Head to head
ContentCal vs Hootsuite
Last updated 4 June 2026
vs
ContentCal was a well-liked UK content calendar built around planning and approvals. Adobe bought it in December 2021, closed the standalone product on 31 March 2023, and rolled its features into Adobe Express, so it's here for the record rather than as a tool you can buy.
- From
- Custom
- Free plan
Hootsuite does more than schedule: listening, a shared inbox, and deep reporting sit in one dashboard, and you pay for the breadth. It starts at $99 a user each month and there's no longer a free plan.
- From
- $99 per user / mo
- Free plan
Bottom line
ContentCal and Hootsuite both cover the basics; the right one comes down to how you post.
Features compared
| Feature | ContentCal | Hootsuite |
|---|---|---|
| AI captions | Not assessed | Yes |
| Basic analytics | Yes | Yes |
| Advanced reports | Not assessed | Yes |
| Bulk upload | Not assessed | Yes |
| Evergreen recycling | Not assessed | No |
| Team roles | Yes | Yes |
| Approvals | Yes | Yes |
| Link in bio | Not assessed | Yes |
Platforms compared
| Network | ContentCal | Hootsuite |
|---|---|---|
| Auto | Auto | |
| Auto | Auto | |
| X (Twitter) | Auto | Auto |
| Auto | Auto | |
| TikTok | Reminder | Auto |
| Auto | Auto | |
| YouTube | No | Auto |
| Threads | No | Auto |
| Bluesky | No | Auto |
| Google Business | Auto | No |
Pricing
ContentCal
- ContentCal was acquired by Adobe in December 2021 and the standalone product closed on 31 March 2023. You can no longer buy it.
- Its content calendar and scheduling features were folded into Adobe Express as the Content Scheduler, which is reviewed separately.
- When it ran, ContentCal sold flat monthly plans (a Pro tier and a larger Company tier); those plans no longer exist, so no current pricing applies.
Hootsuite
Standard
$149 per user / mo
$99/mo billed annually
- Seats
- 1
- Accounts
- 10
- Scheduled posts
- Unlimited
- $99 per user/mo on annual, $149 monthly
- Up to 10 social accounts
- Unlimited scheduling, AI assistant, one inbox
- 7-day mention search, benchmark vs 5 competitors
Advanced
Popular$399 per user / mo
$249/mo billed annually
- Seats
- 1
- Accounts
- Unlimited
- Scheduled posts
- Unlimited
- $249 per user/mo on annual, $399 monthly
- Unlimited social accounts
- Bulk schedule up to 350 posts at once
- Custom reports, approval workflows, 30-day listening
Enterprise
Custom
- Accounts
- Unlimited
- Custom pricing, 5+ users, unlimited accounts
- SSO, employee advocacy (Amplify), premium listening
- Salesforce, review management, compliance integrations
- Priced per user/seat: the headline $99 / $249 is for one seat and multiplies by how many people you add.
- No free plan. There's a 30-day trial, and the 25% trial-skip discount only applies on annual billing.
- Annual billing is much cheaper than monthly: Standard is $99 vs $149 a seat, Advanced $249 vs $399.
- Prices are USD list. Hootsuite renders prices client-side in local currency by region, so the annual figures were read off the live plans page and the monthly figures corroborated against current third-party listings.
Pros and cons
ContentCal
- Clean, approachable content calendar and content hub
- Strong, simple approval workflows
- Good team and client collaboration
- Discontinued on 31 March 2023; no longer sold
- Folded into Adobe Express, with a different shape and focus
- Existing comparisons that still list it are out of date
Hootsuite
- Broad by design: scheduling, listening, inbox, and reporting together
- Deep analytics and competitor benchmarking
- Publishes to nine networks, including Bluesky and Threads
- Strong approval workflows on Advanced and up
- Expensive, and per-seat pricing climbs quickly
- No free plan, and the entry price is $99 a month
- Monthly billing costs far more than annual
- The depth is overkill if you only schedule a few accounts
ContentCal vs Hootsuite: FAQ
- Is ContentCal or Hootsuite cheaper?
- Hootsuite starts at $99 per user / mo, while ContentCal is quoted custom, so Hootsuite is the one with a public entry price.
- Does ContentCal or Hootsuite have a free plan?
- Neither has a free plan. You get a free trial to test things, then you pay.
- Which is better, ContentCal or Hootsuite?
- ContentCal is the stronger pick for most people, while Hootsuite is the better fit for small teams that need listening and reporting in one place. We don't score them; the right call comes down to how you post.