Hootsuite vs. Sprout Social: Get ahead with the best social media tool
With nearly two decades as the industry leader, Hootsuite still reigns supreme as the best social media management tool. Lower prices, better publishing tools, and smarter analytics are a few of the reasons why social media managers consistently rank Hootsuite above Sprout.
Let’s compare the numbers.
Spoiler alert: There is no Hootsuite alternative. Here’s why.
More bang for your buck
Hootsuite is cheaper than Sprout Social, making it a smart choice for budget-savvy and fast-growing teams.
More customizable analytics
Strategize intelligently and prove the value of your efforts with customizable analytics right out of the box.
Post to multiple networks at once
With Hootsuite, you can post to multiple networks at once and customize posts for each network. You can’t do that with Sprout.
Deeper social listening
Unlike Sprout, every Hootsuite plan comes with social listening. And we have the broadest coverage on the market with 150+ million sources.
Feature | Hootsuite | Sprout Social |
|---|
General | ||
Price | Starts at $99 | Starts at $199 |
Total customers | 25 million | 30,000 |
Platforms |
|
|
Integrations | 100+ | 33 |
Scheduling and publishing | ||
Facebook ads | Yes | No |
Instagram ads | Yes | No |
LinkedIn ads | Yes | No |
X (Twitter) ads | Yes | No |
Instagram posts | Yes | Yes |
Instagram carousels | Yes | Yes |
Instagram Stories | Yes | Yes |
Instagram Reels | Yes | Yes |
Facebook posts | Yes | Yes |
Facebook group posts | Yes | Yes |
TikTok videos | Yes | Yes |
LinkedIn page posts | Yes | Yes |
LinkedIn personal profile posts | Yes | Yes |
Pinterest Pins | Yes | Yes |
Pinterest boards | Yes | Yes |
YouTube videos | Yes | Yes |
Meta Threads | Yes | Yes |
Google Business Profile Updates | Yes, with free integration | Yes |
Link shortener | Yes | with integration |
Analytics and reporting | ||
Recommended time to publish based on goal | Yes | No |
Paid and organic reporting | Yes | Yes |
Competitive benchmarking | Yes | Yes |
Customizable reports | Yes | Yes |
Report templates | Yes | Yes |
White-label reports | Yes | Yes |
Google Analytics integration | Yes* | Yes |
Adobe Analytics integration | Yes* | No |
Social ROI analysis | Yes* | No |
Content creation | ||
Canva | Yes | with integration |
Post templates | Yes | with integration |
AI hashtag generator | Yes | No |
AI caption writer | Yes | Yes |
AI caption enhancements (including fix spelling and grammar, optimize length, adjust tone, and inspire engagement) | Yes | Adjust tone only |
Photo editor | Yes | Yes |
Content suggestions for reposting/content curation | Yes | Yes |
Automated link tracking | Yes | Yes |
Social listening | ||
Social listening | Yes, all plans | Enterprise only |
Search mentions, keywords, hashtags, and topics | Yes, all plans | Enterprise only |
Sentiment analysis | Yes, all plans | Enterprise only |
Expanded data coverage | 130+ million sources, 30+ social media channels | Limited |
Detect mentions and logos in images, videos, and gifs with Blue Silk AI™ | Yes | No |
Blue Silk AI™ alerts | Yes | No |
Blue Silk AI™ summaries and reports | Yes | No |
Blue Silk AI™ peak detection | Yes | No |
Blue Silk AI™ trend forecasting | Yes | No |
Conversation clusters | Yes | No |
Advertising | ||
Ad campaign management | Yes | No |
Facebook ads | Yes | No |
Instagram ads | Yes | No |
LinkedIn ads | Yes | No |
X (Twitter ads) | Yes | No |
Boost LinkedIn posts | Yes | No |
Split testing | Yes | No |
Boost Instagram posts | Yes | Yes |
Boost Facebook posts | Yes | Yes |
Employee advocacy | ||
Employee advocacy | Yes* | Yes |
Messaging and customer service | ||
Connect WhatsApp account | Yes | No |
Mute contacts | Yes | No |
Agent chat | Yes | No |
Auto-remove assignments on log out | Yes | No |
Generative AI chatbot | Yes* | No |
Agent availability | Yes | Yes |
Unified inbox for all comments and DMs | Yes | Yes |
Message prioritization | Yes | Yes |
Saved and suggested replies | Yes | Yes |
Business hours | Yes | Yes |
Message tags and topics | Yes | Yes |
Auto-resolve conversations | Yes | Yes |
Auto-responder | Yes | Yes |
Team performance metrics | Yes | Yes |
Salesforce integration | Yes* | Yes |
Collaboration | ||
Wrike integration | Yes | No |
Asana integration | Yes | No |
Monday.com integration | Yes | No |
Roles and permissions | Yes | Yes |
Assign posts to team members | Yes | Yes |
Approval workflows | Yes | Yes |
Give feedback on drafts | Yes | Yes |
Export content calendar for stakeholders | Yes | Yes |
Shopping | ||
Social commerce integrations | 3 | 3 |
Shoppable Instagram posts | Yes | Yes |
Artificial intelligence (AI) | ||
AI caption writer | Yes | Yes |
AI copywriting integrations | Yes | Yes |
AI hashtag generator | Yes | No |
Chatbot support | Yes* | Twitter and Facebook only |
Creator tools | ||
Track influencer trends | Yes | Yes |
One centralized inbox to communicate with influencers across platforms | Yes | Yes |
Manage Twitter lists | Yes | Yes |
Content curation and user-generated content (UGC) | ||
Collect the best customer content from social media and clear the rights | Yes* | No |
Streams to follow and reshare relevant content | Yes | Yes |
Compliance | ||
Option to add publishing security with Proofpoint | Yes | No |
FedRAMP certified | Yes | No |
Multi-factor authentication | Yes | Yes |
Single sign-on | Yes* | Yes |
Access permission | Yes | Yes |
Global publishing pause | Yes | Yes |
Safeguards to prevent accidental publishing | Yes | Yes |
Strategy guidance | ||
In-app Social Score to help you improve in real-time | Yes | No |
Exclusive live social media coaching sessions | Yes | No |
Webinars | Yes | Yes |
Platform certification training | Yes | Yes |
*Enterprise plan only
Last updated April 14, 2025
We beat Sprout in social media suites and analytics on G2
Take it from real social media managers, who consistently rate Hootsuite number one in social media suites and analytics software.
What we do better
If you’re in the market for a Sprout Social alternative that gives you more but costs less, you’ll love Hootsuite.
Grow your brand faster with better performance tracking
Build customized analytics reports right out of the box. No need to pay for advanced analytics add-ons to get the information you need. Plus, Hootsuite will tell you the exact best time to publish content based on the goal you set — extend reach, build awareness, increase engagement, or drive traffic. Sprout’s timing recommendations are more generic and not as likely to help you succeed.
Boost engagement with world-class publishing tools
Hootsuite comes with a ton of easy-to-use content creation and publishing tools that you won’t find elsewhere. Write engaging captions in seconds the best AI writer, create attractive posts fast with Canva templates, and boost your chances of going viral with an automated hashtag generator.
Stay on top of trends with superior social listening
Instantly analyze millions of real-time conversations about your brand online. With Hootsuite, you get a year’s worth of search data, alerts that notify you when people are talking about your brand, and unlimited quick searches. With Sprout, there’s no quick search feature. You have to save individual searches, which costs you money every time.
Get more out of your ad spend with better paid ad tracking
Hootsuite out-ranks Sprout when it comes to paid campaign tracking, optimization, and planning. Every Hootsuite plan includes social ads campaign management, meaning you can plan, publish, and optimize your ad campaigns across social media right alongside your organic content from within the Hootsuite dashboard. Sprout does not allow you to schedule or publish paid ads.
Take it from real users: you've already found the best social media management software.
Why sprout when you can blossom?
See for yourself why Hootsuite is still the best social media management tool. No strings attached.