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Sprout Social vs Hootsuite: Features, Pricing and Reviews in 2026

Sprout Social
PaidSubscriptionCustom

Sprout Social is an AI-powered social media management platform for scheduling, engagement, analytics, and team collaboration.

Sprout Social screenshot
Hootsuite
PaidSubscriptionCustom

Hootsuite is an all-in-one social media management platform for scheduling, publishing, monitoring, and analytics across multiple networks.

Hootsuite screenshot

What Are Sprout Social and Hootsuite?

Sprout Social

Sprout Social

Sprout Social is a social media tool that lets you publish, engage, and analyze across all major platforms from one place. It supports Instagram, Facebook, X, LinkedIn, TikTok, Pinterest, YouTube, Threads, Bluesky, WhatsApp Business, and more.

The platform includes a Smart Inbox that pulls every message, comment, mention, and review into a single stream, so your team can respond without switching between apps. Detailed analytics show you which content is performing best and why, with reports you can share with clients or leadership.

Built-in AI tools help you write captions, suggest posting times, summarize conversations, and automate parts of your workflow. Sprout Social is designed for teams that want social media to deliver real results, not just publish and hope for the best.

Hootsuite

Hootsuite

Hootsuite is a platform that lets you manage all your social media accounts from one place. You can create and schedule posts for different platforms at the same time, without having to switch between apps or log in and out of each account.

Beyond publishing, Hootsuite includes a shared inbox where your team can read and reply to comments and messages. It also has social listening tools that alert you when people mention your brand or important keywords online. Built-in analytics show you which posts are working and which are not, so you can make smarter decisions.

Teams can work together through shared calendars, approval steps, and assigned tasks, making it useful for groups of any size.

How Do Sprout Social and Hootsuite Compare on Features?

Sprout Social

Sprout Social

  • Unified Smart Inbox for all messages and reviews

  • Visual content calendar with drag-and-drop scheduling

  • ViralPost AI-powered optimal send times

  • Bulk scheduling via CSV upload (up to 350 posts)

  • Social listening and brand mention monitoring

  • Competitor analytics and performance benchmarking

  • Approval workflows for teams and external clients

  • AI caption writing and hashtag suggestions

  • Salesforce, HubSpot, and Zendesk integrations

  • iOS and Android mobile apps available

Hootsuite

Hootsuite

  • Schedule posts across 10+ social platforms

  • AI caption and content generation (OwlyGPT)

  • Unified inbox for all messages and comments

  • Social listening across 30+ networks

  • Analytics with competitor benchmarking

  • Bulk scheduling up to 350 posts

  • Canva and Adobe Express integration

  • Team approval workflows and role permissions

  • Best time to post recommendations

  • Employee advocacy tools (Amplify)

  • Mobile app for iOS and Android

Where Do Sprout Social and Hootsuite Fit?

How Much Do Sprout Social and Hootsuite Cost?

Sprout Social Pricing Plans

Essentials

$79/user/mo
  • Up to 5 social profiles
  • Collaborative content calendar
  • Advanced post scheduler
  • ViralPost send time optimization
  • Hashtag suggestions
  • Built-in image editor
  • Location tagging
  • AI-generated alt text
  • Multi-network publishing
  • Paid promotion for Facebook & Instagram

Standard

$199/user/mo
  • Everything in Essentials
  • Up to 5 social profiles
  • All-in-one Smart Inbox
  • Real-time keyword monitoring
  • Contact views and 90-day conversation history
  • Review management
  • Comment and ad comment moderation
  • Case management
  • Group and profile-level reporting
  • Google Analytics reports
Most Popular

Professional

$299/user/mo
  • Everything in Standard
  • Unlimited social profiles
  • Bulk scheduling (up to 350 posts via CSV)
  • Instagram grid planning
  • Message approval workflows
  • Campaign tagging and custom link tracking
  • Digital asset and content library
  • Competitor analysis reports
  • AI Assist post enhancement
  • Automated RSS feed publishing

Advanced

$399/user/mo
  • Everything in Professional
  • AI-powered sentiment analysis
  • Chatbot and automated workflows
  • Salesforce, HubSpot, Zendesk, and Dynamics 365 integrations
  • Shopify and WooCommerce integrations
  • External approval workflows
  • Message spike alerts
  • CSAT/NPS survey automation
  • Case routing and macros
  • IP whitelisting and advanced permissions

Enterprise

Custom
  • Everything in Advanced
  • White-glove onboarding and implementation
  • Tailored enterprise planning
  • Dedicated SSO setup
  • Priority customer support
  • Custom security and compliance controls

Hootsuite Pricing Plans

Standard

$99/user/mo
  • Up to 10 social accounts
  • 1+ user seat
  • Unlimited post scheduling
  • Social content calendar
  • AI assistant (OwlyGPT) and AI content tools
  • Canva & Adobe Express templates
  • Best time to publish recommendations
  • Unified inbox with DM automations
  • Post performance and multi-network reporting
  • Competitive benchmarking (5 competitors)
Most Popular

Advanced

$249/user/mo
  • Everything in Standard
  • Unlimited social accounts
  • Bulk scheduling (up to 350 posts)
  • Link in bio tool (Hootbio)
  • Custom branded URLs and automated link tracking
  • Approval workflows
  • Customizable reports and templates
  • Competitive benchmarking (20 competitors)
  • Saved replies and automated message responses
  • Skill-based routing and customer service tools

Enterprise

Custom
  • Everything in Advanced
  • Unlimited users
  • ROI reporting and advanced attribution analytics
  • AI-powered chatbot and smart replies
  • Salesforce integration and social selling tools
  • Employee advocacy platform (Amplify)
  • Single Sign-On (SSO)
  • Compliance integrations (Proofpoint)
  • Talkwalker-powered social listening with 13-month history
  • Review management

How Are Sprout Social and Hootsuite Used?

Frequently Asked Questions About Sprout Social and Hootsuite

Sprout Social

Sprout Social

Hootsuite

Hootsuite