Buffer vs Sprout Social Pricing (2026)
How do these two stack up on price? Here's what each one costs, what you get, and where the value sits.
| Buffer pricing | Sprout Social pricing | |
|---|---|---|
| Starts at | $5/mo | $99/mo |
| Number of plans | 3 | 5 |
| Free plan | — | |
| Free trial | ||
| Pricing model | per-seat | per-seat |
Price is one row. To weigh the features too, use our feature comparison template →
Free
- 10 scheduled posts per channel - refill anytime
- 100 ideas
- 1 user account
- AI Assistant
- Insights
- API access
- Community inbox
- World-class customer support
Essentials
Popular- Unlimited scheduled posts per channel
- Unlimited ideas
- 1 user account
- AI Assistant
- Advanced analytics
- API access
- Community inbox
- Hashtag manager
- First comment scheduling
- World-class customer support
Team
- Unlimited scheduled posts per channel
- Unlimited ideas
- Unlimited team members
- AI Assistant
- Advanced analytics
- API access
- Community inbox
- Hashtag manager
- First comment scheduling
- Access levels
- Content approval workflows
- World-class customer support
Essentials
- Connect up to 5 social profiles
- Increase your visibility with optimal send times
- Track performance with profile and post-level reporting
- Transform data overload into clarity with Trellis, your AI teammate
Standard
- 5 social profiles
- Consolidated inbox and collaboration tools
- Keyword and location monitoring
- Trellis AI agent
- Review management
Professional
Popular- Unlimited social profiles
- Message tagging
- Extensive competitor, tag and paid insights
- Enhance Post by AI Assist
Advanced
- Enhance Reply by AI Assist
- Sentiment in the Smart Inbox and Reviews
- The Sprout API and Helpdesk integrations
- Team productivity and social customer care reports
- Message Spike Alerts
Enterprise
- White-glove onboarding and implementation
- Plan tailored to your enterprise business
- Dedicated service for hassle-free SSO setup
- Priority customer support
Buffer vs Sprout Social FAQ
- Which one is cheaper?
- Buffer starts lower at $5/mo, compared to $99/mo for Sprout Social.
- Can I use either one for free?
- Buffer has a free plan. Sprout Social doesn't — though they do offer a free trial.
- How do they charge?
- Both use a per-seat model, so the comparison is straightforward — it comes down to features and limits at each price point.
- Which one is a better deal?
- Depends on what you need. Buffer: At $5/channel, Buffer is clearly the budget play in social scheduling, undercutting Hootsuite and Sprout Social by a wide margin. The target is small businesses, creators, and lean marketing teams who find the enterprise suites bloated and overpriced. Sprout Social: Sprout sits firmly in premium territory — its $99 entry tier is already priced above where tools like Buffer or Later start, and by Advanced it's competing with Sprinklr and Khoros territory. They're not chasing budget-conscious solopreneurs; they're winning mid-market and enterprise teams who'll pay for polish, support, and a clean UI over raw feature count.
Still deciding? See the best Buffer alternatives or the best Sprout Social alternatives, ranked with verified pricing.
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