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Updated 13 Nov 2026 · prices read on vendor pages

13 best Sprout Social alternatives in 2027

Mehmet ElmicenniReviewed by Mehmet Elmicenni, founder of Zekai•Prices checked •How we check

The short answer

The best Sprout Social alternatives in 2027 are Hootsuite (best overall, $99/user/mo), Buffer (best free plan) and Postiz (best open source, AGPL-3.0). Sprout Social itself starts at $79/seat/mo billed yearly. Zekai checked these prices on vendor pages on 10 Nov 2026; 10 more are compared below, including 1 with a free plan and 4 open source.

Open the Zekai Cost Finder Get price alerts
Best overallSee in table →
Hootsuite logo

Hootsuite

$99/user/mo

8.8
Best free planSee in table →
Buffer logo

Buffer

$5/channel/mo · free plan

9.3
Best open sourceSee in table →
Postiz logo

Postiz

Free to self-host · AGPL-3.0

7.9
13alternatives compared
2with a free plan
5open source
$5/channel/mocheapest paid · Buffer
$79/seat/mo billed yearlySprout Social starts at
01 · Zekai Price Ledger

Which Sprout Social alternatives are worth it in 2027?

The strongest Sprout Social alternatives in 2027 are Hootsuite for unlimited accounts at higher tiers, Agorapulse for inbox work, Buffer and SocialPilot for lower cost, and Postiz or Mixpost for self-hosting. All schedule and analyse social posts, so differences lie in pricing unit and limits.

ToolTypeStarting priceFree plan limitBest forCost for your teamChecked
Sprout Social logo
Sprout SocialThe tool you are replacing
 You are here
$79/seat/mo billed yearlyEssentials, billed yearly ($99 per seat billed monthly)
 No free plan Teams needing social analytics and inbox — 10 Nov 2026 Pricing ↗
Hootsuite logo
Hootsuite Zekai score 8.8Best overall
$99/user/moStandard, starting rate quoted on FAQ (billing basis not stated)
 No free plan Teams wanting unlimited accounts at higher tiers — 10 Nov 2026 Pricing ↗
Buffer logo
Buffer Zekai score 9.3Best free plan
 Free plan + paid
$5/channel/moEssentials, monthly, per channel
 Up to 3 channels, 10 scheduled posts per channel, 1 user Small brands starting without budget — 10 Nov 2026 Pricing ↗
SocialPilot Not yet reviewed by ZekaiCheapest paid
$20/moEssentials, monthly (5 accounts, 1 user)
 No free plan Agencies wanting low cost per account — 10 Nov 2026 Pricing ↗
Agorapulse logo
Agorapulse Zekai score 7.8
$79/user/mo billed yearlyStandard, yearly (page lists $99 and $79 without labelling which is monthly)
 No free plan Teams prioritising inbox and review handling — 10 Nov 2026 Pricing ↗
Later logo
Later Zekai score 8.8
$18.75/mo billed yearlyStarter, billed yearly (monthly price not shown)
 No free plan Visual content calendars for Instagram and TikTok — 10 Nov 2026 Pricing ↗
Publer logo
Publer Zekai score 7.9
 Free
Free plan; paid price not published
 3 social accounts (not X), 10 scheduled posts per account, 25 drafts Freelancers needing a free scheduling tier $0 10 Nov 2026 Pricing ↗
ContentStudio logo
ContentStudio Zekai score 8.8
$19/mo billed yearlyStandard, billed yearly ($29 monthly)
 No free plan Agencies running many client workspaces — 10 Nov 2026 Pricing ↗
FeedHive logo
FeedHive Zekai score 7.2
$15/mo billed yearlyCreator, billed yearly
 No free plan Creators who want AI-assisted drafting — 10 Nov 2026 Pricing ↗
Postiz logo
Postiz Zekai score 7.9Best open source
 Open source
$29/mo (hosted)Hosted Standard, monthly (5 channels)
 No limit, self-hosted (AGPL-3.0) Self-hosted scheduling with agent integrations — 10 Nov 2026 Pricing ↗
Mixpost logo
Mixpost Zekai score 6.3
 Open source
$299 one-time (hosted)Pro licence, one-time, 1 domain, 1 year of updates
 No limit, self-hosted (MIT (Lite edition)) Self-hosted Laravel publishing app $0 10 Nov 2026 Pricing ↗
TryPost logo
TryPost Zekai score 7.0
 Open source
Free (self-hosted)
 No limit, self-hosted (AGPL-3.0) Self-hosted scheduler driven by AI agents $0 14 Nov 2026 Code ↗
OpenPost logo
OpenPost Zekai score 7.3
 Open source
Free (self-hosted)
 No limit, self-hosted (AGPL-3.0) Scheduling plus image and video editing $0 14 Nov 2026 Code ↗
Socioboard logo
Socioboard Zekai score 6.0
 Open source
Free (self-hosted)
 No limit, self-hosted (GPL-3.0-or-later) Older open GPL multi-network social platform $0 14 Nov 2026 Code ↗

Every price was read on the vendor's own pricing page on the date shown. The Cost Finder assumes one entry plan per person, so it multiplies by your team size; yearly prices are shown per month, and team or business plans can cost more per seat. "Not checked" means we could not confirm a public price.

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02 · Free plan

Is there a free version of Sprout Social?

Sprout Social has no free plan. Its pricing page offers a 30-day free trial with no credit card required, then paid seats from $79 per month billed yearly on Essentials. Trellis, its AI assistant, includes 100 credits per seat on all plans.

Source: Sprout Social pricing page, read 10 Nov 2026.

FreeNone

No free plan on the pricing page

Paid from$79/seat/mo billed yearly

Essentials, billed yearly ($99 per seat billed monthly)

03 · Free alternatives

What are the best free Sprout Social alternatives?

Buffer offers the most useful free plan among Sprout Social alternatives: up to 3 channels, 10 scheduled posts per channel and 1 user. Publer's free plan allows 3 accounts with 10 scheduled posts each but excludes X. Sprout Social itself provides only a 30-day free trial.

Buffer logo

Buffer

Best free planFree plan + paid
Up to 3 channels, 10 scheduled posts per channel, 1 user
Paid from $5/channel/mo
vs Sprout Social →Zekai review
Publer logo

Publer

Free
3 social accounts (not X), 10 scheduled posts per account, 25 drafts
vs Sprout Social →Zekai review
04 · Open source

What are the best open-source Sprout Social alternatives?

Open-source Sprout Social alternatives are Postiz (AGPL-3.0), Mixpost (MIT Lite edition, paid Pro), TryPost (AGPL-3.0), OpenPost (AGPL-3.0) and Socioboard (GPL-3.0). They cover scheduling and analytics, but you host them, connect each network yourself, and give up Sprout's listening and customer-care suite.

Postiz logo

Postiz

AGPL-3.0★ 41.5k GitHub stars · 13 Nov 2026
To self-host: Deploy with Docker, Coolify, Railway or any VPS; needs Postgres, Redis, media storage and environment variables, plus developer keys for each social network you connect.
Commercial use
Yes; AGPL-3.0 means sharing changes if you run it as a service.
Runs on
Docker host with Postgres, Redis and media storage.
Setup
Moderate · Docker plus a developer app and keys for each network.
Last commit
13 Nov 2026
Last release 13 Nov 2026
Zekai open-source pageSource code ↗Managed hosting slot
Mixpost logo

Mixpost

MIT (Lite edition)★ 3.9k GitHub stars · 13 Nov 2026
To self-host: Laravel/PHP application you install with Docker, manually, or inside an existing Laravel app; it needs a public domain so networks can reach it. Pro costs $299 one-time per domain.
Commercial use
Yes for Lite (MIT); Pro and Enterprise need paid licences.
Runs on
A PHP or Docker server with a public domain.
Setup
Moderate · Docker, manual PHP or Laravel install; networks need their own app keys.
Last commit
16 Mar 2026
Last release 16 Mar 2026
Zekai open-source pageSource code ↗Managed hosting slot
TryPost logo

TryPost

AGPL-3.0★ 860 GitHub stars · 13 Nov 2026
To self-host: Laravel application (PHP 8.2 or newer) you run on your own servers; the self-hosted version has every feature of the cloud product, with setup steps in its documentation.
Commercial use
Yes; AGPL-3.0 means sharing changes if you run it as a service.
Runs on
A web server running PHP 8.2 or newer with Laravel 13.
Setup
Moderate · Laravel application; follow its documentation to set up and connect networks.
Last commit
13 Nov 2026
Last release 1 Nov 2026
Zekai open-source pageSource code ↗Managed hosting slot
OpenPost logo

OpenPost

AGPL-3.0★ 907 GitHub stars · 13 Nov 2026
To self-host: Run it with Docker Compose in one container using SQLite and local media storage; some networks need provider app approval or publicly reachable media URLs before posting works.
Commercial use
Yes; AGPL-3.0 means sharing changes if you run it as a service.
Runs on
Docker Compose; the default setup is one container with SQLite.
Setup
Moderate · One container, but each network needs its own app credentials.
Last commit
13 Nov 2026
Last release 13 Nov 2026
Zekai open-source pageSource code ↗Managed hosting slot
Socioboard logo

Socioboard

GPL-3.0-or-later★ 1.5k GitHub stars · 13 Nov 2026
To self-host: Node.js microservices behind a PHP front end, with MongoDB and MySQL databases and PM2; the repository ships a separate installation guide and the licence header dates from 2014-2021.
Commercial use
Yes; GPL-3.0 means sharing source if you distribute modified versions.
Runs on
Server with Node.js 14+, PHP front end, MongoDB, MySQL and PM2.
Setup
Hard · Several Node microservices plus PHP, MongoDB and MySQL, per its install guide.
Last commit
17 Aug 2026
Last release 16 Jan 2024
Zekai open-source pageSource code ↗Managed hosting slot
05 · Side by side

How does Sprout Social compare with each alternative?

Sprout Social costs $79 per seat per month billed yearly on Essentials, or $99 billed monthly. Hootsuite starts at $99 per user, Agorapulse lists $79 per user billed yearly, Buffer charges $5 per channel and SocialPilot starts at $20 monthly. Each row below gives one concrete difference.

01
Hootsuite logo

Sprout Social vs Hootsuite

Best overall$99/user/mo · checked 10 Nov 20268.8
The differenceStandard starts at $99 per user with 10 accounts and a 14-day trial; Professional and Advanced list unlimited social accounts, and an AI assistant called Wisdom sits in every plan.
Switch to Hootsuite ifyou want unlimited accounts at the Professional tier and one AI assistant across all plans
Stay with Sprout Social ifyou prefer Sprout's 30-day no-card trial and its seat-based Essentials plan at $79 billed yearly
Pros
  • 14-day free trial available without entering a credit card
  • Connects with over 100 third-party integrations
Cons
  • Bulk scheduling is not supported during the 14-day trial
  • Trial accounts face daily posting caps of 10 to 20 posts

Pros and cons from the Zekai review of Hootsuite · Verdict: All-in-one social suite

Visit HootsuiteRead the Zekai reviewPrice alert
02
Buffer logo

Sprout Social vs Buffer

Best free planFree plan + paid$5/channel/mo · checked 10 Nov 20269.3
The differenceBills $5 per channel monthly rather than per seat, and its free plan allows 3 channels, 10 scheduled posts per channel and 1 user.
Switch to Buffer ifyou want to pay per channel and begin on a free plan before upgrading
Stay with Sprout Social ifyou need a unified smart inbox, listening and reports built for multi-person teams
Pros
  • Intuitive interface is easy to learn and use.
  • Flexible per-channel pricing model saves money.
Cons
  • Free plan is limited to 10 scheduled posts per channel.
  • Advanced analytics are only available on paid plans.

Pros and cons from the Zekai review of Buffer · Verdict: Reliable Social Media Hub

Visit BufferRead the Zekai reviewPrice alert
03

Sprout Social vs SocialPilot

Cheapest paid$20/mo · checked 10 Nov 2026
The differencePlans start at $20 monthly for 5 accounts and 1 user; Standard raises that to 10 accounts and 3 users for $40, with a 14-day no-card trial.
Switch to SocialPilot ifyou need several users on a flat plan and cannot justify per-seat pricing
Stay with Sprout Social ifyou rely on Sprout's premium analytics and listening add-ons or enterprise support
Visit SocialPilotPrice alert
04
Agorapulse logo

Sprout Social vs Agorapulse

$79/user/mo billed yearly · checked 10 Nov 20267.8
The differenceOffers Standard, Professional and Advanced at $79, $119 and $149 per user billed yearly, each capped at 10 social profiles per user.
Switch to Agorapulse ifyou want a social inbox with a lower per-user entry price than Sprout's higher tiers
Stay with Sprout Social ifyou need unlimited social profiles, which Sprout lists from the Professional plan
Pros
  • 30-day free trial with no credit card needed
  • Standard plan lists unlimited post scheduling and a unified inbox for 10 social profiles
Cons
  • Priced per user from $79 per month billed annually, higher than account-based schedulers
  • No free plan, only the 30-day trial

Pros and cons from the Zekai review of Agorapulse · Verdict: Inbox-first social suite

Visit AgorapulseRead the Zekai reviewPrice alert
05
Later logo

Sprout Social vs Later

$18.75/mo billed yearly · checked 10 Nov 20268.8
The differenceStarter costs $18.75 monthly billed yearly for 1 social set of 8 profiles and 30 posts per profile each month, with a 14-day trial.
Switch to Later ifyou are a small brand scheduling visually and can stay under 30 posts per profile
Stay with Sprout Social ifyou need team workflows, listening and deep analytics beyond a calendar tool
Pros
  • 14-day free trial offered for paid plans
  • Visual calendar allows simple drag-and-drop scheduling across platforms
Cons
  • AI credits are capped each month, ranging from 5 to 100 depending on your plan
  • Starter plan caps scheduling at 30 posts per profile per month

Pros and cons from the Zekai review of Later · Verdict: Clear visual scheduler.

Visit LaterRead the Zekai reviewPrice alert
06
Publer logo

Sprout Social vs Publer

FreeFree plan; paid price not published7.9
The differenceIts free plan keeps 3 accounts (X excluded), 10 scheduled posts per account and 25 drafts; paid tiers scale through an account slider with each 10th account free.
Switch to Publer ifyou have very few accounts and want a free-forever tier that excludes X
Stay with Sprout Social ifyou require X support, unlimited scheduling and a vendor with enterprise reporting
Pros
  • Saves 5+ hours weekly with bulk and auto-scheduling features.
  • Affordable pricing with a functional free plan available.
Cons
  • Analytics are more focused on performance than deep competitor analysis.
  • Core strength is scheduling, with fewer features for social listening or inbox management.

Pros and cons from the Zekai review of Publer · Verdict: Efficient Social Scheduling

Visit PublerRead the Zekai reviewPrice alert
07
ContentStudio logo

Sprout Social vs ContentStudio

$19/mo billed yearly · checked 10 Nov 20268.8
The differenceStandard gives 5 social accounts in 1 workspace for $19 billed yearly; Agency Unlimited removes workspace and user limits and starts at 25 accounts.
Switch to ContentStudio ifyou manage multiple client workspaces and want content discovery next to publishing
Stay with Sprout Social ifyou want a 30-day trial, per-seat roles and Sprout's reporting packages
Pros
  • Comprehensive toolset unifies publishing, analytics, and engagement.
  • Strong agency features like white-labeling, workspaces, and client approvals.
Cons
  • Interface can be complex for beginners due to the vast number of features.
  • The free trial is short at only 7 days.

Pros and cons from the Zekai review of ContentStudio · Verdict: Powerful Agency-First SMM Suite

Visit ContentStudioRead the Zekai reviewPrice alert
08
FeedHive logo

Sprout Social vs FeedHive

$15/mo billed yearly · checked 10 Nov 20267.2
The differenceCreator costs $15 monthly billed yearly for 4 social accounts, while Agency reaches 500 accounts and 100 workspaces for $239 on yearly billing.
Switch to FeedHive ifyou are a creator or small brand wanting a much lower monthly price
Stay with Sprout Social ifyou need enterprise permissions, social customer care and advanced listening
Pros
  • Supports all major social platforms including X, LinkedIn, and TikTok
  • Powerful AI for generating post ideas, copy, and hashtags
Cons
  • 7-day free trial is short for evaluating advanced features
  • AI credits and automation runs are limited on lower-tier plans

Pros and cons from the Zekai review of FeedHive · Verdict: AI Social Media Engine

Visit FeedHiveRead the Zekai reviewPrice alert
09
Postiz logo

Sprout Social vs Postiz

Best open sourceOpen source$29/mo (hosted) · checked 10 Nov 20267.9
The differenceSchedules to many networks from one AGPL codebase with a calendar, AI helpers and agent integrations; running it yourself needs Postgres, Redis and a developer app for each network you connect.
Switch to Postiz ifyou want unlimited-post scheduling on your own server instead of seat-based enterprise pricing
Stay with Sprout Social ifyou need social listening, a smart inbox and reporting from one vendor
Visit PostizRead the Zekai reviewPrice alert
10
Mixpost logo

Sprout Social vs Mixpost

Open source$299 one-time (hosted) · checked 10 Nov 20266.3
The differenceLite is MIT and free, built on Laravel; the inbox, extra networks and team features are in Pro, a $299 one-time licence per domain, so it is open core rather than fully free.
Switch to Mixpost ifyou want a self-hosted publisher with a one-time Pro licence and no per-seat charges
Stay with Sprout Social ifyou rely on CRM and case-style inbox workflows across many profiles
Visit MixpostRead the Zekai reviewPrice alert
11
TryPost logo

Sprout Social vs TryPost

Open sourceFree (self-hosted)7.0
The differenceExposes an MCP server with 80+ tools and a REST API so AI agents can draft, queue and publish posts, and its self-hosted build carries every feature of the cloud product.
Switch to TryPost ifyou want an approval-ready calendar that agents can also drive through MCP, on your servers
Stay with Sprout Social ifyou need analytics breadth and customer-care tools from a single vendor
Visit TryPostRead the Zekai reviewPrice alert
12
OpenPost logo

Sprout Social vs OpenPost

Open sourceFree (self-hosted)7.3
The differenceBundles an image editor, video editor and workflow canvas with scheduling, and runs from a single Docker container with SQLite by default; it lists 16 networks including Mastodon, Bluesky and PeerTube.
Switch to OpenPost ifyou want a self-hosted scheduler with built-in editors and a small single-container setup
Stay with Sprout Social ifyou need enterprise reporting and role controls backed by a support contract
Visit OpenPostRead the Zekai reviewPrice alert
13
Socioboard logo

Sprout Social vs Socioboard

Open sourceFree (self-hosted)6.0
The differenceOlder codebase that supports nine networks with analytics and reporting, but needs Node.js microservices, a PHP front end, MongoDB and MySQL, and its licence header dates from 2014-2021.
Switch to Socioboard ifyou want to modify an open GPL platform and can maintain Node, PHP and databases
Stay with Sprout Social ifyou want current integrations and reporting maintained for you
Visit SocioboardRead the Zekai reviewPrice alert
06 · What changed

Why do people leave Sprout Social?

  • Essentials is $79 per seat a month billed yearly or $99 billed monthly; Standard, Professional and Advanced are listed only on annual billing at $199, $299 and $399 per seat. (source)

  • Trellis Plus, the larger AI credit pack (1,000 credits per seat), is a paid add-on at $28 per seat monthly on annual billing or $35 billed monthly; 100 credits are included on all plans. (source)

  • Sprout's plan guide states that adding profiles as add-ons on Standard can cost more than upgrading to Professional, which includes unlimited profiles. (source)

08 · FAQ

Questions people ask about Sprout Social alternatives

What is the best alternative to Sprout Social in 2027?

Hootsuite is the best overall Sprout Social alternative on this page ($99/user/mo). For no cost, Buffer has a free plan (Up to 3 channels, 10 scheduled posts per channel, 1 user). To self-host, Postiz is open source (AGPL-3.0).

Is there a free version of Sprout Social?

No. Sprout Social has no free plan; paid plans start at $79/seat/mo billed yearly, checked on 10 Nov 2026.

Is there a 100% free alternative to Sprout Social?

Yes. Postiz, Mixpost, TryPost, OpenPost, Socioboard are open source and free to self-host. Buffer, Publer have a free plan with limits, shown in the table.

What is cheaper than Sprout Social?

SocialPilot starts at $20/mo, against $79/seat/mo billed yearly for Sprout Social, as listed on each vendor's pricing page on 10 Nov 2026.

How much do Sprout Social alternatives cost for a team of 5?

If each of 5 people buys the entry paid plan, at the prices Zekai checked on 10 Nov 2026, the monthly cost is Buffer $25/mo, FeedHive $75/mo, Later $93.75/mo, against Sprout Social $395/mo for Sprout Social. Team and business plans can cost more per seat. The Zekai Cost Finder on this page recalculates for any team size.

Which is better, Hootsuite or Sprout Social?

Standard starts at $99 per user with 10 accounts and a 14-day trial; Professional and Advanced list unlimited social accounts, and an AI assistant called Wisdom sits in every plan. Choose Hootsuite if you want unlimited accounts at the Professional tier and one AI assistant across all plans. Stay with Sprout Social if you prefer Sprout's 30-day no-card trial and its seat-based Essentials plan at $79 billed yearly.

Why are people leaving Sprout Social?

The documented reasons are: Essentials is $79 per seat a month billed yearly or $99 billed monthly; Standard, Professional and Advanced are listed only on annual billing at $199, $299 and $399 per seat (10 Nov 2026); Trellis Plus, the larger AI credit pack (1,000 credits per seat), is a paid add-on at $28 per seat monthly on annual billing or $35 billed monthly; 100 credits are included on all plans (10 Nov 2026). Each is sourced in the section above.

What is better than Sprout Social?

No single tool is better for every team. Hootsuite lists unlimited accounts at higher tiers, Agorapulse focuses on the inbox, and Buffer suits simple scheduling.

09 · Method

How did Zekai check this page?

Zekai independently reviews AI tools. For this page we read each vendor's own pricing and product pages and recorded the starting price, the free-plan limit and the date of the check. Only tools that do the same job as Sprout Social are listed, and sponsors never change the order or the scores.

Mehmet Elmicenni, founder of Zekai
Mehmet Elmicenni

Founder of Zekai. Reviews the alternatives pages and the price checks behind them.

About the founder · How Zekai scores tools

JSON copyMarkdown copy
1 · Same job onlyEvery alternative does the same task as Sprout Social; tools for other jobs are left out.
2 · Vendor pages onlyPrices and free limits come from each vendor's own pricing page, never from blogs.
Zekai score0–10, from four published weights: ease 25%, output quality 30%, value 20%, time saved 25%. How we score
3 · Re-checkedA price older than 35 days is re-read or the page falls back to an older version.
Change log

  • Page rebuilt on v6; all prices re-read on vendor pages.

  • Open-source options expanded; each now shows licence, commercial use, hardware and setup.

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