Hootsuite vs Sprout Social

Two Organic social tools side by side: what each does, what it costs and who it suits.

The verdict Side by side Plans and pricing Who each is for Other options

The verdict

On the data we hold, it's close: neither pulls ahead on features, a free plan or AI access. The choice comes down to how you work.

What the data says

Both cover 13 of the 13 features we compared.
Sprout Social starts lower, at $79/mo against $99/mo.
Both have an API and an MCP server, so either works with AI employees.
In our Organic social ranking, Hootsuite places 2 and Sprout Social 3 of 14.

Side by side

Hootsuite and Sprout Social compared
17 points compared	Hootsuite	Sprout Social
Starts at	$99/mo	$79/mo
Free plan	No	No
API	Yes	Yes
MCP server	Yes	Yes
AI content assistant	Yes	Yes
AI post drafting	Yes	Yes
Analytics & reporting	Yes	Yes
Best time to post	Yes	Yes
Bulk post upload	Yes	Yes
Competitor benchmarking	Yes	Yes
Link in bio page	Yes	Yes
Multi-network publishing	Yes	Yes
Post approval workflow	Yes	Yes
Post scheduling & queues	Yes	Yes
Social listening	Yes	Yes
Team collaboration	Yes	Yes
Unified social inbox	Yes	Yes
Links	Visit	Visit

Plans and pricing

Hootsuite

StandardUp to 10 social accounts; $99 per user per month billed annually.$1,188/yr/seat
ProfessionalUnlimited social accounts; $199 per user per month billed annually.$2,388/yr/seat
AdvancedTeam approvals and routing; shown as up to $399 per user per month billed annually.$4,788/yr/seat

Sprout Social

EssentialsPer seat; $99 per month billed monthly, $79 per month billed annually.$99/mo/seat
StandardPer seat; $199 per month billed annually, monthly price not shown.$2,388/yr/seat
ProfessionalPer seat; $299 per month billed annually, monthly price not shown.$3,588/yr/seat
AdvancedPer seat; $399 per month billed annually, monthly price not shown.$4,788/yr/seat

Prices as the vendors list them. They change often; the final price is on their sites.

Who each is for

Choose Hootsuite if…

Social media managers, marketing teams and agencies who publish and monitor several social networks, accounts or brands and need scheduling, a shared inbox, listening and reporting in one place.

Visit Read the review

Choose Sprout Social if…

Mid-market and enterprise marketing teams managing several brands or many profiles that need publishing, a shared inbox, listening and reporting in one social platform with collaboration workflows.

Visit Read the review

Other options worth a look

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Metricool
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Publer
Schedules, publishes and analyses social media content across multiple platforms from one calendar.
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From $5/moFree plan
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Buffer
Schedules and publishes social media posts across multiple platforms from one dashboard with team approval workflows.
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From $5/mo yearlyFree plan
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SocialPilot
Schedule, publish and manage social media across multiple channels and analyse performance from one dashboard.
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From €16.15/mo yearly
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Taplio
Create, schedule and analyse LinkedIn posts with AI to build your personal brand and generate leads.
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From $32/mo yearlyAffiliate link
Sign up on Taplio