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Head-to-head · Instagram Marketing Software

Meta Ads Manager vs Hootsuite

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 1 check side by side
Higher score Meta Ads Manager #1 in Instagram Marketing Software 9.4/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 0 of 4 features Try Meta Ads Manager
Hootsuite #4 in Instagram Marketing Software 8.8/10 14-day trial Free trial✓ 0 of 4 features Visit Hootsuite

Meta Ads Manager leads on 1 check, Hootsuite on 0, and 0 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 1 yes/no, price and count check where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreMeta Ads Manager · 9.4/10
  • Free planonly Meta Ads Manager
  • Free trialonly Hootsuite

Meta Ads Manager scores higher on our rubric for instagram marketing software: 9.4 against 8.8 out of 10; our editors rank them #1 and #4.

Meta Ads Manager offers free plan; Hootsuite doesn't.

Meta Ads Manager is the better fit for paid Instagram and Meta advertising. Hootsuite is the better fit for enterprise social operations.

  • Meta Ads Manager fits best

    Paid Instagram and Meta advertising

  • Hootsuite fits best

    Enterprise social operations

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Side by side

Feature Meta Ads Manager 9.4/10 Visit ↗ Hootsuite 8.8/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.4 8.8
Ranking #1 in Instagram Marketing Software #4 in Instagram Marketing Software
Best for Paid Instagram and Meta advertising Enterprise social operations
Pricing model Free Paid
Starting price Free plan $99/user/mo
Free plan ✓ (best) —
Free trial — 14 days
Deployment Cloud, Mobile Cloud
Platforms Web, iOS, Android Web
Built for Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Meta Ads Manager 0/4 · Hootsuite 0/4
Instagram auto-publish Not checked yet Not checked yet
Visual feed planner Not checked yet Not checked yet
Instagram ad management Not checked yet Not checked yet
Competitor benchmarking Not checked yet Not checked yet
Specs
Analytics history Not checked yet Not checked yet
Publishing formats Not checked yet Not checked yet
Our review
Pros
  • Campaign objectives cover app promotion, traffic, sales and awareness.
  • Advantage+, lookalike, customer-list and interest-based audience targeting.
  • Web and mobile controls include insights, alerts and campaign toggles.
  • Unified inbox, scheduling, analytics, listening, and benchmarking
  • Approval, assignment, routing, and collaboration workflows
  • 100 integrations across major social and business platforms
Cons
  • Advertising spend is separate from the free Ads Manager software access.
  • Placement options are limited to Meta's available inventory.
  • Website-action optimization depends on implementing the Meta Pixel.
  • Starts at $99 per user per month with annual billing
  • Standard manages up to 10 accounts and lacks advanced workflow controls
  • Web deployment only; no free plan is offered
Our verdict

Meta Ads Manager is Meta's workspace for creating, managing and measuring advertising campaigns across its platforms. It suits solo advertisers and teams at small, mid-market and enterprise organizations that need paid Instagram and Meta…

Read the review →

Hootsuite is a cloud-based social media management platform for businesses, agencies, and enterprise teams. It brings content creation, scheduling, publishing, inbox management, analytics, listening, sentiment analysis, competitive…

Read the review →
  1. Meta Ads ManagerInstagram Marketing Software 9.4Free plan
  2. HootsuiteInstagram Marketing Software 8.814-day trial

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Meta Ads Manager — where it wins

    • Campaign objectives cover app promotion, traffic, sales and awareness.
    • Advantage+, lookalike, customer-list and interest-based audience targeting.
    • Web and mobile controls include insights, alerts and campaign toggles.

    Where it doesn't

    • Advertising spend is separate from the free Ads Manager software access.
    • Placement options are limited to Meta's available inventory.
    • Website-action optimization depends on implementing the Meta Pixel.

  • Hootsuite — where it wins

    • Unified inbox, scheduling, analytics, listening, and benchmarking
    • Approval, assignment, routing, and collaboration workflows
    • 100 integrations across major social and business platforms

    Where it doesn't

    • Starts at $99 per user per month with annual billing
    • Standard manages up to 10 accounts and lacks advanced workflow controls
    • Web deployment only; no free plan is offered

More comparisons

All instagram marketing software comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update