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Buffer bills itself as a simple but effective, all-you-need social media toolkit for small businesses. It’s just one of many different social media management tools out there on the market, but the emphasis with Buffer is on affordability, which is always welcome given current trading challenges.

If you’re after a one-stop social media management solution then Buffer should do the trick, even within the confines of its free edition. To unleash its full potential though you’ll need to invest more time and money to access its full suite of tools.

• Sign up for a Buffer plan

Like its rivals in Hootsuite, Sprout Social, and Circleboom, among many others, Buffer aims to make the world of a social media manager – or whoever has the keys to the social accounts – that much easier by automating scheduling, helping visualise content, and more. 

Buffer is also currently offering a free trial, so make sure to claim that, if you wish to first try out its features. 

Let's dive into our review of the Buffer social media management tool. 

• Read more on how we test, rate, and review products on TechRadar

(Image credit: Buffer)Buffer: Plans and Pricing

Plan

Starting Rate (Paid Annually)

Starting Rate (Paid Monthly)

Free

$0/month (up to 3 channels)

$0/month (up to 3 channels)

Essentials

$5/month per channel

$6/month per channel

Team

$10/month per channel

$12/month per channel

Buffer has kept a keen eye on simplicity with its pricing plans. 

There’s something for most if not all types of business, and payment can be done on a monthly or annual basis. If you’re simply starting out and want to gain some experience using a social medial management tool, the Free package makes a lot of sense. Better still, this comes with a £0 (or $0) price tag, which is ideal if you’re running to a tight budget and helps you manage up to three channels.

Next up is the Essentials package, which costs $6 per month or $5 annually per social channel. It’s easy to add additional channels when and if you need them, and by paying annually you’ll shave $12 off the overall cost over a year. You can try this plan free for 14 days and it’s suited to professionals who have to call on publishing, analytics and engagement tools as part of their daily brief.

(Image credit: Buffer)

The beefier Team package is aimed squarely at any businesses that have more of a collaborative arrangement going on. This offers much more user flexibility and costs $12 monthly, or you can knock $24 off the price by paying $120 annually. Additional channels can be added as and when they’re required, meaning lots of freedom for your business. 

While Buffer no longer offers a dedicated Agency plan since November 2025, it provides volume discounts across all plans for users who add more than 10 channels to a plan.

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(Image credit: Buffer )Buffer: Basic features

As with any scalable social media management tool, Buffer can be used in its most basic incarnation, most suitable if you’re just starting out. Buffer users get an array of basic publishing tools and a handy landing page builder as standard, but if you’ve got a desire to really boost your potential, head for the Essentials or upwards. 

The free tier comes with three channels, basic scheduling, a landing page, the ability to schedule 10 posts per channel at any one time (with no monthly limit), and a useful new AI assistant. 

Meanwhile, the Essentials plan comes with everything in the free tier, plus as many channels as you can wish for, unlimited post scheduling, analytics, and engagement tracking. Those last two might prove the difference between paying nothing and going for the $5 per month per channel option. 

All of the teams get iOS and Android apps, which make working on the go much easier, and support for 30+ app integrations including 11 native integrations and more through Zapier, plus two-factor authentication. 

(Image credit: Buffer )Buffer: Advanced features

By upgrading to either Team or Agency, you business will instantly have the ability to do much more. For example, scheduled posts per channel are limited to just 10 per on the free tier, rising to up to 5,000 on the higher tiers. Of course, it’s easy to work with the obvious social outlets including Instagram, Facebook, X (or Twitter), LinkedIn, and Pinterest on any edition of Buffer. Buffer has also added more social media channels than there were originally in its roster, with Bluesky, Google Business Profile, Mastodon, Threads, TikTok, and YouTube (Shorts) being now fully supported.

Similarly, on the higher tiers, there are assorted scheduling options, a calendar view, plus handy day to day features such as a link shortener capability and one for tweaking custom links, too. The paid-for editions also deliver features such as custom video thumbnails, multi-channel campaign delivery, and lots of cool options for tweaking Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook posts. 

To cut to the chase, the main features features that the non-free tier options get are advanced analytics, insights, and reporting. Essentials, Team, and Agency all get a performance overview, data access, and much more, while Team and Agency gain branded reports and a cover page. 

If you feel like any features are missing, check out Buffer's product roadmap. 

• Best web design software in 2024

(Image credit: Buffer )Buffer: Analytics and reporting

Vital ingredients for more efficient social media management are inside Buffer too, such as the power tools for checking audience demographics via machine learning insights, which is basically a smart way of tweaking and fine-tuning your results.

Buffer is also great for its tools that cover the array of analytics and reporting. The ability to get a performance overview is paramount, and that comes packed inside Essentials and upwards, along with more specific history details in individual posts, plus historical insights that help businesses build up a bigger picture scenario.

Users of non-free tiers can see insights into post performance, individual post analytics, data storage, tag analysis, hashtag performance, audience demos, Instagram Stories analytics, Shopify performance, custom and exportable reports, and more besides. 

(Image credit: Buffer)

Adding to the appeal of Buffer is its extensive range of reporting tools. After all, if you have no data to present at meetings the validity of the purchase will soon come into question, no matter how nice the graphs look. 

Buffer offers custom reporting tools, including exportable reports on the higher tiers. However, corporate users will find these options invaluable and presumably not mind the added expense of getting them.

The app also offers important comment detection, giving insights into potentially good or bad posts, alongside hotkey support. 

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(Image credit: Buffer)Buffer: AI tools

Buffer has quietly built one of the more practical AI toolkits in the social media management space. At its core is the AI Assistant, which is available to all users (including those on the free plan) with unlimited credits. Rather than bolting on AI as an afterthought, Buffer has woven it directly into the post composer and the dedicated Create space, so you can tap into it exactly when you need it.

The AI Assistant is powered by OpenAI's GPT-4.0 and is channel-aware, meaning it understands the nuances of each platform you're posting to. If you're drafting for LinkedIn, it leans professional. For Instagram, it keeps things punchy and caption-friendly. You can also specify your target audience and adjust the tone so the output actually sounds like your brand rather than a generic AI bot.

Beyond drafting, the assistant handles repurposing and refinement. You can take an existing post and rework it for a different platform in one click, expand a short update into something more substantial, or trim down a long post for X (formerly Twitter) without losing the core message. The idea generation feature is handy too: say a bit about your business and it'll surface content ideas tailored to your industry.

Buffer has also integrated AI into its Community inbox with AI replies. This feature learns your voice and suggests contextual responses to comments across Instagram, Facebook, Threads, Bluesky, X, and LinkedIn. Free users get five AI reply suggestions per week; paid plans include unlimited suggestions. It also includes a Comment Insights feature that surfaces themes and ideas from your comment section, helping you spot content opportunities you might otherwise miss.

Buffer: User interface

One of the best things about Buffer has been the way the designers have made the interface a joy to use. Much of this is down to the simplicity of the layout, with little to get in the way of boosting your social medial management potential. This extends to the more complex and feature-heavy premium products, too, even those that pack in powerful reporting tools and comprehensive data analytics.

While some rival services can feel overburdened with features, Buffer manages to treat the line perfectly, and we never really encountered any issues getting around. 

The addition of an AI assistant also helps with discovery of new features and creating ideas from scratch, which could be useful in smaller organisations with less people to bounce things off. 

We're big fans, and for anyone who cares about UI and UX, Buffer has you covered. 

• Best content marketing tool of 2024

(Image credit: Buffer)Buffer: Support and transparency

We’ve been really impressed with the attention to detail displayed by Buffer support. Like everyone other social media rival, there’s a great starting point via an online help centre, which contains a searchable database of help topics, plus a whole host of tutorials and other insights into how to get the best from Buffer.

Anyone needing further help on a one-to-one basis can contact the Buffer Support team. The process is very straightforward: simply raise a ticket using one of the many different subject area options to trigger a response. The Buffer community is another aspect of the support options found inside this package that allows a wider range of contact options to users.

On top of support, Buffer offers some of the best transparency in the industry, regularly reporting everything via its transparency dashboard. For example, you can see that Buffer has over 191,726 MAUs, $1.9 million in MRR, and makes $28.06 per user on average. 

Buffer also publishes its staff's salaries transparently, breaks down what each subscription supports (eg, hosting, retreats, or salaries), and so much more. The addition really serves to build trust in Buffer as a company. 

(Image credit: Buffer)

• Best free software for SMBs of 2024

(Image credit: Buffer)Buffer: The competition

While users with fairly basic needs will be able to make use of Buffer, this is a social media management package that will really come into its own for larger business concerns. So while the likes of Hootsuite, Sendible, Loomly, HubSpot, and Zoho Social are all competitor products worth looking at, Buffer's packages do have a great deal of scalability.

After spending many hours testing Buffer and its rivals, we can say that while some have more powerful features than Buffer at the absolute high-end, none of them manage to artfully combine so many features in a non-threatening and understandable way, which is a real plus. 

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(Image credit: Buffer)Buffer: Final verdict

Buffer is one of the best full-service social media management suites you can get and there’s a package to suit all kinds of user. 

Naturally, the free edition lacks some of the muscle that comes with the premium editions, so it’s worth spending a little more if you want to boost your social media management potential. Along with its ease of use, there’s no doubting the potency of Buffer, while the capacity for expanding its capabilities is great, too.

For example, there are over 30 different third-party integration options, letting users harness the likes of Zapier and more. We’re also very keen on the ability to use Buffer quickly and easily on iOS and Android, creating room for more efficiency when you’re not able to carry out tasks at your desk. 

Overall, it’s easy to see why Buffer continues to draw in plenty of new customers since its 2010 launch, and we can't recommend its software highly enough. 

• Sign up to Buffer here

Turtle Beach Rematch Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch 2 review: one-minute review

Fancy a Rematch? That’s right, Turtle Beach is back with the Rematch Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch 2, which comes equipped with an all-new design, trusty C button, and a few other technical touch-ups.

There’s a lot to love about the Rematch, whether that be its drift-resistant TMR (tunnel magnoresistance) thumbsticks, its eye-catching semi-translucent design – which even features Super Mario himself, or its customizable GL and GR buttons. It’s also a pretty comfortable controller to use, with responsive triggers and face buttons, and incredibly seamless pairing.

I was also delighted with the controller’s generous 40-hour battery life, which competes with top controllers in our guide to the best Nintendo Switch 2 accessories. Despite that, though, the Rematch certainly isn’t without its flaws.

One of the most glaring drawbacks is the controller’s omission of rumble technology. This can be crucial for certain in-game segments, and is generally a vital instrument to immerse players more deeply in their gaming experiences. I was also sad to see NFC tech left out, which lets you scan Amiibo in titles like Metroid Prime 4: Beyond or Kirby Air Riders.

When you combine those things with the Rematch’s lack of a 3.5mm port and its inability to wake your Nintendo Switch 2 console from sleep, I think it’s fair to say it's missing a few crucial features. And yes, although this model costs a fair bit less than the official Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller, it's not exactly cheap. At more than $60 / £50 / AU$90, I’d hope for more expansive functionality.

All of that’s not to say that I disliked the Rematch – far from it. It’s a solid model overall that feels comfortable and effective in use, and the TMR tech is something that Nintendo’s official Switch 2 pro controller doesn’t have. And even with some missing features, it does support motion controls, which worked well in my experience.

Ultimately, I’d probably recommend waiting for a sale for this model. It’s a trustworthy, appealing controller that gets a lot of the fundamentals right, and it will almost certainly serve you well. At full price, though, I just feel that it’s a bit too thin on features.

(Image credit: Future)Turtle Beach Rematch Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch 2 review: price and release date

• List price of $64.99 / £54.99 / AU$99
• Which is $20 / £20 / AU$20 less than the official Switch 2 Pro Controller
• Launched in October 2025

The Turtle Beach Rematch Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch 2 was released in October 2025, a few months after Nintendo’s latest system came to market. This Nintendo-licensed controller will typically set you back $64.99 / £54.99 / AU$99 – that’s about $20 / £20 / AU$20 less than the official Switch 2 Pro Controller. You can purchase it with the Mario design – pictured throughout this review – or in a more basic Charcoal Black colorway.

Turtle Beach Rematch Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch 2 review: specs

Price

$64.99 / £54.99 / AU$99

Weight

0.8lbs / 0.4kg

Dimensions

6.3 x 5.3 x 2.6in / 160 x 135 x 65mm

Compatibility

Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch

Connection type

Wireless

Battery life

40 hours

(Image credit: Future)Turtle Beach Rematch Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch 2 review: design and features

• Beautiful semi-translucent design
• Remappable GL/GR buttons plus C button
• No NFC support, no 3.5mm port

Looks-wise, I’m a big fan of the Rematch controller for Switch 2. It has a semi-translucent design and is adorned with the Super Mario logo, as well as the Italian plumber himself. It's beautiful, fun, and a bit more charismatic than the swathe of plain black controllers that dominate the market. Red details really cement the fact that this is a Mario-themed, Nintendo-licensed model too, which is a nice touch.

As nice as it looks, though, I would argue that the controller feels a touch cheaper than its price tag may suggest. It's got quite a plasticky build, and some components, like the D-pad for instance, just lack that premium finish you’ll get from Nintendo’s official Pro Controller.

That’s fairly understandable, given that the Pro Controller is $20 / £20 / AU$20 more expensive, but that cheaper build isn’t the only sacrifice you’ll make if you do indeed opt for the Rematch instead.

For instance, this model doesn’t have NFC technology built in, which means that you can’t make use of Amiibos in games like Donkey Kong Bananza or Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. I understand that this won’t upset most players as much as me, but as an avid amiibo collector, this felt like a significant miss. Pair that with the lack of a 3.5mm port for a wired headset, and the omission of rumble (which I’ll discuss more down below), and you’re not getting the most feature-rich model on the market.

However, the Rematch controller does still have some commendable aspects, like its GL and GR buttons – these can be mapped to different controls for different games, and can come in handy for item management in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, for instance.

The C button in the center of the controller is also a big help if you want quick access to GameChat capabilities, something that you won’t find on a lot of third-party models.

(Image credit: Future)Turtle Beach Rematch Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch 2 review: performance

• TMR thumbsticks feel pretty good
• A whole lotta battery life
• Lack of rumble and can’t wake the console

The Rematch is an ergonomic, well-sized model with a pleasing weight to it, and it’s a very solid controller performance-wise.

Perhaps the biggest benefit of picking this controller over Nintendo’s official rival is that you’re getting TMR thumbsticks. This ensures strong responsiveness and precision, while also making stick drift less likely. More generally, the textured thumbsticks feel pretty good, and I experienced no issues with them across hours and hours of play.

In fact, most of the buttons feel pretty pleasing to use, whether that be the main face buttons, plus and minus controls, or the triggers. I especially appreciated the form of the ZL and ZR buttons, which slope upwards and are satisfying to press. The aforementioned GL/GR buttons are a welcome addition to boot.

My only real complaint when it comes to the buttons is some of the placements. For some reason, the home and plus buttons, as well as the minus and screenshot buttons, have been swapped around. To begin with, I found myself continually pressing the home button instead of the plus one, just out of sheer muscle memory. When playing with friends, I found that they would do the same, so this change felt more bothersome than anything.

Back to the good stuff, though, and I’m pleased to report that this controller delivers plenty of playtime. Turtle Beach says you get 40 hours from the Rematch, and from my time playing, I’d report that as accurate. That’s the same amount of time you’d expect to get out of the official Switch 2 controller, and competitive against other third-party controller manufacturers.

This model also supports motion controls, which I found to be surprisingly accurate. During my playthrough of Super Mario Galaxy, it was nice ‘n’ easy to grab star bits and navigate through menus – I still find the Joy-Con 2 controllers to be superior for motion-controlled games, however.

Having said that, Turtle Beach did leave a few functions out that could’ve put this controller's performance on par with the best of the best. For instance, there’s no rumble here, which is crucial for certain in-game mechanics and delivering a more immersive experience overall. You also cannot wake the console with the home button – something I love about my go-to controller, the Mobapad N1 HD.

(Image credit: Future)Should I buy the Turtle Beach Rematch Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch 2?Buy it if...

You’re looking for more advanced thumbstick tech
The Turtle Beach Rematch Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch 2 packs in TMR thumbsticks – one of its best assets for sure. This means that your controller will be less prone to drift than a controller using more traditional tech, like the official Switch 2 Pro Controller.

You want standout looks
I really like the semi-translucent design of this controller, and having Super Mario himself at the front and center feels like a nice touch. As I stated earlier, the market is filled with one-note, plain black models, so it’s nice to find something with a bit of pizzazz.

Don't buy it if...

You want the most feature-rich controller
Despite its nifty thumbsticks and swell design, the Rematch omits some fairly major features. For instance, there’s no rumble here, which can be crucial for immersing players in their gaming experiences. There’s also no NFC tech for amiibo, and you can’t wake the console from sleep mode, which is a shame.

You’re looking for something with a premium feel
As much as I like this controller’s look, I wouldn’t say it's the most sturdily or luxuriously built model. The Rematch has quite a plasticky feel, and for the price you pay, you may expect something a little more premium.

Turtle Beach Rematch Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch 2 review: also consider

Turtle Beach Rematch Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch 2

Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller

8BitDo Ultimate 2

Price

$64.99 / £54.99 / AU$99

$84.99 / £74.99 / AU$119.95

$69.99 / £59.99 / AU$90

Weight

0.8lbs / 360g

0.5lbs / 235g

0.5lbs / 246g

Dimensions

6.3 x 5.3 x 2.6in / 160 x 135 x 65mm

5.8 x 4.1 x 2.4in / 148 x 105 x 60mm

5.7 x 4.1 x 2.4in / 147 x 103 x 61mm

Compatibility

Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch

Nintendo Switch 2

Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, PC

Connection type

Wireless

Wireless

Wireless

Battery life

40 hours

40 hours

15 hours

Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller
Although it doesn’t have TMR or Hall effect, we still love the Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller. Its luxurious build quality, excellent battery life, smooth thumbsticks, and ergonomic comfort just keep us coming back for more. Its inclusion of NFC and rumble tech gives it a bit of a leg up over this Turtle Beach model, although it will cost you a little more.

Read our full Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller review.

8BitDo Ultimate 2
The 8BitDo Ultimate 2 is filled to the brim with high-tech features, be that TMR sticks, Hall effect triggers, or remappable L4/R4 bumpers. OK, its battery life really isn’t that great, especially if you’re using the flashy RGB lights, but there’s still a lot to love about this model.

Read our full 8BitDo Ultimate 2 review.

How I tested the Turtle Beach Rematch Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch 2

(Image credit: Future)

• Tested across multiple weeks
• Compared against other wireless controllers
• Played a range of Nintendo Switch 2, original Switch, and retro titles

I spent weeks testing the Turtle Beach Rematch Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch 2, during which time I played various games, exhausted its many features, and compared it against a handful of rivals.

In order to assess the controller’s capabilities in full, I played classic titles via Nintendo Switch Online, such as Chibi-Robo!, as well as games with motion controls like Super Mario Galaxy, and Switch 2 exclusives like Mario Kart World. Most of the time, I used the controller while my Nintendo Switch 2 was docked, and connected up to my Sky Glass Gen 2 TV and Marshall Heston 120 soundbar.

More generally, I’ve tested a bunch of Nintendo Switch 2 accessories – not only controllers, but also cameras like the Hori Piranha Plant Camera, screen protectors including the Genki Aegis Shield, and cases such as the official Nintendo Switch 2 All-In-One Carrying Case.

• First reviewed: February 2026
• Read more about how we test

I reviewed the new Rematch controller for Nintendo Switch 2, and while it impressed me with TMR thumbsticks and a fun design, I wish Turtle Beach added a few more features.

Since testing this modern, mid-range TV, I’m beginning to doubt whether every screen requires a soundbar by default.

Sprout Social has been around for a while now and, as a result, has become one of the go-to software options for anyone needing the best social media management or SEO tools. 

The package, spread across several paid tiers, comprises a heady blend of social tools and marries those to a potent analytics edge, which produces a great all-round package for small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs).

Anyone looking to take on social media channels for the first time, or to beef up their levels of participation, will find Sprout Social offers plenty. There’s a neat dashboard-style management setup, allowing for easy co-ordination, while the ability to lets multiple users access it means there’s appeal for larger organisations too.

• Sign up for a Sprout Social plan

While Sprout Social comes with a potent yet user-friendly array of social media management tools, the company has worked to still offer an affordable and good value option. Perhaps unsurprisingly then, Sprout therefore continues to be a hit with many business owners, who might not necessarily warm to a competitor like Hootsuite or Buffer. 

Let's dive into our Sprout Social social media management review. 

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(Image credit: Future)Sprout Social: Plans and Pricing

Plan

Starting rate (paid annually)

Starting rate (paid monthly)

Standard

$199/user/month

$249/user/month

Professional

$299/user/month

$399/user/month

Advanced

$399/user/month

$499/user/month

Enterprise

Custom pricing

Custom pricing

You can try Sprout Social for free using a 30-day trial, without the need for any credit card details, which is a great way to get to know the software. 

Following on from that, Sprout Social comes in three different packages, starting with the Standard edition, which currently costs $249 per user/per month when billed monthly. Alternatively, you can choose to pay for the Standard package on a $249 month-to-month basis.

Stepping up to the next package, the Professional edition is Sprout Social's most popular plan, currently available for $299 per user/per month and, again, billed annually. There is also the option to pay $399 month-to-month with this one, too.

Meanwhile, an Advanced edition costs $399 per user/per month billed annually. This has the option to pay $499 on a month-to-month basis if preferred. If you’re concerned about whether or not there will be enough benefits from the higher-end packages, requesting a demo is also possible, where a member of the Sprout Social team can talk you through the various features and functions.

Finally, there's an Enterprise tier, which is available for large organisations upon request. Sprout Social will tailor the app to your needs, and there is 24/5 support, plus a range of other features we'll get into below. 

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(Image credit: Sprout Social )Sprout Social: AI features (New)

Sprout Social has invested heavily in AI over the past two years, consolidating its machine learning and automation capabilities under the Sprout AI brand. Rather than treating AI as a bolt-on feature, the company has embedded it across publishing, engagement, analytics, and customer care.

The most notable recent addition is Trellis, Sprout's agentic AI launched in Q4 2025. Think of it as an AI analyst that navigates the platform on your behalf, transforming large volumes of social data into business intelligence and surfacing actionable next steps.

Trellis is a meaningful step beyond basic AI-assisted suggestions and positions Sprout ahead of many competitors in terms of automation depth. You can also connect your Sprout data directly into ChatGPT, which opened up in Q4 2025 as well, for deeper content planning and research workflows.

On the content creation side, AI Assist lets you generate and refine social copy, write accurate alt-text for images, and automatically create subtitles for video posts in one click. The Optimal Send Times feature uses AI to identify the best windows to publish based on your audience's activity patterns. These tools are especially useful for teams managing multiple accounts across platforms, where manually optimising each post quickly becomes impractical.

Sprout AI also powers a smarter inbox experience. Sentiment analysis runs automatically across incoming messages, and AI-driven bot and spam filtering helps keep your engagement metrics clean by removing automated noise from your data. For brands using Sprout's Social Listening add-on, Smart Categories uses AI to surface the key themes driving conversations around your chosen topics .

Finally, the Influencer Marketing platform received a major AI overhaul in April 2025. The new version introduced natural language and topic-led creator discovery — replacing keyword-based search with a more intuitive approach that better reflects how social platforms actually surface content. A revamped Brand Fit Score and brand safety reporting also use AI to help you vet creators more quickly, reducing what used to be hours of manual research to a matter of minutes.

Sprout Social: Basic features

As you’d expect from a Standard package, the entry-level edition is more of a slimline edition of the software. Nevertheless, it does come with a decent array of tools aimed at users with lesser social media management needs than bigger businesses. 

Starting off, the Standard edition bundles in five social profiles, an all-in-one social inbox, the ability to publish, schedule, draft, and queue posts, and a social content calendar, to keep everyone on the same page. 

Users can also carry out review management, monitor profiles, keywords, and locations, as well as deploying social CRM tools. Reporting offers up group, profile, and post-level options, plus there’s the ability to deliver paid promotion tools to boost Facebook posts. 

Sprout also offers handy iOS and Android apps for working on the go. 

Sprout Social: Professional features

You’ll really want to invest in Sprout Social's popular Professional edition to benefit from more power tools. While this does involve additional costs, the set of features covers an awful lot of bases. Look out for unlimited social profiles, plus everything that comes packed into Standard. 

On top of that there is competitive reporting for Instagram, Facebook, and X, incoming and outgoing message content tagging, as well as custom workflows for multiple approvers. More advantageously, there’s scheduling for optimal send times and the benefit of response rate and time analysis reports. 

Crucially, Pro users get trend analysis for X keywords and hashtags, and the benefit of paid social reporting for Facebook, Instagram, X, and LinkedIn. Also useful for larger concerns is the helpdesk, CRM, and Social Commerce integration capabilities.

For most companies, Professional offers the perfect blend of features and price, and compares favourably to its rivals across the market. 

(Image credit: Sprout Social)Sprout Social: Advanced features

Finally, larger business frequently have the need for even more power tools, which can often be a needless requirement for smaller companies. 

Social Sprout’s Advanced package features add a lot more muscle to the software, especially for companies with a major push going on with their social media management needs. The Advanced package comes with everything in the Professional edition, and then adds on the likes of Message Spike Alerts for increased message activity email and push notification alerts when traffic is high.

There’s a digital asset and content library, and chatbots with automation tools. Advanced users can also work with saved and suggested replies, make use of an inbox rule builder for automated actions, and enjoy automated link tracking. X surveys to define CSAT or NPS come bundled good measure.

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(Image credit: Sprout Social)Sprout Social: Analytics and reporting

By the same token, the reporting aspect of Sprout Social is as impressive as ever. 

Users can create detailed insights into social media campaigns, get a handle on what works and what doesn’t, as well as producing shareable information that should work a treat in the board room. Naturally, it’s easy to export reports in popular file formats, including CSV and PDF.

Sprout Social has always been handy with its chunky analytics tools and this is an aspect that has become stronger in recent years. The higher-end bundles pack in lots of advanced features for helping combine analytics with lead generation and suchlike, adding value. 

In fact, sales and marketing teams should find it invaluable, while a feature like the Chatbot tool should help improve efficiency too by allowing administrators to build an assistant to help customer needs.

• Best content marketing tool of 2024

(Image credit: Sprout Social)Sprout Social: User Interface

Sprout Social has been in existence for quite a while now and has therefore evolved into a great on-the-go tool for anyone needing to manage their social media out in the field. 

Sprout Social offers iOS and Android mobile apps, both of which have been nicely produced and include more than enough functionality for most needs, even on the Basic edition. Considering its impressive feature set, Sprout Social is still fairly straightforward to setup and configure.

Even in its desktop incarnation, you’ll find Sprout Social to be fairly logical with its layout, especially considering all of the tools that come contained within. There are quick access menu options to commonly used tools like Messages, Tasks, Feeds, and Publishing, helping to improve the overall workflow. 

Similarly, you can get to those vital reporting tools with relative ease too. There are practical considerations too, with a settings area that lets you configure language settings and suchlike for users in other geographical territories.

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(Image credit: Sprout Social)Sprout Social: Support

Anyone getting to grips with Sprout Social for the first time will find a whole host of great content at the online help center, including tips, tricks, and tutorials covering every aspect of the software, along with more advanced tools for helping to get the best from Sprout Social. 

If you need to get in touch there is a phone support number, the option to submit a request online or you can simply reach out via social media. The enterprise tier also includes 24/5 dedicated support, for any enquiries or help. 

While some rivals do go a little further when it comes to support, Sprout Social offers most of the things needed to make sense of the software and get the most out of your online social media presence. 

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(Image credit: Sprout Social)Sprout Social: The competition

Social media management tools are reasonably plentiful and, if you’re working to a tight or non-existent budget, some of them can be had for free. 

Small business owners might struggle to justify the cost implications of the beefier editions of Sprout Social. With that in mind, heading for something like the basic edition of Hootsuite might make more sense, but there’s also the likes of Buffer, HubSpot, Zoho Social, and Circleboom to ponder over too.

All of the different services have their own pros and cons – especially depending on your specific social media needs – and checking out a variety of cheaper (or free) tiers, plus free trials, is likely the best way to definitively find the best. 

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(Image credit: Sprout Social)Sprout Social: Final verdict

If your organisation has advanced social media management needs then Sprout Social offers plenty of appeal, including the ability to ramp up your efforts even more than that with the additional premium solutions. However, all of those extra features and functions add to the price tag, which for smaller businesses can soon make a Professional package seem like a sizeable investment.

Nevertheless, if you’ve got any kind of serious inclination to boost your standing in social media circles, and enjoy the data produced by Sprout Social, you’ll find this is a package that rarely disappoints. Even the Standard edition offers up a surprisingly potent dashboard of delights, via an interface that’s a joy to use, especially if you’re making full use of the iOS and Android apps. 

As we've said throughout the review, Sprout Social is far from an upstart in the space and so you can trust the company to maintain its product, offer quality support, and generally provide one of the best social media management tools in 2026. 

• Sign up to Sprout Social.

Neo may not have the name recognition of the real major players in this space, like Google Workspace, Microsoft 365 or Proton Mail, but it is nevertheless making a concerted effort to join them as one of the best email hosting services around. 

Attempting to set itself apart from its competitors, Neo has set its sights on the small business market. This is an email provider that is geared towards entrepreneurs, startups, and small businesses. And what it does, it does well. If you are a small business, this is an email hosting platform that ticks a lot of boxes.

Neo comes with a good range of features, including appointment scheduling, email templates, and read receipts, and is available at an affordable price. It’s a great option if you want a custom email address, flexible cloud storage and the possibility of exploring whether some of those AI tools making headlines are really as important to business success as they claim to be.

It must be said, Neo isn’t perfect. We’ve found that the support on offer isn’t the most responsive and if you're a large enterprise you might require some of the advanced functionality that you find offered by some of the larger players out there. 

However, if you’re a small business on the lookout for a reliable, affordable email solution, then it’s certainly worth giving Neo a go. The email and marketing services on offer could help take your brand to the next level. 

Neo: Plans and pricing

Plan

Starting rate (paid annually)

Starting rate (paid monthly)

Business Starter

$2.49/mailbox/mo

$3.11/mailbox/mo

Business Standard

$4.99/mailbox/mo

$6.24/mailbox/mo

Business Max

$9.99/mailbox/mo

$12.49/mailbox/mo

Neo subscribers can choose from three plans: Starter, Standard, and Max. The Starter plan is priced at $2.49 per mailbox, per month when billed annually — a step up from its original launch pricing, but still highly competitive compared to most business email providers. The Standard plan comes in at $4.99, while the Max plan sits at $9.99 per mailbox, per month on an annual subscription.

One area where Neo still stands out is its billing flexibility. You can choose monthly, yearly, two-year, or four-year subscription terms, with longer commitments unlocking lower rates. This is fairly unusual in the email hosting market, and it's a nice option to have if you're confident in sticking with Neo for the long haul.

It's also worth noting that if you need more than 50 mailboxes, you'll need to contact Neo's sales team directly for custom pricing. That's standard practice for business software at this scale, but if you're already managing 50+ mailboxes, you may want to weigh up whether a platform built for larger enterprises might be a better fit.

AI tools

Neo has been quietly building out its AI capabilities and by now they're a meaningful part of what the platform offers, particularly on the Max plan. The headline feature is Smart Write, an AI email writer powered by OpenAI's ChatGPT API. You give it a prompt, pick a tone and length, and it produces a ready-to-send draft in seconds. You can also use it to reply to incoming emails with the "Reply with Smart Write" option, which automatically pulls in the context of the email you're responding to.

Smart Write supports multiple languages and handles everything from cold outreach to client negotiations. If the first draft isn't quite right, you can hit "Give me another option" for a fresh take.

However, it's worth knowing that the tool operates under a fair usage policy. You get 75 words per input prompt and Smart Reply autofills up to 1,000 words of context from the email you're replying to. Privacy-wise, OpenAI only accesses the specific content you share with Smart Write, and does not use it for model training.

On the Standard and Max plans, you'll also get access to a built-in Grammar & Spell Check feature, which gives your outgoing emails an extra layer of polish without needing a third-party tool. It's a small addition, but useful for day-to-day correspondence.

Beyond email, Neo has rolled out an AI-powered website builder under its AI Site product. The tool generates a ready-to-launch one-page website from a short text prompt, and you can refine it using an AI copy assist feature. Higher-tier site plans unlock more generations and access to the latest AI models. It's not a replacement for a dedicated website builder, but for small businesses that need a quick professional web presence alongside their email, it's a practical bonus.

Features

(Image credit: Neo)

As with all business email providers, the features that you receive depend heavily on the subscription you’ve signed up for. Let’s start by taking a look at the email storage on offer. With the Starter plan, you receive 15GB of mailbox storage, which matches the free 15GB that comes with a personal Gmail account. We did find that this amount of space filled up quickly, so if you’re a small business with big aspirations, you might find this somewhat lacking. If that is the case, you’ll probably want to look at the 50GB you get with the Standard plan or even the 100GB enjoyed by Max customers. 

In terms of the other features that Neo offers, there’s plenty on show. Subscribers to all three payment plans will receive access to Android and iOS mobile apps, a built-in calendar, and the ability to access their Neo inbox via a third-party mail platform. 

Some more advanced functionality is provided on the Standard plan, including a priority inbox and unlimited read receipts. But the really high-level stuff requires you to be signed up for the Max plan. For instance, customers here get a plethora of powerful business suite tools, such as access to campaign mode (great for email marketing), appointment booking, and the AI Smart Write feature. 

Support

Here’s an area where Neo could do better. While there is a help center, which comes with a host of useful articles and guides like help getting started and a general FAQ, it’s when you try to contact Neo directly that things become a little more tricky. 

There is a link that allows you to create a support ticket but getting a response can take a long time. This is a shame, because for small businesses especially, any issue could cause significant reputational damage that ends up sending customers elsewhere. 

Security

Neo’s security credentials are solid and this is clearly something that the platform takes very seriously. The platform offers data encryption both at rest and in transit with 256-bit ciphers, two-factor authentication, advanced antivirus and antispam functionality, and is hosted on Amazon Web Services, which should give users a little extra peace of mind. 

Neo is also fully GDPR compliant and allows users to include a digital signature with their message to add extra authenticity whenever they are sending an email. 

The competition

Although you might think that email is a bit old-fashioned, it remains essential to the business world. Sure, most successful organizations may have adopted an omnichannel strategy these days, meaning they can contact customers via WhatsApp or a social media platform, but email remains crucial.

In terms of email providers targeting the small business market, Neo has to compete with the likes of Zoho Mail, IONOS, and a growing array of others.  Neo fares pretty well in terms of price and does offer users a free .co.site domain, but for advanced functionality or more response support, you might be better off going with more established players. In fact, Neo's affordability is a massive strength when compared to its rivals - especially for smaller players where budgets may be a bit tighter.

(Image credit: Neo)Final verdict

Neo is a very decent email provider - especially given that it hasn’t been around the longest. If you too are just starting out and don’t require some of the more advanced features you get with larger vendors, then be sure to check Neo out. This is an email hosting platform that really shines when it's used within the small business market - it's here where we think it truly excels. 

If you have expectations of scaling your business rapidly, you might find that you outgrow Neo, but until then, this platform is likely to have everything you need at a very reasonable price. 

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