Hootsuite - Social Media Tools Reviews

by Cmsm10

I have been using this service for a week now and it is already giving me an enormous headache. First of all loading my payment took forever to figure out. I didn’t load on Safari or any other browser except Google Chrome. Next it wants me to connect my Instagram accounts to Facebook pages which they are but it doesn’t recognize them and I’ve been wasting time on this issue for a while. So far I definitely most absolutely want to cancel my subscription before it starts charging because I do not want to pay for this if it’s gonna make social media management take longer rather than shorter which is what this is supposed to do in the first place.

by Chinafly

But too late I guess because they already have my money for the year. Push notifications disappearing was the first issue and now I am one whole month of emails going back and forth with support because they don’t seem to understand the issue even after I explain it 50 gazillion times and send screen videos and everything. Today, messages failed and I can’t find any resolution to get them posted. I also don’t like that there is no in app solution for a failed post or a post that says it is posted but didn’t. I should be able to click on the image and the text and then just manually post but no. I have to start from scratch. I am really getting tired of paying for apps that don’t work and this is becoming a problem for me.

by Christofer Williams

After nine years with this service, we are out. We’re deleting our company account and moving to something better — which, at this point, isn’t a very high bar. It’s unfortunate that this app wrecked a wonderful app, but we’re not going to waste labor hours going back and forth with incompetent and apathetic support people. You’d think $600/year would get you a functional app. Nope.

After the latest update, posts can’t be scheduled anymore. When we try, it says “Scheduling limit reached. You have 0 scheduled posts. You can schedule a new one as soon as one of your scheduled posts gets published.” Then it does a hard sell to get us to upgrade… even with a Pro account. Without post scheduling, there’s zero point to Hootsuite.

It also won’t allow us to add any social media accounts, even though we have space in our quota. Mine currently says I have “6 of 0 accounts added.” When I try to add one, it says I need to pay to upgrade. If I delete one, it can’t be added back.

On top of all that, everything is now hidden three menus deep beneath a bunch of sales pitches to upgrade. Good luck finding your drafts.

by Thedrunkencraftsman

My Instagram app hasn't been letting me login but the account is alive and well. I downloaded this app so I could continue posting in the meantime. I successfully logged in and set up my account. Hootsuite incessantly asked me at every move to allow notifications, which I really didn't want. I thought as long as I kept declining, it would go away. I finally made my first post but before it would let me post it, it actually forced me to enable push notifications.

Finally, I got my post scheduled. I checked the account after the time it was supposed to post, and nothing. I checked my "scheduled posts" and it was no longer in there. So I did all of this again, and nothing. After 4 attempts, I have gotten nothing out of Hootsuite , just wasted a bunch of time recreating the same post several times. If this is user error somehow, happy to remove this review, but I received a "scheduled post confirmation" and nothing ever posted.

by The Karps Revenge

I’ve been using this app for over a year to schedule my work’s social media posts. It never connected to Instagram but I could forgive that for the time I saved scheduling for Twitter and Facebook. I had no problem scheduling two weeks out, occasionally posts would go missing but still it was worth if for the overall time saved. Then all of a sudden a pay wall pops up telling me I can’t schedule more than 5 posts at a time without paying $79 a month or $600 a year. This is laughable. I’m not paying for that much for an app that doesn’t even work to its full potential, it’s almost offensive to ask people to pay that much for this confusing and faulty product. I’ll be looking elsewhere for social media scheduling.

by MeIYouThey

It’s just difficult to set up connecting Instagram to a Facebook page just to be able to directly publish to Instagram.

Change to a business account? Check.
Did it connect?

No, it still says that for some reason, it’s not been converted.

Try manually connecting from Facebook to Instagram in the settings? I get an error, and I was made “admin” or given permission over controls to post content and edit the page.

Try from vice-versa? Nope, it did not work either.
The instructions are useless and very clunky and unfriendly. I hate that every time clicking the link to set up direct publish always lead to that. I followed step-by-step.

The errors aren’t telling me what I did wrong or need to do. The video tutorials are no help either. It only just show the features of the thing. It does not visually show how to troubleshoot the darn thing.

It’s just stupid that I need the connection to jump through many hoops just to post the things I can do on other social media. The mobile notification feature is useless to me because i cannot be around at the set-up time it notifies I needed to post it. I can’t with my schedule and it drives me mad.

Just please remove the middleman or something and I’ll change my review.

by IOSpowerUser305

So I made a new this app account because I started managing social media from another account. I added the Instagram account I needed to manage like I normally would, and it said the account needed to be transferred over from my old this app account. Simple. I logged in and did the transfer. Now, this instagram account recently had its handle changed, but the this app app is reading it by it’s old handle. Weird. I scheduled a post anyway and low and behold the thing spazzes out and doesn’t post, sending me an error email. I decide to remove the IG account and try to add it again, start fresh. When I try to re-add it, IT SAYS I ALREADY OWN THE ACCOUNT. LIKE WHAT? IS THERE NO COMPETENT PROGRAMMER ON YOUR TEAM this app? YOUR APP CAN’T READ A SIMPLE NAME CHANGE ON AN INSTAGRAM PROFILE LET ALONE LET ME DELETE AND RE-ADD SAID PROFILE? I MEAN COME ON, MAN. If I could give a score worse than 1 stars I totally would. Going to Sprout Social from here. Deuces ✌🏼

by JrzJen

Every month you lose more features and functionality. They’ve yet to recover from the 8/1 FB API change. As they’re tied to API’s they are limited by what platforms do. But the worst part... they mute you on Twitter when you have complaints, issues, they shut off chat functionality during the api change. In the middle of the disaster they stopped offering phone support, and that was AFTER someone from support went in to my account, tried to fix things, said he couldn’t and he’d call back, my posts started CROSS POSTING after that and I got fired by a client. (He never called back.) They REFUSED to acknowledge any of this was going on despite TRADE PUBLICATIONS reporting on it. 17 Senior staff members jumped ship. And they kept selling their product and taking OUR money as though nothing was wrong. If you can afford an alternative smm software... DO IT... there is nothing about this app that is good.

by Nikki On IG

Absolutely despicable!!

I signed up for the 30-day free trial and immediately was not happy. It’s great that you can schedule posts but a message went up within the week saying that Hootsuite would no longer be able to support location services (meaning I can’t tag the location). Soon after, I got a notification saying hashtags would not be supported. I’m not sure that any of these things actually ceased to be supported but the doubt was enough for me to stop using the product. I tried to cancel but of course there was no clear way to cancel so I waited for the warning email that is promised on the website Q&A section, figuring there might be some instructions there. Suddenly I am charged and my bank calls to ask if it’s a fraudulent charge. Of course it is!!! But they can’t hold the money bc I didn’t know you should use a debit card for free trials. I went to customer service and they put it on me saying I’m “responsible for managing” my card. I was lead to believe I would get the email and I could manage the account from there but I never did receive that email. No responsibility was taken on their part and I have screenshots of everything to prove that they did not deliver what they promised and I should not have to pay for something that was not agreed upon. Anyway, get FOLLOW ADDER instead. It’s much more reasonably priced and does more work for you. It supports hashtags. Oh and they don’t lie!

by Pastor's Tunes

I used to use this app. It was a pretty sweet system for posting my things. After the laws changed I had to open a whole stupid fan page which does what this app does. But that’s not why I am posting this review. I haven’t used this app in over a year or two. I removed my card info then and canceled my subscription. The other day I am charged 117 out of no where from my account! I called and waited for over an hour to speak to someone. I called a second time and waiting about 30 minutes and finally left a voice mail only to get a service ticket telling me that if I don’t respond my request will be closed. I am so furious that they have done this. I have now resorted to called my bank and filing a FRAUD charge for taking a credit without authorization. I have waited for a response so now comes the review! this app you are crooks!

by Tracirasta

I could accept the fact that Instagram doesn't allow 3rd party posters, it still saves time to create posts in advance and it's easy enough to follow through with the reminders if you have time. The Facebook posting however completely blows up in your face if you include more than one image. It creates one post per image you include, which I did not expect. I combed through their help forum and essentially, from a phone you're SOL. Their excuses don't sit well with me. Tell me why buffer can post up to 4 images on Facebook no problem but they can't seem to arrange with Facebook a means to create one post with multiple images. It really makes you look foolish, especially if you trusted Hootsuite and didn't follow up until hours later. Thanks for spamming all my followers!

by Elian Gonzales

This is preferable to use than the website, but Hootsuite suffers from memory problems that cause it to crash. You cannot have it in split view and then switch to another window and go back: Hootsuite will crash.

You cannot also be working on a draft (in either fullscreen or split view) and then switch to something you might want to look up and resume: you will lose your work. Hootsuite has problem keeping its state, and as such with bad memory management, cannot function properly so it crashes. It is not robust, which is a shame because as mentioned, it's preferable to the web version.

by Tori516

Downloaded because it can schedule and post to IG automatically for you. However there are caveats: you MUST have a business profile, and Facebook Page linked. I switched, then was forced to create a brand new page because for some reason the one I already made couldn’t be found (the new one is only with my name and nothing else, which seems useless). After trying to schedule a photo the first time I discover it can only post SQUARE images, so I had to crop before I could upload. IG doesn’t restrict you to square only images anymore, this app needs to get with the times on that. The most annoying part is there were not troubleshooting pages on their site, I just had to keep fiddling with Hootsuite and my accounts to resolve the issues.

by Aziemin

Whenever I’m uploading a video and go to the thumbnail settings, Hootsuite crashes. I have the latest version of Hootsuite and it’s just annoying that I have to upload and even out the captions all over again. Also, I hope you guys can find a way to upload multiple photos when using a computer. Although I don’t mind getting notified on my mobile phone when scheduling posts, I just don’t like it when I need to click the notification. And if I miss it, I won’t have any other options to copy and have everything ready for uploading on Instagram using my phone, instead I would have to redo them again.

by Bedtime Listener

I signed up and downloaded this app and never could figure out how to use it. Whatever, that’s fine, but I’ve tried on my own to cancel through Hootsuite and thought I’d cancelled. Looked at my bank account today and it seems I’ve been being billed for a while. I contacted them by email asking twice to have my account cancelled. Both times was told I have to do it online. I go to the mobile version of the site, can’t cancel. I changed it to desktop mode and it’s so buggy I still couldn’t find a way to cancel. Called their service number, sat on hold for 10 min and then left a message. They say they’ll call back “in order of your call” and it’s been 2 hours during their business time. I’ve spent most of my day just trying not to be charged again and I’m still apparently signed up :/

by 4q3d

I've used this app for years on the free version. I did the free trial in the beginning but found I really didn't need the paid one, so I didn't buy the paid version when it expired.

Here we are years later, and I need a paid membership. I've gone into the screen that should be showing upgrade options, but instead, there is a banner in the middle of the screen:

"It looks like you've already had a 30-day free trial. Make changes on the same device you used to sign up for the trial."

I don't have that phone anymore. I used it for an upgrade trade. Are you guys serious with this?

Some advice from the peanut gallery: never, ever put an arbitrary barrier between your customers and you receiving money from them.

You aren't the only ones in this market, and it would be easy, for those so inclined, to delete and create new accounts with you just to get a second 30-day trial.

by Lost Without The

Love Hootsuite! I used to just save all my photos for Instagram in drafts, but my posting time was all over the board and I'd half the time forget to share to Facebook. At first, I didn't love that this app made you go into the Instagram app to post, but you can size it, filter, and tag so it works out perfect. This has been a huge time saver and I'm able to free up space in my photos since I can upload so many to Hootsuite . I use it for work and I'd recommend it to everyone!

by Isndb

Composition interface seems a little buggy. As in, sometimes it relocates my cursor a little off from where I place it, so positioning it correctly can be a burden. That aside, it's a great, streamlined solution to a complex gig. I manage all the social media for my band (as well as some other pages), and Hootsuite allows me to engage with audiences WAY easier than trying to schedule Facebook posts in one app, using desktop Twitter ads to schedule posts, and just flat out try to remember to post to Insta. This makes things way easier. 5/5 of the bugs get fixed.

by Lsndjsvdk

If you’re serious about growing your brand and you’re broke, I’d suggest using it. Took a bit for me to figure out but after I did, it’s cool. Would love for them to re-evaluate the calendar feature that shows the post schedule. It’s impossible to navigate. Sometimes it shows your posts in small boxes, other times it only shows your most recent one in its entirety, with no way to switch between the two. No rhyme or reason. But for a free app it’s straightforward enough.

by Bmonty21

Initially had this app but due to my own social media inabilities, it had not been an effective tool from my perspective. Returning to the product with clear cut objectives for my own growth goals has now made this app a much needed tool.

With a better understanding of the audience I am trying to capture, this app makes perfect sense for any social media growth objective. Hoping I will have to buy the upgraded version sooner rather than later, of course, due to their help😉. A “Can’t miss” product in my professional opinion.

by Cody W929

Hello, if the people who designed Hootsuite are reading this, it would mean a lot for a response. For 3 weeks I’ve been trying to set up direct media publishing, and I’m following all of the steps to do so. I have an Instagram business account, which is linked to this app and Facebook. But whenever I try to enable direct media publishing, it will take me to Facebook and say that I need to try again later. Everything is correct. The password, phone number, email, and everything. If you can please help me out, that would be splendid.

by Spinderella95

I am a social media noob. I normal social media consumer who happens to own a business which needs a social media presence. That means I have had to learn how to produce social media ads. I was going crazy trying to not only come up with the ads, but also getting them published to multiple social media sites. this app has made this job so much less time consuming & also gives me analytics to judge how my messages go over. Love it!!!

by Govib2

I absolutely love this app. The platform is easy to use and the scheduling option is phenomenal. You can schedule your post for the Entire week, month, etc., and let this app do the rest. Wait!! Now that IG has been added, it’s even better!!
Oh, don’t forget - Hootsuite is just as good as the desktop version. Great job this app, I’m happy to have discovered such a great service.
Lastly, customer service is great and was helpful in the beginning when I first started.

by Owner Albums Remembered

As a small business owner I couldn’t be happier with this software. So many of us are afraid to mange our own posts. Yet we know our business better than anyone. Stop wasting money on a freelancer and mange this yourself. Use that freelancer for larger campaigns or strategy discussions. That’s what they’re ultimately really great at. Let them be your sounding board for idea and let them help you on the execution of those big ideas.