Alternative to
6 Alternatives to Sprout Social in 2026
Sprout Social is the benchmark many teams outgrow in price rather than ability. Buyers leave when every seat starts at $79 and climbs to $399, when entry plans stop at 5 profiles, or when a trial and a short list of networks are enough. Frequent destinations are Agorapulse, Hootsuite and SocialPilot.
Why people look for an alternative to Sprout Social
Seat prices climb with the tier
Sprout's Essentials tier is $79 a seat if paid yearly ($99 monthly), Standard at $199, Professional at $299 and Advanced at $399. A team of six on Professional pays for six seats every month, and Enterprise needs a demo.
Profile caps and gated features
Essentials and Standard include 5 social profiles, and unlimited profiles arrive on Professional. Message tagging, Enhance Post by AI Assist and wider competitor insights sit there, while the Sprout API and sentiment in the Smart Inbox need Advanced.
Security details were not confirmed
Sprout's privacy statement names servers in the United States and the EEA and lists AI functionality among its processors, but does not say if customer data trains models. Its security page returned a 404, so certifications were not checked.
The best Sprout Social alternatives
- 1
Agorapulse
Agorapulse is the French option here. Its Standard tier is $79 per user, paid yearly, and already connects 10 profiles, double what Sprout's entry plans allow. Saved replies, rule-based moderation and return-on-investment reports are in the published tiers, while SSO and the API require a custom contract.
Switch if you Move to Agorapulse if inbox assignments and reporting fill your day and you want more profiles at the same entry price.
- 2
Hootsuite
Hootsuite charges $99, $199 and $399 per user across Standard, Professional and Advanced, with 10 accounts on Standard. The trial lasts 14 days and asks for no card. Approval routing is reserved for the top tier.
Switch if you Consider Hootsuite if a single calendar with an inbox and brand monitoring matters and a trial of two weeks is enough.
- 3
SocialPilot
SocialPilot has flat tiers of $20, $40, $100 and $200 a month, and the $100 tier covers 20 accounts and 6 users. Client management and white-label reports start at Premium. Extra accounts cost $4 each, and the cheapest tier lacks an inbox.
Switch if you Look at SocialPilot if bulk scheduling and client reports are the core need and a flat monthly tier beats paying per seat.
- 4
Publer
Publer offers a real free plan with 3 accounts and 10 queued posts for each. The paid price could not be read, since the pricing page builds the total from the account and member counts you choose. Bulk posting and an API are listed, as are Telegram, Bluesky and Mastodon.
Switch if you Try Publer if you want to test scheduling at no cost first and your networks include ones Sprout does not list.
- 5
Social Champ
Social Champ bills $5 per profile monthly, or $29 for 6 accounts on Standard, and a free tier allows 3 accounts and 15 posts. It lists 12 publishing networks and CSV bulk scheduling. A REST API appears only on the Agency plan. Where the company is based was not stated on the pages read.
Switch if you Pick Social Champ if you manage client profiles one by one and prefer a per-profile bill to Sprout's seat model.
- 6
Loomly
Loomly is built around a calendar where assigned roles review and sign off drafts. Starter covers 3 users and 12 accounts at $65 a month, or $49 a month if paid yearly, and there is no permanent free plan. No API is mentioned on its pricing page.
Switch if you Choose Loomly if draft review and sign-off is the main workflow and a small group of users is all that needs access.
Before you switch away from Sprout Social
Export your published-post history and the Cross-Network Group Reports you rely on, since trend data rarely moves between tools. Note how many of your Sprout seats actually work in the Smart Inbox, because several rivals charge by profile or workspace and the math changes. Check whether you use ViralPost send times, review management for Google, Yelp or app stores, Bulk Scheduling by CSV, or chatbot workflows, and confirm each has a counterpart. Move approval chains by hand and test them with a real draft. Because Sprout's security page did not load here, ask the new vendor for its certification evidence and its AI training stance.
The full ranking of this category is in Best Social Media Management Software in 2026.
Frequently asked questions
How much cheaper than Sprout Social are the alternatives?
Sprout's cheapest seat is $79 when paid yearly. SocialPilot starts at $20 a month, Social Champ at $5 per profile, and Loomly at $65 for 3 users. Agorapulse also begins at $79 per user and Hootsuite at $99, so savings depend on the pricing unit rather than the brand.
Does Sprout Social have a longer free trial than rivals?
Sprout offers a 30-day trial without a credit card, per its pricing page. Hootsuite's trial runs 14 days, and Agorapulse lists 30 days. Publer and Social Champ each have a free plan for 3 accounts, so those can be tested indefinitely.
Which Sprout Social alternative suits an agency or client work?
SocialPilot adds client management and white-label reports on Premium, Social Champ bills per profile and offers an Agency plan with unlimited users and workspaces, and Loomly has role-based review of drafts. Sprout's own tiers charge every teammate a seat, which is why agencies compare these first.
Does Sprout Social use my data to train AI?
Its privacy statement does not say. It lists AI functionality among vendors that process account, social media and communications data, and describes retention only as a legitimate business need. The security page returned a 404, so data terms were not checked beyond the privacy statement.