Hootsuite or Updrift for Bluesky?
Hootsuite is the enterprise tool: many networks, many seats, approval chains and listening. Updrift is a small tool for one network. The honest question is whether you need a big desk or a sharp one.
When Hootsuite is right
If you run social for an organisation with several people, several brands and someone who signs things off, Hootsuite is built for you. It has been scheduling for well over a decade, it covers more networks than most, its listening tools watch mentions and trends across all of them, and its approval workflows suit a team where a post passes through three hands before it goes out. Bluesky is on every paid plan, so a team already inside Hootsuite does not need a second tool just to post there.
Where Bluesky is an afterthought
Hootsuite treats Bluesky as one more channel, which is fair for a tool that covers so many. Its own help pages say a Bluesky thread is made by scheduling separate posts at staggered times rather than as one thread. Its best time suggestions are general rather than measured from your Bluesky posts. Nothing on its site mentions content labels, hashtag performance on Bluesky, where each new follower came from, or a Bluesky inbox of replies and DMs. If Bluesky is your main network, those gaps are the ones you feel every day. If it is your fifth network, you will not notice them.
The other difference is price. Hootsuite's plans are priced per user and its FAQ puts the Standard plan at $99 a month. That is right for a business with a budget line for it, and a lot for one person with two Bluesky accounts.
Side by side
| Feature | Hootsuite | Updrift |
|---|---|---|
| Networks | Many | Bluesky only |
| Scheduling and a queue | Yes, on every paid plan | Yes, into hours measured from your own posts |
| Threads | Separate posts at staggered times | Yes, split with the tag line on the first post |
| Images and video | Up to four images, or one GIF, or one video per post | Yes |
| Content labels per post and per account | Not found on its site | Yes |
| Best hours from your own Bluesky figures | General recommendations | Measured per account, on its own clock |
| Hashtag performance against your usual | Not found on its site | Yes, on every plan |
| Where new followers came from | Follower growth as a count | Yes, with retention at 14 and 30 days |
| Bluesky replies, mentions, quotes and DMs in an inbox | Mentions through listening; a Bluesky inbox not found on its site | Yes, oldest unanswered first |
| Best posts reposted on their own | Not found on its site | Yes, spaced out |
| Posts that delete themselves | Not found on its site | Yes |
| Team approvals | Yes, on its team plans | Studio |
| Free plan | None found; a 14 day trial | One account's full figures, for good |
| Price for two accounts with scheduling | Standard from $99 a month, per user | £7 a month, Duo |
Hootsuite's features and prices as read on its own site and help pages on 30 September 2026. They change; if something here is out of date, write to hello at updrift.social and it will be fixed.
Who should pick which
- Pick Hootsuite if you are a team with a budget, several networks and a sign-off chain, and Bluesky is one channel among many.
- Pick Updrift if Bluesky is where your audience is and you want its own figures: best hours measured from your posts, hashtags against your usual, every label right and every reply answered, at a price for one person or a small agency.
- Use both if Hootsuite is where the team already works: connect the Bluesky account to Updrift's Free plan and read its figures there.
Every paid Updrift plan is 7 days free; the figures are free for one account without a card.
Questions
Does Hootsuite post to Bluesky?
Yes. Its site says every paid plan includes Bluesky publishing and listening, with images, a GIF or a video per post. Threads are made by scheduling posts one after another rather than as one thread.
Is there a free Hootsuite plan?
Not on its pricing page at the checked date. It offers a 14 day trial, and its Standard plan is priced per user. Updrift's Free plan measures one account for good.
Can I use both?
Yes. Some teams keep Hootsuite for every network and connect their Bluesky account to Updrift for its figures, Inbox and best hours. Updrift's Free plan measures an account whatever posts to it.
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