Hootsuite Vs. TweetDeck – The Faceoff

Hoot suite and Tweet Deck are two social media management tools that have stood the test of time

When it comes to social media management tools, two seemed to have stood the test of time since they were first launched – Hootsuite and TweetDeck. While both seem to work in a similar manner, there are a few features that set them apart from each other. Both tools pretty much look the same, help users manage their Twitter accounts, and offer the same services. So let’s explore what sets them apart from one another in this faceoff.

On Visual Appearance

Like we mentioned before, both Hootsuite and TweetDeck look pretty much the same. While TweetDeck can be downloaded as desktop software, Hootsuite can only be used in a web browser like Firefox or Chrome. You can add columns with both tools, which allow you to follow a variety of searches, Twitter lists and social media streams at once. Both tools allow users to scroll from left to right. Hootsuite allows you to separate your columns into themes using tabs. This makes it easier for users to see all their updates in a single place. While many users have proclaimed that they prefer TweetDeck, which has a sleeker look, Hootsuite has currently had a bit of a makeover itself.

On Scheduling Social Media Posts

This is more of a similarity than a difference. Social media scheduling is equally simple on both channels. Both Hootsuite and TweetDeck allow users to schedule updates on social media, but only Hootsuite goes beyond that to allow users to schedule updates for several other social channels that it supports. On Hootsuite, users can schedule a post via the compose box, through the Hootesuite Hootlet, by the suggested updates, or by uploading a CSV file. With TweetDeck, there is only one specific way to schedule a post.

On Managing Social Networks

One major difference between TweetDeck and Hootsuite is that amount of social networks that can be managed. Before Twitter acquired TweetDeck and turned it into a Twitter-only management software, users had the liberty of managing their Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn accounts all at once. But with Hootsuite, users have the freedom of effectively managing Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, and WordPress accounts. In addition to that, users can also integrate with other networks like Instagram, YouTube and SoundCloud.

Users can only manage 3 accounts with Hootsuite; these may be 3 Twitter accounts or 3 differnet accounts on 3 different networks. TweetDeck has no limit to how many Twitter accounts one can manage with the software.

On Mobile Apps

In 2013, TweetDeck withdrew its mobile apps in favor of the native Twitter apps for Android and iOS. So there isn’t much competition to speak of anyway where mobile apps are concerned. Hootsuite has mobile options for iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch which are available for download on the App Store, while Google Play houses Hootsuite for Android.

In addition to that, there is also an iOS app for Hootsuite which has been designed mainly for its Suggestions feature. This app allows users to view curated content which is related to their niche and subsequently add it to the queue of their scheduled-updates.

On Viewing and Managing Notifications

TweetDeck allows users to set up audio and pop-up notifications as it is primarily a desktop application. Whenever new messages show up in a column, the user receives a notification. The trick is not to set them for one’s main timeline, but only for those messages that are extremely important that you want to be notified about immediately. These notifications help because this way, you won’t have to keep checking for new posts manually.

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