LinkedIn Ads
Sprout Social
| Feature | LinkedIn Ads | Sprout Social |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Contact sales | From $249/mo |
| Free Plan | ✗ No | ✗ No |
| Rating | 3.9 / 5 | 4.4 / 5 |
| Best For | b2b-companies, saas-businesses, recruiters, professional-services | enterprise, agencies, social-media-teams, brands |
| Founded | 2005 | 2010 |
| Professional Targeting | ✓ | ✗ |
| Sponsored Content | ✓ | ✗ |
| Inmail Ads | ✓ | ✗ |
| Lead Gen Forms | ✓ | ✗ |
| Matched Audiences | ✓ | ✗ |
| Conversation Ads | ✓ | ✗ |
| Document Ads | ✓ | ✗ |
| Event Ads | ✓ | ✗ |
| Scheduling | ✗ | ✓ |
| Analytics | ✗ | ✓ |
| Social Listening | ✗ | ✓ |
| Inbox | ✗ | ✓ |
| Reporting | ✗ | ✓ |
| Advocacy | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ LinkedIn Ads Pros
- Unmatched B2B targeting by job title and company
- High-intent professional audience
- Lead Gen Forms reduce friction for conversions
- Document ads and thought leader ads for engagement
✗ LinkedIn Ads Cons
- Highest CPCs and CPMs among major ad platforms
- Minimum daily budget of $10 required
- Smaller audience reach than Meta or Google
✓ Sprout Social Pros
- Powerful analytics
- All-in-one platform
- Great reporting
- Social listening
✗ Sprout Social Cons
- Very expensive
- Per-profile pricing
- Overkill for small teams
The Verdict
LinkedIn Ads is built for b2b companies and saas businesses, with a focus on professional-targeting and sponsored-content. Sprout Social targets enterprise and agencies and leads with scheduling and analytics.
LinkedIn Ads uses custom enterprise pricing, while Sprout Social starts at $249/mo — a tangible advantage for teams with a fixed budget.
Neither tool offers a free plan, so factor the subscription cost into your decision from the start.
Sprout Social edges out on user ratings (4.4 vs 3.9). While both are well-regarded, that gap reflects real differences in user satisfaction worth considering.
Feature-wise, LinkedIn Ads offers broader built-in capabilities (8 features vs 6), while Sprout Social takes a more focused approach — which can mean a simpler, faster onboarding experience.
Bottom line: Sprout Social has a slight overall edge — but if unmatched b2b targeting by job title and company matters most to you, LinkedIn Ads may still be the right call.