Hootsuite vs Sprout Social

Hootsuite and Sprout Social both sit in the premium tier of social media management software, but the documented facts point to different jobs each is built…

Best for Hootsuite: Hootsuite is the better fit for teams that want a single platform covering scheduling, social listening, customer messaging, and AI-powered analytics without weighing a long list of granular add-ons, and that value a straightforward no-credit-card 14-day trial.
Best for Sprout Social: Sprout Social is the better fit for teams that need explicit, itemized capabilities such as approval workflows, sentiment analysis, employee advocacy, review management, or API access, and are willing to move up its Essentials through Advanced tiers to unlock them.

At a Glance

 HootsuiteSprout Social
Primary categorySocial MediaSocial Media
RatingNot documentedNot documented
Pricing modelSubscriptionsubscription
Starting price$99/user/month$79/month per seat (billed annually)
Free planNot documentedNot documented
Free trialYesYes
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb, iOS
Team collaborationNot documentedNot documented
AI featuresYesYes
Public APINot documentedYes

Key Differences

Entry-level pricing

Hootsuite: Hootsuite Standard plan starts at $99 per user per month, billed annually.

Sprout Social: Sprout Social Essentials plan starts at $79 per seat per month, billed annually.

The starting price sets the baseline cost for small teams before any add-ons or higher tiers are considered.

Free trial length

Hootsuite: Hootsuite offers a 14-day free trial with no credit card required.

Sprout Social: Sprout Social offers a 30-day free trial with no credit card required across its Standard, Professional, and Advanced tiers.

A longer trial gives teams more time to test workflows across a full content and reporting cycle before paying.

Breadth of documented named features

Hootsuite: Hootsuite's documented feature set covers three named capabilities: social listening, customer messaging, and AI-powered analytics.

Sprout Social: Sprout Social's documented feature set covers ten named capabilities including Smart Inbox, Publishing and Content Calendar, Employee Advocacy, Review Management, Sentiment Analysis, Sprout API, and Mobile Apps.

A more itemized feature list makes it easier for a buyer to map specific needs to a specific plan tier.

AI capabilities

Hootsuite: Hootsuite includes AI-powered analytics for insights across connected accounts.

Sprout Social: Sprout Social includes AI Assist for generating post copy and reply suggestions, available from the Professional tier up.

The two tools apply AI to different parts of the workflow: Hootsuite to analytics, Sprout Social to content creation and response drafting.

Sentiment analysis

Hootsuite: Not documented for Hootsuite.

Sprout Social: Sprout Social includes dedicated sentiment analysis, available on its Advanced plan.

Sentiment classification helps teams triage inbound messages by brand-health impact rather than by volume alone.

API access

Hootsuite: Not documented for Hootsuite.

Sprout Social: Sprout Social provides a Sprout API for programmatic data access, available on its Advanced plan.

API access lets teams pull data into custom dashboards or connect the platform to other business systems.

Employee advocacy and review management

Hootsuite: Not documented for Hootsuite.

Sprout Social: Sprout Social documents both Employee Advocacy, for sharing approved content through staff, and Review Management, for aggregating and responding to reviews across sites.

These are workflow categories beyond core scheduling and listening that some organizations rely on for reach and reputation management.

Mobile apps

Hootsuite: Not documented for Hootsuite.

Sprout Social: Sprout Social documents native iOS and Android apps for monitoring and responding to messages away from a desktop.

Documented mobile apps confirm a team can manage engagement on the go without relying on a browser.

Top self-serve tier pricing

Hootsuite: Hootsuite Advanced plan is priced at $399 per user per month, billed annually, before Enterprise custom pricing.

Sprout Social: Sprout Social Advanced plan is also priced at $399 per seat per month, billed annually, before Enterprise custom pricing.

Both tools converge on the same top self-serve price point, so the real differentiator at that tier is which named features are unlocked, not the price itself.

Positioning against lightweight scheduling tools

Hootsuite: Hootsuite's documented con is notably higher per-user pricing than more focused competitors like Buffer.

Sprout Social: Sprout Social's documented cons include per-seat pricing that is high relative to lightweight scheduling tools.

Both tools acknowledge they cost more than simple scheduling-only products, signaling that neither is aimed at buyers who only need a calendar and queue.

Feature-by-Feature

Publishing and Scheduling

FeatureHootsuiteSprout Social
Content schedulingAvailableAvailable
Approval workflowsNot documentedAvailable

Engagement and Inbox

FeatureHootsuiteSprout Social
Unified messaging inboxAvailableAvailable
Message tagging and assignmentNot documentedAvailable

Social Listening

FeatureHootsuiteSprout Social
Brand mention monitoringAvailableAvailable
Competitor and industry trend trackingNot documentedAvailable

Analytics and Reporting

FeatureHootsuiteSprout Social
AI-powered analytics or insightsAvailableNot documented
Cross-network performance dashboardsNot documentedAvailable
Exportable stakeholder reportsNot documentedAvailable

AI Features

FeatureHootsuiteSprout Social
AI-generated post copy or reply suggestionsNot documentedAvailable
AI-assisted account insightsAvailableNot documented

Collaboration and Advocacy

FeatureHootsuiteSprout Social
Employee advocacyNot documentedAvailable
Review managementNot documentedAvailable

Access and Integrations

FeatureHootsuiteSprout Social
Public API accessNot documentedAvailable
Native mobile appsNot documentedAvailable

Pricing and Trial

FeatureHootsuiteSprout Social
Free trial without credit cardAvailableAvailable
Permanent free planNot documentedUnavailable
Custom Enterprise pricing tierAvailableAvailable

Pricing Compared

Starting price reflects the lowest paid tier, not the full cost for every team size or usage level.

Hootsuite

Standard — $99/user/month Annual (monthly option available)
Professional — $199/user/month Annual (monthly option available)
Advanced — $399/user/month Annual (monthly option available)
Enterprise — Custom pricing Annual invoicing

Sprout Social

Essentials — $79/seat/month annual ($99 monthly) monthly or annual
Standard — $199/seat/month annual
Professional — $299/seat/month annual
Advanced — $399/seat/month annual
Enterprise — Custom annual

Pros & Cons

Hootsuite

Pros

  • Extremely broad network coverage and long track record in the category
  • Strong social listening and brand monitoring after the Talkwalker acquisition
  • AI assistant included on every paid tier for content generation
  • Robust workflow and team collaboration tools for larger marketing teams
  • Deep third-party integration ecosystem built over more than a decade

Cons

  • No permanent free plan since March 2023, unlike several competitors
  • Starting price of 99 dollars per user per month is expensive for solo users and small teams
  • Jump from Standard to Professional (99 to 199 dollars) roughly doubles the cost for unlimited accounts
  • Enterprise pricing is not published and requires a sales conversation
  • Interface can feel dated or complex compared to newer, simpler competitors like Buffer

Sprout Social

Pros

  • Deep, exportable analytics and enterprise-grade reporting
  • Genuinely unified inbox across all major networks
  • Strong, responsive customer support
  • Scales well from small teams to large enterprises
  • Social listening add-on gives real competitive insight

Cons

  • Expensive compared to lighter competitors like Buffer
  • Most plans require annual prepayment
  • Best features (listening, API access, advanced automation) are locked behind top tiers or paid add-ons
  • Per-seat pricing gets costly fast for larger teams
  • Interface has a learning curve for teams new to the platform

Use Cases

Choose Hootsuite: Hootsuite is the better fit for teams that want a single platform covering scheduling, social listening, customer messaging, and AI-powered analytics without weighing a long list of granular add-ons, and that value a straightforward no-credit-card 14-day trial.
Choose Sprout Social: Sprout Social is the better fit for teams that need explicit, itemized capabilities such as approval workflows, sentiment analysis, employee advocacy, review management, or API access, and are willing to move up its Essentials through Advanced tiers to unlock them.
Need both: Agencies or larger marketing teams managing multiple brands might run both: Hootsuite for its broader out-of-the-box listening and messaging bundle on some accounts, and Sprout Social where a client specifically needs sentiment analysis, review management, or API-driven reporting.

Hootsuite

  • Multi-brand social scheduling — Marketing teams schedule and publish content across dozens of social accounts and brands from a single calendar.
  • Brand and competitor monitoring — Communications teams track brand mentions, sentiment and competitor activity across social platforms in real time.
  • Agency client management — Digital agencies manage social accounts and reporting for multiple clients from one Hootsuite workspace.

Sprout Social

  • Enterprise social customer care — Support teams use the unified inbox and approval workflows to manage high volumes of customer messages across networks with consistent response times.
  • Multi-brand agency management — Agencies use unlimited profiles, white-label reporting, and content tagging to manage many client accounts from one login.
  • Brand growth and competitive analysis — Marketing teams use social listening and competitor benchmarking to track sentiment, campaign performance, and share of voice.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Hootsuite or Sprout Social cheaper?

Sprout Social's entry-level Essentials plan starts lower, at $79 per seat per month, compared to Hootsuite's Standard plan at $99 per user per month, though both scale up to $399 per seat or user per month on their Advanced tiers before Enterprise custom pricing.

Does Hootsuite or Sprout Social offer a free trial?

Both offer a free trial with no credit card required: Hootsuite's trial runs 14 days, while Sprout Social's trial runs 30 days across its Standard, Professional, and Advanced tiers.

Which tool has more documented features, Hootsuite or Sprout Social?

Sprout Social's documentation lists more named features, including Smart Inbox, Employee Advocacy, Review Management, Sentiment Analysis, Sprout API, and Mobile Apps, while Hootsuite's documented feature set centers on social listening, customer messaging, and AI-powered analytics.

Does Hootsuite or Sprout Social have an API?

Sprout Social documents a Sprout API, available on its Advanced plan; Hootsuite's documentation does not confirm API access.

Is Sprout Social good for small businesses?

Sprout Social can work for small teams that need robust collaboration and reporting, but its per-seat pricing is generally higher than budget scheduling tools, so very small or solo operations may find it more platform than they need.

Which has sentiment analysis, Hootsuite or Sprout Social?

Sprout Social documents dedicated sentiment analysis as part of its Advanced plan; Hootsuite's documentation does not confirm a sentiment analysis feature.

Read the full Hootsuite review · Read the full Sprout Social review