Hootsuite is cheaper than Sprout Social at most levels: $99 per user a month for 10 social accounts, against $199 per seat for Sprout's Standard plan with 5, both billed yearly. Sprout's Essentials plan ($79) is the cheapest way in, but it has no inbox. Choose Sprout for reporting and customer care, Hootsuite for more accounts and built-in listening.
Both are full suites priced per person. Here's how their plans line up, what a real team pays, and what to use if you mostly just schedule posts. Prices were checked on both pricing pages on 10 November 2026.
Hootsuite vs Sprout Social at a glance
| Hootsuite | Sprout Social | |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest plan | $99 per user a month (Standard) | $79 per seat a month (Essentials) |
| Pricing model | Per user | Per seat |
| Social accounts on the cheapest plan | 10 | 5 |
| Unlimited accounts from | Professional, $199 | Professional, $299 |
| Shared inbox | Every plan | Standard ($199) and up |
| Social listening | Quick Search on every plan | Paid add-on, Standard and up |
| Post approvals | Advanced ($399) and up | Professional ($299) and up |
| Competitor reports | 5 competitors on Standard, 20 above | Professional and up |
| API | Yes, after applying for developer access | Advanced ($399) and up |
| AI assistant | Wisdom, 100 credits a month on every plan | Trellis, 100 credits per seat a month on every plan |
| Free trial | 14 days | 30 days, no card needed |
Sources: Hootsuite plans and Sprout Social pricing. Prices are in US dollars, per person per month, billed yearly.
Hootsuite vs Sprout Social pricing, plan by plan
| Level | Hootsuite | Sprout Social |
|---|---|---|
| Entry | No equivalent | Essentials: $79 ($99 billed monthly), 5 profiles, no inbox |
| Core | Standard: $99, 10 accounts | Standard: $199 ($249 billed monthly), 5 profiles |
| Mid | Professional: $199, unlimited accounts | Professional: $299 ($399 billed monthly), unlimited profiles |
| Top | Advanced: $399, unlimited accounts | Advanced: $399 ($499 billed monthly), unlimited profiles |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom |
Sprout publishes its month-to-month prices; Hootsuite only says monthly billing costs more per user than yearly. Hootsuite also runs seasonal offers: in November 2026, Standard was half price ($49.50 a month) for one seat in the first year of an annual plan, with extra seats at the full price. Look for one before you buy.
What a team really pays
Both charge for every person who logs in. Here's the monthly cost, billed yearly:
| Team | Hootsuite Standard | Hootsuite Professional | Sprout Standard | Sprout Professional |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $99 | $199 | $199 | $299 |
| 3 people | $297 | $597 | $597 | $897 |
| 5 people | $495 | $995 | $995 | $1,495 |
Watch the account limits. Sprout's Standard plan covers 5 social profiles. A brand on X, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube has six, which pushes you to Professional at $299 a seat. Hootsuite's Standard covers 10.
Where Sprout Social is better
- Reporting. Sprout's reports are its strongest feature: presentation-ready, with tag, paid and competitor reports on Professional, and a Premium Analytics add-on.
- Customer care. Its Smart Inbox, case management, chatbots and care reports suit teams that answer a lot of messages.
- Approvals earlier. Message approvals arrive on Professional ($299), a tier below Hootsuite's.
- A longer trial. 30 days without a card, against Hootsuite's 14.
- A cheap solo plan. Essentials at $79 suits one person who publishes and reports but doesn't run an inbox.
Where Hootsuite is better
- Price. Standard at $99 includes the inbox; Sprout's inbox starts at $199.
- Accounts per seat. 10 accounts on Standard and unlimited from $199, against Sprout's 5 until $299.
- Listening included. Quick Search with 7 days of history on every plan, 30 days from Professional, and trend forecasting. Sprout sells Listening separately.
- Competitor benchmarking from the start. Five competitors on Standard.
- Ads. Ad campaign management and post boosting on every plan.
Networks and AI
Both cover the main networks: X, LinkedIn (profiles and pages), Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, Threads, Pinterest and Bluesky. Neither posts to Mastodon natively. Both include an AI assistant that drafts posts and summarises reports, with extra credits for heavy use. Both offer MCP servers for AI assistants: Hootsuite's work with ChatGPT, Claude and others, while Sprout documents its MCP connection for ChatGPT.
Hootsuite or Sprout Social: which should you pick?
| If you... | Pick |
|---|---|
| Want a full suite at the lowest per-person price | Hootsuite |
| Manage 6 to 10 accounts with a small team | Hootsuite Standard |
| Need polished client or executive reports | Sprout Social |
| Run social customer care at volume | Sprout Social |
| Want listening without an add-on | Hootsuite |
| Work alone and mainly publish and report | Sprout Essentials |
If you're priced out of both
Most teams comparing Hootsuite and Sprout really need scheduling, a calendar and some analytics, not a care inbox or listening. If that's you, per-seat pricing is the wrong model: three people on either suite costs about $300 to $900 a month.
| Tool | Price for a team | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Buffer | $10 per channel a month on Team, unlimited users | A few accounts, simple scheduling. See Buffer pricing |
| Metricool | $25 a month for up to 5 brands ($20 billed yearly) | Scheduling plus analytics. See Metricool pricing |
| Postbase | $39 a month for 15 channels and 5 people | Flat pricing, an AI agent, an API and MCP server on every plan |
Postbase is $29 a month for 5 channels (one person), $39 for 15 channels and 5 people, $59 for 50 channels and $99 for agencies. It posts to X, LinkedIn profiles, Bluesky, Mastodon, TikTok and YouTube, with a built-in AI agent and a REST API and MCP server on every plan. It doesn't have an inbox or listening, and doesn't post to Instagram, Facebook, Threads, Pinterest or LinkedIn company pages yet, so if you need those, Hootsuite or Sprout is the better fit. Our comparisons with Hootsuite and Sprout Social, and the roundup of Hootsuite alternatives, go further.
Frequently asked questions
Is Hootsuite cheaper than Sprout Social?
At most levels, yes. Hootsuite Standard is $99 per user a month with 10 accounts and an inbox; Sprout's Standard is $199 per seat with 5 profiles. Sprout's Essentials plan, at $79, is cheaper than anything Hootsuite sells but has no inbox.
Which is better, Hootsuite or Sprout Social?
Sprout Social is generally stronger for reporting and customer care. Hootsuite gives more accounts per seat, includes listening on every plan and costs less. Both have free trials, so test them with your own accounts.
How much is Sprout Social per month?
$79 per seat for Essentials, $199 for Standard, $299 for Professional and $399 for Advanced, billed yearly. Billed monthly, they're $99, $249, $399 and $499.
How much does Hootsuite cost per month?
$99 per user for Standard, $199 for Professional and up to $399 for Advanced, billed yearly. Enterprise is custom. Monthly billing costs more per user.
Do Hootsuite and Sprout Social have free plans?
No. Hootsuite has a 14-day free trial and Sprout Social a 30-day free trial with no credit card.
What's the best cheap alternative to Hootsuite and Sprout Social?
For a few accounts, Buffer is the cheapest. For a team with many accounts, a flat-priced scheduler such as Postbase ($39 a month for 15 channels and 5 people) costs a fraction of either, if you don't need an inbox or listening.
Postbase