The short answer
Buffer is a simple social media scheduler known for its free plan and per-channel pricing. Sprout Social is a premium social media suite known for its Smart Inbox, reporting and customer care tools.
At 10 channels Buffer costs $50 a month against $299 for Sprout Social for 1 user, so Buffer is $249 a month cheaper (83% less). Both list 12 networks. On the 15 features we track, Buffer alone has link in bio page, and Sprout Social alone has RSS auto post and bulk upload (CSV).
Choose Buffer if you want the lower price for 10 channels ($50 against $299 a month), you post to Google Business Profile, Mastodon and Substack, you need link in bio page (Start Page, on every plan including Free) and you want a free plan. Choose Sprout Social if you post to Reddit, Snapchat and WhatsApp, you need RSS auto post, you need bulk upload (CSV) and you want a longer trial (30 days).
Pricing
Buffer charges per connected channel, while Sprout Social charges per user. The per-user tool gets more expensive as your team grows; the other does not in the same way.
Buffer: Per connected channel, with volume discounts above 10 channels. Yearly billing saves about 2 months. Sprout Social: Per seat (user) per month. Prices shown are for annual billing; only Essentials shows a monthly-billed price.
| Plan | Monthly | Yearly/mo |
|---|---|---|
| Buffer Free | Free | Free |
| Buffer Essentials | $6 | $5 |
| Buffer Team | $12 | $10 |
| Plan | Monthly | Yearly/mo |
|---|---|---|
| Sprout Social Essentials | $99 | $79 |
| Sprout Social Standard | Not listed | $199 |
| Sprout Social Professional | Not listed | $299 |
| Sprout Social Advanced | Not listed | $399 |
| Sprout Social Enterprise | Not listed | Not listed |
Cost at 5 and 10 channels
The cheapest listed plan that covers the number of channels. Where a price depends on seats, brands or workspaces, the table says so.
| Buffer | Sprout Social | Postozo | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 channels | Essentials plan: $30 a month ($25 billed yearly) | Essentials plan: $99 per user a month ($79 billed yearly) | Standard plan: $19 a month ($15 billed yearly) |
| 10 channels | Essentials plan: $60 a month ($50 billed yearly) | Professional plan: $299 per user a month billed yearly. The monthly-billed price is not listed | Team plan: $29 a month ($23 billed yearly) |
At 5 channels Buffer costs $25 a month against $79 for Sprout Social for 1 user, so Buffer is $54 a month cheaper (68% less). At 10 channels Buffer costs $50 a month against $299 for Sprout Social for 1 user, so Buffer is $249 a month cheaper (83% less).
Cost for a solo user, a small team and an agency
Seats, brands and workspaces change the bill as much as channels do. This table picks the cheapest listed plan of each tool for 3 setups.
| Setup | Buffer | Sprout Social | Postozo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solo | Essentials: $30 a month ($25 billed yearly). Per channel, 1 user | Essentials: $99 a month ($79 billed yearly). Per seat, for 1 person | Standard: $19 a month ($15 billed yearly) |
| Small team | Team: $120 a month ($100 billed yearly). Per channel, unlimited users | Professional: $897 a month billed yearly. Per seat, for 3 people; Essentials and Standard cover only 5 profiles | Team: $29 a month ($23 billed yearly). Unlimited team members |
| Agency | Team: $180 a month. Per channel, unlimited users; the yearly price above 10 channels is not listed | Professional: $1,495 a month billed yearly. Per seat, for 5 people; Essentials and Standard cover only 5 profiles | Pro: $39 a month ($31 billed yearly). Unlimited team members |
For 5 channels and 1 person, Buffer is the lowest at $25 a month and Sprout Social the highest at $79. For 10 channels and 3 people, Buffer is the lowest at $100 a month and Sprout Social the highest at $897. For 25 channels and 5 people, Buffer is the lowest at $180 a month and Sprout Social the highest at $1,495.
Trials and free plans
Buffer: 14-day free trial of paid plans. Without payment details the account drops to the Free plan. Free plan: Yes: 3 channels, 1 user, 10 scheduled posts per channel, 100 ideas, 30 days of analytics.
Sprout Social: 30-day free trial, no credit card required. No free plan listed.
Features
| Feature | Buffer | Sprout Social | Postozo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Client approval | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Social inbox | Yes | Yes | No |
| Analytics | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| AI writing help | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Public API | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| MCP server | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| RSS auto post | Not confirmed | Yes | Yes |
| Bulk upload (CSV) | Not confirmed | Yes | Yes |
| White label | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Yes |
| Mobile app | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Client reports | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Link in bio page | Yes | Not confirmed | Yes |
| Browser extension | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Canva integration | Yes | Yes | No |
| Client connect link | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Yes |
Plan limits on key features
- Client approval. Buffer: Content approval workflows are on the Team plan only. Sprout Social: Message approval workflows are on Professional and Advanced.
- Public API. Buffer: Every plan includes API access with monthly request limits (3,000 to 15,000). Sprout Social: The Sprout API is on the Advanced plan.
- MCP server. Buffer: Buffer lists a social media MCP and Claude, ChatGPT and Cursor integrations. Sprout Social: Sprout runs a hosted MCP server; its help center says only ChatGPT is officially supported.
- Client reports. Buffer: Reports on Essentials and Team; branded reports on Team only. Sprout Social: Presentation-ready reports shared by link, Professional and up.
- Link in bio page. Buffer: Start Page, on every plan including Free. Sprout Social: not confirmed.
- Browser extension. Buffer: Every plan. Sprout Social: Compose extension for Chrome, on every plan.
- Canva integration. Buffer: Every plan, plus Google Drive and Dropbox. Sprout Social: Canva designs arrive in Sprout as draft posts. Google Drive and Dropbox can be connected too.
Both list client approval, social inbox, analytics, AI writing help, public API, MCP server, mobile app, client reports, browser extension and canva integration.
Neither confirms white label and client connect link.
Area by area
How Buffer and Sprout Social handle each part of the job, in the words of their own pages.
Publishing and scheduling
Buffer: Buffer posts to 12 networks, including Substack, Mastodon and Bluesky. The free plan holds 10 scheduled posts per channel at a time; paid plans remove that cap.
Sprout Social: Sprout posts to 12 networks and uses WhatsApp for inbox messages. CSV bulk scheduling of up to 350 posts and automated feed publishing are on Professional and Advanced.
Team and client approval
Buffer: Essentials is for 1 user. Team adds unlimited users and approval workflows.
Sprout Social: Pricing is per seat. Message approval workflows are on Professional and Advanced.
Inbox and replies
Buffer: A community inbox for replying to comments is on every plan. We found no direct message inbox on the pricing page.
Sprout Social: The Smart Inbox is the center of Sprout, with review management, and Advanced adds sentiment in the Smart Inbox and Reviews.
Analytics and reports
Buffer: Reports are on Essentials and Team, and branded reports are on Team only. The free plan keeps 30 days of analytics.
Sprout Social: Professional and up include presentation-ready reports that you share by link.
AI help
Buffer: An AI assistant for writing posts is included.
Sprout Social: AI help is included.
Integrations and apps
Buffer: Every plan, including Free, has Start Page (a link in bio page), the browser extension, Canva, Google Drive and Dropbox. API access is on every plan with 3,000 to 15,000 requests a month, and Buffer lists an MCP for Claude, ChatGPT and Cursor.
Sprout Social: Canva designs can be sent into Sprout as draft posts, Google Drive and Dropbox can be connected, and the Compose extension for Chrome works on every plan. The API is on Advanced, and Sprout runs a hosted MCP server; its help center says only ChatGPT is officially supported.
Networks
Buffer lists 12 networks and Sprout Social lists 12. They share 9 networks: Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Threads, TikTok, YouTube, X.
| Networks | |
|---|---|
| Only on Buffer | Google Business Profile, Mastodon, Substack |
| Only on Sprout Social | Reddit, Snapchat, WhatsApp |
| On Postozo but on neither | Telegram, SMS, Discord, Slack, WordPress, Medium, Tumblr, DEV, Hashnode, Lemmy, Listmonk, Nostr, VK, Farcaster, Dribbble, Twitch, Kick |
Strengths from each side
Buffer
- Has a free plan for up to 3 channels.
- Has iOS and Android apps in the app stores.
- Start Page, Canva, Google Drive and Dropbox on every plan, including Free.
Sprout Social
- Smart Inbox with messages, review management and customer care reports.
- Keyword and location monitoring, with listening as an add-on.
- iOS and Android apps on every plan, in the app stores.
Postozo as a 3rd option
Postozo is a social media scheduler with 30 channel types, client review links, team roles, AI writing help, a public API and an MCP server. Plans are flat: $19, $29, $39, $79 a month for 5, 10, 30, 100 channels, with unlimited posts.
- Postozo costs $29 a month ($23 billed yearly) for 10 channels with team members. At 10 channels Postozo costs $23 a month against $50 for Buffer, so Postozo is $27 a month cheaper (54% less). At 10 channels Postozo costs $23 a month against $299 for Sprout Social for 1 user, so Postozo is $276 a month cheaper (92% less).
- Postozo supports Telegram, SMS, Discord, Slack, WordPress, Medium, Tumblr, DEV and 9 more, which neither Buffer nor Sprout Social lists.
- Postozo has white label, which neither confirms.
- Postozo has client connect link, which neither confirms.
What you would give up: social inbox (Buffer and Sprout Social have it) and canva integration (Buffer and Sprout Social have it).
See Postozo vs Buffer and Postozo vs Sprout Social for the full head to head pages.
More about each tool
Buffer review, Buffer alternatives, Sprout Social review, Sprout Social alternatives, Postozo pricing.
Sources
Is Buffer or Sprout Social cheaper?
At 5 channels Buffer costs $25 a month against $79 for Sprout Social for 1 user, so Buffer is $54 a month cheaper (68% less). At 10 channels Buffer costs $50 a month against $299 for Sprout Social for 1 user, so Buffer is $249 a month cheaper (83% less). Prices are the lowest listed per month, with yearly billing where offered, checked on 29 September 2026.
Which has more networks, Buffer or Sprout Social?
Buffer lists 12 and Sprout Social lists 12. Only Buffer: Google Business Profile, Mastodon, Substack. Only Sprout Social: Reddit, Snapchat, WhatsApp.
Do Buffer and Sprout Social have an API and MCP server?
Buffer: API yes, MCP yes. Sprout Social: API yes, MCP yes. Postozo includes both on every plan.
Is there a cheaper option than Buffer and Sprout Social?
Postozo is $19 a month for 5 channels and $29 for 10 with a team. It has no social inbox and canva integration, so check those first.
Which is cheaper for a team of 3 with 10 channels, Buffer or Sprout Social?
For 10 channels and 3 people, Buffer is the lowest at $100 a month and Sprout Social the highest at $897.
Do Buffer and Sprout Social have client reports and a link in bio page?
Client reports: Buffer yes (Reports on Essentials and Team; branded reports on Team only), Sprout Social yes (Presentation-ready reports shared by link, Professional and up). Link in bio: Buffer yes, Sprout Social not confirmed. Postozo includes both on every plan.
Can clients connect their own accounts in Buffer or Sprout Social?
Buffer: not confirmed. Sprout Social: not confirmed. Postozo has a client connect link on every plan.
Did you test Buffer and Sprout Social?
No. This page compares facts from their official pricing and feature pages, checked on 29 September 2026.
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