Brandwave

Hootsuite vs Rival IQ:Which is more popular?

In October 2026, Hootsuite had more branded searches than Rival IQ among social media analytics platforms worldwide. Hootsuite had about 114,000 branded searches, while Rival IQ had 4,400. Hootsuite made up 14% of all social media analytics platform searches we track, and Rival IQ accounted for 0.54%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about social media analytics platforms, Hootsuite appeared in four of the five answers and Rival IQ in three. Hootsuite was mentioned before Rival IQ in four out of five answers.

Among social media analytics platforms worldwide in October 2026

Who do people search for more?

Hootsuite, about 26 searches for every 1 for Rival IQ

Hootsuite 114K searchesRival IQ 4.4K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Hootsuite, mentioned in 4 of 5 answers, Rival IQ in 3

Hootsuite in 4 of 5Rival IQ in 3 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Hootsuite, named ahead of Rival IQ in 4 of 5 answers

Hootsuite first in 4Rival IQ 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, Hootsuite was mentioned in four out of five: in all three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Rival IQ was mentioned in three out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Hootsuite was listed before Rival IQ 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 Rival IQ more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Hootsuite and Rival IQ 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 Rival IQ among social media analytics platforms worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for Hootsuite, Rival IQ. 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 Rival IQ 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. Estimated monthly branded searches for Rival IQ worldwide fell 45.7% over 12 measured months, from 8.1K to 4.4K in October 2026.

How are Hootsuite’s and Rival IQ’s branded searches counted?

21 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Hootsuite’s and Rival IQ’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

Rival IQ

1 branded search term

  • rival iq

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among social media analytics platforms

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