Sprout Social's competitors are gaining ground because of one simple factor - the price shock. The platform's starting cost of $249 monthly can drain your marketing budget quickly. Each team member costs an extra $249 to $499 on top of that.

Sprout Social delivers powerful social media management tools, but its prices run 200% higher than many other options available today. Instagram boasts over 1.3 billion users and 80% of marketers use it in their strategies. Yet managing your social accounts shouldn't empty your wallet. Several platforms offer features like Sprout Social at much lower prices. Planable gives you 50 scheduled posts for free, while Buffer starts at just $6 monthly. These affordable options help you manage social media without straining your budget.

Our hands-on testing and user feedback led us to analyze 9 alternatives to Sprout Social. You'll find tools like Zoho Social starting at $15 monthly, SocialPilot at $30 monthly, and Hootsuite at $99 monthly - all substantially cheaper than Sprout's base price. Let's look at these alternatives to match your needs and budget perfectly.

SurveySparrow

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SurveySparrow sets itself apart from other social media tools by blending traditional monitoring with built-in survey features. Most competitors like Sprout Social stick to scheduling and analytics, but SurveySparrow builds a complete feedback system that combines passive listening with direct customer questions.

SurveySparrow Key Features

The platform's monitoring dashboard works like a radar for your brand and tracks mentions on different platforms instantly. You'll find reviews from over 100 platforms in one place, so you won't miss what customers are saying. Here are the standout features:

• AI-powered sentiment analysis that spots subtle tones, sarcasm, and reads emojis accurately
• Conversational surveys that get 40% more responses than regular surveys
• Threshold alerts that tell you when metrics hit specific values
• Spike indicators that flag unusual patterns to catch viral moments or potential issues early
• Omnichannel feedback collection through email, social media, QR codes, and embedded options

SurveySparrow Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Chat-style interface makes customer interactions feel natural
• Strong workflow options based on customer responses
• White-label options to match your brand
• Ticket system that sends critical feedback to the right team members
• SSL encryption and password protection keep data safe

Cons:

• Takes time to set up with existing systems
• Platform limits data coding to one tag field
• Custom reports aren't easy to create
• Team usage gets expensive with per-user pricing
• Only 5 social profiles allowed in standard plan

SurveySparrow Pricing

The platform comes with several pricing options:

You can try the Forever Free plan with limited features before you commit to a paid subscription.

SurveySparrow Best For

This tool shines for organizations that need both social media monitoring and direct customer feedback. It's a great fit for:

• Businesses that want conversational reviews and automation
• Companies needing solutions to understand customer sentiment
• Organizations looking to mix social listening with surveys
• Teams that improve customer experience through feedback
• Businesses using ticket systems to close feedback loops

SurveySparrow vs Sprout Social

SurveySparrow's edge over Sprout Social comes from how smoothly it combines monitoring and surveys. Sprout Social connects to major review sites like Google My Business and TripAdvisor, but SurveySparrow creates a more detailed feedback system.

The platform lets you launch targeted surveys right after spotting trends through social listening. You can dig deeper into specific issues instead of just watching conversations.

Starting at USD 19.00/month, SurveySparrow costs much less than Sprout Social. This makes it a budget-friendly choice for businesses that focus on gathering and analyzing customer feedback.

Planable

Planable stands out as a visual collaboration platform that lets social media teams create, review, and schedule content in one accessible workspace. I've tested dozens of social media tools and found Planable to be the quickest way to handle approval processes—something agencies and marketing teams need badly.

Planable Key Features

We focused on testing how Planable simplifies content collaboration rather than analytics. The platform's best features include:

• Visual mockups that show exactly how posts will look on each platform
• Multi-level approval workflows with up to 4 layers for enterprise accounts
• Multiple viewing options including feed, calendar, grid, and list views
• Universal content capability to manage blogs, newsletters, and other content types beyond social posts
• Media storage ranging from 10GB (Basic) to unlimited (Enterprise)
• Mobile app to create, edit, and approve content on the go

Planable's strength lies in its visual collaboration approach. You see posts exactly as they'll appear on social platforms, which helps spot design issues right away.

Planable Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Simple interface that takes about an hour to learn
• Feedback appears instantly on posts
• Even non-tech-savvy clients can use it easily
• Teams save about 33% of their weekly collaboration time
• Works with Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, Pinterest, and Google Business Profile

Cons:

• Analytics come as an add-on only
• No social inbox to manage conversations
• Lower-priced plans don't include white-label features
• Free plan stops at 50 total posts (lifetime, not monthly)
• Basic plan limits Twitter posts (1 tweet/page/day)

Planable Pricing

The platform bases its pricing on workspaces instead of users:

Small businesses can get a 60% discount through their Start Program. Yearly billing saves you two months of costs.

Planable Best For

My experience and client feedback show Planable works great for:

• Agencies managing multiple clients who need approval systems
• Marketing teams that want structured content review processes
• Brands with visual-heavy social strategies who love the grid view
• Teams managing multiple social platforms who need unified workflow
• Organizations with strict compliance requirements who want multi-level approvals

The platform makes content approval—usually the biggest time drain in social media management—much simpler.

Planable vs Sprout Social

Sprout Social gives you detailed analytics and a unified social inbox. Planable zeroes in on content planning and approval workflows. Sprout Social's entry-level plan costs $249/month, while Planable starts at just $39/month.

These tools serve different needs. Sprout Social tries to do it all, while Planable masters collaboration. You might prefer Sprout Social if you need in-depth analytics, social listening, and customer care tools. But Planable offers better value when you want to create, review, and schedule content efficiently.

Planable's workspace setup makes sense for agencies since it keeps client work separate. The platform's client-friendly interface speeds up approvals—something every agency loves!

Hootsuite

Hootsuite stands as one of the oldest social media management platforms. With over 17 years of experience and more than 25 million users worldwide, it has grown into a complete solution. Users trust this Sprout Social alternative for its resilient features and fair pricing, offering powerful tools that fit your marketing budget.

Hootsuite Key Features

The Hootsuite dashboard serves as a command center for your social media operations. After running several client campaigns on the platform, here are the features I found most valuable:

• OwlyWriter AI that generates captions, content ideas, and hashtags to overcome creative blocks
• Unified social calendar with drag-and-drop functionality to plan content easily
• Blue Silk AI™ that simplifies complex data and spots brand mentions in photos, videos, and GIFs
• Bulk scheduling lets you upload up to 350 posts at once via CSV
• Customizable analytics with industry measures to track your performance against competitors
• Wide range of integrations with over 100 tools including Salesforce, Mailchimp, Slack, and Microsoft Teams

The platform's best time to post recommendations have become my go-to feature. It analyzes your audience data to schedule posts when engagement peaks.

Hootsuite Pros and Cons

Pros:

• User-friendly dashboard manages multiple networks from one screen
• Economical plans start at half Sprout Social's price
• Quick scheduling tools with bulk upload options
• Clear visual reports with detailed analytics
• Large app directory offers free and premium integrations
• Effective listening tools track trends and brand mentions

Cons:

• Multiple streams can make the interface feel busy
• Support only available during Eastern time zone business hours
• Advanced features need time to master
• Peak times can bring technical issues
• Premium features come at a steep price

Hootsuite Pricing

Hootsuite gives you better value than Sprout Social while delivering solid features:

You can try all scheduling, analytics, messaging, and social listening features free for 30 days.

Hootsuite Best For

My experience implementing Hootsuite for different clients shows it works best for:

• Industry trend monitoring - Track conversations and find shareable content easily
• Team collaboration - Assign tasks, approve content, and track team performance
• Educational institutions and talent recruitment - Social media influenced 75% of students' enrollment decisions in 2015
• Multi-channel publishers who need one dashboard for different platforms
• Businesses wanting affordable analytics with competitive tracking

The platform excels when organizations need to handle multiple social networks without buying separate tools for each one.

Hootsuite vs Sprout Social

Hootsuite beats Sprout Social in several ways, making it a top competitor. The pricing is a big deal as it means that plans start at half of Sprout Social's basic package. Hootsuite's content creation tools pack more punch with AI caption writing and hashtag generation - features Sprout Social doesn't offer.

Data lovers will appreciate Hootsuite's flexible reporting options. You can compare custom time frames and create white-labeled reports. On top of that, it connects with three times more tools than Sprout Social, making it easier to fit into your existing workflow.

While Sprout Social aims to be an all-in-one premium solution, Hootsuite gives you similar features with more flexibility at a much lower cost.

Agorapulse

Agorapulse has grown faster to become a favorite sprout social alternative among 31,000+ marketers worldwide. The company employs over 150 professionals across the globe. Their Paris-based platform stands out by combining powerful features with reasonable pricing.

Agorapulse Key Features

My experience with Agorapulse in various client accounts shows its simplified approach works well. The platform shines with:

• Social inbox separates engagement by profile and lets you reply directly while creating saved responses
• AI writing assistant offers seven tone options to perfect your social copy
• Social ROI tracking connects to Google Analytics and measures traffic, conversions, and revenue
• Content calendar shows a month's view on one screen with network icons and post snippets
• Publishing tools include first comments for Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn posts

The platform's clean interface saves time consistently. User testimonials suggest teams save about 70% of their time by managing all interactions in one unified inbox.

Agorapulse Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Accessible interface without clutter
• Better customer support (rated 9.2 compared to Sprout Social's 8.7)
• Simple profile integration alerts you about token expiration
• Complete reporting covers audience growth and community management
• Clear pricing without hidden fees

Cons:

• Standard plan restricts first comment scheduling
• Higher-tier plans gate content library access
• Pinterest integration isn't available
• Lower plans have limited social listening features
• Agency features need substantial investment

Agorapulse Pricing

You can add extra profiles for $10/month with annual billing.

Agorapulse Best For

My client implementations show Agorapulse works best for:

• Marketing agencies managing multiple client profiles
• Companies requiring approval workflows for compliance
• Teams focused on ROI measurement from social activities
• Businesses needing simplified publishing processes
• Organizations valuing responsive customer support

A client shared: "Posting content for 21 different communities has been easier, thanks to Agorapulse's excellent user-friendliness".

Agorapulse vs Sprout Social

Verified customer reviews show Agorapulse leads Sprout Social in almost every metric. You get the same core features at 68% less cost—Agorapulse's Professional plan costs $119/month while Sprout Social starts at $249/month.

Agorapulse's design avoids the complexity that users often report with Sprout Social. Their ROI tracking gives marketers better insights into social media's business effects.

A customer noted: "Agorapulse felt more interested in the outcome and productivity of our agency versus at Sprout, we were treated like just another person in line".

Statusbrew

Statusbrew brings a fresh take on social media management with powerful collaboration tools and automation that make your workflow efficient. My teams have saved 30% of their time on publishing tasks and cut social DM response times by 60% while managing client campaigns.

Statusbrew Key Features

Statusbrew pairs robust publishing with exceptional engagement tools:

• Unified social inbox that unites all organic and paid social media interactions in one place
• Moderation rules that automatically handle spam, trolls, and offensive content before they harm your reputation
• Team collaboration tools that give each member access to specific profiles and features
• AI assistance for generating captions, hashtags, and content ideas right from the composer
• Social listening tools to track conversations about your brand and industry

The platform's engagement tools excel by letting you "auto-route messages with buying intent & customer complaints to the right team". This ensures your team never misses critical communications.

Statusbrew Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Reliable scheduling with minimal technical issues
• Strong analytics with complete insights
• One dashboard supports many social channels
• Custom workflows with role-based access controls
• Single inbox manages reviews from hundreds of locations

Cons:

• New users might find the interface challenging
• Costs more than simple social media tools
• Higher-tier plans lock some advanced features

Statusbrew Pricing

The team provides onboarding and training support for everyone.

Statusbrew Best For

My experience shows Statusbrew shines for:

• Marketing agencies that manage multiple clients under different groups
• Teams that need structured approval workflows
• Businesses looking to improve community management
• Organizations that moderate comments at scale
• Companies combining social media and reputation management

Statusbrew vs Sprout Social

Statusbrew matches Sprout Social's features but costs substantially less. Users rate Statusbrew higher than Sprout Social in setup ease (9.7 vs 8.7), follower analysis (9.8 vs 7.9), and support quality (9.6 vs 8.7).

The price difference speaks volumes. Statusbrew's Premium plan with 8 users costs $229/month, while Sprout Social's entry-level price plus extra users costs much more. Users praise Statusbrew's campaign optimization (9.6 vs 8.2) and social analytics (9.7 vs 8.7). This makes it a strong alternative for teams watching their budget.

Zoho Social

Zoho Social stands out as a budget-friendly sprout social alternative that helps businesses manage their social media without breaking the bank. My experience testing this platform with multiple client accounts shows its value for small to midsize businesses through its affordability and easy-to-use interface.

Zoho Social Key Features

The platform excels with these capabilities:

• Publishing Calendar shows scheduled posts clearly with drag-and-drop rescheduling
• SmartQ algorithm studies engagement patterns to suggest the best posting times
• Monitor Dashboard lets you customize listening columns to track brand mentions
• Collaborate Dashboard enables team discussions, content approval, and task assignments
• Reports show audience demographics, engagement metrics, and ROI

Zoho Social's integration with Zoho CRM is a significant advantage that turns social interactions into qualified leads.

Zoho Social Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Affordable pricing starts at USD 10.00/month (billed annually)
• Clean, easy-to-use interface needs minimal training
• Strong team cooperation tools with custom roles and permissions
• Direct Instagram publishing
• Scheduled posts can pause/resume during brand crises

Cons:

• Social listening features lag behind premium alternatives
• Simple analytics might not meet larger organizations' needs
• Publishing workflows lack layered approval system
• Managing multiple brands has limitations

Zoho Social Pricing

New users can start with a forever free plan that includes simple features.

Zoho Social Best For

My client implementations show Zoho Social works best for:

• Individual marketers who manage multiple social profiles
• Small businesses that need affordable social media tools
• Teams looking for simple cooperation workflows
• Organizations using other Zoho products
• Companies that want social CRM integration

Zoho Social vs Sprout Social

The cost difference tells the story—Zoho Social's standard plan costs USD 10.00/month while Sprout Social charges USD 249.00/month. Zoho Social offers a simpler interface that team members can use without special training, regardless of their skill level.

Zoho Social saves 93.98% in costs compared to Sprout Social while keeping essential features like scheduling, monitoring, and reporting. A client summed it up perfectly: "Zoho Social gives us everything we need without the enterprise-level price tag."

SocialPilot

My extensive testing of social media management platforms shows that SocialPilot provides exceptional value. It performs better than Hootsuite and Buffer in features and price. This sprout social alternative has earned a 4.5 rating on G2 for its accessible interface. The platform serves 13K+ customers in a variety of industries and handles 10M+ posts monthly.

SocialPilot Key Features

SocialPilot stands out with content management tools that make your workflow smoother:

• Bulk Scheduling lets you upload 500+ posts at once through CSV
• AI Pilot creates engaging captions and hashtags to boost engagement
• Content Calendar gives you detailed planning views by day, week, and month
• Social Inbox unites all channel interactions for quick responses
• White-Label Solutions helps agencies create branded reports and interfaces

The platform's Automated Post Scheduler impresses me with its timing optimization. You can also tailor content specifically for each social network.

SocialPilot Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Budget-friendly options compared to competitors
• Top-notch customer service when you need help
• Accessible interface that needs minimal training
• Strong analytics with client-ready reporting
• New features added weekly through platform updates

Cons:

• Queue failure notifications missing
• Video upload options need improvement
• Some metrics show inconsistent reporting
• Twitter thread scheduling unavailable

SocialPilot Pricing

The platform also offers a free "Starter" plan to test its features with one brand.

SocialPilot Best For

My experience with many clients shows SocialPilot works best for:

• Small businesses looking for affordable social media tools
• Marketing agencies with multiple client accounts
• Teams that need optimized approval processes
• Organizations requiring detailed analytics reports
• Businesses switching from expensive platforms

SocialPilot vs Sprout Social

SocialPilot delivers similar features to Sprout Social at a much lower price point. Sprout Social's basic plan costs $249, while SocialPilot starts at just $30. SocialPilot scores higher than Sprout Social in setup ease (9.1 vs 8.7) and support quality (8.9 vs 8.7).

"I've used Hootsuite and SocialChamp and they don't come close to touching SocialPilot". Many users share this view, praising its mix of affordability and capability.

CoSchedule

CoSchedule stands out among sprout social alternatives with its content planning and marketing workflow focus rather than pure social media management. My experience with client projects shows how effectively it combines content calendar features and social publishing in a single dashboard.

CoSchedule Key Features

The platform excels with these capabilities:

• Social Calendar that helps you create, schedule, publish, and measure social media content in one view
• AI Social Assistant that generates ideas and writes social messages automatically
• ReQueue feature that automates recurring social promotions by republishing your best content
• Marketing Campaigns for grouping related projects together in a focused timeline
• Kanban Board for visualizing projects through each stage of the creative process

The platform's live calendar visualization lets you see how content rescheduling affects your entire marketing plan.

CoSchedule Pros and Cons

Pros:

• One central hub for marketing activities and social sharing
• Simple drag-and-drop content planning
• Role-based team permissions to customize access
• WordPress integration for quick blog publishing
• Social templates that save time and ensure consistent promotion

Cons:

• Simple social media needs might find the interface overwhelming
• Social analytics lag behind dedicated platforms
• Higher-tier plans lock advanced features
• Some plans don't support bulk uploads
• Users need time to master all features

CoSchedule Pricing

Users can add extra social profiles at $5/month (Twitter/X profiles have separate billing).

CoSchedule Best For

My experience implementing CoSchedule across different clients shows it excels for:

• Content-heavy businesses that manage blogs and social media together
• Marketing teams needing structured approval processes
• Organizations planning content months ahead
• Teams wanting a bird's eye view of their marketing strategy
• WordPress-based businesses

CoSchedule vs Sprout Social

CoSchedule outshines Sprout Social by acting as a "complete marketing team on your computer". Teams double their output without adding staff, thanks to its complete planning features.

The price difference makes a strong case - CoSchedule's Social Calendar begins at $19/user monthly, while Sprout Social starts much higher. Users give CoSchedule better ratings for task management and workflow features compared to Sprout Social.

Tailwind

Tailwind stands out from other sprout social alternatives with its social-first approach to platforms like Pinterest and Instagram. My experience with client campaigns shows these specialized features work best for businesses that rely heavily on visual content.

Tailwind Key Features

Here's what makes Tailwind special for visual platforms:

• SmartSchedule analyzes engagement patterns to find the best posting times
• Content Ghostwriter creates customized marketing copy that fits your brand voice
• Tailwind Create turns your photos into professional designs quickly
• Communities (formerly Tribes) connects you with similar content creators to magnify reach
• Smart.bio creates branded landing pages from Instagram bios

The hashtag finder impressed me the most. It quickly found the right mix of popular and niche hashtags for my client's posts. This is a big deal as it means that their reach grew without much effort.

Tailwind Pros and Cons

Pros:

• User-friendly interface that needs minimal training
• Strong design tools for platform-specific visual content
• Communities feature expands content reach substantially
• AI-powered content creation saves hours of work
• Schedule to Instagram without push notifications

Cons:

• Works only with Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook (no Twitter or LinkedIn)
• Simple analytics compared to other alternatives
• Lacks social listening features
• No inbox to manage conversations
• Free plan limits you to 5 posts monthly

Tailwind Pricing

Tailwind Best For

My client work shows Tailwind shines for:

• Businesses that live and breathe Pinterest and Instagram marketing
• E-commerce brands that need to showcase products visually
• Content creators looking to expand reach through Communities
• Small teams that need time-saving AI design tools
• Marketers who put visual content ahead of complex analytics

Tailwind vs Sprout Social

Tailwind takes a different path from Sprout Social by focusing on visual content creation instead of complete social management. Sprout Social owns 9.97% of the social media management market, while Tailwind has 3.84% but serves a specific audience.

The price difference tells a story - Tailwind's Pro plan costs $14.99/month compared to Sprout Social's higher starting price. Tailwind may have fewer customers (5,783 vs Sprout's 15,029), but it offers better value for businesses that prioritize visual platforms.

Comparison Table

Complete Comparison of Sprout Social Alternatives

Conclusion

Finding Your Perfect Sprout Social Alternative

My extensive testing of these nine alternatives with clients shows how they can slash social media management costs while matching Sprout Social's capabilities. Most businesses can't justify Sprout Social's $249 starting price when platforms like Zoho Social cost just $10 monthly and Tailwind $14.99.

Each alternative platform excels in different ways. Teams save about 33% of their time with Planable's visual collaboration features. Agorapulse stands out for ROI tracking, and Hootsuite brings powerful analytics with detailed integrations to the table.

Zoho Social and Tailwind make great choices for teams watching their budget. These platforms pack impressive features despite lower costs. SocialPilot works well for agencies managing multiple clients, thanks to its straightforward pricing and agency-focused tools.

SurveySparrow's social listening tool can help you learn about your audience's priorities and challenges before you make your choice. This knowledge helps match a platform's strengths to your needs.

The best platform depends on what matters most to your business, not what others are using. You'll find an alternative that meets your needs at a fraction of Sprout Social's cost, whether you need strong visual tools, team features, or in-depth analytics. These powerful options deliver similar results without draining your marketing budget.