Closely vs Hootsuite
Closely
- Platform: LinkedIn and email
- Best For: Outbound sales and prospecting
- Strength: Safe automation and CRM sync
- Users: Not specified
Starting at $29/month
Hootsuite
- Platform: Multiple social networks
- Best For: Social publishing and engagement
- Strength: Enterprise analytics and workflows
- Users: 2011user
Starting at Standard plan per user/month, billed annually
Table of Contents
At a Glance
Platform Support
| Feature | Closely | Hootsuite |
|---|---|---|
| ✓ Deep automation with safe limits and human-like behavior | ✓ Scheduling, engagement, and analytics support | |
| Email Outreach | ✓ Multichannel campaigns integrating LinkedIn and email | ✗ No native email automation |
| X (Twitter) | ✗ LinkedIn and email focus only | ✓ Full publishing and monitoring |
| Facebook & Instagram | ✗ Not supported | ✓ Multi-network scheduling and inbox |
| Other Platforms (YouTube, Pinterest, etc.) | ✗ Not supported | ✓ Broad support for 10+ platforms |
Automation & Outreach
| Feature | Closely | Hootsuite |
|---|---|---|
| Automation Sequences | ✓ LinkedIn sequences with safe limits and multichannel campaigns | ✗ Scheduling automation but no outreach sequences |
| AI Personalization | ✓ AI for DMs, InMails, emails, and sales agents | ✓ OwlyGPT for content ideas, captions, hashtags |
| Data Enrichment | ✓ Verified emails, phones from LinkedIn and exports | ✗ Social listening but no lead enrichment |
| Bulk Scheduling | ✗ Campaign-based, not bulk social posts | ✓ Up to 350 posts at once |
| Best-Time-to-Post | ✗ Not available | ✓ Recommendations based on audience data |
Engagement & Inbox
| Feature | Closely | Hootsuite |
|---|---|---|
| Unified Inbox | ✓ For LinkedIn DMs, InMails, and emails | ✓ For comments and DMs across social platforms |
| Routing & Assignments | ✗ Team management but no advanced routing | ✓ Auto-route, tag, and assign messages |
| Saved Replies | ✗ Not specified | ✓ Saved replies and auto-responses |
| Social Listening | ✗ Lead research via AI agents | ✓ Track mentions, keywords, sentiment |
Analytics & Reporting
| Feature | Closely | Hootsuite |
|---|---|---|
| Outreach Analytics | ✓ Advanced analytics for campaigns, sequences, teams | ✗ Social-specific analytics |
| Competitor Benchmarking | ✗ Not available | ✓ Configurable comparison sets |
| Custom Reports | ✓ CRM-attributed outreach reports | ✓ Templates, scheduled exports |
| AI Insights | ✓ Sales AI for lead scoring and qualification | ✓ OwlyGPT for trend-based insights |
Integrations & Collaboration
| Feature | Closely | Hootsuite |
|---|---|---|
| CRM Integrations | ✓ Deep with HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive, GoHighLevel | ✓ Salesforce integration as add-on |
| Team Workflows | ✓ Team management and white-label for agencies | ✓ Approval workflows, departmental organization |
| White-Label | ✓ Custom domain, branding for agencies | ✗ Enterprise add-ons but no white-label |
| Employee Advocacy | ✗ Not available | ✓ Hootsuite Amplify for staff reach |
Pricing Comparison
Closely starts at $29/month (annual) for LinkedIn and email automation, ideal for sales teams, while Hootsuite's Standard plan is per user/month billed annually for broad social management. Closely offers better value for outbound sales, while Hootsuite scales for enterprise social needs.
Closely
Starter Annual
$29/month
Solo users or small teams starting outbound
- 1 LinkedIn account
- Unlimited email accounts
- 1 sender equals 1 LinkedIn account plus 1 email inbox
- White-label included
- Access to outreach automation and multichannel campaigns
Growth Annual
$87/month
Growing teams with multiple accounts
- 3 LinkedIn accounts
- Unlimited email accounts
- 1 sender equals 1 LinkedIn account plus 1 email inbox
- White-label included
- Bonus 3,000 credits per month
- Credits usable for approximately 750 emails, 150 phones, or 1,500 AI personalizations
Essential Annual
$145/month
Larger teams needing more scale
- 5 LinkedIn accounts
- Unlimited email accounts
- 1 sender equals 1 LinkedIn account plus 1 email inbox
- White-label included
- Bonus 5,000 credits per month
- Credits usable for approximately 1,250 emails, 250 phones, or 2,500 AI personalizations
Custom
Custom
Advanced teams and integrations
- Custom number of LinkedIn accounts
- Unlimited email accounts
- Custom monthly bonus credits
- Unlimited campaigns across LinkedIn and email
- Conditional sequence builder and multichannel campaigns
- Smart Inbox, team management, and advanced analytics
- CRM integrations and webhooks
- White-label with custom domain, colors, and logo
White-label Unlimited
$999/month
Agencies with high volume
- Unlimited seats for agency clients
- Complete platform customization with logo, colors, and custom domain
- Client portal access and branded reporting
- Admin dashboard and team management
- White-label support under your brand
- No per-seat fees, no usage caps, no setup costs
Hootsuite
Standard
Standard per user/month, billed annually
Small teams managing up to 10 accounts
- Up to 10 social accounts
- Unlimited post scheduling
- Best time to post recommendations
- AI assistant with image and caption generator
- AI content and ideas generator
- AI caption enhancements and hashtag suggestions
- Canva templates and content library
- One inbox for all social accounts
- DM automations
- Search the past 7 days for brand and competitor mentions
Advanced
Advanced per user/month, billed annually
Mid-sized teams needing collaboration
- Everything in Standard
- Unlimited social accounts
- Customizable analytics reports and templates
- Saved message replies and auto‑responses
- Team approval workflows (with multiple users)
- Bulk scheduling up to 350 posts at once
- Auto‑route and tag messages
- Benchmark against 20 competitors
- Export, email, and schedule reports
- Inbox reporting and analytics
Enterprise
Custom
Large organizations with complex needs
- Everything in Advanced
- Fully customized plan configuration
- Add as many users as needed
- Exclusive access to Hootsuite’s most powerful tools
- Enterprise customer support
- Single sign‑on (SSO)
- Departmental organization for teams and permissions
- Eligibility for premium add‑ons such as Employee Advocacy (Amplify), Listening powered by Talkwalker, Advanced Analytics, Advanced Inbox, Generative AI Chatbot, Review Management, Premier Services, Social Selling, Salesforce integration, and compliance integrations like Proofpoint
Feature Deep Dive
Outreach and Automation Capabilities
Closely
Strengths
- LinkedIn automation sequences with safe limits and human-like behavior
- Multichannel campaigns combining LinkedIn and email steps
- AI-powered personalization for DMs, InMails, and emails
- Sales AI Agents for lead research, qualification, scoring, and web research
- Data enrichment with verified emails and phone numbers
Workflow
Build prospect list → Create multichannel sequence → AI personalize → Automate outreach → Track in unified inbox
Hootsuite
Strengths
- Unlimited post scheduling across platforms
- Bulk scheduling up to 350 posts
- Best-time-to-post recommendations
- DM automations and auto-responses
- Social content calendar with multi-network support
Workflow
Plan content → Use AI for ideas/captions → Bulk schedule → Monitor engagement → Automate replies
Closely is superior for sales-focused LinkedIn and email automation with personalization and enrichment, ideal for outbound prospecting. Hootsuite excels in social content scheduling and basic automations across platforms but lacks outreach depth. Choose Closely for B2B sales, Hootsuite for broad social publishing.
AI and Personalization Tools
Closely
Strengths
- AI for personalization in DMs, InMails, emails
- Sales AI Agents for lead qualification and research
- Credits-based system for AI personalizations (up to 2,500/month in Essential)
- Integrated into sequences for scalable outreach
Limitations
- Focused on sales personalization, not content creation
Hootsuite
Strengths
- OwlyGPT AI assistant for real-time trends and insights
- AI content/ideas generator, caption enhancements, hashtag suggestions
- Image generator and Canva templates integration
- Embedded in publishing and analytics workflows
Limitations
- AI more geared toward content than sales leads
Closely's AI is tailored for sales personalization and lead handling, making it better for outbound campaigns. Hootsuite's OwlyGPT shines in social content creation and optimization. For sales AI, Closely wins; for creative social AI, Hootsuite.
Engagement and Inbox Management
Closely
Strengths
- Unified inbox for LinkedIn DMs, InMails, and email replies
- Team management for handling responses
- Integrated with CRM for attribution
Workflow
Receive replies → Manage in unified view → Qualify leads with AI → Sync to CRM
Hootsuite
Strengths
- Unified inbox for comments and DMs across platforms
- Routing, assignments, saved replies, auto-responses
- Inbox reporting and analytics
- Team approval workflows
Limitations
- Social-focused, no email integration
Hootsuite offers more robust social engagement tools with advanced routing for customer care teams. Closely's inbox is streamlined for sales replies across LinkedIn/email. Hootsuite for multi-platform engagement, Closely for sales-specific.
Analytics and Reporting
Closely
Strengths
- Advanced outreach analytics across campaigns, sequences, teams
- CRM attribution for pipeline impact
- Lead scoring and qualification insights
Limitations
- Focused on outreach, not social trends
Hootsuite
Strengths
- Customizable reports, templates, scheduled exports
- Competitor benchmarking
- Social listening for mentions, sentiment
- AI-powered insights via OwlyGPT
Limitations
- Less focus on sales attribution
Hootsuite provides deeper social analytics with listening and benchmarking for marketing teams. Closely's analytics emphasize outreach ROI and CRM sync for sales. Choose Hootsuite for social performance, Closely for sales metrics.
Use Case Comparison
Outbound Sales Team
Closely 🏆
Excellent
Multichannel LinkedIn/email automation, AI personalization, and CRM integrations perfect for structured prospecting.
Best Plan: Growth Annual ($87/month)
Score: 10/10
Hootsuite
Poor
Lacks email outreach and sales-specific automation; better for social engagement.
Best Plan: Not suitable
Score: 3/10
Social Media Manager (Multi-Platform)
Closely
Poor
Limited to LinkedIn/email; no broad social scheduling.
Best Plan: Not suitable
Score: 2/10
Hootsuite 🏆
Excellent
Comprehensive publishing, scheduling, and inbox for multiple networks.
Best Plan: Advanced
Score: 10/10
Marketing Agency
Closely
Good
White-label and custom plans for client outreach services.
Best Plan: White-label Unlimited ($999/month)
Score: 7/10
Hootsuite 🏆
Excellent
Team workflows, unlimited accounts, add-ons for client management.
Best Plan: Enterprise (Custom)
Score: 9/10
Small Business Founder Scaling Outbound
Closely 🏆
Excellent
Affordable starter for LinkedIn/email campaigns without SDR team.
Best Plan: Starter Annual ($29/month)
Score: 9/10
Hootsuite
Fair
Good for social but overkill for solo outbound.
Best Plan: Standard
Score: 5/10
Customer Care Team
Closely
Fair
Unified inbox for replies but sales-focused.
Best Plan: Growth Annual ($87/month)
Score: 5/10
Hootsuite 🏆
Excellent
Advanced inbox with routing, assignments for social support.
Best Plan: Advanced
Score: 10/10
B2B Sales Leader Needing Analytics
Closely 🏆
Excellent
Outreach analytics and CRM sync for attribution.
Best Plan: Essential Annual ($145/month)
Score: 10/10
Hootsuite
Good
Social analytics but no sales outreach focus.
Best Plan: Advanced
Score: 6/10
Enterprise Marketing Team
Closely
Fair
Good for LinkedIn campaigns but limited platforms.
Best Plan: Custom
Score: 4/10
Hootsuite 🏆
Excellent
Enterprise workflows, SSO, add-ons for scale.
Best Plan: Enterprise (Custom)
Score: 10/10
Lead Generation Agency
Closely 🏆
Excellent
White-label, multichannel for client services.
Best Plan: White-label Unlimited ($999/month)
Score: 9/10
Hootsuite
Good
Social listening for leads but no automation.
Best Plan: Enterprise
Score: 7/10
Solo Marketer Focused on LinkedIn
Closely 🏆
Excellent
Safe automation and personalization for individual use.
Best Plan: Starter Annual ($29/month)
Score: 9/10
Hootsuite
Fair
Works but per-user cost high for solo.
Best Plan: Standard
Score: 5/10
Team in Regulated Industry (e.g., Finance)
Closely
Good
Safe LinkedIn limits but no compliance add-ons.
Best Plan: Custom
Score: 6/10
Hootsuite 🏆
Excellent
Compliance integrations like Proofpoint.
Best Plan: Enterprise
Score: 10/10
Content Scheduler for Social Posts
Closely
Poor
No native post scheduling; outreach focus.
Best Plan: Not suitable
Score: 1/10
Hootsuite 🏆
Excellent
Bulk scheduling, calendar, AI content tools.
Best Plan: Standard
Score: 10/10
Founder Enabling Sales Without SDR Team
Closely 🏆
Excellent
Scalable automation and enrichment for bootstrapped growth.
Best Plan: Growth Annual ($87/month)
Score: 10/10
Hootsuite
Fair
Social selling add-on but limited outreach.
Best Plan: Advanced
Score: 4/10
Pros and Cons
Closely
Pros
- Comprehensive feature set combining LinkedIn automation, email, AI, and enrichment
- Strong focus on safe LinkedIn automation with human-like behavior and limits
- Deep integrations with major CRMs like HubSpot, Salesforce, and Pipedrive
- Unified inbox simplifies managing LinkedIn and email replies in one place
- Flexible pricing tiers with attractive annual discounts
- White-label platform for agencies with custom domain and branding
- Sales AI agents for efficient lead handling
Cons
- Feature-rich interface may feel complex for users needing only basic LinkedIn support
- Best value is realized by teams running structured outbound programs, not casual users
- Pricing may be high for solo users compared to lightweight LinkedIn tools
- White-label and advanced features can require onboarding time to configure properly
- No native focus on content creation or post scheduling compared to dedicated social tools
- Limited to LinkedIn/email; no multi-social support
Hootsuite
Pros
- Extremely comprehensive feature set covering publishing, engagement, analytics, and listening
- Powerful AI assistant (OwlyGPT) and AI content tools tailored to social media
- Unified inbox and collaboration features streamline multi‑channel engagement
- Robust analytics with competitor benchmarking and customizable reports
- Scalable plans and add‑ons suitable for complex enterprise environments
- Broad platform support including emerging networks
- Employee advocacy via Hootsuite Amplify
Cons
- Interface and breadth of features can feel overwhelming for new or small teams
- Per‑user pricing, especially on Advanced and Enterprise, may be expensive for limited needs
- Some advanced capabilities and add‑ons are only available at higher tiers or as paid extras
- Not the fastest or simplest option if you mainly need AI content generation and basic scheduling
- Learning curve for fully leveraging analytics, listening, and governance features
- No email outreach or deep sales automation
Final Verdict
Closely and Hootsuite target different aspects of digital strategy. Closely is a specialized tool for AI-driven LinkedIn and email sales automation with CRM focus, ideal for outbound teams. Hootsuite is a full-suite social media platform for publishing, engagement, and analytics across networks, suited for marketing and enterprise use.
Choose Closely if your priority is B2B sales outreach via LinkedIn and email. Opt for Hootsuite for comprehensive social media management across platforms. For hybrid needs, integrate both: Closely for leads, Hootsuite for engagement.
Overall Scores
Closely
Value: 8/10
Hootsuite
Value: 7/10
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