness.
Templates: Almost 75% of reviewers mentioning templates report that well-designed, customizable templates help save time and auto-answer templates help deliver emails designed for all devices.
Interface: A clear, pleasant and clean interface is a benefit to 81% of reviewers who mention it.
Support: Every user mentioning this aspect notes that customer service is fast and attentive.
Feature-Rich: Features like A/B testing, automation, email subscriber entity management, multi-user accessibility and a drag-and-drop editor are a plus, in the experience of every user referencing them.
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Instagram: The product doesn’t offer many tools to integrate well with Instagram, according to all the users who mention this aspect.
Glitches: All reviews about downtime and bugs noted that the solution is prone to glitchy behavior.
Learning Curve: All users talking about setup and implementation reported that the product takes some time to get used to.
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Cost: It has a high cost for the few tools offered, and it’s also expensive to use large volumes of data, according to almost 80% of users mentioning pricing.
Limitations: Every user talking about this aspect mentions limitations such as limited storage and email customization, difficulty in fixing mistakes, deleting files, adding contacts and spell check.
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HootSuite helps businesses of all sizes manage their social media presence from one convenient platform. It allows users to schedule posts, track analytics, and engage with followers across multiple social media platforms. HootSuite is praised for its user-friendly interface and comprehensive features, making it a popular choice for businesses looking to streamline their social media management. However, some users find the pricing to be on the higher side, especially for larger teams or businesses with extensive social media needs. Additionally, while HootSuite offers integrations with various tools, it may not have the same level of integration with other marketing automation platforms as some competitors, which could be a drawback for businesses with complex marketing workflows. HootSuite's strengths lie in its ease of use, scheduling capabilities, and analytics tools. Users appreciate the ability to schedule posts in advance, ensuring a consistent social media presence. The platform's analytics provide valuable insights into audience engagement and campaign performance, allowing businesses to optimize their social media strategies. HootSuite's ability to manage multiple social media accounts from a single dashboard is a significant advantage, saving time and effort for social media managers. Compared to similar products like Sprout Social and Buffer, HootSuite offers a wider range of features and integrations, making it a more comprehensive solution for businesses with diverse social media needs. However, Sprout Social is often lauded for its superior customer support and user interface, while Buffer is known for its affordability and simplicity. Ultimately, the best choice depends on the specific requirements and budget of each business. HootSuite is well-suited for businesses of all sizes, from small startups to large enterprises. Its scalability and flexibility make it adaptable to different social media strategies and team structures. For businesses looking to improve their social media efficiency and gain valuable insights into their audience, HootSuite is a powerful tool that can help them achieve their social media goals. However, it's essential to consider the pricing and integration options before making a decision. Businesses with extensive marketing automation needs may want to explore alternative platforms that offer more robust integrations. Overall, HootSuite remains a leading social media management platform, providing businesses with the tools they need to succeed in the ever-evolving social media landscape.

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iContact provides email automation and marketing tools in an easy-to-use interface. It offers a wide range of features and offers a lot of options to make interesting designs and templates. It also has a prompt customer service team according to most reviewers. However, the pricing is on the higher side and there are certain limitations that prevent users from getting the most out of the solution. Overall, it has a lot to offer for email marketing, with use-friendly tools that are great for small and medium businesses, though there are more robust platforms available.

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