Sprout Social vs. Meltwater: The best tool for your brand in 2025

From scheduling posts to proving impact, social media management platforms do a lot of heavy lifting. The challenge is finding one that will grow with your needs.

That’s why we’re comparing Sprout Social vs. Meltwater side by side using G2 review data*. The right platform should keep pace with new tech, fit naturally into your team’s workflows and deliver measurable ROI.

In this article, we’ll see how Sprout stacks up on the factors that matter most—from ease of use and setup to AI innovation, core social management features and influencer marketing.

*The comparison data in this article is based on G2 data from 09/09/2025, unless stated otherwise.

Sprout Social vs. Meltwater: Overview

Before we dive into our Sprout Social vs. Meltwater comparison, let’s go over what each platform offers and the types of teams they serve.

Who is Sprout Social for?

Sprout Social launched in 2010 with a clear mission: make social media management easier and more impactful for brands. Today, the platform powers teams of every size—from fast-growing startups to global enterprises—with tools that scale as business needs evolve.

Sprout consistently leads the industry. G2 has named us an Enterprise Leader in the Grid® Report for Social Media Suites every quarter since 2018. In their 2025 Summer Reports, we earned more than 150 Leader badges across categories like Social Media Analytics, Customer Service and Listening.

Our recognition spans the globe. We ranked #1 in 17 regional G2 reports across EMEA and the Asia-Pacific region, and TrustRadius honored us with eight 2025 Top Rated Awards, including Social Media Marketing and Competitive Intelligence.

Teams choose Sprout because it’s easy to use, backed by award-winning support and built to prove the ROI of social.

Who is Meltwater for?

Meltwater started in 2001 as a media monitoring service. Over the years, it expanded into social media management, analytics and influencer marketing. Today, it offers several tools—publishing, reporting, listening and campaign management—alongside its core strength in media intelligence.

According to G2 ratings, Meltwater trails behind Sprout Social in areas like ease of use, product direction and overall satisfaction. Some reviewers also mention that the platform feels harder to adopt and manage day-to-day.

Meltwater is suited for communications teams focused on broad media monitoring and PR analytics. Brands that want a more social-first, streamlined experience typically lean toward Sprout Social.

Sprout Social vs. Meltwater: Innovation

Your social media platform needs to evolve as fast as the networks, trends and business demands it supports. That’s why innovation is more than a nice-to-have. It’s what separates tools that truly empower marketers from those that fall behind.

Sprout leads Meltwater in product direction

Today’s features solve today’s problems. But a platform’s product direction shapes how well it can solve tomorrow’s.

On G2, Sprout’s core platform scores 8.9 for product direction compared to Meltwater’s 8.0. Our influencer marketing solution scores even higher at 9.1. Customers trust Sprout to deliver what they’ll need next, whether that’s new AI features, platform integrations or publishing formats.

This confidence comes from how we build. Sprout rolls out hundreds of updates every year, guided directly by customer feedback. Our roadmap focuses on solving real-world pain points and making teams more efficient, rather than adding complexity for its own sake.

By contrast, G2 reviewers often point to Meltwater’s steep learning curve and clunky navigation. Many describe the platform as hard to use effectively, which can limit the impact of new features.

With Sprout, customers know they’re investing in a platform that evolves quickly and intentionally so their teams can focus on results—not workarounds.

Sprout leads Meltwater in AI and automation

AI and automation have become the engine behind modern social media management. The strongest platforms use it to cut through noise, surface insights instantly and streamline team workflows.

Sprout Social consistently earns higher G2 scores than Meltwater in AI and automation-driven categories.

Social listening

In listening, Sprout leads in social measurement (8.6 vs. 8.1) and competitor analysis (8.0 vs. 7.9). Our robust Social Listening features help teams sift through millions of conversations, uncover shifts in sentiment and track share of voice.

Workflows

In workflows, Sprout also scores higher for approval processes (8.1 vs. 7.5). With our Message Approval Workflows, teams can submit, review and approve posts in just a few clicks. This helps brands avoid errors and facilitates smoother collaboration.

Social media analytics

Social media analytics is where the gap widens further. Sprout outpaces Meltwater in post performance (8.8 vs. 8.0), report customizability (8.1 vs. 7.7) and paid campaign tracking (7.4 vs. 6.9). Our customizable reporting tools turn complex data into clear, visual insights, helping teams prove ROI and guide their strategy.

Sprout’s higher scores demonstrate how our AI-powered analytics and insights help social teams move faster, collaborate better and drive business impact.

Sprout Social vs. Meltwater: Social media management

Social media management is the heart of any platform. It’s where teams plan campaigns, publish content and manage every interaction with their audience.

In G2’s Summer 2025 Enterprise Grid® Report for Social Media Suites, Sprout earned Leader status with one of the highest satisfaction scores in the category. Meltwater, by contrast, ranked as a Contender. Overall, Sprout outperforms Meltwater for social media management, 7.7 to 7.1.

Publishing and content planning

Reviewers highlight Sprout’s core management features as a significant part of that gap. The Content Calendar and Social Publishing tools, both scoring above 90%, make it easy for teams to plan and publish with confidence.

Engagement and inbox management

Sprout’s Smart Inbox brings every customer message into one streamlined hub so nothing slips through the cracks. Our Content Library serves as a centralized playbook, providing teams with instant access to approved assets.

These are the tools that turn day-to-day management from chaotic to seamless. They’re also the reason why Sprout earns higher marks from users and why so many teams trust it to power their social strategy.

Sprout Social vs. Meltwater: Influencer marketing

Brands need influencer marketing tools that help them discover the right creators, manage partnerships and measure ROI. That’s where Sprout pulls ahead.

On G2, Sprout Social Influencer Marketing outperforms Meltwater across nearly every category. Reviewers rate Sprout higher in influencer recruitment (8.6 vs. 7.8), audience analysis (8.8 vs. 8.0) and influencer scoring (8.4 vs. 7.9). These scores reflect how Sprout’s AI-powered discovery tools mirror the way consumers actually find content. Teams can quickly surface authentic, brand-safe creators who resonate with their audience.

Sprout also streamlines the rest of the campaign lifecycle. Influencer CRM and Creator Hub features make it easy to handle outreach, approvals and contracts in one place. Boosted content tools let teams turn top-performing influencer posts into paid campaigns, amplifying reach without extra complexity.

With Sprout, social teams can manage influencer marketing with a clear playbook rather than piecing together spreadsheets and emails. Meltwater offers influencer capabilities, but Sprout’s higher ratings show why customers trust it to simplify partnerships and maximize ROI.

Sprout Social vs. Meltwater: Ease of doing business

Even the best features fall flat if the platform is frustrating to use. Time spent fighting software is time lost on strategy and results. On G2, Sprout scores higher than Meltwater for overall ease of doing business (92% vs. 86%). Let’s break this down further.

Ease of use

On G2, Sprout Social scores higher than Meltwater for ease of use (8.8 vs. 7.9). Reviewers often mention how quickly they can navigate Sprout’s user-friendly interface and how effortless it feels to manage content across multiple profiles.

Features like AI Assist make everyday tasks easier by drafting post copy, summarizing long message threads and surfacing insights in seconds. Optimal Send Times also takes the guesswork out of publishing by automatically recommending when to post for maximum impact.

Customers especially love Sprout’s post scheduling tools, which simplify campaign planning and free up time for strategy. Add in intuitive navigation, and it’s easy to see why users prefer Sprout over Meltwater when usability matters most.

Ease of setup

Sprout Social outperforms Meltwater in ease of setup (8.7 vs. 7.9), according to G2. With native integrations into all major social networks, CRMs and business intelligence platforms like Salesforce, HubSpot, Tableau and Zendesk, teams don’t waste time piecing together connections.

Sprout also comes with pre-built report templates and pre-configured Listening topics, so teams can start pulling insights and tracking conversations right away—no steep learning curve or complicated setup required. Paired with in-app guides and award-winning customer support, Sprout makes implementation feel smooth and efficient.

Users frequently note how Sprout helps them “hit the ground running,” especially compared to competitors that require heavy customization or training. For teams eager to show value fast, Sprout’s streamlined setup is a clear advantage.

Ease of admin

On G2, Sprout Social scores higher than Meltwater in ease of admin (8.8 vs. 8.1). Customers point to how Sprout’s centralized management features streamline oversight and reduce manual admin work.

Admins can assign user roles and permissions to control access levels, reducing risk without adding complexity. Approval workflows also ensure that posts move through the proper checks, giving admins peace of mind while keeping collaboration flowing.

For larger organizations, Workspaces create clarity by separating brands, teams or regions into distinct environments. This structure helps admins cut down clutter and manage multiple accounts seamlessly. Flexible seat management makes it easy to onboard new collaborators or adjust roles as teams evolve.

It’s almost like running a control center with clear dashboards and simple levers. Everything is organized, secure and easy to adjust. That’s why Sprout earns stronger admin scores than Meltwater, and why teams trust it to scale without friction.

Sprout Social vs. Meltwater: ROI

Even the most powerful platform has to prove its worth. A long road to ROI can stall momentum and drain resources. On G2, Sprout delivers a faster payback period than Meltwater, helping teams see value sooner.

Sprout leads Meltwater in time to ROI

According to G2’s Summer 2025 Enterprise Grid® Report for Social Media Suites, Sprout Social helps enterprise customers realize ROI faster than Meltwater.

On average, Sprout users reach payback in just 11 months. Meltwater users wait closer to 13 months. Adoption rates tell a similar story. Sprout averages 72% user adoption compared to 64% for Meltwater. Higher adoption means more of your team actually uses the platform, multiplying its impact.

The numbers align with findings from Forrester’s Total Economic Impact™ study of Sprout Social. Customers reported 60% time savings on scheduling, publishing, listening and campaign planning. In total, that adds up to more than $1.1 million over three years. Sprout also cuts 80% of reporting time thanks to automated, customizable dashboards that eliminate manual data pulls. Influencer management became 25% more efficient, saving an additional $128,000, while retiring legacy tools added another $224,000 in cost savings.

All told, organizations saw a 268% ROI with payback in less than six months.

Sprout Social helps teams prove their impact

Social teams are under pressure to connect their work to tangible business outcomes. Sprout provides them with the performance insights, scalable tools and reporting capabilities they need to make the case for the impact of social media marketing.

Sprout Social leads Meltwater in the analytics features that matter most for proving ROI. On G2, Sprout scores higher for post performance, report customizability and scalability. These numbers reflect the real-world value of Sprout’s analytics suite.

Tools like the Post Performance Report help teams identify which content resonates across networks. The Report Builder enables marketers to tailor dashboards for executives, clients or frontline teams, ensuring that every stakeholder sees the metrics that matter most.

Sprout also makes analytics practical. Features like Paid Performance Reporting separate paid and organic results, while Competitor Reports give brands a benchmark to measure progress against the industry. Instead of pulling spreadsheets together manually, teams can generate interactive, visual reports in minutes.

Think of it as the difference between showing up to a meeting with a pile of raw data versus a story that connects strategy to outcomes. Sprout helps teams tell that story with clarity and confidence.

What’s best for your brand: Sprout Social or Meltwater?

When it comes down to it, the best platform is the one that makes social the most manageable and impactful for your team. Sprout is a social-first platform, designed from the ground up to help teams manage publishing, engagement, listening and analytics in one intuitive hub.

Why do brands choose Sprout over Meltwater?

• Ease of use: Sprout consistently earns higher marks than Meltwater on G2 in categories like ease of use (8.8 vs. 7.9), setup (8.7 vs. 7.9) and admin (8.8 vs. 8.1).
• Faster time to ROI: Teams see a return on their investment faster with Sprout (11 months vs. 13 months for Meltwater), thanks to higher user adoption and powerful efficiency tools.
• More advanced social-first features: From AI-driven analytics to a unified Smart Inbox and seamless Influencer Marketing, Sprout’s entire platform is built to maximize the business impact of social.
• A trusted product vision: Users rate Sprout higher for product direction, trusting that the platform will continue to innovate and solve evolving challenges.

If a platform is clunky and difficult to use, adoption drops—and so does ROI. With Sprout, teams get up and running quickly, collaborate seamlessly and scale their strategy without adding complexity. It’s why more than 30,000 leading brands trust Sprout to maximize the business impact of social.

See the difference for yourself. Start your free 30-day trial today and experience the difference of how Sprout can empower your team.

The comparison data in this article is based on G2 data from 09/09/2025, unless stated otherwise.