Social media management tools · Comparison
Buffer vs Hootsuite vs Later vs Sprout Social
4 products compared side by side: what you pay for with each one first, then the five access facts, entry prices, recorded plan limits and the bottom line of each review. The evidence note under the table says how each product was checked.
Side by side
| Metric | Buffer | Hootsuite | Later | Sprout Social |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What you're paying for | Worth the priceScheduling for every major network, priced per channel with unlimited team members on Team, and a free plan to start. | Built-in reachPublishing, a shared inbox, listening and competitor benchmarks for every major network in one seat, backed by audited security. | Worth the priceA visual planner for Instagram, TikTok and six more networks, with approvals and an inbox on a flat plan that costs less than one seat elsewhere. | Compliance includedA full social team workspace (inbox, approvals, competitor reports and branded reporting) on one seat, with SOC 2 Type 2 and ISO 27001 behind it. |
| Overall score | 6.6 | 6.6 | 7.4Best | 6.5 |
| Free option | Free plan | 14-day free trial | Free plan | 30-day free trial |
| Card to start | No card needed | No card needed | Card required | No card needed |
| Getting access | Self-serve | Self-serve | Self-serve | Self-serve |
| Starter priceCheapest paid plan | $5/channel/mo | $99/user/mo | $18.75/mo | $79/seat/mo |
| Pricing model | Tiered | Per seat | Flat rate | Per seat |
| Pricing page | Public prices | Public prices | Public prices | Public prices |
| Billing unit | Per connected channel per month, lower per channel above 10 | Per user per month; each plan has a social account allowance | Flat plan with Social Sets (one profile per network) and users; extra sets and users as add-ons | Per seat per month; 5 profiles on Essentials and Standard, unlimited from Professional |
| Free option | Free plan: 3 channels, 1 user, 10 scheduled posts per channel; 14-day Team trial, no card | No free plan; 14-day trial, no card (plans page) | Free plan in the help center (1 Social Set, 1 user, 12 posts per profile a month); 14-day trial, card required | No free plan; 30-day trial, no card |
| Reference scenario (3 users, 10 profiles, annual) | $100/mo on Team (10 × $10), computed | $297/mo on Standard (3 × $99), computed | $41.25/mo on Growth ($37.50 + 1 extra user at $3.75), computed | $897/mo on Professional (3 × $299), computed |
| Month-to-month price | $12 per channel on Team for channels 1–10 ($6 on Essentials) | $149 per user on Standard ($149 / $299 / $499 for the three listed plans) | $50 on Growth ($25 / $50 / $110 for the three listed plans) | $399 per seat on Professional ($99 / $249 / $399 / $499 for the four listed plans) |
| Networks for publishing | Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X, TikTok, YouTube (Shorts), Pinterest, Threads, Bluesky, Google Business Profile, Mastodon | Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, Threads, Bluesky; Google Business Profile through its app | Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube (Shorts), Pinterest, Threads, Snapchat; not X | Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, Threads, Bluesky, Google Business Profile, Reddit, Snapchat |
| Approval workflows | Team | Advanced ($399 per user, annual) and Enterprise | Growth and Scale | Professional and up; external approvers on Advanced |
| Unified inbox | Community inbox for comments on every plan; no direct messages | Comments and messages on every plan | Social Inbox (beta) on Growth: Instagram and Facebook messages and comments, TikTok comments | Smart Inbox for comments and messages from Standard (not on Essentials) |
| Social listening | Not offered | Quick Search with 7 days of history on Standard; 30 days from Professional | Scale: mentions, brand health and competitor benchmarking | Keyword and brand monitoring from Standard; the Listening add-on through sales |
| SOC 2 / ISO 27001 | Blog post says "SOC 2 compliant", report type not stated; ISO 27001 not stated | SOC 2 Type II audited annually; ISO 27001:2022 | SOC 2 Type 2 and ISO/IEC 27001 listed in the trust center (archived copy) | SOC 2 Type 2 audit; ISO/IEC 27001:2013 |
| SAML SSO | Not stated | Enterprise only (priced by sales) | Legacy Enterprise plan only | SAML 2.0; set up through Enterprise or a customer success manager |
| DPA | Published (linked from the legal page) | Published, with an electronic signature option | On request by email, with the reasons | Published and part of the terms |
| Bottom line | From its public pages, Buffer is a straightforward publisher priced per channel, with unlimited users, approvals and a free plan. It covers comments but not direct messages, and lists no listening, SSO or certifications. | From its public pages, Hootsuite is a broad suite: ten networks, an inbox, listening and competitor benchmarks on Standard, and an audited security file. Seats are priced per user, and approvals start on Advanced. | From its public pages, Later is the lowest-cost way here to give a small team approvals and an inbox, priced by Social Sets. Its network list leaves out X, Bluesky and Google Business Profile, and listening starts on Scale. | From its public pages, Sprout Social is the most complete team workspace here, with the inbox, approvals, competitor reports and audits on Professional. It is also the most expensive per seat, and listening is priced by sales. |
Evidence: Buffer: facts checked 2026-10-16 from its public sign-up and pricing pages, no completed hands-on run; Hootsuite: facts checked 2026-10-16 from its public sign-up and pricing pages, no completed hands-on run; Later: facts checked 2026-10-16 from its public sign-up and pricing pages, no completed hands-on run; Sprout Social: facts checked 2026-10-16 from its public sign-up and pricing pages, no completed hands-on run. Prices in USD as listed, excluding tax. "–" means not recorded.
When to pick each
In the words of each review, with the date its facts were checked.
From our Buffer review
Checked Oct 16, 2026- Pick Buffer when
- You want unlimited users, approvals and a free plan at $100 a month for 10 channels (Team, annual).
- Pick Hootsuite when
- You need direct messages in one inbox, listening and competitor benchmarks, and audited security documents.
From our Buffer review
Checked Oct 16, 2026- Pick Buffer when
- You publish to X, Bluesky or Google Business Profile, or want approvals and bulk upload with any number of users.
- Pick Later when
- You want Instagram and Facebook direct messages in the inbox and a lower scenario price ($41.25 a month on Growth with one extra user, annual).
From our Hootsuite review
Checked Oct 16, 2026- Pick Hootsuite when
- You want listening searches, competitor benchmarks and bulk scheduling on the entry plan, at $99 per user on annual terms.
- Pick Sprout Social when
- You want approval workflows, unlimited profiles and branded reports on one plan, Professional at $299 per seat on annual terms.
From our Hootsuite review
Checked Oct 16, 2026- Pick Hootsuite when
- You need direct messages in the inbox, listening and competitor benchmarks.
- Pick Buffer when
- You want unlimited users, approvals and a free plan, with 10 channels on Team at $100 a month (annual).
From our Later review
Checked Oct 16, 2026- Pick Later when
- You want Instagram and Facebook direct messages in the inbox and the lowest scenario price ($41.25 a month on Growth, annual).
- Pick Buffer when
- You publish to X, Bluesky or Google Business Profile, or want CSV bulk upload, an API and unlimited users.
From our Later review
Checked Oct 16, 2026- Pick Later when
- You want approvals and an inbox for a small team at a fraction of a per-seat price.
- Pick Sprout Social when
- You need X, Reddit or Google Business Profile, bulk scheduling, an API, or a DPA and SSO without a request.
From our Sprout Social review
Checked Oct 16, 2026- Pick Sprout Social when
- You want approval workflows, unlimited profiles and branded reports on one plan at $299 per seat on annual terms.
- Pick Hootsuite when
- You want listening and competitor benchmarks at a lower seat price, $99 per user on Standard, and 10 profiles are enough.
From our Sprout Social review
Checked Oct 16, 2026- Pick Sprout Social when
- You need an inbox with direct messages, competitor reports and audited security documents.
- Pick Buffer when
- You mainly publish and approve, and want unlimited users at $100 a month for 10 channels (Team, annual).
From our Sprout Social review
Checked Oct 16, 2026- Pick Sprout Social when
- You publish to X, Bluesky, Reddit or Google Business Profile, or need bulk scheduling, an API and a published DPA.
- Pick Later when
- You focus on Instagram and TikTok and want approvals and an inbox for $41.25 a month (Growth with one extra user, annual).
Entry price
Baseline: each product's cheapest paid plan, per month. Included usage differs, so read the line under each price.
- BufferLowest priceEssentials$5/channel/moBilled yearly ($60 per channel a year) for channels 1–10; $6 month to month; lower above 10 channels; 1 user
- Unlimited scheduled posts (fair use: 5,000 per channel)
- Advanced analytics with CSV, PDF and Markdown export
- First comment scheduling and hashtag manager
- API: 3 keys, 7,500 requests a month
- HootsuiteStandard$99/user/moBilled annually ($1,188 per user a year); $149 month to month; 10 social accounts
- Publishing and bulk scheduling (up to 350 posts by CSV)
- Inbox for comments and messages
- Listening Quick Search (7 days), 5 competitors
- 100 AI credits a month
- LaterStarter$18.75/moBilled yearly; $25 month to month; 1 Social Set (8 profiles), 1 user, no add-ons
- 30 posts per profile a month
- 5 AI credits a month
- Analytics with CSV export
- Link in Bio
- Sprout SocialEssentials$79/seat/moBilled annually; $99 month to month; 5 social profiles
- Publishing to every supported network
- Content calendar and post performance reports
- No Smart Inbox or approvals
- 100 AI agent credits per seat a month
Prices as listed on each pricing page, in USD per month, excluding tax. Observed: Buffer 2026-10-16, Hootsuite 2026-10-16, Later 2026-10-16, Sprout Social 2026-10-16.
Which one fits
- If you need to start today without a sales call
- LaterSelf-serve sign-up, card required; the highest score of the 4 self-serve products here (7.4/10).
- If you want to try it without entering a card
- BufferFree plan, no card needed; scored 6.6/10.
- Lowest starter price
- Buffer$5/channel/mo for the Essentials (billed yearly) plan.
- Highest overall score
- Later7.4/10 (Good). The review shows the score breakdown and the run behind it.
Picked by fixed rules from the table above, not by hand. How we score