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Most buyers should pick Sprout Social.
Pick Sprout Social if you want a lower entry price, easier publishing workflows, or influencer campaign tools: Essentials is $79 per seat monthly, billed annually, for five profiles. Choose Hootsuite for broader team workflows and up to 10 social accounts on Standard, which starts at $99 per user monthly, billed annually. Neither offers a free plan. Sprout Social has a 30-day trial; Hootsuite offers 14 days. Both charge per seat or user, so team costs can add up.
01Side by side
| Hootsuite | Sprout Social | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $99/user/month, billed annually | $79/seat/month, billed annually |
| Free plan | No free plan | No free plan |
| Best for | Teams managing multiple social accounts | Solo marketers simplifying publishing |
| Core strength | Scheduling, unified inbox, competitor tracking | Publishing, AI engagement, influencer campaigns |
| Learning curve | Review ease-of-use score: 6/10 | Review ease-of-use score: 8/10 |
| Integrations/data | MCP connectors; Enterprise includes Salesforce | API and helpdesk integrations; listening add-on |
| Team/seat costs | Standard includes 10 accounts; seats cost extra | Essentials has five profiles per seat |
| Support | Review support score: 5/10 | Review support score: 6/10 |
Hootsuite Choose Hootsuite if
- You need up to 10 social accounts on Standard.
- You want MCP connectors for AI assistant workflows.
- You need Enterprise SSO or Salesforce integration.
Sprout Social Choose Sprout Social if
- You want a lower annual starting price.
- You need influencer campaign discovery and management tools.
- You prefer a 30-day trial and higher review ease score.
02Pricing compared
Sprout Social has the lower entry price: Essentials is $79 per seat/month billed annually, or $99 billed monthly, and includes five social profiles. Hootsuite Standard starts at $99 per user/month billed annually and includes up to 10 social accounts. Both charge per seat or user, and neither offers a free plan. Sprout’s trial is 30 days; Hootsuite’s is 14 days.
At the $199 annual rate, Sprout Standard includes five profiles, while Hootsuite Professional includes unlimited social accounts. Sprout Professional is $299 per seat/month; Hootsuite Advanced is $399 per user/month. Sprout’s monthly prices above Essentials and Hootsuite’s monthly rates are not published. Both have custom-priced Enterprise plans. Sprout’s optional Trellis Plus costs $28 per seat/month annually; other listed add-on prices are not published.
03Features and depth
Both cover publishing, engagement and analytics, but their plan limits and specialized tools differ. Hootsuite Standard includes unlimited scheduled posts, one unified inbox and benchmarking against up to five competitors. Its Professional plan adds unlimited social accounts, automated inbox replies and workflows, and benchmarking against up to 20 competitors. Advanced adds approval workflows and message routing. Hootsuite also lists trend tracking, an AI assistant called Wisdom and MCP connectors for ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot and Gemini.
Sprout Essentials includes optimal send-time scheduling and profile- and post-level reporting, but caps accounts at five profiles. Standard adds a consolidated inbox, keyword and location monitoring, review management and the Trellis AI agent. Professional unlocks unlimited profiles, competitor and paid insights, and AI Assist for post enhancement; Advanced adds reply enhancement and sentiment features. Sprout’s standout distinction is its influencer campaign tooling to find and manage creators. Listening and Premium Analytics are paid add-ons with prices not published.
04Ease of use and learning curve
Sprout may suit teams looking for a more straightforward publishing workflow: Essentials includes scheduling, reporting and a mobile app, and our our review scores it 8/10 for ease of use. But its five-profile limit on Essentials and Standard can mean a plan upgrade as your account needs grow.
Hootsuite’s calendar, unified inbox and scheduling put core tasks in one platform, but its broader set of team controls arrives across higher tiers. Our our review scores it 6/10 for ease of use. Compare the actual workflow your team needs—especially approvals, routing and reporting—against each plan before switching; both price by seat or user.
Questions people ask
Which is cheaper, Hootsuite or Sprout Social?
Sprout Social has the lower listed starting price: Essentials costs $79 per seat/month with annual billing, compared with $99 per user/month for Hootsuite Standard. Sprout’s Essentials monthly-billed price is $99. Both charge per person, and Hootsuite’s monthly-billed rates are not published.
How many social profiles or accounts do the entry plans include?
Sprout Social Essentials includes five social profiles. Hootsuite Standard includes up to 10 social accounts. The account and profile limits are not identical measures, so check how each platform counts the networks and profiles your team manages before comparing capacity.
Do Hootsuite and Sprout Social offer free trials?
Neither product has a free plan in the published pricing information. Hootsuite lists a 14-day free trial, while Sprout Social lists a 30-day free trial. Check each pricing page for current eligibility and trial terms before signing up.
Which platform is better for a team with many social profiles?
Hootsuite Professional includes unlimited social accounts at $199 per user/month billed annually. Sprout Social Essentials and Standard each include five profiles; Sprout Professional offers unlimited profiles for $299 per seat/month. Compare those plan costs with your required features and team seats, not just the profile limit.