Hootsuite vs Metricool vs Abency: Which Is Best for Your Agency in 2026?
Choosing the right tool to run your clients' social media can be the difference between an agency that scales efficiently and one that drowns in browser tabs. Hootsuite, Metricool and Abency are three of the most relevant options on the market in 2026, but each is aimed at a different profile. This comparison walks through what each platform offers, what it costs and, above all, which one fits the daily reality of an agency running multiple brands.
The current landscape: why agencies need more than a post scheduler
Marketing agencies have moved on. Scheduling posts and replying to comments is no longer enough. Clients expect performance reports, SEO tracking, oversight of Google Ads campaigns and smooth project management. That has left many agencies using five or six different tools, with all the cost and operational friction that implies.
Hootsuite, the veteran of the sector, has led content scheduling for years. Metricool has carved out an important place in the Spanish-speaking market thanks to its approachable analytics. And Abency arrives with a different proposition: bringing social media, SEO, Google Ads and project management together in one platform built specifically for agencies.
Hootsuite: the classic that still holds up
Hootsuite is probably the best-known social media management tool in the world. It schedules posts to the main networks, monitors brand mentions and generates basic performance reports. Its interface is solid, though some users find it heavy after years of added features.
For agencies, Hootsuite offers plans with multiple users and the ability to manage several accounts. Its price, however, has risen considerably in recent years, and features such as advanced analytics or social listening require paid add-ons. It also includes no SEO or Google Ads management, which means paying for additional tools.
Metricool: approachable analytics with a Spanish-speaking focus
Metricool has grown a great deal in the Spanish-speaking market thanks to a clean interface, competitive pricing and very intuitive visual analytics. It schedules content, analyses social metrics and manages basic advertising campaigns.
Its main strength is simplicity. For freelancers or small agencies running a handful of brands, Metricool works well. As an agency grows and needs to manage dozens of brands, though, the platform shows its limits in multi-account organisation. It also has no SEO features such as keyword tracking or keyword research, and no project and task management for teams.
Abency: the all-in-one platform built for agencies
Abency starts from a clear premise: marketing agencies do not only manage social media. They need SEO, Google Ads, project management and unified analytics, all in the same place. So it combines content scheduling for Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok and YouTube with keyword tracking and keyword research powered by DataForSEO, multi-account Google Ads dashboards, Kanban boards for project management, and unified analytics with GA4 and Search Console.
That all-in-one approach removes the need to pay separate subscriptions for SEO, project management and ad performance analysis. For agencies running multiple brands, having the data in one place makes decisions and client reporting easier.
Head to head: the features that matter
| Feature | Hootsuite | Metricool | Abency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Social media scheduling | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Networks supported | 10 | 8 | 6 |
| SEO keyword tracking | No | No | Yes |
| Keyword research | No | No | Yes |
| Google Ads dashboard | No | Limited | Yes (multi-account) |
| Project management | No | No | Yes (Kanban, Calendar, List) |
| GA4 + Search Console integration | Partial | Partial | Yes |
| Multi-brand management | Yes (high cost) | Yes (limited) | Yes (built for it) |
| Holded integration | No | No | Yes |
Pricing: what do you get for your investment?
Hootsuite has kept raising prices, and its team plan starts at figures that can be prohibitive for small agencies. Metricool stays more affordable, though its advanced features are reserved for premium plans. Abency offers competitive value by including SEO, Google Ads and project management in every plan — things that on the other two platforms would mean paying for extra services.
The real cost is not the price of the tool alone, but how many additional subscriptions you need to cover everything your agency requires. Add an SEO tool, a project management tool and a Google Ads reporting tool, and the total can far exceed that of an integrated platform.
Which one should you choose for your agency?
If your agency works exclusively on social media management and already has a settled tool stack, Hootsuite is still a solid, if expensive, option. If you are a freelancer or a small agency with a few brands and you want simplicity at a good price, Metricool does the job. But if your agency runs multiple brands and offers full digital marketing services covering social, SEO and Google Ads, Abency is the option that lets you consolidate everything into one platform without giving up capability.
Conclusion
The best tool is the one that fits how you work. For agencies that want to stop hopping between tools, bring their data together and scale without multiplying costs, an all-in-one platform like Abency is a change of approach. Try all three, compare the experience against your real workflow, and decide on the evidence rather than on habit.
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