Sprout Social alternatives, compared on price and fit
Four tools whose pricing we have checked on their own pricing pages, what each keeps or drops compared with Sprout Social, and how to move your accounts over.
The Sprout Social alternatives with verified pricing are Hootsuite, Buffer, SocialBee and Orbin, and all four cost less for a small team. Hootsuite is closest in scope, with an inbox and monitoring at a lower per-user price. Buffer, SocialBee and Orbin focus on scheduling and AI content, and drop social listening, at a fraction of the per-seat price.
Orbin is our product. We list it first and say plainly where another tool is the better fit.
Why look for a Sprout Social alternative?
- Sprout Social is priced per seat, from $199 a month billed annually, so a team of 3 on Standard comes to $597.
- Standard includes 5 social profiles. More needs Professional, at $299 per seat.
- Many teams buy it for scheduling and reporting and use little of the listening, review management and customer care tooling the price includes.
4 Sprout Social alternatives with verified pricing
Prices are the cheapest listed plan for 3 people managing 5 channels, per month billed annually.
1. Orbin(our product)
$39 / month$558 a month less than Sprout Social
One price per workspace
- Best for
- Teams who mainly publish and want AI help with the writing: Autopilot drafts posts from your website, comment replies are drafted for Facebook and Instagram, and drafts can be scored before you post, at one price per workspace.
- Keep in mind
- Orbin has no shared inbox, social listening or review management, all of which Sprout Social has. It publishes to Facebook, Instagram, X, and LinkedIn; Pinterest, TikTok, YouTube, and Threads are coming soon.
2. Hootsuite
$297 / month$300 a month less than Sprout Social
Per user
- Best for
- Teams who want to keep an inbox and brand and competitor monitoring but pay less per person.
- Keep in mind
- It is still priced per user, and team approvals are listed only on Advanced, its highest listed plan.
3. Buffer
$50 / month$547 a month less than Sprout Social
Per channel
- Best for
- Small teams who mainly need scheduling, with a community inbox and AI Assistant on every plan and a free plan for up to 3 channels.
- Keep in mind
- Buffer is built around scheduling rather than listening and customer care, and its price grows with each channel you connect.
4. SocialBee
$82 / month$515 a month less than Sprout Social
Per workspace, with profile and user limits
- Best for
- People who plan around content categories and want unlimited AI content generation at a flat price.
- Keep in mind
- It is built around scheduling rather than listening and customer care, and only Pro lists more than one user.
Sprout Social itself: $597 a month for 3 people managing 5 channels. Try your own numbers in the pricing calculator →
How to switch from Sprout Social to Orbin
- 1
List what you run today
Write down the accounts connected to Sprout Social, the posts already scheduled, and who on your team needs access.
- 2
Keep the posts you want
There is no automatic import from Sprout Social, so copy the scheduled posts you want to keep, or export them if Sprout Social offers an export.
- 3
Connect your accounts
Start a trial and connect each network through its own login screen. It takes a few minutes per network.
- 4
Rebuild the schedule
Re-add the posts you kept, or let Autopilot draft the next week from your website for you to review.
- 5
Bring the team over
Invite teammates by email with the Admin, Member or Viewer role.
- 6
Wind down Sprout Social
Once your last post scheduled in Sprout Social has gone out, cancel or downgrade it so nothing is published twice. Export the reports you need from Sprout Social before you cancel: Orbin records analytics from the day you connect an account and does not back-fill earlier history.
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest Sprout Social alternative?+
For a team of 3 managing 5 channels, the cheapest listed plans billed annually are $39 a month on Orbin, $50 on Buffer, $82 on SocialBee and $297 on Hootsuite, compared with $597 on Sprout Social Standard. Use the pricing calculator for your own numbers.
Which Sprout Social alternative has social listening?+
Hootsuite lists brand and competitor monitoring from its Standard plan. Orbin does not offer social listening; check Buffer’s and SocialBee’s pricing pages for their current features.
Do Sprout Social alternatives offer a free trial?+
Yes. Orbin, SocialBee and Hootsuite offer 14-day free trials, Hootsuite without a card. Buffer has a free plan for up to 3 channels.
Why does this page list only four tools?+
We list only tools whose prices we have checked on their own pricing pages. There are other good tools, and we will add them once we have verified their plans rather than repeat figures we cannot stand behind.
Prices come from each vendor's public pricing page and may have changed since. Confirm before you buy: Sprout Social (October 2026), Hootsuite (October 2026), Buffer (October 2026), SocialBee (October 2026). Orbin is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by these vendors. All product names and brands are the property of their respective owners and are used for identification only.