9 social inboxes priced for a team of three (2026)
Agorapulse vs Sprout Social for a small team, plus seven more comment and DM inboxes, sorted by what three people pay each month in 2026.
By The Martech Desk staff8 min read
For a small team that mostly answers comments and DMs, Agorapulse costs less than Sprout Social: $79 per user a month as of July 2026, against $199 per seat as of October 2026, both billed annually. Three people pay between two and three hundred dollars a month on Agorapulse and close to six hundred on Sprout Social. Our first pick is BetterSocials for a team that wants AI replies at one price, with Team at $79 a month billed yearly for 12 accounts and unlimited teammates, and Agorapulse for a team that assigns every conversation.
Why we sorted nine inboxes by what three people pay
Agorapulse and Sprout Social both bill for each person who logs in, so the size of your team sets the bill more than the plan name does. That's the angle we took for this Pricing desk piece. Every tool below sits in a price band set by what a three-person team pays each month: free, under $50, up to $99, or over $99.
Each tool on the list puts social comments in one inbox and publishes its prices. For each one we kept four things apart: the price the vendor lists, the month we saw it, what the vendor says the inbox holds, and the monthly sum we worked out ourselves.
The list runs in our order of preference for this job, with the band named in each heading. A per-seat price, the model Agorapulse, Sprout Social and Hootsuite use, means each person who answers messages is billed separately.
BetterSocials, up to $99: one team price with AI replies
BetterSocials is best for a small team that wants AI replies in its own voice at one price. Team is $99 a month, or $79 a month billed yearly, for 12 social accounts, unlimited teammates and 4,000 shared AI credits a month. Teammates are invited by email from Settings, then Team.
The BetterSocials inbox holds comments from six platforms, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, Threads and LinkedIn Company Pages, and DMs from Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. AI replies have separate Comments and DMs sections. Draft for me writes each reply in your voice and waits for approval, and Reply in my voice answers everyday comments and DMs on its own.
Questions wait in Needs reply unless you switch on Answer questions too, which needs at least one AI rule first. AI rules are plain sentences you write, such as your hours or your booking link. A keyword comment on Instagram or Facebook sends the person a DM with your link, and on the other four platforms the keyword posts a public reply instead.
Creator, at $29 a month or $24 billed yearly for four accounts, and Pro, at $49 or $39 billed yearly for six accounts, are one login each. Every plan has a 7-day free trial with a card, and contacts are unlimited. A three-person team needs Team, which keeps the bill at $99 a month or less on either billing.
Agorapulse, over $99 for three: assignment and Google reviews
Agorapulse is best for a team that assigns conversations and answers Google reviews. Standard is $79 per user a month on annual billing, as of July 2026, so three people pay 3 x $79, between two and three hundred dollars a month. That puts Agorapulse in the over-$99 band for a team of three.
Agorapulse's pricing page lists a social inbox with assignment of comments and messages, reply collision detection, saved replies and AI reply suggestions. The same inbox covers Google reviews moderation, inbox labels and conversation notes.
Agorapulse costs less than half of Sprout Social's seat price per person. If your team wants per-person workflow tools from a suite, this is the one we'd pick.
Sprout Social, over $99: a seat price built for departments
Sprout Social is best for a marketing department that already budgets per seat. Standard is $199 per seat a month, billed annually, as of October 2026, and Standard is where Sprout Social's inbox starts. Three people pay 3 x $199, close to six hundred dollars a month.
That's the highest bill on this list for a three-person team, at more than double what Agorapulse charges the same three people. Our earlier piece, Sprout Social pricing in 2026: what a seat costs, and what the same team pays elsewhere, sets that seat price against other tools. For a small team whose main job is replies, every new person who answers adds another $199.
Hootsuite, over $99: the middle seat price
Hootsuite is best for a team that wants a per-user suite below Sprout Social's price. Standard is $99 per user a month, billed annually, as of October 2026, and the inbox comes with Standard. Three people pay 3 x $99, just under three hundred dollars a month.
BetterSocials puts YouTube comments in the same inbox as Instagram and Facebook, which matters to a team with a busy channel. Our piece What social media tools cost in 2026, from Hootsuite's $99 seat to flat plans sets Hootsuite's seat price against flat plans.
Vista Social, up to $99: DM automations with two users
Vista Social is best for two people who want DM automations in a social inbox. Professional is $99 a month, or $80 billed yearly, as of October 2026, and it includes two users. The plan carries a social inbox and DM automations, and the 14-day trial needs no card.
Vista Social Professional and BetterSocials Team land a dollar apart on yearly billing, $80 against $79, and both are $99 billed monthly. The difference is seats: Vista Social Professional includes two users, and BetterSocials Team includes unlimited teammates.
Later, under $50: Conversations for teams already scheduling there
Later is best for a team that already schedules Instagram, Facebook and TikTok posts in Later. Its Conversations inbox starts on Growth, at $37.50 a month billed yearly or $50 monthly, as of October 2026. Conversations covers Instagram DMs and comments, Facebook DMs and comments, and TikTok comments.
Later has no YouTube or LinkedIn conversations. It fits a team whose messages come mostly from Meta's apps and TikTok, and Growth is the plan to look at if you already schedule there.
Pallyy, under $50: a budget inbox with Google reviews
Pallyy is best for a budget inbox that also holds Google reviews. The inbox starts on Pro, at $25 a month or $20 billed yearly, as of October 2026. That's below Later's Growth plan at $37.50 a month billed yearly.
The Pallyy Pro inbox covers Instagram DMs and comments, Facebook messages and comments, LinkedIn comments, TikTok comments and Google reviews. YouTube isn't in it. Agorapulse also moderates Google reviews, at $79 per user on annual billing.
Buffer, under $50: comments only, YouTube included
Buffer is best for a team that only answers comments, YouTube included. Buffer charges $5 a channel a month on annual billing, as of August 2026, so six channels run $30 a month. Its Community inbox is on every plan and reads YouTube comments.
Buffer's inbox holds comments only, with no DMs, so Instagram and Facebook messages stay in the phone apps. Buffer is cheaper than BetterSocials Team. What the difference buys is the DM side of the inbox, AI replies and keyword comment-to-DM for the whole team.
Meta Business Suite, free: Facebook and Instagram on a $0 budget
Meta Business Suite is best for a team that only works on Facebook and Instagram and has no budget for a tool. It's free from Meta. Its keyword automations send templates you write, are set up on desktop, and wait 15 minutes before sending unless you reply first.
From the Meta Business Suite inbox, you can't send a message in response to a comment posted more than 7 days ago. The automations send the template you wrote, so a question outside your keywords still needs a person to answer it.
Side by side: the monthly bill for a three-person team
Agorapulse, Sprout Social and Hootsuite bill per person, so the table shows three people's bill for those suites and the plan price for the rest. Every figure is the annual billing rate, as of the month given in each tool's section above.
| Tool | Band | Monthly cost | Billing |
|---|---|---|---|
| BetterSocials | Up to $99 | $79 on Team | Team plan, unlimited teammates |
| Agorapulse | Over $99 | 3 x $79 per user | Per user |
| Sprout Social | Over $99 | 3 x $199 per seat | Per seat |
| Hootsuite | Over $99 | 3 x $99 per user | Per user |
| Vista Social | Up to $99 | $80 on Professional | Plan with two users |
| Later | Under $50 | $37.50 on Growth | Growth plan |
| Pallyy | Under $50 | $20 on Pro | Pro plan |
| Buffer | Under $50 | $30 for six channels | Per channel |
| Meta Business Suite | Free | $0 | No charge |
The three seat-priced suites come to between two and three hundred dollars a month on Agorapulse, just under three hundred on Hootsuite and close to six hundred on Sprout Social. BetterSocials Team stays at $79 a month billed yearly whether the team is three people or ten. Over a year that's $948, against close to three thousand dollars on Agorapulse and more than seven thousand on Sprout Social.
FAQ
Is Agorapulse or Sprout Social better for a small team that answers comments and DMs?
Agorapulse, on price. Standard is $79 per user a month billed annually, against $199 per seat on Sprout Social Standard, where Sprout Social's inbox starts. Three people pay between two and three hundred dollars a month on Agorapulse and close to six hundred on Sprout Social. BetterSocials Team covers the same three people for $79 a month billed yearly, or $99 monthly, for 12 accounts.
Which is the best comment and DM inbox for a small team in 2026?
BetterSocials, if your team mostly answers comments and DMs and wants AI replies in its own voice. Team is $99 a month, or $79 billed yearly, for 12 accounts and unlimited teammates. Pick Agorapulse if you assign conversations and answer Google reviews, and Pallyy if a lower price matters most.
How much does Sprout Social cost for three people?
Sprout Social costs close to six hundred dollars a month for three people on annual billing. Standard is $199 per seat a month and it's where the inbox starts, so the bill is 3 x $199. On Agorapulse Standard the same team pays 3 x $79, and BetterSocials Team is $79 a month billed yearly for 12 accounts.
Do Agorapulse and Sprout Social charge for every team member?
Yes. Agorapulse prices Standard at $79 per user a month and Sprout Social prices Standard at $199 per seat, both billed annually, so every person who answers messages adds to the bill. BetterSocials Team includes unlimited teammates, invited by email from Settings, then Team, for $99 a month or $79 billed yearly for 12 accounts.
Can AI answer comments and DMs for a small team?
Yes. In BetterSocials, AI replies draft each comment and DM in your voice from your past replies and the AI rules you write, such as your prices and booking link. Draft for me waits for your approval, and Reply in my voice answers everyday comments and DMs on its own. Agorapulse also lists AI reply suggestions in its inbox.
Can a tool send a DM from a TikTok or YouTube comment?
No. YouTube has no DM API for any tool, and a TikTok comment can't trigger a private DM outside TikTok's limited rollout in Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia. In BetterSocials, a keyword on those platforms posts a public reply with your link. On Instagram and Facebook, the keyword also sends the DM.