The best Sprout Social alternatives in 2026, by what you need
Sprout Social starts at $79 per seat a month, with no inbox until $199. Nine alternatives compared on price, inbox, approvals and networks.
Short answer
For Sprout's inbox for less, look at Agorapulse ($79 per user with 10 profiles and an inbox on every plan) or Vista Social ($99 a month for 15 profiles). For cheaper publishing, Buffer, Metricool or SocialPilot. For client approval without a login, Agorapulse, Vista Social, Metricool or PostDaily. Sprout starts at $79 per seat a month.
People leave Sprout Social for one of four reasons: every seat is billed, the cheapest plan has no inbox, the two cheaper plans stop at 5 profiles, and approval by a client without an account is only on Advanced at $399 per seat. The right alternative depends on which one it is. Every price below was read on each vendor's own pages on 12 November 2026, in US dollars.
The nine at a glance
| Tool | Starts at | Priced by | Free plan | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agorapulse | $79 per user a month, billed yearly | User | No, since July 2026 | An inbox on every plan |
| Vista Social | $99 a month ($80 yearly) | Bundle of profiles | No | Inbox and reviews for many profiles |
| Hootsuite | $99 per user a month, billed yearly | User | No | Enterprise breadth |
| Metricool | $25 a month for 5 brands | Bundle of brands | 1 brand, 20 posts a month | Analytics on a budget |
| Buffer | $6 per channel a month | Channel | 3 channels | Simple publishing |
| SocialPilot | $30 a month | Plan | No | Cheap team approvals |
| Loomly | $65 a month ($49 yearly) | Bundle of accounts | Help centre only | A calendar per brand, with post ideas |
| Planable | $39 per workspace a month ($33 yearly) | Workspace | 50 posts in total | Review and feedback |
| PostDaily | See the pricing page | Plan | 1 channel (not X) and 5 scheduled posts a month | Client approval, Bluesky and Mastodon |
If you need Sprout's inbox for less
Agorapulse
The closest like-for-like. Agorapulse has an inbox for comments, messages and Google reviews on every plan, and Standard is $79 per user a month billed yearly ($99 monthly) with 10 profiles, double Sprout's entry allowance. Clients approve without an account from a shared calendar on Advanced, $149 per user. X is an add-on from $29 a month per profile, and the free plan ended in July 2026. Agorapulse pricing.
Vista Social
Vista Social sells bundles: Professional is $99 a month ($80 yearly) for 15 profiles and 2 users, with an inbox, review monitoring and single-step approvals. A client approves without an account from Advanced, $199 a month for 30 profiles and 3 users. Users are the tight limit, and X costs $29 a month per profile. Vista Social pricing.
Hootsuite
Hootsuite is the other full suite: an inbox, listening and ads. Standard is $99 per user a month billed yearly with 10 accounts, and approvals start on Advanced at $399 per user, so it is rarely cheaper than Sprout for a team. Hootsuite pricing, and Hootsuite and Sprout Social side by side.
If you mostly publish
Buffer
Buffer charges per channel, not per person: Essentials is $6 per channel a month ($5 yearly) for one user, and Team is $12 with unlimited users and approvals. The free plan covers 3 channels, and it publishes to Bluesky and Mastodon. Buffer pricing.
Metricool
Metricool is $25 a month for up to 5 brands ($20 yearly), with analytics and competitor tracking that come closest to Sprout's reports. Starter has one login, so a team means Advanced from $67 a month, which adds approvals with a review link for someone without an account. X costs $10 a month per account. Metricool pricing.
SocialPilot
SocialPilot is the cheapest team plan with approvals in this list: Standard is $50 a month ($42.50 yearly) for 15 accounts and 3 users. Essentials, at $30, is 7 accounts for one person. Extra accounts are $4 a month each, and SocialPilot pricing works out the bill at 10, 25 and 50 accounts. It publishes to Bluesky but not Mastodon. PostDaily vs SocialPilot.
If you work with clients
Loomly
Loomly gives each client a calendar, suggests post ideas and shows posts to approvers as previews. Starter is $49 a month billed yearly for 12 accounts and 3 users; Beyond, at $249, is 60 accounts and unlimited users. A client approves from a free Loomly account that counts as one of your users, and it doesn't publish to X or Mastodon. Loomly pricing.
Planable
Planable is built around feedback: comments on the post, suggested edits and versions, with unlimited users on every plan. It charges per workspace, $39 a month for 4 pages on Basic, and required client approval needs Pro at $59. A client approves as a workspace member, and posts are capped at 60 or 150 a month. Planable pricing.
PostDaily
PostDaily is our product, so weigh this accordingly. A client approves from a review link in the browser, with no account and no seat, on the Pro plan, and a post waiting for review is held instead of published. It publishes to Bluesky, Mastodon, X, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Threads, YouTube and Pinterest, and plans include seats. It has no inbox, no listening and no CRM links, so it replaces Sprout's publishing and nothing else. PostDaily vs Sprout Social.
When to stay with Sprout Social
Stay if your team answers customers from the Smart Inbox every day, relies on its listening and reports, runs social through Salesforce, HubSpot or Zendesk, or publishes to Reddit and Snapchat. None of the tools above replaces all of that; Agorapulse and Hootsuite come closest. Sprout Social pricing shows where each plan's money goes.
Sprout Social alternative questions
What is a cheaper alternative to Sprout Social?
For an inbox, Agorapulse at $79 per user a month with 10 profiles, or Vista Social at $99 a month for 15 profiles. For publishing only, Buffer from $6 per channel, Metricool from $25 for 5 brands, or SocialPilot from $30.
Is there a free alternative to Sprout Social?
Yes, for small accounts. Buffer is free for 3 channels, Metricool for 1 brand, and PostDaily for 1 channel. None of them has Sprout's inbox.
Which Sprout Social alternative has a social inbox?
Agorapulse and Vista Social have one on every plan, and Hootsuite does too. Metricool and Loomly have lighter ones. PostDaily doesn't have one.
Which alternative lets a client approve without an account?
Agorapulse (Advanced), Vista Social (Advanced), Metricool (Advanced) and PostDaily. Loomly and Planable need the client to have an account.
Last checked against each vendor's own pricing page and help centre.
