Brandwave

Hootsuite vs Sprout Social:Which is more popular?

In October 2026, Hootsuite had more branded searches than Sprout Social among social media analytics platforms worldwide. Hootsuite had about 114,000 branded searches, while Sprout Social had 92,300. Hootsuite made up 14% of all social media analytics platform searches we track, and Sprout Social accounted for 11.3%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about social media analytics platforms, Sprout Social appeared in all five answers and Hootsuite in four. Sprout Social was mentioned before Hootsuite in four out of five answers.

Among social media analytics platforms worldwide in October 2026

Who do people search for more?

Hootsuite, about 24% more searches than Sprout Social

Hootsuite 114K searchesSprout Social 92.3K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Sprout Social, mentioned in every answer we collected

Sprout Social in 5 of 5Hootsuite in 4 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Sprout Social, named ahead of Hootsuite in 4 of 5 answers

Sprout Social first in 4Hootsuite first in 1

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Top social media analytics platforms in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Sprout Social appeared in all five answers. Hootsuite was mentioned in four out of five: in all three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Sprout Social was listed before Hootsuite in four out of five answers.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Sprout Social1st
  2. Metricool2nd
  3. Agorapulse3rd
  4. Hootsuite4th
  5. Rival IQ5th
  6. Buffer6th
  7. Iconosquare7th
  8. SocialPilot–

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • Metricool5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Sprout Social5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Agorapulse5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Hootsuite4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Rival IQ3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Buffer2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Iconosquare1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • SocialPilot0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about social media analytics platforms

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 21, 2026.

Is Hootsuite or Sprout Social more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Hootsuite and Sprout Social by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all eight social media analytics platforms we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.

Hootsuite and Sprout Social among social media analytics platforms worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for Hootsuite, Sprout Social. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthMetricoolHootsuiteSprout SocialBufferAgorapulseSocialPilotIconosquareRival IQ
Nov 202542.9%29.4%15.9%3.1%3.2%2.6%1.7%1.2%
Dec 202546.9%26.4%14.3%3.8%3.5%2.8%1.6%0.84%
Jan 202639.8%33.1%14.8%4.8%2.9%2.4%1.3%0.87%
Feb 202642.9%29.5%13.1%7.2%2.6%2.6%1.4%0.77%
Mar 202646.1%25.9%14%6.8%2.8%2.3%1.3%0.83%
Apr 202648.9%22.7%12.2%9.4%2.4%2.4%1.1%0.88%
May 202651.1%20.4%12.8%9.4%2.5%2.1%1.1%0.61%
Jun 202650.7%21.5%12.7%9%2.5%2%0.92%0.61%
Jul 202648.5%14.9%12.1%18.4%2.4%1.9%0.9%0.71%
Aug 202651.8%15.9%12.9%14.2%2.1%1.7%0.76%0.62%
Sep 202651%12.7%10.5%21.3%2%1.4%0.61%0.5%
Oct 202667.5%14%11.3%2.8%1.8%1.2%0.81%0.54%

How has branded search for Hootsuite and Sprout Social changed worldwide over the last 12 months?

3 findings

How did search popularity change for social media analytics platforms worldwide in October 2026?

2 changes

  1. In October 2026, Hootsuite overtook Buffer to rank 2nd among social media analytics platforms worldwide, with 14% of the searches.

  2. In October 2026, Sprout Social overtook Buffer to rank 3rd among social media analytics platforms worldwide, with 11.3% of the searches.

How are Hootsuite’s and Sprout Social’s branded searches counted?

33 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Hootsuite’s and Sprout Social’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.

Hootsuite

20 branded search terms

  • hootsuite
  • hootsuite ads
  • hootsuite analytics
  • hootsuite app
  • hootsuite application
  • hootsuite enterprise
  • hootsuite for nonprofits
  • hootsuite insights
  • hootsuite media
  • hootsuite reports
  • hootsuite sentiment analysis
  • hootsuite social
  • hootsuite social listening
  • hootsuite social marketing
  • hootsuite social media
  • hootsuite social media listening
  • hootsuite social media marketing
  • hootsuite social media monitoring
  • hootsuite social monitoring
  • social listening on hootsuite

Sprout Social

13 branded search terms

  • social listening sprout social
  • social media sprout social
  • sprout social
  • sprout social analytics
  • sprout social app
  • sprout social influencers
  • sprout social listening
  • sprout social management
  • sprout social media
  • sprout social platform
  • sprout social reporting
  • sprout social social media
  • sprout social tiktok

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among social media analytics platforms

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