PostozoThe 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 10 features we track, Buffer has nothing Sprout Social lacks, 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 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).
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 | No |
| White label | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Yes |
| Mobile app | Yes | Yes | No |
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.
Both list client approval, social inbox, analytics, AI writing help, public API, MCP server and mobile app.
Neither confirms white label.
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, 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 and a browser extension.
- Includes a community inbox to reply to comments.
Sprout Social
- Smart Inbox, review management and customer care reports.
- Keyword and location monitoring, with listening as an add-on.
- iOS and Android apps on every plan.
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, Discord, Slack, WordPress, Medium, Tumblr, DEV, Hashnode and 8 more, which neither Buffer nor Sprout Social lists.
- Postozo has white label, which neither confirms.
What you would give up: social inbox (Buffer and Sprout Social have it), bulk upload (CSV) (Sprout Social has it) and mobile app (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
Questions
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, bulk upload (CSV) and mobile app, so check those first.
Did you test Buffer and Sprout Social?
No. This page compares facts from their official pricing and feature pages, checked on 29 September 2026.
Not sure about Buffer or Sprout Social?
Try Postozo free for 7 days. No card needed.
Create your free account