Twitter DeskTops’ Head on Clash: TweetDeck vs. Seesmic
Seesmic is seriously challenging the #1 twitter desktop client Tweetdeck, starting April 7, 6pm. I got the opportunity to have a sneak peak.
Both Tweetdeck and Seesmic are robust Twitter applications built to run on Mac, Windows (and/or Linux) using Adobe AIR. It consists of a series of canvases that constantly update to keep tweets up-to-date using notifications that appear when new tweets arrive. I have been running two desktops for over an hour for similar “tweetloads”, here are the results/findings:
Head to head features:
1. Overall functionalities, Customizable canvases, speed/responsiveness
TweetDeck UI
Seesmic UI
2. Configuration: Both apps can be easily configured to your preference.
TweetDeck setup popup
Seesmic configuration
Features that are matter of personal preferences
3. Default Color: Tweetdeck is the metallic black vs. Seesmic’s Mac Color/Style
4. Setup Panel Location: Top panel (tweetdeck) vs. Left panel (seesmic, more traditional)
TweetDeck top panel
Seesmic left panel
5. Search button: tweetdeck’s search button/icon on top vs. Seesmic’s search box at bottom, which it’s easier to search (1 click to results)
Tweetdeck wins:
6. “Tweet” alerting system: Tweetdeck groups the alerts from multiple tweets streams into one nice looking black box on the upper right corner of the screen – this is particularly useful if you have many columns open and want to monitor the trend of certain keyword tweets. Seesmic’s alerts are displayed separately and not as easy to read.
7. Tweetscoop pre-installed: Tweetscoop is a decent tool to spot the hottest “tweets” on twitter universe. Tweetdeck comes with it.
8. Language support: Tweetdeck supports two dozen major languages while seesmic only supports English at the moment
9. Overall UI/Color: Tweetdeck wins
10. Systems supported: Tweetsdeck supports: Mac/Window/Linux; seesmic only supports Mac/Windows
11. TweetDeck is pre-installed with twitstock/12 seconds/Facebook; Seesmic does not have any pre-installation
Seesmic wins:
12. Integrated twitpic, it’s extremely easy to share pictures on Seesmic.
13. Search list – Seesmic shows all the Keywords you are “streaming”, it can be convenient.
14. Multi-user management: It’s very easy to add multiple twitter usernames, however tweets from multiple usernames sometime can be confusing.
15. # of Columns: Seesmic supports more than 10, While Tweetdeck only has 10
16. Search box: 1 click to search in Seesmic vs. 2 clicks in Tweetdeck
17. Userlist: Seesmic lets you group your contact into “friends”, “family” etc, very easy to use although the name “userlist” can be confusing (I thought it was username for a moment)
Overall, Seesmic poses serious challenge to tweetDeck, although tweetdeck has the first mover advantage. Which do you prefer?
