Hootsuite and Sprout Social are the two enterprise heavyweights of social media management — and they are more alike than different. Both price per seat in USD at annual terms, both bundle listening and engagement suites on top of publishing, and neither has a free plan. Hootsuite, founded in 2008, leads with social listening and 100+ integrations; Sprout Social, founded in 2010 and publicly traded on NASDAQ, leads with its unified inbox and reporting depth. This page compares the two honestly — pricing, platforms, and team features as of June 2026 — and shows where a third option, SocialKit, undercuts them both on flat EUR pricing.
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All three tools side by side, grouped by category. Pricing and feature availability as of June 2026.
| Feature | Hootsuite | Sprout Social | SocialKit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Platforms | |||
| Platforms supported | 10 of 11Also supports: WhatsApp (messaging) | 10 of 11Also supports: Reddit, Snapchat | All 11 |
| Bluesky | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mastodon | No | No | Yes |
| Threads | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Google Business | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Pricing & trial | |||
| Entry price | $99/mo per user (Standard)Listed price, annual billing — as of June 2026 | $79/seat/mo (Essentials, annual billing)$99/seat/mo billed monthly · as of June 2026 | €29/mo flat (€17.40/mo billed annually) |
| Pricing model | Per user — every teammate is another full subscription | Per seat — every user billed $79–$399/mo at annual rates | Flat plans — all 11 platforms included, no per-network pricing |
| Social accounts included | Up to 10 on StandardUnlimited from the Advanced plan (listed $249/mo) | 5 profiles on Essentials & StandardUnlimited profiles from Professional ($299/seat/mo) | 15 on Solo · 30 on Team |
| Free trial | 30 daysNo free plan; converts to a paid plan unless cancelled | 30 days, no credit card required | 7 days — €0.00 due today |
| Money-back guarantee | Not listedNot shown on Hootsuite’s plans page (June 2026) | NoNone listed on sproutsocial.com/pricing (June 2026) | 7 days |
| Publishing & scheduling | |||
| Scheduled posts | Unlimited on paid plans | No cap listedPost limits not shown on Sprout’s pricing page (June 2026) | Unlimited on every plan |
| Best-time auto-posting | Yes | Optimal send timesListed from the Essentials plan | Yes |
| Per-platform customization | Yes | Not listedNot shown on Sprout’s pricing page (June 2026) | Yes |
| First-comment scheduling | Not listedNot itemized on Hootsuite’s plans page (June 2026) | Not listedNot shown on Sprout’s pricing page (June 2026) | Yes |
| Calendar view | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Content & AI | |||
| AI assistant | OwlyGPT AI assistantIncluded from the Standard plan | AI Assist from Professional ($299/seat/mo)AI alt text on Standard · AI reply enhancement on Advanced | Every plan (metered credits) |
| Post templates | Not listedNot itemized on Hootsuite’s plans page (June 2026) | Not listedNot shown on Sprout’s pricing page (June 2026) | Yes |
| Content library | Asset & content libraryListed on all plans on Hootsuite’s plans page (June 2026) | Not listedNot shown on Sprout’s pricing page (June 2026) | Yes |
| Thread posts (X, Threads, Bluesky, Mastodon) | Not listedNo Mastodon publishing; thread support not itemized (June 2026) | Not listedNot shown on Sprout’s pricing page (June 2026) | Yes |
| Hashtag manager | Not listedNot itemized on Hootsuite’s plans page (June 2026) | Not listedNot shown on Sprout’s pricing page (June 2026) | Yes |
| Collaboration | |||
| Team seats | Per-user — each seat billed separatelyStandard lists at $99/mo per user (June 2026) | Per seat — each user adds $79–$399/mo | 2 on Team · unlimited on Enterprise |
| Approval workflow | Enterprise plan onlyPer the plans-page feature table — Enterprise is custom-quoted (June 2026) | Not listed by planApproval details not broken out on Sprout’s pricing page (June 2026) | Team & Enterprise plans |
| Comments on posts | Not listedNot itemized on Hootsuite’s plans page (June 2026) | Not listedNot shown on Sprout’s pricing page (June 2026) | Team & Enterprise plans |
| Integrations & support | |||
| Analytics | Included · custom reports from Advanced | Profile- & post-level reporting from EssentialsPremium Analytics is a paid add-on (price not published) | Included on every plan |
| API + webhooks | 100+ app integrationsPublic API access not itemized on the plans page (June 2026) | Advanced plan ($399/seat/mo)API access listed on Advanced and up (June 2026) | Every plan, incl. Solo |
| Support | Chatbot & help center · premier support on EnterpriseUsers report slow responses on lower tiers | Priority support on Enterprise plan | Email · priority on Enterprise |
| Verdict | |||
| Best for | Enterprises and large agencies running social listening at scale | Enterprise teams needing listening, inbox & advocacy suites | Posting to many platforms on one flat EUR plan |
Pricing as of June 2026. Hootsuite figures per their public pricing page; Sprout Social figures per their public pricing page. Both may change. SocialKit facts per our own pricing page.
Entry plans compared. SocialKit prices are in EUR; all 11 platforms included — no per-network pricing.
Listed at $99/mo per user, billed annually, with up to 10 social accounts. Advanced lists at $249/mo; Enterprise is custom-quoted. As of June 2026 — Hootsuite renders prices dynamically, so confirm on their plans page.
$99/seat/month billed monthly. Standard $199, Professional $299, Advanced $399 per seat/month at annual rates. As of June 2026.
billed annually · €29/month billed monthly
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Pricing as of June 2026. Hootsuite and Sprout Social prices are taken from their public pricing pages (linked above) and may change. Full SocialKit plan details on our pricing page.
Each tool genuinely wins somewhere. Here is the honest split.
Bottom line
This is a closer matchup than most: both tools are built for enterprises, priced per seat in USD, and presented at annual-billing terms. Sprout Social is the better of the two when engagement is the job — its unified inbox and reporting depth go far beyond any flat-priced scheduler, and its $79/seat entry (as of June 2026) is the cheaper way in for a single user. Hootsuite is the better of the two when listening and integrations matter most, and its Standard plan’s 10 social accounts stretch further than Sprout’s 5-profile cap. But if you are comparing them mainly for publishing — scheduling posts across many networks with a small team — both are enterprise suites charging enterprise prices for that job. That is the case SocialKit is built for: all 11 platforms including Mastodon, approvals on a flat €49/month Team plan, API + webhooks on every tier, and a 7-day money-back guarantee on top of the trial.
FAQ
Still weighing it up? These are the answers people look for before they switch.
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Every SocialKit plan includes all 11 platforms, analytics, AI, and API + webhooks — no per-channel meters, no per-seat pricing. Try it free for 7 days.
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