MailerLite vs Sprout Social: Complete Comparison (2026)
An in-depth comparison of MailerLite and Sprout Social to help you choose the right tool for your business.
Last updated: November 2026
MailerLite
7.1/10
MailerLite is an email marketing platform for small businesses and creators, combining newsletters, automations, landing pages, sites, forms and digital product sales.
Sprout Social
6.7/10
Sprout Social is a social media management platform for publishing, engagement, listening and reporting, sold per seat to mid-market and enterprise marketing teams.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | | |
|---|---|---|
| Scores | ||
| Overall Rating | 7.1/10 | 6.7/10 |
| Scalability | 6/10 | 8/10 |
| Ease of Use | 9/10 | 9/10 |
| Customization | 7/10 | 7/10 |
| Security | 6/10 | 7/10 |
| Support | 5/10 | 6/10 |
| Cost | 8/10 | 2/10 |
| Integration | 7/10 | 7/10 |
| Analytics | 6/10 | 9/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | Yes | No |
| Cheapest paid plan | $12/mo Comfort | $99/user/mo Essentials |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | $25/mo Power | $990/mo Essentials |
| Features | ||
| A/B Testing | Not listed | |
| Competitor Analysis | Not listed | |
| E-commerce Features | Not listed | |
| Email Marketing | Not listed | |
| Landing Pages | Not listed | |
| Segmentation | Not listed | |
| Social Media Analytics | Not listed | |
| Social Media Scheduling | Not listed | |
MailerLite vs Sprout Social cost by team size
MailerLite costs less at every team size we checked.
| Team size | MailerLite | Sprout Social |
|---|---|---|
| 1 user | FreeFree | $99/moEssentials |
| 5 users | $25/moPower | $495/moEssentials |
| 10 users | $25/moPower | $990/moEssentials |
| 25 users | $25/moPower | $2,475/moEssentials |
| 50 users | $25/moPower | $4,950/moEssentials |
The plan that fits each team size, billed monthly, before add-ons and usage charges. Each cost opens that tool's pricing calculator for the team size.
Which One Should You Choose?
Why choose MailerLite
- Has a free plan (Sprout Social does not)
- Lower estimated cost for 10 users: $25/mo vs $990/mo
- Higher Cost score (8/10 vs 2/10)
- Better fit for small business (9/10 vs 4/10)
Why choose Sprout Social
- Higher Analytics score (9/10 vs 6/10)
- Higher Scalability score (8/10 vs 6/10)
- Better fit for enterprise (8/10 vs 4/10)
- Better fit for mid-market (8/10 vs 5/10)
Pros & Cons
MailerLite
Pros
- The interface is clean, and reviewers say automations are quick to set up even for first-time users.
- Automations are included even on the free plan.
- Paid plans start at $12 a month, which reviewers say is cheaper than Mailchimp or Constant Contact.
- Native e-commerce integrations with Shopify, WooCommerce and Stripe feed purchase-based automations.
- Reviewers report deliverability ranking first in an independent EmailToolTester test.
Cons
- Many users report accounts suspended or terminated with little warning and difficult appeals.
- Support is email-only on Comfort, and some reviewers say replies are slow.
- The free plan has been cut more than once and now allows only 250 subscribers.
- Prices rise steeply as the list grows, according to a competitor's analysis.
- Reviewers find reporting and segmentation limited for larger companies.
Sprout Social
Pros
- G2 users mention ease of use more than 1,200 times, which points to an interface teams learn quickly.
- Reviewers often describe the reporting and analytics as best-in-class among social media tools.
- The Smart Inbox gathers messages and reviews from all networks into one queue for engagement and customer care.
- A 30-day free trial with no credit card lets teams test the platform fully before buying.
Cons
- Every seat is charged, so Standard costs $249 a seat on monthly billing and team costs rise quickly.
- Listening and Premium Analytics are paid add-ons with no published prices.
- Trustpilot reviews, around 2 out of 5, center on auto-renewal, contract lock-in and difficult cancellation.
- Competitor insights need Professional, and API access needs Advanced.
- Some lower-tier customers report slow support and account managers who changed without notice.
Not sold on either?
Why We ViralOur product
Free TikTok analytics for social media teams: see which formats, hooks, and topics get views for any creator or competitor, and turn them into content ideas.
Made by the team behind b stack radar. Shown here because it fits this topic. It is not part of our rankings. How we rank tools
Frequently Asked Questions
MailerLite scores higher on our Marketing criteria: 7.1/10 against 6.7/10 for Sprout Social. The largest gap is in Cost: 8/10 for MailerLite and 2/10 for Sprout Social.
MailerLite costs less for 10 users: about $25/mo on its Power plan, against about $990/mo on its Essentials plan for Sprout Social, billed monthly.
MailerLite has a free plan; Sprout Social does not list one.
MailerLite is the better fit for small business: we rate it 9/10 for them, against 4/10 for Sprout Social.
