Planable vs Hootsuite 2025: Which Social Tool Wins?
TL;DR - Quick Answer
10 min readSee which tool is better for you. We compare pricing, features, and ease of use.
Planable: Best for content approval and visual planning. (Full Planable review) Hootsuite: Best for social listening and enterprise features. (Full Hootsuite review)
Agencies pick Planable. Enterprises pick Hootsuite.
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Pricing Comparison
Planable
Hootsuite
Key difference: Planable is cheaper for small teams focused on content. Hootsuite is built for enterprises needing monitoring and advanced features.
🤔 Quick Knowledge Check
You're a 2-person content team focusing on scheduling and approvals. Which costs less?
Where Each Tool Wins
Planable Wins: Approval Workflows
Planable built the best content approval system:
- Multi-level approvals (internal → client → publish)
- Visual comments on specific content
- Role-based permissions
- Client workspaces
- Approval history
Hootsuite has basic approvals but nothing this sophisticated.
Hootsuite Wins: Social Listening
Hootsuite monitors conversations at scale:
- Brand mention tracking
- Competitor monitoring
- Trend analysis
- Sentiment tracking
- Custom streams
Planable has no social listening.
🤔 Quick Knowledge Check
You need to track brand mentions and competitor activity across social media. Which tool?
Planable Wins: Visual Planning & Ease of Use
Planable is simpler and more visual:
- Pixel-perfect previews for all platforms
- Feed view shows aesthetic planning
- Drag-and-drop calendar
- Clean, modern interface
- Fast onboarding (hours vs days)
Hootsuite's power comes with complexity.
Hootsuite Wins: Integrations & Scale
Hootsuite connects to everything:
- 150+ integrations
- CRM connections (Salesforce, HubSpot)
- Analytics platforms
- Custom API access
- Enterprise security
Planable has limited integrations.
Feature Comparison
🤔 Quick Knowledge Check
Which tool has AI-powered content generation?
Team Cost Comparison
Insight: Planable is 3-4x cheaper for small teams. Hootsuite only makes sense for enterprises needing its advanced features.
Who Should Pick What
Choose Planable if you:
- Need content approval workflows
- Run an agency with client reviews
- Want visual content planning
- Have a small to medium team
- Prefer simplicity over features
Choose Hootsuite if you:
- Need social listening and monitoring
- Require 150+ integrations
- Have enterprise security requirements
- Need advanced analytics
- Have budget for enterprise features
Neither Is Perfect
Both tools lack:
Better Alternative
Want approval workflows AND advanced features without enterprise pricing?
Try SocialRails free →🤔 Quick Knowledge Check
Final decision: Small marketing agency needing client approval workflows. Best choice?
Quick Answers
Which is cheaper? Planable. Significantly cheaper for teams under 10.
Which has better approvals? Planable. Built specifically for content approval workflows.
Which has social listening? Only Hootsuite. Planable doesn't monitor conversations.
Which is easier? Planable. Hootsuite's power comes with complexity.
Which has more integrations? Hootsuite. 150+ vs Planable's limited options.
Bottom Line
Planable: Best for agencies and teams needing approval workflows and visual planning. Great value for small to medium teams.
Hootsuite: Best for enterprises needing social listening, extensive integrations, and advanced analytics.
Best alternative: SocialRails at $29/month with approval workflows, AI content, and affordable team pricing.
Create content, post everywhere
Let AI do the work. Ideas, posts, images, carousels. Scheduled in seconds.
Start your free trialRelated
Comparisons:
- Planable vs Buffer
- Planable vs Loomly
- Planable vs Later
- Planable vs SocialPilot
- Hootsuite vs Sprout Social
Reviews & Pricing:
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