vs

Sprout Social vs Buffer

Pricing, networks, publishing, AI and team features side by side. A green highlight marks a row where one tool has a feature the other doesn't.

Feature

Sprout Social

From $79 /seat/mo · billed yearly

Buffer

From $5 /channel/mo

Pricing

Starting priceAs each vendor lists it: some charge per user or per channel.

Sprout Social: $79/seat/month (billed yearly)

Buffer: $5/channel/month

Free plan

Sprout Social: No

Buffer: Yes (advantage Buffer)

Yearly discount

Sprout Social: 10%

Buffer: 17%

Networks

Networks you can publish to

Sprout Social: 11 networks

Buffer: 12 networks (advantage Buffer)

LinkedIn

Sprout Social: Yes

Buffer: Yes

X

Sprout Social: Yes

Buffer: Yes

Instagram

Sprout Social: Yes

Buffer: Yes

Facebook

Sprout Social: Yes

Buffer: Yes

Threads

Sprout Social: Yes

Buffer: Yes

TikTok

Sprout Social: Yes

Buffer: Yes

YouTube

Sprout Social: Yes

Buffer: Yes

Pinterest

Sprout Social: Yes

Buffer: Yes

Google Business Profile

Sprout Social: No

Buffer: Yes (advantage Buffer)

Bluesky

Sprout Social: Yes

Buffer: Yes

Mastodon

Sprout Social: No

Buffer: Yes (advantage Buffer)

Publishing

Content calendar

Sprout Social: Yes

Buffer: Yes

Posting queue

Sprout Social: Yes

Buffer: Yes

Bulk or CSV upload

Sprout Social: Yes (advantage Sprout Social)

Buffer: No

Best time to post

Sprout Social: Yes

Buffer: Yes

Recurring posts

Sprout Social: Yes (advantage Sprout Social)

Buffer: No

AI

AI writing

Sprout Social: Yes

Buffer: Yes

Team & agency

Approval workflow

Sprout Social: Yes (advantage Sprout Social)

Buffer: No

Client approvals

Sprout Social: Yes (advantage Sprout Social)

Buffer: No

White-label

Sprout Social: No

Buffer: No

Roles and permissions

Sprout Social: Yes

Buffer: Yes

Unified inbox

Sprout Social: Yes (advantage Sprout Social)

Buffer: No

Social listening

Sprout Social: Yes (advantage Sprout Social)

Buffer: No

Prices in USD, checked October 2026 on each vendor's own site. "Not listed" means our data doesn't cover it, not that the tool lacks it. Plans change, so check the vendor's page before you buy.