Much of the existing information online about Sprout Social alternatives provides a list of every SaaS platform on the market with a few sentences about each but doesn’t go into great detail about any of them.
In this article, we will look closely at five of the best Sprout Social alternative platforms and provide a more in-depth look into each one, including their key features, strengths and weaknesses, and who each software is best suited for.
If you’re currently using Sprout Social as your social media management platform or if you’re currently researching social media tools for your business, this article is for you.
The top 5 social media management platforms we are going to cover include
- Sociality.io
- Hootsuite
- Brandwatch
- Agorapulse
- Later
But before we get into the crux of this article, let’s briefly discuss why you may need to consider alternatives to Sprout Social.
Reasons to consider Sprout Social alternatives
Cost
Sprout Social is known for its robust features and functionality, but this comes at a cost. The pricing structure of Sprout Social is often based on the number of users, social media profiles, and additional features required. For small businesses, startups, or individuals with limited budgets, the cost of Sprout Social may be prohibitive. Exploring alternatives can help find more budget-friendly options without sacrificing essential social media management capabilities.
Scalability
As businesses grow and expand their online presence, they may require more social media profiles, team members, and increased scheduling capacities. While Sprout Social offers plans that cater to different business sizes, some alternatives provide more flexibility in scaling as the business expands. An alternative with tiered plans or customizable options can accommodate changing needs without a significant cost increase.
Delayed customer support
One of the most recurring complaints about Sprout Social on review sites is its poor response time to customer complaints and considering this is a SaaS platform in a constantly revolving space like social media. You may have questions about technical issues or even during onboarding. Having your requests unattended for a while can have ripple effects on your business.
5 Sprout Social Alternatives
Sociality.io
Sociality.io is an all-in-one social media management software – designed to enhance social media management for agencies and brands. The user interface is very friendly and easy to navigate. With a 1-1 onboarding process, a 30-minute response time from the support team, and a regularly updated help center, you have dedicated support at every step of the journey.
Pricing: Sociality.io has tiered pricing plans
- Pro plan for $99/month with 1 user and 10 social media profiles
- Business plan for $199/month with unlimited users and 15 social media profiles(add-on available)
- Enterprise plan for custom pricing with unlimited users and social profiles
G2 & Capterra ratings
Sociality.io is rated 4.6/5 on G2 and 4.6/5 on Capterra
Key features
Publish
- One collaborative calendar for scheduling and automating all your social media content
- Content preview before publishing
- Drag and drop posts across dates and social media channels on your calendar.
- Track action items of everyone on the team
- Create, approve, and schedule posts directly from your phone
Engage
- A social customer relationship management tool allows you to oversee all conversation logs and your team’s action items.
- Assign conversations to different team members, reply with pre-crafted responses, and easily moderate your pages.
- Multi-level access permissions for your clients and team members.
- Tag and share internal notes with relevant details among your coworkers
🎉 Related article: Best social media management tools for effective collaboration
Analytics
- Detailed and easy to understand cross channel data in one analytics report
- Navigate and filter out the social media data that matters most to you
- Automated daily, weekly, or monthly reports in XLSX, PPT, and PDF formats delivered directly to stakeholders’ inboxes.
- Compare and analyze organic and promoted posts’ performance on Instagram
- Instagram stories analytics reports showing impressions, reach, and interactions
- Content intelligence into individual posts highlighting their engagement and interaction rates
Listen
- Listen to brand-relevant conversations about your brand
- Get sentiments behind brand mentions and assess how it changes over time
- Monitor all cross-channel mentions
- Language support for businesses with global reach
- Stay alert about specific keywords with customizable email alert
Competitor Analysis
- Advanced filters to pick out what you need from competitor’s content(both published and deleted)
- Competitor’s historical data in one place
- Scheduled competitor report analysis in your inbox
Sociality.io vs Sprout Social
| Sociality.io | Sprout Social | |
| Pricing | $199/month Unlimited number of users | $399/month1 user Additional user +$299/mo |
| Supported Networks | Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Youtube, Pinterest | Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Youtube, Pinterest, and more |
| Social inbox & CRM | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Sentiment Analysis | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Competitor Reporting | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Comment Moderation | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Integrations | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| G2 Rating | 4.6/5 | 4.6/5 |
| Customer Support | Email, live chat & 1:1 onboarding | Email Support |
| Mobile App | ✔️ | ✔️ |
Who is Sociality.io right for?
Small and Medium-Sized Businesses: Sociality.io’s affordable pricing plans and user-friendly interface make it a suitable choice for small and medium-sized businesses looking for a cost-effective and efficient social media management solution.
Freelancers and Solopreneurs: Individual freelancers and solopreneurs who manage their social media presence can benefit from Sociality.io’s ease of use and real-time post customization features.
Startups and Emerging Brands: Startups and emerging brands with limited budgets can find Sociality.io a valuable tool for effectively managing their social media presence and engaging with their audience.
If you are convinced Sociality.io is the right alternative to Sprout Social, try out our 14-day free trial
Hootsuite
Hootsuite is a comprehensive social media management platform that enables businesses and individuals to manage multiple social media accounts from a single dashboard.
Key features
- Post scheduling: Hootsuite allows users to schedule and publish content across various social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Pinterest.
- Social media monitoring: The platform provides real-time monitoring to track brand mentions, keywords, and industry trends, enabling users to stay updated on relevant conversations.
- Analytics and reporting: Hootsuite offers detailed analytics and reporting tools to measure the performance of social media campaigns and track key metrics such as engagement, reach, and clicks.
- Team collaboration: Hootsuite allows team members to collaborate efficiently by assigning tasks, managing approvals, and maintaining visibility over content creation and posting schedules.
- Content library: Allows their business and enterprise users to set up templates and pre-approved images for posting later.
Pricing
| Plan | Pricing | Users & social profiles |
| Professional | $99 per month | 1 user, 10 social profiles |
| Team | $249 per month | 3 users, 20 social profiles |
| Business | $739 per month | 5 users, 35 social profiles |
| Enterprise | Custom pricing | 5 users, 50 social profiles |
Strengths
- Versatility: Hootsuite supports a wide array of social media platforms, making it suitable for businesses of all sizes and industries.
- User-Friendly interface: The platform has an intuitive and user-friendly interface that simplifies social media management, making it accessible to users of all experience levels.
- Social Media listening: Hootsuite’s social media listening capabilities provide valuable insights into audience sentiment and competitor activities, aiding in social media strategy development.
Weaknesses
- Pricing Structure: Hootsuite’s pricing can be relatively higher than some competitors, especially for businesses with extensive social media needs.
- Learning Curve: While Hootsuite’s interface is user-friendly, some users might find navigating the wide range of features and customization options initially challenging.
Who is Hootsuite right for?
Hootsuite is well-suited for a diverse range of users, including small, medium, and large businesses, marketing agencies, and social media managers.
G2 & Capterra ratings
Hootsuite is rated 4.1/5 on G2 and 4.4./5 on Capterra
Brandwatch
Brandwatch is a powerful social listening and analytics platform that helps businesses monitor and analyze conversations on social media and other online channels
Key features
- Social listening: Brandwatch allows users to monitor and track brand mentions, keywords, hashtags, and discussions across various social media platforms, news sites, blogs, forums, and other online sources.
- Sentiment analysis: Brandwatch employs sentiment analysis to determine the sentiment (positive, negative, or neutral) of social media mentions, helping businesses gauge customer attitudes and opinions.
- Customizable dashboards: Brandwatch offers customizable dashboards and data visualizations, allowing users to create reports and insights tailored to their specific needs and preferences.
- Topic and trend analysis: The platform enables users to identify emerging trends, discussions, and topics in their industry, helping them stay ahead of the curve and adapt their strategies accordingly.
- Influencer identification: Brandwatch assists in identifying key influencers and thought leaders within specific industries or topics, facilitating influencer marketing efforts.
| Plan | Pricing |
| Consumer Intelligence | Custom pricing |
| Social Media Management | Custom pricing |
| Influencer Marketing | Custom pricing |
Strengths
- Customizable dashboards: Brandwatch offers customizable dashboards, allowing users to create visualizations and reports tailored to their specific needs and preferences.
- Data sources diversity: Apart from social media platforms, Brandwatch monitors news sites, blogs, forums, and other online sources, providing a comprehensive view of online conversations.
- AI-Powered insights: The platform leverages artificial intelligence to provide valuable insights and trends from the vast amount of data it collects, helping users discover actionable insights.
Weaknesses
- Learning Curve: Due to its extensive features, Brandwatch might have a steeper learning curve for new users who are not familiar with advanced social listening and analytics tools.
- Pricing: Brandwatch’s pricing can be relatively high, especially for small businesses or startups with limited budgets.
- Complexity: The platform’s advanced capabilities may be more than what some businesses require, leading to unnecessary complexity for those seeking simpler social media management solutions.
Who is Brandwatch right for?
Enterprise-Level Businesses, marketing and PR agencies, and brands focusing on brand perception
G2 & Capterra Ratings
Brandwatch is rated 4.4/5 on G2 and 4.2/5 on Capterra
Agorapulse
Agorapulse is a comprehensive social media management and engagement platform that provides tools to manage, schedule, and analyze social media content. It aims to streamline social media marketing efforts and enhance engagement with audiences across various platforms.
Key features
- Content scheduling: Agorapulse allows users to schedule and publish posts across major social media platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
- Contest management: Businesses can run social media contests and promotions through Agorapulse, facilitating audience engagement and interaction.
- Monitoring and listening: The platform enables users to monitor brand mentions, keywords, and hashtags across social media platforms, helping them stay informed about relevant conversations.
- Queue categories: Agorapulse’s queue categories allow users to organize and categorize their content, making managing and scheduling posts easier.
- Influencer management: Agorapulse assists in identifying and engaging with influencers within specific industries, aiding influencer marketing strategies.
| Plan | Pricing | Users & social profiles |
| Free | Free | 1 user, 3 social profiles |
| Standard | $49/month | 10 social profiles |
| Professional | $79/month | 10 social profiles |
| Advanced | $119/month | 10 social profiles |
Strengths
- User-Friendly interface: Agorapulse offers an intuitive and user-friendly interface that simplifies social media management tasks, making it accessible to users of all experience levels.
- Social inbox efficiency: The unified social inbox enhances efficiency by allowing users to monitor and respond to interactions from different platforms in one place.
- Engagement tracking: Agorapulse’s robust engagement tracking features help users measure the effectiveness of their content and engagement strategies.
- Contest management: Agorapulse’s contest management tools empower businesses to run engaging social media contests and promotions.
Weaknesses
- Limited advanced analytics: While Agorapulse offers analytics and reporting features, it may not provide the same depth of advanced analytics as some specialized analytics tools.
- Integration limitations: Agorapulse’s integrations with third-party tools may be more limited compared to some other social media management platforms.
Who is Agorapulse right for?
Agorapulse is suitable for a range of users, including small to Medium-Sized Businesses, marketing teams, influencer marketing, and customer-centric brands
G2 & Capterra Ratings
Agorapulse is rated 4.5/5 on G2 and 4.6/5 on Capterra
Later
Later is a popular social media scheduling and visual content platform designed to simplify the process of planning, scheduling, and managing social media posts. It focuses on visual content, making it an ideal choice for businesses and individuals looking to maintain a cohesive and visually appealing social media presence.
Key features
- Visual Content Scheduling: Later specializes in visual content, allowing users to schedule and publish images, videos, and stories across various social media platforms.
- Drag-and-Drop Calendar: The platform features a user-friendly drag-and-drop calendar that enables easy rearrangement and scheduling of posts.
- Linkin.bio: Later’s Linkin.bio feature lets users create a shoppable Instagram feed by linking posts to specific product pages or external links.
- Content Library: Later provides a library where users can store and organize media assets, ensuring easy access for future posts.
- User-Generated Content (UGC): Brands can curate and feature user-generated content, fostering engagement and building community.
- Hashtag Suggestions: Later offers hashtag suggestions and analytics to optimize post reach and engagement.
- Visual Planning: Users can preview their Instagram feed before scheduling posts, ensuring a consistent and visually appealing aesthetic.
| Plan | Pricing | No. of users & social sets |
| Growth | $40/month | 3 users, 3 social sets |
| Advanced | $80/month | 6 users, 6 social sets |
| Scale | $200/month | 10 users, 15 social sets |
Strengths
- Visual-Centric approach: Later’s focus on visual content is a significant strength, making it an excellent choice for businesses emphasizing a visually consistent social media presence.
- User-Friendly interface: The platform’s intuitive and easy-to-navigate interface is ideal for users who are new to social media scheduling tools.
- Instagram-Specific Features: Later’s features, such as Instagram Stories scheduling and Linkin.bio, cater to the specific needs of Instagram users.
- Visual planning: The ability to visually plan and preview the Instagram feed helps maintain a cohesive brand identity.
- Content library: Later’s content library streamlines content organization and management, enhancing overall workflow.
Weaknesses
- Limited analytics: While Later provides basic analytics, it may lack the advanced analytics features offered by some other platforms.
- Platform focus: Later’s emphasis on visual content and Instagram features might make it less suitable for businesses with diverse social media needs.
Who is Later right for?
Small Businesses and Solopreneurs, Instagram-centric brands, E-commerce brands, and businesses with a visual brand identity.
G2 & Capterra Ratings
Later is rated 4.6/5 on G2 and 4.4/5 on Capterra
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is Sprout Social a month?
Sprout Social uses a tiered pricing plan, with the lowest plan starting at $249 per month.
Does Sprout Social have a free plan?
No. But you can try out the free 30-day trial.
What is better than Sprout Social?
It all depends on your needs and budget. Take this into consideration while searching for alternatives.
Who are the competitors to Sprout Social?
Top competitors to Sprout Social include; Sociality.io, Agorapulse, Hootsuite, Brandwatch, and Later, amongst others.
