<b>Built-in link shortening and click tracking</b>

<b>Built-in link shortening and click tracking</b>
A built-in shortener turns long links into trackable ones so you see clicks per post without a separate Bitly account.

✔ Hootsuite: Owly shortener with click counts per network
✔ Sprout: branded short domain plus UTM auto-append
✖ Buffer: dropped its buff.ly shortener, you bring your own
✖ Later: no shortener, raw links only

Best for: Sprout if you want branded short links + attribution in one.
Price: Hootsuite $99/mo, Sprout $199/seat/mo. Standalone Bitly $8/mo as an alternative.
Pick this if click data drives decisions: Sprout's branded-domain + UTM combo is cleanest. On a budget, pair any scheduler with $8 Bitly instead of overpaying.