Social media has become the most popular way for businesses of all sizes looking to expand their reach. In the world of social media management platforms, two tools continue to be fan favorites year after year. These two platforms are Sprout Social and Hootsuite, each with its own set of unique features that cater to different business needs.

Whether you're a small business owner managing a handful of social channels or an enterprise-level marketer overseeing a complex social strategy, choosing the right tool can make all the difference.

In this guide, we’ll dive deeper into the strengths and weaknesses of Sprout Social and Hootsuite and explore how you can use IFTTT to supercharge your social media management strategy.

What is Sprout Social?

Sprout Social is a powerful social media management tool that offers a wide range of features to help businesses manage their social media presence effectively. With Sprout Social, users can schedule posts, engage with their audience, and analyze performance metrics across various social media platforms. It's designed with a user-friendly interface that simplifies complex tasks, making it accessible for users of all experience levels.

It integrates with major social media platforms, allowing businesses to manage their social strategies in one place. Its focus on engagement makes it a great tool for those looking to build strong relationships with their audiences. The platform's emphasis on collaboration and teamwork also makes it an excellent choice for larger teams who need to coordinate their social media efforts.

Key features of Sprout Social

Unified social inbox: Sprout Social's unified inbox lets you view and respond to messages from all your social media accounts in one place.

Analytics and reporting: Sprout Social provides detailed analytics and reporting tools on their dashboard. These reports can be customized to focus on the metrics that matter most to your business, such as engagement rates, audience growth, or content performance.

Collaboration tools: Sprout Social offers features like task assignments and approval workflows, making it easier for teams to collaborate on social media campaigns.

Content calendar: With Sprout Social's content calendar, you can plan and schedule your social media posts in advance. This feature helps in maintaining a consistent posting schedule, which keeps your audience engaged and informed.

Sprout Social pricing

Sprout Social offers three main pricing plans: Standard, Professional, and Advanced. The Standard plan is ideal for smaller teams or businesses just starting with social media management, while the Professional and Advanced plans offer more comprehensive tools for in-depth analysis and strategic planning. They also have an Enterprise plan for larger organizations that need to manage dozens of social accounts at once.

What is Hootsuite?

Hootsuite is another popular social media management tool that provides users with the ability to manage multiple social media accounts, schedule posts, and analyze performance data.

It has been a staple in the social media management industry for years, known for its versatility and extensive range of supported platforms. Hootsuite's interface is designed to be intuitive, allowing users to easily switch between different social media streams and manage their accounts efficiently. The platform's scalability makes it suitable for both small businesses and large enterprises.

Key features of Hootsuite

Customizable dashboard: Hootsuite's customizable dashboard allows users to monitor and manage multiple social media streams from a single interface.

Post scheduling: With Hootsuite, you can schedule posts across various social media platforms, ensuring consistent engagement with your audience.

Analytics and insights: Similar to Sprout Social, Hootsuite offers powerful analytics tools that help you measure your social media performance and optimize your strategy.

Team collaboration: Hootsuite's team collaboration features include task assignments and content approval workflows, making it easy for teams to work together.

Hootsuite pricing

Unlike Sprout Social, Hootsuite offers a free plan with limited features, as well as three paid plans: Professional, Team, and Enterprise Custom. Hootsuite's pricing structure allows businesses of all sizes to find a plan that meets their needs. The Professional plan is ideal for individuals or small teams, while the Team plans provide more robust features suitable for larger organizations. If you need to manage over 50 social accounts, the Enterprise Custom plan is better for your organization.

Sprout Social vs Hootsuite: A comparison

When comparing Sprout Social and Hootsuite, it's essential to consider your specific needs and budget. Here are some factors to keep in mind:

Hootsuite offers a more affordable entry point with its free trial and Professional plan starting at only $99 per month, while Sprout Social's plans start at a higher price point. This makes Hootsuite an attractive option for startups and small businesses looking to manage costs.

However, Sprout Social provides slightly better value for larger organizations that require more advanced features and support. Both tools offer robust features, but Sprout Social's advanced analytics and unified inbox might be more appealing to larger teams or businesses with complex social media needs.

Hootsuite, on the other hand, provides a more extensive range of integrations, which could be a deciding factor for businesses that rely on multiple tools and platforms.

Some users prefer Sprout Social's clean and intuitive interface, while others might find Hootsuite's customizable dashboard more suited to their needs. The choice between the two often comes down to personal preference and the specific workflows of your team.

Both platforms offer excellent collaboration tools, but Sprout Social's task assignment and approval workflows might be more suitable for larger teams.

Using IFTTT to automate social media

If Hootsuite or Sprout Social are not the right fit, try IFTTT. IFTTT is the perfect lightweight, cost-effective, and easy-to-use alternative for automating key social media tasks.

Over 30 million users like yourself have published millions of pre-made automations, known as Applets. Chances are that your social media Applet has already been created and can be enabled in just a few clicks. Simply browse our social media Applet library or search for whatever service you are looking to automate.

Why use IFTTT as a social media automation tool?

Free or affordable plans: IFTTT’s basic functions are free and our Pro plans are accessible alternatives to many other automation options.

Simple automations without complex dashboards: Ideal for solopreneurs or small businesses who just need simple, repeatable tasks automated to reduce your manual workload.

Ease of use: No other tool can be set up and customized as quickly, giving you full control of how you set up automations.

Popular social media automations

Auto-posting from RSS feeds: Set up an Applet to automatically post new content from your blog to Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn.

Cross-platform posting: Post on Instagram and automatically share that post to X or Facebook with the image and caption intact.

Reposting YouTube uploads: Publish a video on YouTube and have IFTTT auto-share it to all your social media accounts.

Tracking mentions and hashtags: Monitor X mentions or specific hashtags and log them into a Google Sheet, or get an email/SMS alert when someone talks about your brand.

Backup posts: Automatically save all Facebook or X posts to Google Drive or Dropbox

In case you can't find a pre-built Applet that works for you, it's easy to build your own. For a more in-depth guide, please read our full Applet setup article here.

Social media services on IFTTT

You can connect any of the following with the 1000 other services on IFTTT. Click the card to authorize the service and build out your automation!

Automate your social media with IFTTT

We offer the easiest setup for getting started with social media automation, as well as any other major apps and services you can think of. You can connect these services with over 1000 of your favorite apps. Don't wait, try IFTTT today and see why we are the most trusted automation platform for millions worldwide.