Sprout Social vs Buffer: Which is better in 2026?
A side-by-side comparison of pricing, features, and use cases to help you decide between Sprout Social and Buffer.
Sprout Social
Enterprise social media management and analytics
From $249/mo
No free plan
Buffer
Simple social media scheduling for small teams
From $6/mo
Free plan available
Head-to-head comparison
| Feature | Sprout Social | Buffer |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $249/mo | $6/mo ✓ Cheaper |
| Free plan | ✗ No | ✓ Yes |
| Pricing model | paid | freemium |
| G2 rating | 4.4/5 ↑ | 4.3/5 |
| Capterra rating | 4.4/5 | 4.5/5 |
| Founded | 2010 | 2010 |
Sprout Social: pros & cons
Pros
- ✓Best analytics of any social tool
- ✓Excellent reporting
- ✓Strong team features
- ✓Good social CRM
Cons
- ✗Very expensive
- ✗Per-seat pricing adds up fast
- ✗Overkill for small teams
Buffer: pros & cons
Pros
- ✓Very clean and easy to use
- ✓Affordable per-channel pricing
- ✓Good free plan
- ✓Great for small teams
Cons
- ✗Less analytics depth than Sprout Social
- ✗No social listening
- ✗Limited reporting on free plan