The short answer
Hootsuite is an enterprise social media suite known for its inbox, listening and team workflows. Sprout Social is a premium social media suite known for its Smart Inbox, reporting and customer care tools.
At 10 channels Hootsuite costs $99 a month against $299 for Sprout Social for 1 user, so Hootsuite is $200 a month cheaper (67% less). Sprout Social lists more networks (12 against 10). On the 15 features we track, Hootsuite alone has link in bio page, and Sprout Social alone has browser extension.
Choose Hootsuite if you want the lower price for 10 channels ($99 against $299 a month) and you need link in bio page (Through the OneClick.bio app, free with Hootsuite Enterprise only). Choose Sprout Social if you post to Reddit and Snapchat, you need browser extension (Compose extension for Chrome, on every plan) and you want a longer trial (30 days).
Pricing
Both Hootsuite and Sprout Social charge per user, so a bigger team pays more on either. With 3 users on the entry plan, Hootsuite costs $297 billed yearly and Sprout Social costs $237 billed yearly a month.
Hootsuite: Per user (seat) per month. Monthly and annual billing both exist; annual is cheaper. Sprout Social: Per seat (user) per month. Prices shown are for annual billing; only Essentials shows a monthly-billed price.
| Plan | Monthly | Yearly/mo |
|---|---|---|
| Hootsuite Standard | Not listed | $99 |
| Hootsuite Professional | Not listed | $199 |
| Hootsuite Advanced | Not listed | $399 |
| Hootsuite Enterprise | Not listed | Not listed |
| 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.
| Hootsuite | Sprout Social | Postozo | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 channels | Standard plan: $99 per user a month billed yearly. The monthly-billed price is not listed | Essentials plan: $99 per user a month ($79 billed yearly) | Standard plan: $19 a month ($15 billed yearly) |
| 10 channels | Standard plan: $99 per user a month billed yearly. The monthly-billed price is not listed | 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 Sprout Social costs $79 a month against $99 for Hootsuite for 1 user, so Sprout Social is $20 a month cheaper (20% less). At 10 channels Hootsuite costs $99 a month against $299 for Sprout Social for 1 user, so Hootsuite is $200 a month cheaper (67% 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 | Hootsuite | Sprout Social | Postozo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solo | Standard: $99 a month billed yearly. Per user, for 1 person | Essentials: $99 a month ($79 billed yearly). Per seat, for 1 person | Standard: $19 a month ($15 billed yearly) |
| Small team | Standard: $297 a month billed yearly. Per user, for 3 people | 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 | Professional: $995 a month billed yearly. Per user, for 5 people; Standard covers only 10 accounts | 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, Sprout Social is the lowest at $79 a month and Hootsuite the highest at $99. For 10 channels and 3 people, Hootsuite is the lowest at $297 a month and Sprout Social the highest at $897. For 25 channels and 5 people, Hootsuite is the lowest at $995 a month and Sprout Social the highest at $1,495.
Trials and free plans
Hootsuite: 14-day free trial, no credit card. Trial accounts are limited to 10 to 20 posts per day and cannot bulk schedule. No free plan listed.
Sprout Social: 30-day free trial, no credit card required. No free plan listed.
Features
| Feature | Hootsuite | 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 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Bulk upload (CSV) | Yes | 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 | Not confirmed | Yes | Yes |
| Canva integration | Yes | Yes | No |
| Client connect link | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Yes |
Plan limits on key features
- Client approval. Hootsuite: Content approvals are on the Advanced plan and up. Sprout Social: Message approval workflows are on Professional and Advanced.
- Public API. Hootsuite: included. Sprout Social: The Sprout API is on the Advanced plan.
- MCP server. Hootsuite: MCP connectors launched in 2026 for ChatGPT, Claude and others. Sprout Social: Sprout runs a hosted MCP server; its help center says only ChatGPT is officially supported.
- Client reports. Hootsuite: Custom reports you can schedule and export, Professional and up. Sprout Social: Presentation-ready reports shared by link, Professional and up.
- Link in bio page. Hootsuite: Through the OneClick.bio app, free with Hootsuite Enterprise only. Sprout Social: not confirmed.
- Browser extension. Hootsuite: not confirmed Sprout Social: Compose extension for Chrome, on every plan.
Both list client approval, social inbox, analytics, AI writing help, public API, MCP server, RSS auto post, bulk upload (CSV), mobile app, client reports and canva integration.
Neither confirms white label and client connect link.
Area by area
How Hootsuite and Sprout Social handle each part of the job, in the words of their own pages.
Publishing and scheduling
Hootsuite: Hootsuite posts to 10 networks and adds WhatsApp for inbox messages. Standard covers 10 social accounts; Professional and up have unlimited accounts. Bulk scheduling is not available during the trial.
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
Hootsuite: Pricing is per user. Content approvals and message routing are on Advanced and up.
Sprout Social: Pricing is per seat. Message approval workflows are on Professional and Advanced.
Inbox and replies
Hootsuite: A unified inbox is on every plan, and Professional adds automated inbox replies. Brand monitoring and social listening are part of the product.
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
Hootsuite: Custom performance reports that you can schedule and export are on Professional and up.
Sprout Social: Professional and up include presentation-ready reports that you share by link.
AI help
Hootsuite: AI writing help is included.
Sprout Social: AI help is included.
Integrations and apps
Hootsuite: Canva is built into the Composer and Dropbox can be connected. Link in bio comes through the OneClick.bio app, free with Enterprise only. MCP connectors for ChatGPT, Claude and others launched in 2026.
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
Hootsuite lists 10 networks and Sprout Social lists 12. They share 10 networks: Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, X, LinkedIn, Threads, Pinterest, Bluesky, WhatsApp.
| Networks | |
|---|---|
| Only on Hootsuite | None |
| Only on Sprout Social | Reddit, Snapchat |
| On Postozo but on neither | Google Business Profile, Mastodon, Telegram, SMS, Discord, Slack, WordPress, Medium, Tumblr, DEV, Hashnode, Lemmy, Listmonk, Nostr, VK, Farcaster, Dribbble, Twitch, Kick |
Strengths from each side
Hootsuite
- Unified inbox with direct messages, automated replies and message routing.
- Brand monitoring and social listening.
- iOS and Android apps in the app stores.
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 $99 for Hootsuite for 1 user, so Postozo is $76 a month cheaper (77% 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 Google Business Profile, Mastodon, Telegram, SMS, Discord, Slack, WordPress, Medium and 11 more, which neither Hootsuite 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 (Hootsuite and Sprout Social have it) and canva integration (Hootsuite and Sprout Social have it).
See Postozo vs Hootsuite and Postozo vs Sprout Social for the full head to head pages.
More about each tool
Hootsuite review, Hootsuite alternatives, Sprout Social review, Sprout Social alternatives, Postozo pricing.
Sources
Is Hootsuite or Sprout Social cheaper?
At 5 channels Sprout Social costs $79 a month against $99 for Hootsuite for 1 user, so Sprout Social is $20 a month cheaper (20% less). At 10 channels Hootsuite costs $99 a month against $299 for Sprout Social for 1 user, so Hootsuite is $200 a month cheaper (67% less). Prices are the lowest listed per month, with yearly billing where offered, checked on 29 September 2026.
Which has more networks, Hootsuite or Sprout Social?
Hootsuite lists 10 and Sprout Social lists 12. Only Sprout Social: Reddit, Snapchat.
Do Hootsuite and Sprout Social have an API and MCP server?
Hootsuite: API yes, MCP yes. Sprout Social: API yes, MCP yes. Postozo includes both on every plan.
Is there a cheaper option than Hootsuite 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, Hootsuite or Sprout Social?
For 10 channels and 3 people, Hootsuite is the lowest at $297 a month and Sprout Social the highest at $897.
Do Hootsuite and Sprout Social have client reports and a link in bio page?
Client reports: Hootsuite yes (Custom reports you can schedule and export, Professional and up), Sprout Social yes (Presentation-ready reports shared by link, Professional and up). Link in bio: Hootsuite yes, Sprout Social not confirmed. Postozo includes both on every plan.
Can clients connect their own accounts in Hootsuite or Sprout Social?
Hootsuite: not confirmed. Sprout Social: not confirmed. Postozo has a client connect link on every plan.
Did you test Hootsuite and Sprout Social?
No. This page compares facts from their official pricing and feature pages, checked on 29 September 2026.
Not sure about Hootsuite or Sprout Social?
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