Sprout Social alternatives with a built-in video editor in 2026
October 28, 2026 · 8 min read
BetterSocials is the Sprout Social alternative to pick if you want a video editor, a scheduler and a comment and DM inbox in one app. BetterSocials is an AI social media manager for local businesses, creators and small agencies. Its free AI video editor cuts silences and filler words and writes captions, and paid plans start at $29 a month for four accounts. Metricool and Canva also make video editors of their own. Sprout Social bills per seat, from $99 a seat a month billed monthly, as of October 2026.
Updated October 27, 2026. BetterSocials is our product, so it goes first in the lists and tables below.
What Sprout Social costs and what its plans include
Sprout Social prices every plan per seat. Essentials is $99 a seat a month billed monthly (sproutsocial.com/pricing, as of October 2026). The consolidated inbox starts on Standard, at $199 a seat a month billed yearly.
Essentials doesn't list the inbox on its card, so replies start on Standard. Three seats on Standard come to just under six hundred dollars a month on annual billing. If your team already works in Sprout Social and that bill fits, stay put.
If you want video editing in the same tool you post from, BetterSocials puts a free AI video editor next to its scheduler. Creator is $29 a month, or $24 billed yearly, for four accounts and one login. The full side-by-side is in BetterSocials vs Sprout Social: per seat or flat price?.
Which Sprout Social alternatives include a video editor in 2026?
BetterSocials, Metricool and Canva each make a video editor of their own. The list below shows what each one pairs its editor with, plus one standalone editor for comparison.
- BetterSocials has a free AI video editor in the browser that cuts silences, retakes and filler words on its own, captions every word, and lets you fix anything by deleting words from the transcript.
- Metricool has its own video editor next to a planner for scheduled posts and analytics, and its Free plan covers 1 brand.
- Canva has a free online video editor with drag-and-drop editing, plus a social media video creator.
- Descript is an AI video editor with captions, and Hobbyist is $16 a month on annual billing (descript.com/pricing, as of August 2026).
If the comments under your videos bring in customers, pick BetterSocials, because the same app posts the clip and answers them. Canva suits you if you build each video by dragging pieces onto a canvas. Metricool is the better fit when analytics matter most and one brand covers you.
Which free plans include video editing?
BetterSocials gives you its AI video editor free, with no card, for up to 4 minutes of footage per project. That editor is the free part of BetterSocials. Posting and the inbox start on Creator at $29 a month for four accounts.
Metricool's Free plan covers 1 brand and can't schedule more than 20 posts a month (metricool.com/pricing, as of October 2026). It also reads YouTube comments on that free tier. Publer's Free plan is $0 for one user (publer.com/plans, as of October 2026).
Canva calls its editor a free online video editor. For clean cuts and captions alone, the BetterSocials free editor does the job. If you want free posting as well, Metricool Free gives you 20 scheduled posts a month.
What do these tools cost per month in 2026?
BetterSocials, Metricool, Publer, Later and Vista Social all list a monthly price and a lower yearly rate. The table shows entry plans from each vendor's pricing page, read in October 2026, except Later, read in September 2026.
| Tool | Plan | Monthly | Billed yearly |
|---|---|---|---|
| BetterSocials | Creator, 4 accounts | $29 | $24 a month |
| BetterSocials | Pro, 6 accounts | $49 | $39 a month |
| Metricool | Starter, 5 brands | $25 | $20 a month |
| Publer | Professional, 1 account | $5.00 | $4.00 a month |
| Later | Starter | $25 | $18.75 a month |
| Later | Growth, with inbox | $50 | $37.50 a month |
| Vista Social | Professional, 2 users | $99 | $80 a month |
Sprout Social prices per seat instead, at $99 a seat a month on Essentials, billed monthly. Hootsuite includes its inbox from Standard at $99 per user a month billed yearly, as of October 2026. Buffer is $5 a channel on annual billing (buffer.com/pricing, as of August 2026).
Buffer is cheaper than BetterSocials at four accounts: 4 x $5 = $20 a month on annual billing, against $24 for BetterSocials Creator. Add Descript Hobbyist at $16 for editing and the pair comes to more than BetterSocials Creator. BetterSocials Creator keeps editing, scheduling and the inbox in one plan at $24 a month billed yearly, with AI replies in your voice and keyword comment-to-DM included.
Metricool Starter is cheaper too, at $20 a month billed yearly for 5 brands. On BetterSocials Creator, the editor takes 4 minutes of footage per project. Longer videos need Pro, at $49 a month or $39 billed yearly, for six accounts and 60 minutes per project.
Metricool's free plan and video editor
Metricool makes its own video editor, next to a planner for scheduled posts and analytics. Free covers 1 brand and up to 20 scheduled posts a month. Starter is $25 a month, or $20 billed yearly, for 5 brands, and Advanced is $67 a month, or $53 billed yearly.
Metricool reads YouTube comments, Free plan included. It's a good pick if you run one brand, post fewer than 20 times a month and want analytics on a free tier.
Can Canva or Buffer edit and schedule social media video?
Canva handles the editing side: its free online video editor builds social media videos by drag and drop. Buffer handles scheduling, at $5 a channel on annual billing, and it reads YouTube comments. Buffer's inbox covers comments only, so Instagram and Facebook DMs stay in each app.
Pick Buffer if you mostly schedule posts and answer a few comments by hand. Canva makes more sense if you design each video before it goes anywhere. If your comments and DMs bring in customers, BetterSocials keeps the edit and the replies in one plan.
What Later, Hootsuite and Vista Social charge for an inbox
Later Starter is $25 a month, or $18.75 billed yearly, as of September 2026. Its Conversations inbox starts on Growth at $50 a month, or $37.50 billed yearly, and covers Instagram DMs and comments, Facebook DMs and comments and TikTok comments. Later has no YouTube or LinkedIn conversations.
Hootsuite starts at $99 per user a month, with the inbox from Standard on annual billing. BetterSocials brings YouTube comments into the same inbox as your Instagram and Facebook DMs. Vista Social Professional is $99 a month, or $80 billed yearly, with two users. It includes a social inbox, DM automations and a 14-day trial without a card.
Later is the pick if Instagram and TikTok are your main platforms and the Growth price works for you. Vista Social makes sense when two people share the inbox. Keep Hootsuite if your team already runs on it.
How BetterSocials does this
BetterSocials is best for creators and local businesses who want to edit a video, post it and answer the comments and DMs it brings in, all from one app. We know editing is what turns one video into a six-hour job, so the free AI video editor does the boring part. Drop in a raw video and it cuts the silences, retakes and filler words, then captions every word.
You fix anything by deleting words from the transcript, right in your browser. Every paid plan includes the same editor, with captions, text, sounds and overlays, next to scheduling and the inbox. Footage per project is 4 minutes on Creator, 60 minutes on Pro and 2 hours on Team.
Posts go to Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Threads, TikTok and LinkedIn, and the AI can draft captions in your voice. The comments and DMs that come back land in one inbox, with AI replies drafted in your voice. When someone comments a keyword on Instagram or Facebook, they get a DM with your link.
- Creator is $29 a month, or $24 billed yearly, for four accounts, one login and 1,000 AI credits a month.
- Pro is $49 a month, or $39 billed yearly, for six accounts, one login, 2,000 AI credits a month and analytics.
- Team is $99 a month, or $79 billed yearly, for twelve accounts, unlimited teammates and 4,000 shared AI credits a month.
Every plan starts with a 7-day free trial, card required, and a 30-day money-back guarantee on the first paid charge. To see how BetterSocials compares with other schedulers, read The 9 best social media management platforms for creators in 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Which Sprout Social alternative has a free video editor built in?+
BetterSocials has a free AI video editor in the browser, with no card needed, for up to 4 minutes of footage per project. It cuts silences and filler words and captions from the transcript. Metricool also makes its own video editor. BetterSocials paid plans start at $29 a month for four accounts.
Does Metricool have a free plan with video editing?+
Metricool has a Free plan with 1 brand and up to 20 scheduled posts a month, and it reads YouTube comments on that tier. Metricool also makes its own video editor. Starter is $25 a month, or $20 a month billed yearly, for 5 brands (metricool.com/pricing, as of October 2026).
What does Publer cost in 2026?+
Publer has a Free plan at $0 for one user. Professional is $5.00 a month, or $4.00 billed yearly, for one social account, and Business is $10.00, or $8.00 billed yearly. The price rises with each account: two accounts run $9 a month on Professional and $17 on Business, billed monthly (publer.com/plans, as of October 2026).
What does a social media scheduler with a video editor cost in 2026?+
BetterSocials Creator is $29 a month, or $24 billed yearly, for four accounts, with 4 minutes of footage per editor project. Pro is $49 a month, or $39 billed yearly, for six accounts and 60 minutes. Team is $99 a month, or $79 billed yearly, for twelve accounts, unlimited teammates and 2 hours.