I have been using several Twitter clients for the past two years, none that I really was comfortable with until a few months ago when I discovered what I still believe to be the best Twitter client.

As I’m writing this I’m still using HootSuite, but I’m not sure if I will be using it for much longer.

Why switch?

Last week HootSuite introduced new premium packages, which means that we’ll have to pay for using all the features. On the other hand, they’ll still have a free account (called Freemium).

At the moment it seems that I can still use the free version of HootSuite, and it won’t effect my twitter experience much (since I currently don’t use multiple accounts and I don’t add RSS feeds etc.). The problem with the free account is that I can only use it for 5 social networks, I’ll see advertisements (via the HootSuite community, not sure how this works), and I can’t add any team members (although I don’t see myself adding any members to my one man team anytime soon.

What’s bothering me is that I’m not ready to pay a monthly fee for a Twitter client, at least not yet.

The alternatives to HootSuite

I know a few alternatives to HootSuite. That’s Twitter clients with most (or all) of the features that HootSuite offers. I read a review of Buzzom at ShoutMeLoud, and it seems to be a very interesting alternative (but not free?).

Another alternative might be SocialOomph. I read a review at reconnect with simmons, and it seems to be another interesting Twitter client.

There are at least three other alternatives to HootSuite that I might try, that’s Seesmic, CoTweet, and Brizzly.

What happens now?

I’m very satisfied with HootSuite, and I won’t switch just yet. I’ll test a few alternatives, just in case.

Who knows, I might end up with TweetDeck, the twitter client I was using prior to HootSuite.

Twitter is awesome, but I need an awesome Twitter client as well. I just don’t use the Twitter website.

I have tried many clients, some of them have been a good experience, some of them quite the opposite.

I don’t need many options. Well, it might seem like a lot. What I need is an overview of my timeline, replies, direct messages, my lists, and my searches. And I want an easy way to communicate using Twitter. And of course, the interface is important.

I’m using Mac, so it’s got to be available for Mac, either as a desktop client or web via Safari or Firefox.

The clients worth mentioning, the good ones, are:

- TweetDeck (Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone)
- Tweetie (Mac)
- Twitterrific (Mac, iPhone)
- Echofon (Firefox, Mac, iPhone)
- twhirl (Windows, Mac)
- Hootsuite (web, iPhone)

Now, when it comes to the client that I’m currently using and the one that has impressed me the most, it’s HootSuite.

HootSuite is free, and it’s the most professional Twitter client I have used. It’s packed with features and the interface is awesome.

A few of the features really got me hooked:

- Use it for Facebook, LinkedIn, Ping.fm as well as Twitter
- Scheduled tweets
- Twitter lists
- Multiple twitter accounts and team workflow
- Track link statistics

I have only used HootSuite for Twitter, but it’s very interesting that I can use it for other social networks. I think I’ll be testing it for Facebook sometime soon.

I schedule tweets almost daily, that’s because I don’t want to send many tweets at the same time. I think that just clutters my timeline.

I have created a few Twitter lists, and I’m following a few as well. It’s important to me that they’re available. I’m currently using only one Twitter account, but in the future, I might add a few more. Or I might add the one(s) we use at work.

I have been using su.pr to track the links I’ve pubished in my tweets, but using HootSuite makes it even more easier to get fairly detailed statistics on the clicks. That’s impressive.

I think I’ll stay with HootSuite for a long time.

Which Twitter client are you currently using?