Meta Business Suite vs Sprout Social

Meta Business Suite is a free interface for managing business Pages and profiles across Facebook and Instagram. Businesses can publish to both networks at once and, in the mobile app, create, schedule and manage posts and stories for a Facebook Page and Instagram account. A shared inbox brings messages, notifications and alerts together, with tools to respond to messages and comments and automate responses. The app also supports real-time calls to customers and contacts. Facebook and Instagram insights help businesses see what is working with customers. Meta describes the service as built first for small businesses, with an aim to serve businesses of all sizes using Facebook, Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp. It runs on the web, Android, iPhone and iPad; the Apple app requires iOS 15.1 or iPadOS 15.1 or later. Google Play says data is encrypted in transit and users can request deletion, while noting the app may share personal information and device or other IDs and may collect location and other data.

Sprout Social brings social accounts, messages and team workflows into one social media management platform. Its consolidated inbox and collaboration tools support shared work, while approval workflows help teams review activity. Supported networks include X, Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, Bluesky, Threads and WhatsApp. Essentials and Standard provide five social profiles per seat; Professional and Advanced provide unlimited profiles. Analytics report profile-level and post-level performance, and AI features assist with replies and posts, including Trellis agent capabilities. Premium Analytics and Listening are add-ons available to Standard and higher plans. Annual-billed pricing starts with Essentials at $79 per seat per month; Standard is $199, Professional $299 and Advanced $399 per seat per month. Essentials is also available for $99 per seat per month with monthly billing. There is no free plan, but a 30-day trial is offered. Mobile apps are available for iOS and Android. Advanced includes the Sprout API and Helpdesk integrations; Enterprise has tailored plans, dedicated SSO setup and priority support.