Sprout Social alternativesfor client approvals
Teams look at Sprout Social alternatives when every seat adds to the bill or when three external approvers on Advanced are not enough. Here is how Posty, Planable, Hootsuite and Buffer handle pricing, client approval and the inbox.
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Why teams look for Sprout Social alternatives
$79a seat a month on the lowest plan
Every seat is billed
Sprout Social charges $79 to $399 a seat a month billed annually, or $99 to $499 billed monthly. Every person who needs to work in it adds a seat.
3external approvers, on Advanced only
Three external approvers, on Advanced only
External approvers, who sign off without a seat, are limited to three and are part of Advanced and Enterprise only. An agency with more than three clients reaches that limit quickly.
$199a seat a month for the Smart Inbox
The entry plan leaves out the inbox and approvals
Essentials leaves out the Smart Inbox and approvals, so most teams start on Standard or Professional at $199 or $299 a seat a month.
4 Sprout Social alternatives worth a trial
Each option replaces Sprout Social for a different kind of team. Prices are list prices in USD, checked on each vendor’s own site; the sources are listed below.
Posty
Teams and agencies that want approvals, the inbox and analytics in one price per brand or client.
Clients join their own workspace with client visibility and approve there. There is no separate approver limit beyond the workspace’s people: 10 on Growth, unlimited on Accelerate. Billing is per workspace, so a new approver never adds a seat.
Where it falls short
No X, WhatsApp or Google Business Profile. Growth allows 10 people per workspace, clients included; beyond that you need Accelerate. The inbox covers Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram, Threads and YouTube.
- How you pay
- Per workspace (one brand or client), never per seat
- Approval workflows
- Growth and Accelerate; your team then the client on Accelerate
- Comments and DMs inbox
- Comments and messages on every paid plan, from Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram, Threads and YouTube
Planable
Content teams that want unlimited users per workspace and publish to X, within a monthly post allowance.
Per-workspace pricing with unlimited users, so clients and stakeholders can approve without seat costs. Publishes to X and Google Business Profile.
Where it falls short
Posts are limited to 60 or 150 per workspace a month, the inbox and analytics are add-ons, and clients need an account from Pro.
- How you pay
- Per workspace, with unlimited users
- Approval workflows
- Optional approval on Basic; required approval from Pro; multi-level on Enterprise
- Comments and DMs inbox
- An add-on at $9 a workspace a month ($90 a year); DMs from Facebook and Instagram only
Hootsuite
Larger social teams that publish to X or WhatsApp and are happy to pay for every seat.
Also per seat, but starts lower at $99 a user a month on Standard, with an inbox for comments and DMs on every plan.
Where it falls short
Approval workflows need Advanced at $399 a user a month, and Hootsuite documents no external approvers.
- How you pay
- Per user, every seat billed at the plan’s rate
- Approval workflows
- Advanced ($399 a user a month, billed annually) and Enterprise
- Comments and DMs inbox
- Comments and DMs on every plan; assignment and routing from Advanced
Buffer
Creators and small teams that mainly publish, want a low entry price and reply to comments rather than messages.
Unlimited users and approvals on the Team plan at $10 a channel a month billed annually, which suits small teams with few channels.
Where it falls short
No direct messages in the inbox, and clients approve with their own Buffer login.
- How you pay
- Per connected channel
- Approval workflows
- Team plan only ($10 a channel a month, billed annually)
- Comments and DMs inbox
- Comment replies on every plan; no direct messages
Every option in one table
Posty first, then Sprout Social and the rest of the shortlist.
- How you pay
- PostyPer workspace (one brand or client), never per seat
- Sprout SocialPer seat, every seat billed at the plan’s rate
- PlanablePer workspace, with unlimited users
- HootsuitePer user, every seat billed at the plan’s rate
- BufferPer connected channel
- Lowest paid plan
- PostyStarter, $24 a workspace a month billed annually, or $29 monthly
- Sprout SocialEssentials, $79 a seat a month billed annually, or $99 monthly
- PlanableBasic, $32.50 a workspace a month billed annually, or $39 monthly
- HootsuiteStandard, $99 a user a month billed annually
- BufferEssentials, $5 a channel a month billed annually, or $6 monthly
- People included
- Posty1 on Starter, up to 10 per workspace on Growth, unlimited on Accelerate
- Sprout SocialAs many seats as you buy, each at the per-seat price
- PlanableUnlimited users on every plan
- HootsuiteAs many seats as you buy, each at the per-user price
- Buffer1 on Essentials; unlimited on Team at no extra charge
- Approval workflows
- PostyGrowth and Accelerate; your team then the client on Accelerate
- Sprout SocialProfessional ($299 a seat a month, billed annually) and above
- PlanableOptional approval on Basic; required approval from Pro; multi-level on Enterprise
- HootsuiteAdvanced ($399 a user a month, billed annually) and Enterprise
- BufferTeam plan only ($10 a channel a month, billed annually)
- Client approvals
- PostyClients approve in their own workspace and count towards its people
- Sprout SocialUp to three external approvers, on Advanced ($399 a seat a month) and Enterprise; they approve from an email link
- PlanableClients join as approvers with their own account, from Pro; not on Basic
- HootsuiteNo external approvers documented; approvers are team members with access to the account
- BufferClients approve with their own Buffer login on the Team plan
- Comments and DMs inbox
- PostyComments and messages on every paid plan, from Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram, Threads and YouTube
- Sprout SocialSmart Inbox from Standard ($199 a seat a month); not on Essentials
- PlanableAn add-on at $9 a workspace a month ($90 a year); DMs from Facebook and Instagram only
- HootsuiteComments and DMs on every plan; assignment and routing from Advanced
- BufferComment replies on every plan; no direct messages
- Analytics
- PostyEvery paid plan: 30-day history on Starter, 90-day on Growth, 1-year on Accelerate
- Sprout SocialProfile and post reports on every plan; Premium Analytics is an add-on with no published price
- PlanableAn add-on at $14 a workspace a month ($140 a year); included on Enterprise
- HootsuiteReports on every plan; custom reports from Professional; branded and shared reports on Advanced
- Buffer30 days of history on Free; unlimited history and reports on paid plans; branded reports on Team
- Post limits
- PostyUnlimited posts on every paid plan
- Sprout SocialNo monthly cap; the queue allows 10 to 30 posts a day by plan
- Planable60 posts a workspace a month on Basic, 150 on Pro, unlimited on Enterprise
- HootsuiteUnlimited posts on paid plans
- BufferUnlimited on paid plans, within a 5,000 post fair use cap per channel
- Networks
- PostyBluesky, Discord, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Threads, TikTok, WordPress and YouTube. No X or Google Business Profile.
- Sprout SocialX, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, Pinterest, YouTube, Bluesky, Threads, WhatsApp and Google Business Profile
- PlanableFacebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, Threads and Google Business Profile
- HootsuiteFacebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube, Threads, Pinterest and Bluesky, plus WhatsApp in the inbox
- BufferInstagram, Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn, YouTube Shorts, Threads, Pinterest, Bluesky, X, Mastodon and Google Business Profile
- Free plan
- PostyLink in Bio only; scheduling needs a paid plan
- Sprout SocialNone; a 30 day trial with no card required
- Planable50 posts in total, with no time limit and no card required
- HootsuiteNone; a 14 day trial with no card required
- BufferYes: 3 channels, 10 scheduled posts per channel at a time, 1 user
What your team would pay on Posty and Sprout Social
Set your team size and number of brands or clients. Each product is priced on its cheapest plan with approval workflows, or without them if you switch approvals off.
Approval workflows
- Posty$96/mo
3 workspaces on Growth at $32
- Sprout Social$1,495/mo
Professional: 5 people at $299
Posty: Growth includes approvals, the inbox and analytics for up to 10 people per workspace, clients included.
Sprout Social: Approvals start on Professional; external approvers need Advanced.
Posty costs $16,788 a year less than Sprout Social for this team.
List prices in USD per month on annual billing, before tax. Monthly billing costs more on every product here. Social account and post limits differ by plan; see the table above.
How to choose a Sprout Social alternative
- Count your approvers
- Sprout Social allows up to three external approvers, on Advanced only. Count the clients and stakeholders who sign off, and check how each alternative lets them approve and what it costs.
- Price the whole team
- Sprout Social and Hootsuite bill per seat, Buffer per channel, Posty and Planable per workspace. Price your actual team before comparing headline prices.
- Decide how much inbox you need
- Sprout Social’s Smart Inbox starts on Standard. Hootsuite includes an inbox on every plan, Posty on every paid plan, Planable as an add-on, and Buffer replies to comments only.
- Match the networks you publish to
- Sprout Social publishes to X, WhatsApp and Google Business Profile. Hootsuite, Buffer and Planable publish to X; Posty does not, but adds Discord and WordPress.
Questions about Sprout Social alternatives
- How many external approvers does Sprout Social allow?
- Up to three, on the Advanced plan, according to Sprout Social’s help centre. They approve from an email link after entering their name, and Link Sharing has to be turned on first.
- Is there a Sprout Social alternative without per-seat pricing?
- Posty and Planable bill per workspace, so adding an approver does not add a seat. Buffer bills per channel, with unlimited users on Team.
- Which Sprout Social alternatives include an inbox?
- Hootsuite includes an inbox for comments and DMs on every plan. Posty includes one on every paid plan, covering Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram, Threads and YouTube. Planable sells its inbox as an add-on, and Buffer replies to comments only.
- Does Sprout Social have a free plan?
- There is no free plan. Sprout Social offers a 30 day trial with no card required.
Sources
Vendors change plans often. Every competitor fact on this page comes from the vendor’s own pricing page or help centre, checked on the date shown. Posty’s figures come from the pricing page.
Sprout Social, checked 27 October 2026
Planable, checked 27 October 2026
Hootsuite, checked 27 October 2026
Buffer, checked 27 October 2026
See whether Posty fits your team
Create a workspace, connect your accounts and run a week of posts through your approval rule before you decide.