Buffer vs Sprout Social
These sit at opposite ends of the category. Buffer is a light scheduler with a free tier and per-channel pricing, thin on analytics. Sprout Social is the most expensive product here, charged per user, and earns it with board-ready reports, listening and CRM features. Budget-conscious small teams choose Buffer; in-house teams answering to a board choose Sprout Social.
Niels AbrahamsenAnalyst, Security & Infrastructure
Sebastiaan Smits
Hannah ReiterVendors can pay for visibility on this site; it never changes what we say about a product. How that works.
Choose Buffer ifyour team is small, your budget is tight, you manage many channels and the job is publishing on schedule, not producing reports for senior management.
Choose Sprout Social ifyou must show leadership what social media returns, you want listening and CRM features in the same tool, and the budget covers a per-user licence for everyone involved.
Buffer and Sprout Social side by side
| Buffer | Sprout Social | |
|---|---|---|
| Our social media management rank | #2 of 16 | #13 of 16 |
| Established in | United States | United States |
| Pricing | Free tier; paid per channel per month, published | Per user per month, published; from $79 per seat on annual billing |
| Free tier | Yes | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Self-hostable | — | — |
| Built for | A small team with many channels and no approval process | An in-house team that must justify the channel to a board |
| Not for | An agency with clients who must approve every post | A two-person marketing team on a budget |
Both are reviewed in full in our social media management ranking: Buffer and Sprout Social.
Where they differ
Buffer 1 · Sprout Social 2 · open 1- 01
Cost per channel against cost per seat
Buffer bills for channels, so extra colleagues do not move the price, and it starts with a free tier. Sprout Social bills for each user and is the most expensive option in the category by some distance, which penalises the collaborative teams it is designed for. On cost alone, and especially for small teams, Buffer is far ahead.
Edge: Buffer
- 02
Proving what the channel returned
Sprout Social's reports can be put in front of a board without being rebuilt, and that is the core of what buyers pay for. Buffer's analytics are thin, and a team that needs to demonstrate impact will add another tool alongside it. When the report matters more than the schedule, Sprout Social is clearly the stronger product.
Edge: Sprout Social
- 03
Listening and relationship features
Sprout Social includes social listening and CRM features that hold up in real use. Buffer does not do listening or competitive analysis; it concentrates on getting posts out. A team that wants to track conversations about its brand and keep context on the people it talks to will find that only one of these two attempts it.
Edge: Sprout Social
- 04
Fit for the size of the team
Buffer suits a small team with many channels and no approval process; Sprout Social suits an in-house team accountable to senior management and is a poor match for a two-person team on a budget. Each is the wrong purchase for the other's buyer, so this round depends entirely on which of those teams you are.
Depends on the buyer
When neither fits
If you need real reporting but cannot justify Sprout Social's per-user price, neither works: Buffer will not give you the numbers. Metricool covers paid and organic reporting with competitor benchmarking at a low price, and Agorapulse offers solid reporting alongside a unified inbox.
Buffer or Sprout Social: questions
3 answersWhy is Sprout Social so much more expensive than Buffer?
The two charge on different meters and sell different things. Buffer bills per channel for scheduling.
Sprout Social bills per user and includes presentation-ready reporting, social listening and CRM features. It is the most expensive product in the category, and the reporting is what the money buys.
Is Buffer enough for a small marketing team, or do we need Sprout Social?
For publishing, Buffer is enough: it is built for a small team with many channels. Sprout Social is not aimed at a two-person team on a budget.
The exception is reporting. If you must prove impact, Buffer's thin analytics will push you towards a second tool.
Do Buffer and Sprout Social both include social listening?
No. Sprout Social includes social listening, and it is one of the product's recognised strengths. Buffer's listening is thin, and the product does not attempt competitive analysis. If monitoring conversations is a requirement, Buffer alone will not meet it.