Head to head
Gain vs Hootsuite
Last updated 21 July 2026
vs
Gain is a content-approval tool first and a scheduler second. Its whole point is getting client sign-off without friction: clients review and approve posts by email or SMS without logging in, channels are unlimited, and you pay by team size and client count rather than per account.
- From
- $99 /mo
- 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
Gain is the pick for agencies whose bottleneck is client review and sign-off. Hootsuite fits small teams that need listening and reporting in one place better, and it reaches YouTube and Bluesky, which Gain doesn't.
Both start at $99, though Gain bills a month and Hootsuite per user / mo. Hootsuite adds social listening and advanced reports that Gain leaves out.
Key differences
Where the two actually diverge, before the full tables.
- Both start at $99, but Gain bills a month and Hootsuite per user / mo.
- Gain posts to 8 networks, Hootsuite to 9.
- Only Gain reaches Google Business.
- Only Hootsuite reaches YouTube and Bluesky.
- Hootsuite has social listening; Gain doesn't.
- Hootsuite has advanced reports; Gain doesn't.
- Hootsuite has competitor tracking; Gain doesn't.
- Hootsuite has social inbox; Gain doesn't.
Features compared
| Feature | Gain | Hootsuite |
|---|---|---|
| AI captions | Yes | Yes |
| Basic analytics | Yes | Yes |
| Advanced reports | No | Yes |
| Bulk upload | Not assessed | Yes |
| Evergreen recycling | No | No |
| Team roles | Yes | Yes |
| Approvals | Yes | Yes |
| Link in bio | No | Yes |
Platforms compared
| Network | Gain | Hootsuite |
|---|---|---|
| Auto | Auto | |
| Auto | Auto | |
| X (Twitter) | Auto | Auto |
| Auto | Auto | |
| TikTok | Auto | Auto |
| Auto | Auto | |
| YouTube | No | Auto |
| Threads | Auto | Auto |
| Bluesky | No | Auto |
| Google Business | Auto | No |
Pricing
Headline prices are for a single unit. Here is the real monthly cost as each tool scales, costed on its own unit so the two stay honest.
Gain
Starter
$119 /mo
$99/mo billed annually
- Seats
- 3
- Accounts
- Unlimited
- Scheduled posts
- Unlimited
- $119/mo, $99 on annual
- Up to 3 team members, up to 6 client workspaces, unlimited social accounts
- Unlimited approval workflows and client reviewers, content calendar, AI writing assistant
Agency
Popular$239 /mo
$199/mo billed annually
- Seats
- 6
- Accounts
- Unlimited
- Scheduled posts
- Unlimited
- $239/mo, $199 on annual
- Up to 6 team members, up to 12 client workspaces, unlimited social accounts
- Adds white-label and more capacity
Agency Premium
$479 /mo
$399/mo billed annually
- Seats
- 20
- Accounts
- Unlimited
- Scheduled posts
- Unlimited
- $479/mo, $399 on annual
- Up to 20 team members, up to 30 client workspaces, unlimited social accounts
Enterprise
Custom
- Seats
- Unlimited
- Accounts
- Unlimited
- Scheduled posts
- Unlimited
- Custom pricing, as many team members and workspaces as you need
- Unlimited social accounts, advanced support
- Flat, quota-bundled plans: each tier bundles team members and workspaces (one per client), with unlimited social accounts on every plan, so the price scales by team size and client count rather than per channel.
- Client reviewers are unlimited and don't count against your seats: clients approve or reject posts by email or SMS without needing a Gain account.
- There's no free plan, only a 14-day trial, no card required.
- Annual billing is about 17% cheaper: Starter is $99 a month versus $119, Agency $199 versus $239, Agency Premium $399 versus $479.
- White-label is included from the Agency plan up.
- Prices are USD, read off the live pricing page by toggling monthly and annual.
Hootsuite
Standard
Custom
$99/mo billed annually
- Seats
- 1
- Accounts
- 10
- Scheduled posts
- Unlimited
- $99 per user/mo billed annually
- Up to 10 social accounts
- Unlimited scheduling, AI assistant, one inbox
Professional
PopularCustom
$199/mo billed annually
- Seats
- 1
- Accounts
- Unlimited
- Scheduled posts
- Unlimited
- $199 per user/mo billed annually
- Unlimited social accounts
- Automations for repetitive work
- No approval workflows (Hootsuite points approval-heavy teams at Advanced)
Advanced
Custom
$399/mo billed annually
- Seats
- 1
- Accounts
- Unlimited
- Scheduled posts
- Unlimited
- $399 per user/mo billed annually
- Approval workflows, team assignments, custom reports
- Customer care routing
Enterprise
Custom
- Accounts
- Unlimited
- Custom pricing, 5+ users, unlimited accounts
- SSO, employee advocacy (Amplify), premium listening
- Salesforce, review management, compliance integrations
- Hootsuite restructured its lineup between June and July 2026: a Professional tier at $199 now sits between Standard ($99) and Advanced (previously $249 on annual, now $399), and the trial dropped from 30 days to 14.
- Priced per user/seat: the headline $99 / $199 / $399 is for one seat and multiplies by how many people you add.
- The advertised prices are the billed-annually rates. Monthly billing exists for all three self-serve plans at a higher per-seat rate, but Hootsuite no longer prints the monthly figures on the plans page; they appear at checkout. Before the restructure, Standard was $149 monthly vs $99 annual.
- No free plan. The 14-day trial needs no credit card. Nonprofit discounts exist on some plans.
- Prices are USD list from the plans page structured data (offers marked 'Billed annually'), read 2026-07-21.
Pros and cons
Gain
- Best-in-class client approvals: sign off by email or SMS, no account needed
- Unlimited client reviewers and unlimited social accounts on every plan
- Flat pricing by team and client count, with white-label from Agency up
- Revision tracking through each feedback round
- No social inbox, listening, or evergreen recycling
- Light analytics and reporting
- No YouTube or Bluesky
- Priced for teams, with the entry plan at $99 a month
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
Gain vs Hootsuite: FAQ
- Is Gain or Hootsuite cheaper?
- They start at the same price, $99, though the two count their units differently, so read the pricing side by side before you commit.
- Does Gain 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, Gain or Hootsuite?
- Gain is the stronger pick for agencies whose bottleneck is client review and sign-off, 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.