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Marketing · head to head

Hootsuite vs Sprout Social

Hootsuite logo

Hootsuite

Marketing

Save time and grow on social media

From
$99/year
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Sprout Social logo

Sprout Social

Influencer Marketing

Social media management with influencer insights

From
$79/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Hootsuite no free tier available; minimum cost is $99/user/year annually; Sprout Social pricing shown is per-seat/month for annual billing; monthly billing for Essentials plan is $99/month per seat, representing a 25% premium over annual rates.
  • They diverge on capability: Hootsuite covers Content scheduling, Sprout Social covers Social publishing.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Hootsuite and Sprout Social actually diverge.

Attributes where Hootsuite and Sprout Social differ
AttributeHootsuiteSprout Social
Starting price$99/year$79/month
Pricing modelUnknownsubscription
PlatformsWebWeb, Ios, Android, Api
CategoryMarketingInfluencer Marketing
Founded20082010

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Hootsuite

  • Content scheduling
  • Analytics & reporting
  • Team collaboration
  • Approval workflows
  • Bulk scheduling
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter

Only in Sprout Social

  • Social publishing
  • Analytics
  • Influencer identification
  • Competitor analysis
  • Report builder
  • Salesforce
  • HubSpot
  • Zendesk

Both cover

  • Social inbox
  • Content calendar
  • Social listening
  • SOC2
  • GDPR

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Hootsuite

  • Social media schedulingnot Sprout Social
  • Community managementnot Sprout Social
  • Social advertisingnot Sprout Social
  • Analytics & reportingnot Sprout Social
  • Team collaborationnot Sprout Social

Sprout Social

  • Discovering and vetting creators with brand safety reporting and Brand Fit Scoresnot Hootsuite
  • Centralising creator outreach, contracting, approvals and paymentsnot Hootsuite
  • Measuring creator-driven revenue with first-party analytics and attributionnot Hootsuite
  • Building a creator pipeline through branded application pagesnot Hootsuite

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Hootsuite

  • No free tier available; minimum cost is $99/user/year annually
  • Monthly billing significantly more expensive than annual (20-30% premium)
  • Advanced data export via SFTP available only to Enterprise tier customers

Sprout Social

  • Pricing shown is per-seat/month for annual billing; monthly billing for Essentials plan is $99/month per seat, representing a 25% premium over annual rates.
  • Monthly billing rates for other plans not specified; only annual billing prices clearly listed.

Pricing, plan by plan

Hootsuite

$99/year

No published plan breakdown. See the Hootsuite review.

Sprout Social

$79/month
  • Essentials$79/month
    • Up to 5 social profiles
    • 100 monthly AI agent credits per seat
    • Publishing, engagement, reporting, and mobile app
  • Standard$199/month
    • 5 social profiles
    • Consolidated inbox
    • Keyword monitoring
  • Professional$299/month
    • Everything in Standard
    • Unlimited social profiles
    • Extensive competitor and paid insights
  • Advanced$399/month
    • Everything in Professional
    • AI reply assistance
    • Sentiment analysis in inbox and reviews

Which should you pick?

Choose Hootsuite if

  • You need content scheduling.
  • You also want analytics & reporting.
Hootsuite review

Choose Sprout Social if

  • You need social publishing.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
  • You also want analytics.
Sprout Social review

Questions people ask

Is Hootsuite or Sprout Social better?
Neither clearly leads. Hootsuite starts at $99/year and Sprout Social at $79/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Hootsuite or Sprout Social?
Hootsuite starts at $99/year and Sprout Social at $79/month.
Does Hootsuite or Sprout Social run on more platforms?
Hootsuite runs on Web. Sprout Social runs on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
What is Hootsuite best used for?
Hootsuite is most often used for social media scheduling, community management, social advertising, analytics & reporting. Of those, social media scheduling and community management are not what Sprout Social is typically brought in for.
What can Hootsuite do that Sprout Social cannot?
Hootsuite covers Content scheduling, Analytics & reporting, Team collaboration, Approval workflows. Sprout Social covers Social publishing, Analytics, Influencer identification, Competitor analysis. Both handle Social inbox, Content calendar, Social listening, SOC2.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Hootsuite: What is Hootsuite's pricing structure?

Hootsuite offers four annual plans: Standard at $99/user/year, Professional at $199/user/year, Advanced at $399/user/year, and Enterprise with custom pricing. Monthly billing is available at 20-30% higher cost.

Source
Sprout Social: What is the least expensive Sprout Social plan?

The Essentials plan is the least expensive at $79 per seat per month with annual billing, or $99 per seat per month with monthly billing. This plan includes up to 5 social profiles, 100 monthly AI agent credits, publishing, engagement, reporting, and mobile app access.

Source
Hootsuite: Does Hootsuite offer a free tier?

No. Hootsuite does not offer a free tier or freemium plan. A 30-day trial is available, and skipping the trial provides 25% off annual plans.

Source
Sprout Social: Does Sprout Social offer a free trial?

Yes, Sprout Social provides a 30-day free trial that does not require a credit card to start. This applies to all paid plans.

Source
Hootsuite: How many integrations does Hootsuite support?

Hootsuite advertises support for over 100 integrations, claiming more than any other social media management platform.

Source
Sprout Social: What is the difference between Sprout Social Standard and Professional plans?

The Standard plan costs $199/month per seat and includes 5 social profiles, consolidated inbox, keyword monitoring, Trellis AI agent, and review management. The Professional plan costs $299/month per seat and adds everything in Standard plus unlimited social profiles, extensive competitor and paid insights, and AI-powered post enhancement.

Source
Hootsuite: Can users export their data from Hootsuite?

Yes. Hootsuite offers Advanced Analytics data export as CSV files to SFTP folders for Enterprise users, with daily exports and 90-day retention. Standard and Professional plans have more limited export capabilities.

Source
Sprout Social: Does Sprout Social offer add-on solutions beyond the base plans?

Yes, Sprout Social offers Premium Analytics, Listening (social media monitoring), Employee Advocacy, Professional Services (consulting packages), and Influencer Marketing as separate add-on solutions. Influencer Marketing can be used independently without requiring a Sprout Social plan.

Source
Hootsuite: Does Hootsuite offer API access?

Yes. Hootsuite provides a REST API for building custom applications and integrations, though API capabilities vary by plan level.

Source
Hootsuite: Does Hootsuite offer self-hosted or on-premise deployment?

No. Hootsuite is a cloud-based SaaS platform only. There is no self-hosted or on-premise deployment option available.

Source
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