Ranked list

Best Sprout Social alternatives in 2026

If you are paying Sprout Social per user and the posts are still the bottleneck, Quetzal makes and publishes them for you, priced per brand. If you need a like-for-like suite with listening and a shared inbox, Hootsuite is the other per-user option; for reporting across many brands at a lower entry price, Metricool.

· Reviewed by Sergio Verdugo, co-founder of Quetzal

If you are a large team with dedicated creators and you rely on Sprout's listening, governance and reporting, stay with Sprout Social: nothing here replaces all of it for less.

How we ranked

Each tool scores up to 100 points on these criteria, computed from each vendor's own site, checked on 30 September 2026. The list is in score order.

  1. Who makes the posts20 points

    Full marks if its AI plans and makes posts on its own, half if it helps you write when asked, none if you make every post.

  2. Inbox for comments and messages20 points

    Full marks if it has an inbox for comments and messages, none if not.

  3. Covers the six main networks15 points

    A sixth of the points for each of Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, X and YouTube it publishes to.

  4. Approval step before publishing15 points

    Full marks if posts can wait for approval, none if not.

  5. Makes video with AI10 points

    Full marks if it makes video with AI, none if it does not.

  6. Entry price10 points

    The cheapest paid plan per month, at face value in the currency the vendor lists: under 20 scores full marks, under 50 two thirds, under 100 one third, 100 or more none.

  7. Free start10 points

    Full marks for a free plan or a trial without a card, half for a trial that asks for a card, none without a trial.

If a fact is not listed on the vendor's site, or is more than 90 days old, that criterion scores half: we do not assume it either way. Scores are out of 100. When two tools tie, the one with the lower entry price goes first.

Quetzal is our product. It is scored on the same criteria from its own plans, and its position comes from the score, not from us.

  1. 1

    Buffer

    Score: 80 out of 100

    A simple scheduler for individuals and small teams, priced per connected channel, with an AI assistant for post text.

    Buffer charges per channel from $6 a month, with a free plan for up to three channels and a 14-day trial without a card. It has an inbox and approvals, publishes to 13 networks and refunds monthly plans within 7 days and annual plans within 30.

    • Simple, clean queue and calendar
    • A free plan for up to 3 channels
    • Low price for a few channels

    Best for

    A simple queue for a few channels

    Price

    Essentials: $6 a month per channel ($5 a month billed yearly)

    Trade-off

    Its web app is in English only

    Quetzal vs BufferVisit Buffer
  2. 2

    SocialBee

    Score: 79.2 out of 100

    A category-based scheduler with an AI copilot that drafts a content plan, captions and images for you to approve.

    SocialBee's copilot drafts a content plan, captions and images for you to approve, and it has an inbox. It starts at $29 a month per workspace, runs a 14-day trial without a card and refunds a first purchase within 30 days.

    • Evergreen queues organised by content category
    • An AI copilot that drafts a plan, captions and images
    • A 30-day refund on the first purchase

    Best for

    AI-drafted plans on a small budget

    Price

    Bootstrap: $29 a month per workspace ($24.17 a month billed yearly)

    Trade-off

    No AI video on its pricing page

    Quetzal vs SocialBeeVisit SocialBee
  3. 3

    Metricool

    Score: 76.7 out of 100

    A planning and analytics platform priced by number of brands, popular with agencies and community managers.

    Metricool plans, publishes and measures, with detailed and competitor reporting, an inbox and approvals. It is priced by brand count from $25 a month per account rather than per user, has a free plan, and its app is available in Spanish among seven languages.

    • Detailed reporting and competitor analytics
    • Pricing by brand count that agencies understand
    • A free plan and ads reporting in the same tool

    Best for

    Reporting across many brands

    Price

    Starter (up to 5 brands): $25 a month per account ($20 a month billed yearly)

    Trade-off

    AI is limited to writing help; no AI video

    Quetzal vs MetricoolVisit Metricool
  4. 4

    Hootsuite

    Score: 70.8 out of 100

    One of the original social media management suites: scheduling, inbox, listening and reporting for teams, priced per user.

    Hootsuite offers scheduling, an inbox several people work from, approval routing, listening and reporting, with broad integrations. Its trial runs 14 days without a card. Its AI helps with text when you ask.

    • Mature scheduling and team workflow
    • Listening and reporting
    • Broad integrations

    Best for

    A like-for-like suite with listening

    Price

    Standard: $99 a month per user, billed yearly only

    Trade-off

    Also per user, from $99 a month, billed yearly, with no refund on cancelling

    Quetzal vs HootsuiteVisit Hootsuite
  5. 5

    Quetzal

    Our productScore: 68.3 out of 100

    Making the posts stops being the bottleneck. Quetzal plans the week from your brand and website, writes and designs posts and carousels, and publishes them to Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, X and YouTube after your approval or on autopilot, then plans the next week from what each post did. Unlimited posts on every plan; AI reels come on every plan. It is priced per brand, not per user.

    Best for

    Teams whose bottleneck is making the posts

    Trade-off

    No listening or shared inbox like Sprout's, and no free plan

    $69/ mo

    Starter, per brand, billed yearly. $90 month to month.

    Try for free
    • Plans and makes the week from your website and brand
    • Publishes to Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, X and YouTube
    • Writes natively in English and Spanish
    • AI reels on every plan, from 10 AI credits a month (1 credit = 1 image or 1 second of AI video)
    See Quetzal's pricing
  6. 6

    Planable

    Score: 66.7 out of 100

    A collaboration and approval tool for planning social posts, with unlimited users and an AI writer for captions.

    Planable is built around collaboration and approval, with unlimited users on every paid workspace from $39 a month per workspace and a free tier of 50 posts with no time limit. Its AI writer helps with captions.

    • Clear approval flows for clients and managers
    • Unlimited users on every paid workspace
    • A free start with no time limit and no card

    Best for

    Approval-heavy teams that write their own posts

    Price

    Basic: $39 a month per workspace ($33 a month billed yearly)

    Trade-off

    All sales are final: no refunds

    Quetzal vs PlanableVisit Planable

Why people look beyond Sprout Social.

The reasons

  • It is priced per user, from $99 a month up to $499 a month on self-serve plans, so the bill grows with the team.
  • Its terms give no refunds or credits for prepaid, unused fees.
  • Its AI helps when asked; it does not plan or make the week's posts, and it lists no AI video.
  • It is built for large teams with their own creators, so a small business often pays for governance it does not use while the calendar stays empty.

What Sprout Social does well

  • A shared inbox, listening and reporting built for teams.
  • Permissions and governance for large organisations.
  • A 30-day trial with no card, and an app available in Spanish, French, Italian and Portuguese.

Which tools are on the list.

The list covers the suites people compare with Sprout Social, the cheaper schedulers, and the tools that make the posts for you. Readers leaving Sprout still care about approvals and the inbox, so those criteria weigh more here; the order is the score, as set out in How we ranked. None of these scores measures listening, where Sprout is strong.

At a glance.

1. Buffer

Best for
A simple queue for a few channels
From
Essentials: $6 a month per channel ($5 a month billed yearly)
Free plan or trial
Free plan and 14-day trial, no card
Main trade-off
Its web app is in English only

2. SocialBee

Best for
AI-drafted plans on a small budget
From
Bootstrap: $29 a month per workspace ($24.17 a month billed yearly)
Free plan or trial
14-day trial, no card
Main trade-off
No AI video on its pricing page

3. Metricool

Best for
Reporting across many brands
From
Starter (up to 5 brands): $25 a month per account ($20 a month billed yearly)
Free plan or trial
Free plan
Main trade-off
AI is limited to writing help; no AI video

4. Hootsuite

Best for
A like-for-like suite with listening
From
Standard: $99 a month per user, billed yearly only
Free plan or trial
14-day trial, no card
Main trade-off
Also per user, from $99 a month, billed yearly, with no refund on cancelling

5. Quetzal

Best for
Teams whose bottleneck is making the posts
From
Starter: $90 a month per brand ($69 a month billed yearly), before tax
Free plan or trial
7-day trial, card required; no free plan
Main trade-off
No listening or shared inbox like Sprout's, and no free plan

6. Planable

Best for
Approval-heavy teams that write their own posts
From
Basic: $39 a month per workspace ($33 a month billed yearly)
Free plan or trial
Free plan, no card
Main trade-off
All sales are final: no refunds

When another tool beats Quetzal.

  • Sprout Social or Hootsuite, if you need social listening, a shared inbox and permissions for a large team.
  • Metricool, if the job is reporting across many brands and your team already makes the content.
  • Buffer, if you only need to queue posts you make yourself and want a free plan.
  • Planable, if several people write every post and client approval is the slow part.

How to switch from Sprout Social

  1. 1List what you use in Sprout today: publishing, inbox, listening or reports. That decides whether you replace it or keep it beside a tool that makes the posts.
  2. 2Start the new tool's trial and connect the same accounts.
  3. 3Move the posts still scheduled, or let the new tool plan the next week.
  4. 4Cancel before your next Sprout payment date, since prepaid fees are not refunded; access runs to that date.

Questions people ask.

What is the best alternative to Sprout Social?

It depends on the job. For a team whose bottleneck is making the posts, Quetzal plans, writes, designs and publishes them. For a like-for-like suite with listening and a shared inbox, Hootsuite. For reporting across many brands at a lower entry price, Metricool.

Is there a free alternative to Sprout Social?

Buffer and Metricool have free plans, and Planable has a free tier of 50 posts. Sprout offers a 30-day trial, not a free plan. Quetzal has no free plan; it has a 7-day trial with a card.

Is there a cheaper alternative to Sprout Social?

Sprout charges per user from $99 a month. Tools priced per channel, per brand or per workspace, such as Buffer, Metricool, SocialBee and Quetzal, usually cost less once more than one person uses them.

Which Sprout Social alternative makes the content for you?

Quetzal plans and makes the week's posts on its own, then publishes them after your approval or on autopilot. SocialBee's copilot drafts a plan, captions and images for you to approve. The others help with text when you ask.

Should I replace Sprout Social or add a tool to it?

If your team relies on Sprout's listening and inbox, keep it and add a tool that makes the posts. If you mainly use it to publish, you can replace it and stop paying per user.

How do I switch from Sprout Social?

Start the new tool's trial, connect the same accounts, move the posts still scheduled and cancel before your next payment date. Sprout does not refund prepaid fees, and access runs to that date.

Before you shortlist

Try it on your own brand.

The quickest way to compare is to see a week of posts made with your brand and put it next to what you use today.

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Best Sprout Social alternatives in 2026: 6 tools compared