IFTTT vs Hootsuite: Difference and Comparison

With the rapid advancement of technology and automation of gadgets and tasks like never before. There are now various tools in the market to help the average person automate their tasks, manage their social media, and even control their home/office devices in a customized manner with the click of a few buttons or touches on their smartphones.

Key Takeaways

1. IFTTT (If This Then That) is an automation tool allowing users to create simple conditional statement chains. At the same time, Hootsuite is a social media management platform that helps users schedule, publish, and monitor content across multiple social media channels.
2. IFTTT has a wider range of applications and can automate various tasks, including home automation, email management, and task management, while Hootsuite is more focused on social media management.
3. While IFTTT and Hootsuite have unique features and use cases, IFTTT is better suited for personal use. At the same time, Hootsuite is more appropriate for businesses or individuals managing multiple social media accounts.

IFTTT vs Hootsuite

IFTTT (If This Then That) is an automation tool that enables users to create “recipes” or “applets”. Hootsuite is a social media management platform allowing users to schedule, publish, and manage content across multiple social media accounts from a single dashboard.

IFTT(If This, Then That) is a web-based application that allows the user to connect to all different applications and devices and then create a “trigger” (This), which in turn allows for an “action”(That). It is compatible with most internet services, from social media, lifestyle applications, educational applications, and many more.

Hootsuite, on the other hand, is focused on social media and social media management, from posts to responses on the same.

Comparison Table

Parameters of Comparison	IFTTT	Hootsuite
What it offers	Let the user create applets/recipes with which they can automate tasks. It works as a bridge between two apps, such as saving receipts to Evernote or being notified via text about changing weather conditions.	The official website of Hootsuite states that they allow their users to create and publish, engage, monitor, advertise, and analyze all their social media platforms.
Benefits	For the everyday user, it’s a huge library of applets, both customized and predetermined makes the tasks more engaging and futuristic. The sheer volume of apps, voice services, and even Bots is a blessing for businesses.	The user can keep track of their or their brand’s performance and get notified about the number of clicks, top referrals, and most popular links. It provides plans for professionals(freelancers), teams, and businesses.
Price	It is free. However, a Pro version is newly launched, which comes at an affordable price range.	Hootsuite does have a free plan, but it’s very limiting, with only 3 social channels and 30 scheduled posts, and can only have 1 user. But there are different tiers of plans to choose from depending on the need.
Customers	Small businesses and freelancers.	It provides plans for professionals(freelancers), teams, and businesses.
Performance	It may take some time between applets, and it may be difficult for some to create new recipes if they are not well-versed in the interface.	The connection between Hootsuite and social media platforms may drop at times, which causes the app to lag. The interface is not the best; it is neither user-friendly nor most modern. Sometimes the predetermined posts may seem unformatted or the pictures less perfect.

What is IFTTT?

This web-based service seems right out of a sci-fi novel. When it entered the physical world via integrating Belkin Wemo devices with the Internet of Things, with its vast array of application integration, customizable and in-built applets, and many other similar features, it was the perfect cloud service for the 21st century.

It even allows a person to run or create a simple program with its API without writing any computer code.

A few of the most popular applets include making simultaneous posts on social media, using Alexa to control lights or other electrical appliances around the house, automatically making a spreadsheet of the contacts on your phone on Google, syn any health app from Fitbit or Nike to the iOS health app.

With the simplicity of usage comes a few disadvantages; there is no multi-step support, that is to say, one trigger will allow only one response.

However, with IFTTT Pro launched this year, they want to change that and reduce the response time. Also, the inbuilt applets may sometimes malfunction though there are alternatives to most.

What is Hootsuite?

This application acts both as a social media analyzer and a posting Bot. The publish feature allows the user to see beforehand how the post will look once it goes up on different social media platforms.

It enables users to create traffic-rich content via real-time audience insights and customer feedback. It also helps users interact with their consumer base by timing their interactions and responses.

The user can analyze their performance and improve based on their goal. Hootsuite also provides graphs and charts of performance and consumer base and summarizes the result for the user.

The different tiers provide various categories of services; for example, the business plan helps the user assign user roles, view team statics, and audit trail, which are not available for the Team tier.

The major con seems to be the pricing of the different tiers. Few of its services are even better on other free platforms, which seems to be a major drawback.

Main Differences Between IFTTT and Hootsuite

1. The main difference between the two is their area of service. While Hootsuite is exclusive to just the social media platforms, IFTTT is broader and offers much more in terms of services.
2. IFTTT has a lot of third-party app integration compared to Hootsuite.
3. Hootsuite is available on Android, iPhone/iPad, Windows Mobile, and Web-based versions, whereas IFTTT offers all this and more, including MAC, windows, and Linux.
4. The consumer base supported by Hootsuite is larger than IFTTT; it can serve large enterprises and medium businesses, whereas, for the latter, it is best suited for micro-businesses and freelancers.
5. The consumer base supported by Hootsuite is larger than IFTTT; it can serve large enterprises and medium businesses, whereas, for the latter, it is best suited for micro-businesses and freelancers.

References

1. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-64452-9_27
2. http://knowledgequest.aasl.org/diy-technology-professional-development/