Social Media
Hootsuite vs Sprout Social for Small Business: Cost
Both tools price per user, and both cost far more than lightweight schedulers. On their pricing pages, checked on 2026-10-24, Hootsuite starts at $99 per user per month and Sprout Social starts at $79 per seat per month on annual billing for its Essentials plan. A small local business will often pay for more than it needs with either, so the first question is whether you need this tier at all.
Pages differ in what they show. Where a billing basis or price was missing, it is marked below.
$99→
Hootsuite Standard from, per user a month
Hootsuite plans, checked 2026-10-24
$79→
Sprout Essentials, per seat a month, annual
Sprout pricing, checked 2026-10-24
14 days→
Hootsuite free trial
Hootsuite plans, checked 2026-10-24
30 days→
Sprout free trial
Sprout pricing, checked 2026-10-24
Estimates for illustration; actual numbers vary.
What Do the Plans Cost?
| Hootsuite | Sprout Social | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry plan | Standard: from $99 per user a month | Essentials: $79 per seat on annual billing, $99 billed monthly |
| Entry plan accounts | Up to 10 social accounts | 5 social profiles |
| Next plan | Professional: from $199, unlimited accounts | Standard: $199 per seat, 5 profiles |
| Higher | Advanced: from $199 up to $399 per the FAQ | Professional $299 (unlimited profiles); Advanced $399 |
| Enterprise | Custom, demo | Custom, demo |
| Free trial | 14 days, no card needed | 30 days, no card needed |
| Billing basis | Prices based on annual billing, excluding taxes | Annual billing; monthly option listed only for Essentials |
Two gaps matter. Hootsuite's page did not show monthly-billing prices, only that monthly billing exists and annual carries a lower per-user rate. Sprout's page did not state a contract length beyond the annual billing note, and the billing basis for the $199 Standard plan was not shown.
How Do Seats and Accounts Limit You?
Hootsuite's entry plan lets you manage up to 10 accounts from one calendar and has no cap on seats; you buy as many as you need, each at the per-user price. The Professional plan and above list unlimited accounts.
Sprout's Essentials and Standard plans both cap at 5 profiles. A business with six accounts, such as six networks, jumps from the $79-$99 plan to the $299 Professional plan on the profile limit, unless it drops one profile. Check what counts as a profile in Sprout's help pages before you rely on it.
Which Trial Is Better for Testing?
Sprout offers a 30-day trial with no credit card. Hootsuite offers 14 days, also without a card, though its trial has daily posting limits and no bulk scheduling. If your goal is to try a full month of posting and reporting, Sprout's longer trial is the better test. If you can decide in two weeks, Hootsuite's is enough.
Either way, set a calendar reminder for day 10 so you do not forget to decide before the trial ends.
The Math: Owner Plus One Part-Timer
All inputs below are assumptions. A fitness studio has 2 people posting and 6 social accounts.
- Hootsuite Standard: 2 users x $99 = $198 a month at list, which is $2,376 a year. Six accounts fits within the 10-account limit.
- Sprout Essentials or Standard: both cap at 5 profiles, so 6 accounts needs Professional at $299 per seat, if per seat pricing applies as stated: 2 x $299 = $598 a month, $7,176 a year.
- Sprout with 5 accounts: Essentials at 2 x $79 = $158 a month on annual billing, or $1,896 a year.
On these assumptions Hootsuite is cheaper at 6 accounts and Sprout Essentials is cheaper at 5. The cheapest option for both may be neither: our review of Hootsuite, Buffer and Later shows lower-cost schedulers.
Do This Today
Count your accounts and the people who post. If you have more than 5 accounts, Sprout's cheapest plans do not fit, as the page caps them at 5 profiles. If you have one poster and few accounts, ask whether a cheaper scheduler would do the job; Buffer, for example, lists $5 per channel a month (see our Metricool vs Buffer comparison).
What Should You Check Before Paying?
Ask three questions on the live page or in the trial. What exactly counts as a social account or profile, since that decides which Sprout plan you land on. Whether the price shown is per user and billed annually, since the footnotes on both pages say annual billing. And whether the features you are paying for, such as reporting, approvals or message tagging, are on the plan you picked rather than a higher one.
Then use the trial properly. Schedule two weeks of real posts, pull one report, and add your second user. If you do none of that during the trial, the paid plan will not change your habits either.
Who Should Pick Which?
- Pick Hootsuite Standard if you have 6 to 10 accounts and a small team, since the cap is higher at the entry price.
- Pick Sprout Essentials if you have up to 5 profiles, want a longer trial and can pay annually at $79.
- Pick Sprout Professional or Advanced only if the extra features, such as message tagging, competitor insights or the API, solve a problem you already have.
- Pick neither if you are one person with a few accounts. Prices at $79 to $99 per seat are hard to justify against cheaper tools.
For more on tool choice and setup, see how Hootsuite fits a coffee shop, our AI social media management tools list, and the guide to scheduling with AI tools.
FAQ
Is Hootsuite cheaper than Sprout Social?
At the entry level Sprout Essentials is $79 per seat on annual billing against Hootsuite Standard from $99 per user. Sprout caps at 5 profiles and Hootsuite at 10 accounts.
Do Hootsuite and Sprout offer free trials?
Yes. Hootsuite offers 14 days without a card and Sprout offers 30 days without a card.
Can I pay monthly?
Hootsuite says monthly billing exists but did not list monthly prices. Sprout lists $99 monthly for Essentials only.
Is there a contract?
Sprout's page says annual billing applies and states no further contract terms. Hootsuite's page does not describe contract length.
What could not be verified?
Hootsuite's exact prices for each tier and Advanced's exact figure, and the billing basis for Sprout's $199, $299 and $399 plans.
Sources
- Hootsuite: Plans and pricing (plans, accounts, trial; checked 2026-10-24)
- Sprout Social: Pricing (plans, seats, profiles, trial; checked 2026-10-24)
Not sure a $99 tool is worth it for your shop? See our social media management service or book a free audit.
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Nataliia
Local marketing strategist with 10+ years at global agencies — OMD, Dentsu, GroupM, and BBDO. Now helping small businesses get the same data-driven edge. Based in Europe, working with clients in the US, UK, Australia, and beyond.
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