Head to head
Hopper HQ vs Sprout Social
Last updated 15 October 2026
Hopper HQ offers automatic social publishing with batch imports, a calendar and an Instagram grid planner. Plans scale with connected accounts.
- From
- Check current paid pricing
- Free scheduling
- No
Sprout Social is the high-end suite: publishing, a shared inbox, listening, and reporting that goes deep, sold by the seat and priced for businesses with a budget. There's no free plan; the cut-down Essentials tier is $79 a seat each month on annual billing, and the main plans start at $199.
- From
- $79per user a month, billed yearly
- Free scheduling
- No
Bottom line
Hopper HQ is the pick for creators preparing visual posts in batches. Sprout Social fits businesses running social as a core function better.
A verified price comparison requires the same billing term, currency and eligible workload. See each pricing section for the published terms.
Key differences
Where the two actually diverge, before the full tables.
- Hopper HQ posts to 9 networks, Sprout Social to 12.
Features compared
| Feature | Hopper HQ | Sprout Social |
|---|---|---|
| AI captions | Not assessed | Yes |
| Basic analytics | Not assessed | Yes |
| Advanced reports | Not assessed | Yes |
| Bulk upload | Yes | Yes |
| Evergreen recycling | Not assessed | No |
| Team roles | Not assessed | Yes |
| Approvals | Not assessed | Yes |
| Link in bio | Not assessed | Yes |
Platforms compared
| Network | Hopper HQ | Sprout Social |
|---|---|---|
| Auto | Auto | |
| Auto | Auto | |
| X (Twitter) | Auto | Auto |
| Auto | Auto | |
| TikTok | Auto | Auto |
| Auto | Auto | |
| YouTube | Auto | Auto |
| Threads | Auto | Auto |
| Bluesky | Auto | Auto |
| Google Business | Not assessed | Auto |
| Not assessed | Auto | |
| Snapchat | Not assessed | Auto |
Pricing
Prices use each tool’s billing unit. Annual equivalents are labeled as billed yearly; scaling rows show monthly costs and available annual rates.
No free plan; 30-day trial.
- 1 seat · Essentials
- $99/mo~$79/mo annual
- 3 seats · EssentialsTypical
- $297/mo~$237/mo annual
Lowest priced plan at each shown workload. Check the plan's included features before choosing it.
Hopper HQ
Grow
Current numerical price and currency require confirmation.
- Seats
- 1
- Scheduled posts
- Unlimited
- Grow and Scale are priced by connected account count.
- The fourteen-day trial requires a card and becomes paid unless cancelled.
Sprout Social
Essentials
$79 per user a month billed annually
- Seats
- 1
- Accounts
- 5
- Scheduled posts
- Unlimited
- $79 per seat/mo on annual, $99 monthly
- Up to 5 social profiles
- Publishing, calendar, and the Smart Inbox
- Profile and post-level reporting
Standard
Billed annually
- Seats
- 1
- Accounts
- 5
- Scheduled posts
- Unlimited
- USD199/seat/month with annual billing; confirm monthly tariff
- $199 per seat/mo on annual, $249 monthly
- Up to 5 social profiles
- Smart Inbox, review management, and tasks
- Unlocks paid add-ons: Listening, Premium Analytics, Advocacy
Professional
PopularBilled annually
- Seats
- 1
- Accounts
- Unlimited
- Scheduled posts
- Unlimited
- USD299/seat/month with annual billing; confirm monthly tariff
- $299 per seat/mo on annual, $399 monthly
- Unlimited social profiles
- Competitor, tag, and paid reporting
- Message tagging and scheduling for optimal send times
Advanced
Billed annually
- Seats
- 1
- Accounts
- Unlimited
- Scheduled posts
- Unlimited
- USD399/seat/month with annual billing; confirm monthly tariff
- $399 per seat/mo on annual, $499 monthly
- Unlimited social profiles
- Chatbots, automated workflows, and helpdesk integrations
- AI-enhanced replies, message spike alerts, and the Sprout API
Enterprise
- Accounts
- Unlimited
- Custom pricing
- SSO and advanced security
- Premium Listening, Advocacy, and Influencer Marketing add-ons
- Dedicated support and professional services
- List pricing is per seat. Obtain a quote for larger or customized deployments; no-volume-discount guarantees are not established by the current public evidence.
- Annual advertised rates per seat: Essentials USD79, Standard USD199, Professional USD299 and Advanced USD399. Essentials USD99 monthly is verified; other monthly rates need confirmation.
- No free plan. There's a 30-day trial with no card required.
- USD advertised list pricing. Check the applicable billing offer and paid add-ons before purchase.
- Premium Analytics, Listening, and Employee Advocacy are paid add-ons on Standard and up, quoted on request, so the real bill runs higher than the seat price.
What it really costs
Monthly cost by seat count. Per-unit tiers grow with usage; flat tiers keep their whole-plan price within the published allowance, with the 3-seat row marked as a realistic setup.
| seats | Essentials |
|---|---|
| 1 | $99/mo |
| 3Typical | $297/mo |
| 5 | $495/mo |
| 10 | $990/mo |
| 25 | $2,475/mo |
| 50 | $4,950/mo |
Monthly billing.
Pros and cons
Hopper HQ
- CSV and bulk content imports
- Automatic publishing without phone completion
- Grow includes one user
- The trial collects a card and bills after fourteen days
Sprout Social
- Publishing and social-care workflows
- Plan-based reporting and add-on listening
- Documented Reddit, Bluesky and Snapchat capabilities
- Internal and external review workflows
- Seat fees and add-ons increase the total
- Essentials and Standard have five-profile limits
- External MCP scope is narrower than the main product
- Network and mobile format coverage varies
Hopper HQ vs Sprout Social: FAQ
- Is Hopper HQ or Sprout Social cheaper?
- A verified price comparison is unavailable for these configurations. Check the current billing term, currency, required capacity and plan features before comparing totals.
- Does Hopper HQ or Sprout Social have a free plan?
- Neither has a free plan. At least one advertises a trial. Check each current trial offer and billing terms.
- Which is better, Hopper HQ or Sprout Social?
- Hopper HQ is the stronger pick for creators preparing visual posts in batches, while Sprout Social is the better fit for businesses running social as a core function. We don't score them; the right call comes down to how you post.