Sprout Social Alternatives: Top 7 Competitors in 2024

If you’re here, you probably know that Sprout Social is a powerhouse in the world of social media management. It’s packed with features designed to help you schedule posts, analyze performance and collaborate with your team. But let’s be real — Sprout Social does have its drawbacks.

If you’re on the lookout for Sprout Social alternatives, chances are that you already realize its shortcomings. Maybe Sprout Social’s price tag makes you flinch or perhaps you’re dreaming of a feature that’s just not on its menu. Or maybe you’re just curious to see what else is out there — no harm in exploring, right?

There are plenty of Sprout Social alternatives out there but who has the time to sign up for tens of demos and go through tons of documentation? That’s where this vetted list of Sprout Social alternatives will come in handy. Whether you’re a freelancer, a small business owner or an enterprise brand, you will find the right tool on this list — one that matches your budget and needs which is crucial to give you the following benefits that Sprout lacks:

• Cost-effectiveness
• Tailored features
• User-friendly experience

And, if you’re confused by all the Sprout replacements out there, we’ll share some handy tips on how to evaluate these options so you can find the tool that’s truly your social media soulmate. Let's get started.

Why consider alternatives to Sprout Social?

Sprout Social is a powerful tool for managing social media, offering features like social media analytics, scheduling and social CRM.

But, like any social media management platform, it might not be the ideal solution for everyone. Here’s why you might want to explore alternatives:

1. Cost concerns

Sprout Social’s pricing can be a dealbreaker, especially for smaller businesses, agencies or freelancers who work on razor-thin margins. Starting at $299 per month for a single user, costs can escalate quickly as you add team members or opt for advanced features. For many, this steep pricing makes it challenging to justify the expense, leading them to seek more budget-friendly alternatives.

2. Feature limitations

While Sprout Social is known for its comprehensive feature set, some capabilities are locked behind higher-tier plans. For instance, advanced social listening tools and custom analytics require additional costs. This tiered feature structure can be frustrating for users who need these tools but don’t want to pay extra.

Here’s what a G2 reviewer had to say about Sprout Social’s pricing plans:

“Users may feel that the base price of the tool should encompass all the necessary features for effective social media scheduling. Paying extra for features can make the overall cost prohibitive, especially for individuals or small businesses on a tight budget.” Source

3. User experience and complexity

Navigating Sprout Social’s interface can be challenging for some users. The platform’s complexity, particularly in its publishing tools and user tagging processes, can lead to a steeper learning curve and potential inefficiencies.

For example, users have reported that the need to manually tag users and the overall navigational difficulties can slow down social media operations, making it less intuitive compared to other tools.

4. Team collaboration and workflow

For larger social media teams, Sprout Social’s collaboration features may not be sufficient. While it offers campaign creation and organizational tools, it lacks robust features for real-time team collaboration, task delegation and feedback, which can be crucial for dynamic teams working remotely.

5. Recent updates and changes

If you’ve been keeping an eye on Sprout Social, you might have noticed recent changes in pricing or feature availability. These updates could prompt users to reevaluate their options, especially if the new changes affect their current usage or budget.

Here are some recent changes in Sprout Social’s pricing and features:

• Pricing updates: Sprout Social has updated its pricing plans. Legacy plans are being phased out and users are encouraged to switch to modern plans with a modest price increase. The new plans include unlimited social profiles, whereas legacy plans had a capped profile allotment.
• New features: Recent updates include AI-powered tools like Analyze by AI Assist for uncovering conversation trends and Summarize by AI Assist for summarizing inbox conversations.
• Platform integrations: Sprout Social now supports scheduling and publishing on Instagram’s Threads and managing Trustpilot reviews.

6. Availability of more cost-effective and flexible alternatives

Many Sprout Social alternatives offer features that Sprout Social either charges extra for or doesn’t provide. This includes wider channel coverage, more flexible user roles or enhanced AI tools for social media community management without the premium price tag.

With the basics sorted, let’s dive right into the top 7 Sprout Social alternatives that offer greater value for money and fit all users’ budgets and needs.

Top 7 alternatives to Sprout Social

While this list isn't exhaustive, we invested significant time in research and consulted with paying customers to arrive at social media management tools that are making waves in 2024. Their insights have contributed to this compilation of alternatives to Sprout Social, giving you the freedom to choose software that best aligns with your social media requirements.

Based on 2024 research, here’s a list of the top 7 Sprout Social competitors, businesses can choose between:

Sprout Social Alternative #1: Sprinklr

Sprinklr tops the list of Sprout Social alternatives owing to many reasons. It is a comprehensive social media management platform that positions itself as a leader in unified customer experience management (CXM). It offers extensive capabilities across publishing, engagement, listening, advertising, employee advocacy and reporting. Sprinklr supports multiple channels, including social, review and messaging channels, making it a versatile choice for large enterprises with diverse social media needs.

For smaller brands, agencies and freelancers, Sprinklr offers an affordable self-serve solution that can be deployed out of the box within minutes. Its advanced AI capabilities and wide-ranging features make it a strong contender for brands seeking an all-encompassing replacement for Sprout Social.

🚀 Prominent features

• Social listening & benchmarking: Unlike Sprout Social, which has limited listening capabilities, Sprinklr excels with comprehensive monitoring across diverse sources including Quora, Glassdoor, AppStore, Playstore, TripAdvisor and Google Reviews. It also provides advanced benchmarking with 10+ out-of-the-box reports, deep AI-powered insights and an advanced query builder.

• Broad channel coverage: Sprinklr supports 35+ channels (15 social, 14 review and 11 messaging channels), compared to Sprout Social's 20 channels (8 social, 8 review, 4 messaging channels).
• Publishing capabilities: Sprinklr excels in scheduling and bulk publishing, allowing you to set specific dates and times for posts across multiple platforms. With Smart Scheduling, Sprinklr automatically determines the optimal time for each post to maximize reach and engagement. You can also schedule and deploy messages across over 20 channels simultaneously, making it a powerful tool for efficient and effective social media management

• Generative AI integration: Sprinklr leverages generative AI in social media to enhance content creation and engagement, providing features like campaign brief generation, tone modification and grammar checks. Sprout Social's AI features are more limited, primarily focusing on content enhancement rather than generation. Sprinklr AI+ wins! 😉

• Customizable social media content calendar: Offers a range of views (2, 3, 4, 5, 6 days), simultaneous timezone views, customizable postcards, color coding, smart insights and export options (PDF & Excel).

• Centralized Social Inbox: Features AI-powered message categorization (engageable vs. non-engageable), sentiment tagging and GPT-AI-powered reply assistance.
• Shareable Asset Manager: Provides asset insights, version history, task management and customizable views/cards for assets.

• Reporting & analytics: Convert reports into visually appealing slides and do comprehensive reporting across paid, earned and owned media. Ace unified reporting too, with detailed insights across all channels.
• Cost gains: Sprinklr delivers significant cost savings and ROI. According to the Forrester TEI study, Sprinklr Social achieved a 327% ROI over three years for a composite organization. This impressive return on investment underscores the platform’s efficiency and effectiveness, making it a more cost-effective choice compared to Sprout Social.
  
  💡Pro Tip: Use our social media estimator tool to calculate your potential gains with Sprinklr Social in just 3 quick steps. Discover how much you can save and improve your social media strategy today!

Overall verdict

Compared to Sprout Social, Sprinklr offers a significantly broader range of features and integrations, particularly in channel coverage and AI capabilities. Sprinklr excels in providing advanced AI-driven functionalities, including social media sentiment analysis and content generation, which Sprout Social lacks. Sprinklr’s platform is highly suited for organizations needing comprehensive social media management and in-depth analytics, surpassing Sprout Social in both breadth and depth of features.

Customer testimonials

💪 Strengths

“The number of social channels supported to publish and engage is the best in the industry. The ease of connecting various social accounts to Sprinklr and setting up workflows is a breeze. Sprinklr offers a wide range of integrations with third-party software; it takes an expert to have these working. We have a couple hundred users who rely on Sprinklr to schedule, post and analyze the engagement of posts via Sprinklr; it has become one of the most popular tools within our organization.” Source

👎🏻 Weaknesses

“Not a direct issue with Sprinklr, but rather due to API limitations imposed by respective platforms (such as Meta), which result in reporting constraints. Source

Need more details? Compare Sprinklr vs Sprout Social

Trusted by: Uber, Microsoft, Wells Fargo, the Prada Group and Boston University

Price: USD 199/seat Check full pricing here

Trial: Available for 30 days

Sprout Social Alternative #2: Hootsuite

Hootsuite is renowned for its user-friendly interface and broad functionality. Positioned as a top choice for both small businesses and large enterprises, Hootsuite excels in providing comprehensive solutions for social media scheduling, analytics and engagement. Its reputation for strong social media security and compliance features also makes it appealing to industries with stringent regulatory requirements.

While similar to Sprout Social in many ways, Hootsuite offers a more budget-friendly alternative without compromising on essential features.

🚀 Prominent features

• Unified dashboard: Hootsuite provides a single interface to manage all social media accounts, making it easy to schedule posts, respond to messages and monitor engagement across platforms.
• Smart Scheduling: The platform offers personalized recommendations for optimal posting times based on audience engagement, helping users maximize their reach.
• In-depth analytics: Hootsuite includes robust analytics tools that provide insights into social media performance, including industry benchmarks and competitor analysis, which are essential for measuring campaign success.
• Social listening: Users can track brand mentions, keywords and competitor activities, allowing for timely engagement and trend analysis.
• Integrations: Hootsuite seamlessly integrates with over 100 apps, including Canva, Mailchimp and Google Drive, enhancing its functionality and allowing users to work with their favorite tools.
• AI-powered content creation: Utilizes OwlyWriter AI to instantly generate captions, post ideas and ad copy variations. This tool helps users repurpose high-performing posts and create content for upcoming events, significantly speeding up social media content creation.

Overall verdict

Compared to Sprout Social, Hootsuite offers a comparable range of features but with a more attractive pricing structure. While both platforms provide extensive analytics, publishing tools and social listening capabilities, Hootsuite's lower starting price and broader integrations give it an edge for budget-conscious teams.

However, Hootsuite’s user experience can be somewhat clunky and its interface may not be as polished as Sprout Social's. For organizations seeking a cost-effective solution with robust features and strong security, Hootsuite is a solid alternative to Sprout Social.

Customer testimonials

💪 Strengths

“Hootsuite brings a level of familiarity to its interface, allowing ease of use for beginner and advanced users. It is easy to implement basic to advanced levels of social media management. There are tons of help available, from resources to customer support, that is welcoming to utilize.” Source

👎🏻 Weaknesses

“Hootsuite has changed ever since the pandemic — and we have been experiencing a lot of bugs ever since they had challenges with their staff. Customer service is available with our package, but it usually takes a while for issues to be resolved. And to top it all off, Hootsuite now removes features that have been very helpful for us — such as streams for Amplify. They also keep changing their user interface, removing features that have been very useful for us.” Source

Price: USD 99/month

Trial: Available for 30 days

Sprout Social Alternative #3: Agorapulse

Agorapulse is designed to meet the needs of social media managers, agencies and brands alike. With its user-friendly interface and robust feature set, Agorapulse provides an effective solution for managing social media activities, including scheduling, reporting and audience engagement. It stands out as a strong alternative to Sprout Social, particularly for those who prioritize ease of use and value for money.

🚀 Prominent features

• Advanced Social Inbox: Agorapulse offers a smart social inbox that allows users to manage and respond to messages and comments from multiple platforms in one place. This feature includes labeling conversations to track feedback from brand advocates, which enhances customer interaction and engagement — a functionality that is more streamlined compared to Sprout Social’s inbox.
• Custom reporting: Unlike Sprout Social, which charges extra for personalized social media metrics, Agorapulse allows users to create custom-built reports with the metrics of their choice. Users can access social channel data for up to 24 months, providing deeper insights into performance over time.
• User-friendly interface: Agorapulse is known for its straightforward interface, which simplifies onboarding and daily operations. This contrasts with Sprout Social, where users often report a steeper learning curve.
• Social listening and engagement: Agorapulse includes robust social listening tools that help track brand mentions and extract valuable insights, enabling proactive engagement with audiences. This feature is crucial for managing online brand reputation and customer relationships effectively.
• Affordable pricing: Starting at $49 per month, Agorapulse offers a competitive pricing structure that provides excellent value for social media managers. This is significantly lower than Sprout Social’s starting price, making Agorapulse an attractive option for budget-conscious teams.

Overall verdict

Agorapulse provides a compelling alternative to Sprout Social, particularly for those seeking a cost-effective yet feature-rich social media management solution. While it shares many capabilities with Sprout Social, such as publishing tools, analytics and social listening,

Agorapulse distinguishes itself with its advanced social inbox, customizable reporting and more affordable pricing. Its user-friendly interface and efficient onboarding process further enhance its appeal.

Customer testimonials

💪 Strengths

“Agorapulse is incredibly intuitive and user-friendly, making it easy for me to schedule posts, engage with our audience and track performance across multiple platforms. The reporting features are also robust, providing valuable insights.” Source

👎🏻 Weaknesses

“While it supports major social media platforms, support for emerging or niche platforms may lag behind competitors. It is also harder to add videos and is missing features that you get on most platforms.” Source

💡 Pro Tip: Sprinklr doesn’t just stop at the major platforms. With Sprinklr Social, you can tap into non-mainstream channels like Quora, Reddit and even TV and radio broadcasts. This means you can reach your audience wherever they are, not just on the big-name platforms.

Price: USD 49/month for up to 10 social channels

Trial: Available for 30 days

Sprout Social Alternative #4: Buffer

Buffer is designed to help individuals and brands schedule, publish and analyze their social media content across various platforms. It supports major networks like Facebook, X, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest and even Mastodon, making it a versatile choice for small businesses, content creators and marketing professionals.

Buffer’s focus on simplicity and affordability positions it as a compelling alternative to Sprout Social, especially for those looking for essential features without the complexity.

🚀 Prominent features

• Simple scheduling and publishing: Buffer makes it easy to queue up posts for automatic publishing at optimal times. Its intuitive publishing tools allow users to create a consistent posting schedule across multiple accounts, which can be a simpler process compared to Sprout Social’s more complex scheduling features.
• Start Page feature: Unique to Buffer, the Start Page allows users to create a customizable landing page that can be linked from their social bios. This feature is particularly useful for driving traffic and social media conversions.
• AI content assistant: Buffer includes an AI assistant that helps generate content ideas and repurpose existing posts, enhancing productivity and creativity. This feature gives Buffer an edge over Sprout Social.
• Mastodon support: Buffer is one of the few social media management tools that support Mastodon, in addition to popular platforms like Facebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn, Pinterest and TikTok. This makes it an excellent choice for users active on decentralized networks.
  
  Mastodon is a free, open-source social media platform that operates on a decentralized network of independent servers, each organized around specific themes, topics or interests. Unlike traditional social networks, it gives users control over their data and timeline, with no ads or algorithms. It’s a great place for those who value privacy and community-driven content.
• Simple team collaboration: Buffer’s team collaboration tools are straightforward and effective. The Teams plan allows for unlimited users, with customizable permission levels and an approval system to ensure content quality and consistency. Users can also collaborate on content ideas and leave notes for team members, enhancing workflow efficiency.

Overall verdict

Buffer offers a simplified and cost-effective alternative to Sprout Social, especially for users who prioritize affordability and ease of use. Its notable strengths include its low-cost plans, support for Mastodon and effective team collaboration tools. While Buffer may not offer the extensive feature set of Sprout Social like social listening, it excels in providing essential social media management functionalities at a fraction of the cost.

Customer testimonials

💪 Strengths

“Buffer takes all the stress out of social media management. There's a great draft and approval process along with an easy-to-use asset library. Having multiple platforms in one place but still having the benefit of most of the native apps is well worth the subscription cost.” Source

👎🏻 Weaknesses

“I wish that the interface was a little more user friendly and make it a little more fun for the users. I also think that it would be nice to have a collaboration option (Not sure if this is available now) but it was not available when I used it. And would be very nice to have the option of some kind or included software to review your text or post to have less mistakes when writing.” Source

Price: Free for connecting up to 3 channels and paid starts at USD 5/month

Trial: Available for 14 days

Sprout Social Alternative #5: Later

Later is tailored for visual content creators, particularly those focused on Instagram. While it has expanded to support other platforms like Facebook, X and TikTok, Later remains an Instagram-centric platform, offering advanced features optimized for the visual nature of the platform. This makes Later a compelling alternative to Sprout Social for individuals and small businesses looking to streamline their Instagram marketing strategy without the complexity of a full-fledged social media management suite.

🚀 Prominent features

• Visual content calendar: Later's calendar is designed with visual content creators in mind, allowing users to easily plan, schedule and rearrange posts using a drag-and-drop interface. This feature stands out compared to Sprout Social's more traditional social media scheduling tools.
• Link in bio: Later’s "Link in Bio” feature enables users to create a customizable landing page that mirrors their Instagram feed. This tool enhances user engagement by providing a clickable and organized way to direct followers to multiple links from a single URL.
• AI-driven content creation: Later includes AI-powered tools for generating social media content, including captions and hashtag suggestions. This feature is particularly useful for enhancing post visibility and engagement on platforms like Instagram and TikTok.
• Smart hashtag suggestions: Later provides smart hashtag suggestions tailored to users' niches, helping them discover relevant keywords to boost their content's discoverability. This feature is particularly useful for Instagram creators looking to grow their audience and grow on Instagram.
• Intuitive mobile app: Later's mobile app is highly rated and offers a smooth experience for creating, scheduling and tracking social media posts on the go. This contrasts with Sprout Social's mobile app, which has received mixed reviews.

💡 Pro Tip: If you’re looking for a mobile app that really packs a punch, check out Sprinklr Social’s app. You can manage your social, marketing, advertising, research and care functions right from your phone, no matter where you are.

Overall verdict

For Instagram-focused creators and small businesses, Later is a strong alternative to Sprout Social. Its visual-centric features, such as the content calendar and Link in Bio tool, make it easier to plan and execute an Instagram strategy. While Later may not offer the extensive feature set of Sprout Social, its straightforward approach and cost-effectiveness make it ideal for those focusing primarily on Instagram. On the other hand, if you need to manage multiple platforms or seek advanced reporting and analytics, Sprout Social might be a better fit for your requirements.

Customer testimonials

💪 Strengths

“It is easy to use and helps me to schedule social media content easily. The implementation was easy and the customer support always helps me when I have questions.” Source

👎🏻 Weaknesses

“The analytics section could be better, particularly for LinkedIn bio - it gives you total CTR and button clicks but doesn't allow you to jump into specific buttons to find out which is best-performing.” Source

Price: USD 16.67/month

Trial: Available for 14 days

Sprout Social Alternative #6: Zoho Social

Zoho Social is designed to help businesses manage their social media presence efficiently. It is particularly beneficial for medium-sized businesses that already use Zoho CRM, as it provides a holistic view of customer interactions across various platforms. With its user-friendly interface, Zoho Social enables users to schedule posts, monitor social media engagement and analyze performance from a single dashboard, making it a strong alternative to Sprout Social.

🚀 Prominent features

• Seamless integration with Zoho CRM: One of Zoho Social's standout features is its integration with Zoho CRM, allowing users to connect their social media efforts directly with customer relationship management. This integration provides a comprehensive view of customer engagement, which is not available with Sprout Social.
• SmartQ for optimal posting: Zoho Social’s SmartQ feature suggests the best times to post based on audience engagement data, helping users maximize their content's visibility. This data-driven approach to scheduling is a significant advantage.
• Panic button feature: In times of crisis, Zoho Social includes a unique "panic button" feature that allows users to pause all scheduled posts instantly. This functionality is crucial for brands needing to manage their social media messaging carefully during sensitive situations, providing a level of control that is not available in Sprout Social.
• Evergreen content management: Users can set up evergreen posts to repeat automatically on a weekly or monthly basis. This feature eliminates the need for manual re-scheduling and ensures consistent posting without extra effort.
• Lead ads integration: Zoho Social integrates with Facebook and LinkedIn Lead Ads, allowing for seamless lead generation and automatic synchronization with Zoho CRM. This integration helps capture and manage leads more efficiently.

🌟 Interesting fact: Sprinklr’s Social Advertising Platform takes social advertising to the next level with AI-powered optimization and cross-channel reporting. Imagine boosting your ROAS by over 50% while managing campaigns across 10+ social channels, all from one unified platform.

Overall verdict

Zoho Social presents a compelling alternative to Sprout Social, especially for medium-sized businesses and those already using the Zoho ecosystem. Its integration with Zoho CRM, cost-effective pricing and unique features like SmartQ and the panic button make it a practical choice for users looking for essential social media management tools without the complexity and higher costs of Sprout Social.

Customer testimonials

💪 Strengths

“The user-friendly interface and seamless functionality. Zoho Social is intuitive, efficient and has significantly improved our social media management. The platform's reliability ensures uninterrupted operation, allowing us to focus on our strategic goals without worrying about technical issues.” Source

👎🏻 Weaknesses

“Just like other Zoho products, its integration with third-party apps and platforms is just not great and there are a few and limited choices in this regard. It would be a great step if they could improve this area, however, it works fine for us because our company is already a Zoho User.” Source

Price: USD 15/month for 1 user

Trial: Available for 15 days

Sprout Social Alternative #7: Brandwatch

Brandwatch is designed for large enterprises and agencies. It focuses on providing comprehensive data access, advanced analytics and seamless social media management tailored for organizations with complex needs. Its AI-driven features and state-of-the-art technology set it apart from competitors, making it a powerful alternative for enterprises seeking deep insights and intelligent content creation.

🚀 Prominent features

• Extensive data coverage: Brandwatch boasts access to over 100 million unique data sources and 1.6 trillion historical online conversations dating back to 2010. This unparalleled data coverage allows for accurate and comprehensive insights.
• AI-powered insights: It uses cutting-edge AI to deliver insights faster and more accurately than traditional methods. Its ChatGPT-powered features analyze online data more deeply, helping users create social content more intelligently.
  Further reading: Explore 7 impactful use cases of ChatGPT in social media.
• Influencer management: It offers an all-in-one influencer management solution, providing access to a database of over 30 million global creators. This feature allows enterprises to discover influencers, manage and collaborate with them more efficiently than Sprout Social's influencer marketing tools.
• Customizable dashboards and reporting: Its reporting capabilities surpass Sprout Social's, offering customizable dashboards and automated reporting. This flexibility enables enterprises to tailor their analytics to specific needs and share insights more effectively with stakeholders.
• Social ads management: Unlike Sprout Social, Brandwatch provides social ads management features, allowing enterprises to create, manage and measure the performance of their paid social campaigns from a single platform.

Overall verdict

For large enterprises and agencies prioritizing social listening, advanced analytics and intelligent content creation, Brandwatch is a superior alternative to Sprout Social. Its AI-powered features, extensive data coverage and influencer management capabilities make it a compelling choice for organizations seeking a comprehensive social media management solution.

While Sprout Social may be easier to use and set up, Brandwatch’s depth of features and insights, including its ability to manage and engage with influencers, make it a more suitable option for enterprises with complex social media needs.

Customer testimonials

💪 Strengths

“Brandwatch is key to our social media strategy. It allows us to streamline our workflow and focus our efforts on what's most important to our brand. It provides a solution to carry out and measure all activity and to be more proactive with our content strategy - constantly optimizing with deeper analytics. The simple fact that we can do everything from one easy-to-use interface has saved our business so much time.” Source

👎🏻 Weaknesses

“The tool is a little buggy. Going to a user's profile from an engage message is very hit and miss. The audience feature isn't particularly useful. There are limits to the social listening element with video content and review sites not being picked up.” Source

Price: Available on request

Trial: Contact sales/vendor for information

How to evaluate platforms like Sprout Social

Picking the right social media management platform is key to hitting your social media goals and boosting your online game. Here’s how you can assess which alternative best fits your specific needs:

1. Define your goals

Start by clarifying what you aim to achieve with social media. Are you looking to increase brand awareness, engage your audience or drive sales? Understanding your social media objectives will help you evaluate which tools align with your social media strategy.

2. Assess your audience

Consider where your target audience spends their time. Different platforms cater to different social media demographics, so ensure the tool you choose supports the channels most relevant to your audience. For example, if your focus is on Instagram and TikTok, tools like Later or Sprinklr may be more suitable.

3. Create a wish list of features

Identify the features that are essential for your operations. Do you need advanced analytics, social listening capabilities or influencer management? Make a list of “must-haves” versus “nice-to-haves” to narrow down your options effectively.

Prioritize essential social media functionalities such as:

• Post-scheduling: Look for intuitive scheduling and queuing options.
• Analytics and reporting: Ensure in-depth analytics that supports data-driven decisions.
• Content formats: Verify support for diverse content types like images, videos and text.
• Community management: Check for effective tools to engage and manage your audience.
• Integration capabilities: Assess how well the tool integrates with other platforms and tools you use.

4. Consider company size and budget

Evaluate your team size and budget constraints. Some platforms, like Zoho Social, offer affordable plans for small businesses, while others, like Brandwatch, cater to larger enterprises with custom pricing. Ensure the platform can accommodate your team's needs without exceeding your budget.

5. Read user reviews

Leverage user feedback to gain insights into each platform’s strengths and weaknesses. Look for reviews on trusted sites, such as TrustRadius and G2, to understand the experiences of others and identify any recurring issues.

6. Test before you commit

Take advantage of free trials or demos to experience the platform firsthand. This hands-on approach allows you to assess usability, interface and whether the tool meets your specific requirements.

7. Plan for the future

Consider your growth trajectory. Choose a platform that can scale with your business and adapt to future needs. For instance, Sprinklr is designed to grow with your organization, offering advanced features that can support expanding social media strategies.

💡Pro tips for making an informed decision

• Integrate with existing tools: Ensure the platform integrates seamlessly with your current tools, such as CRM systems or analytics software, to streamline operations.
• Prioritize customer support: Ensure the platform provides strong social customer support and a seamless onboarding experience.
• Stay ahead of trends: Keep an eye on emerging trends and innovations in social media management, such as AI-driven analytics and automation features and generative AI integration, to ensure your chosen tool remains relevant.

Generative AI in Social Media Marketing: Wins, pitfalls, and everything in between

WATCH NOW

Final thoughts

We've explored a whole bunch of Sprout Social alternatives that can help you manage your social media presence like a boss. From Buffer's affordability to Later's visual flair and Zoho Social's powerful analytics to Brandwatch's advanced listening, each tool offers something unique. Remember, the right platform for you depends on your specific needs, whether that’s cost, features or how well it integrates with your existing systems.

Before you make a switch, take your time to evaluate your options carefully. Think about what’s important for your business now and where you see yourself in the future. Try out a few tools with free trials to see which one feels just right. Don't be afraid to test the waters with a free trial or two. After all, you wouldn't buy a car without taking it for a spin first, would you?

If you're still feeling a bit lost in the sea of options, let me throw you a lifeline. Sprinklr is a comprehensive Sprout Social competitor that can help you manage your social media like a pro, no matter the size of your business. It’s trusted by 90% of A-list brands, including Microsoft, Uber and Vodafone, to name a few.

So, what are you waiting for? Sign up for a Sprinklr demo today and see how it can take your social media game to the next level. Trust me, your followers will be double-tapping and sharing like crazy in no time!