Head to head
CoSchedule vs Sprout Social
Last updated 4 June 2026
CoSchedule combines social scheduling and ReQueue with broader content and campaign planning on Suite. Its current paid lineup is Starter, Professional and Suite; social-message approvals start on Professional.
- From
- Free
- Free scheduling
- Yes
Sprout Social is the high-end suite: publishing, a shared inbox, listening, and reporting that goes deep, sold by the seat and priced for businesses with a budget. There's no free plan; the cut-down Essentials tier is $79 a seat each month on annual billing, and the main plans start at $199.
- From
- $79per user a month, billed yearly
- Free scheduling
- No
Bottom line
CoSchedule is the pick for teams coordinating editorial campaigns and social promotion, and it's the only one of the two with a free scheduling plan. Sprout Social fits businesses running social as a core function better, and it reaches Snapchat and Reddit, which CoSchedule doesn't.
CoSchedule has a free plan and paid plans from $29 a month, billed yearly, and Sprout Social starts at $79 per user a month, billed yearly. They bill on different units, so the real gap depends on how much you run. CoSchedule brings evergreen recycling that Sprout Social skips, while Sprout Social has social listening CoSchedule doesn't.
Key differences
Where the two actually diverge, before the full tables.
- CoSchedule has a free scheduling plan; Sprout Social doesn't, though it offers a 30-day trial.
- Paid plans start at $29 a month, billed yearly on CoSchedule and $79 per user a month, billed yearly on Sprout Social.
- Only Sprout Social reaches Reddit and Snapchat.
- CoSchedule has evergreen recycling; Sprout Social doesn't.
- Sprout Social has social listening; CoSchedule doesn't.
- Sprout Social has competitor tracking; CoSchedule doesn't.
- Sprout Social has employee advocacy; CoSchedule doesn't.
Features compared
| Feature | CoSchedule | Sprout Social |
|---|---|---|
| AI captions | Yes | Yes |
| Basic analytics | Yes | Yes |
| Advanced reports | Yes | Yes |
| Bulk upload | Yes | Yes |
| Evergreen recycling | Yes | No |
| Team roles | Yes | Yes |
| Approvals | Yes | Yes |
| Link in bio | Yes | Yes |
Platforms compared
| Network | CoSchedule | Sprout Social |
|---|---|---|
| Auto | Auto | |
| Auto | Auto | |
| X (Twitter) | Auto | Auto |
| Auto | Auto | |
| TikTok | Auto | Auto |
| Auto | Auto | |
| YouTube | Auto | Auto |
| Threads | Auto | Auto |
| Bluesky | Auto | Auto |
| Google Business | Auto | Auto |
| Mastodon | Auto | Not assessed |
| No | Auto | |
| Snapchat | No | Auto |
| WordPress | Auto | Not assessed |
Pricing
Prices use each tool’s billing unit. Annual equivalents are labeled as billed yearly; scaling rows show monthly costs and available annual rates.
Free plan available.
- Free entry plan
- Free
Whole-plan price; it doesn't scale per unit.
No free plan; 30-day trial.
- 1 seat · Essentials
- $99/mo~$79/mo annual
- 3 seats · EssentialsTypical
- $297/mo~$237/mo annual
Lowest priced plan at each shown workload. Check the plan's included features before choosing it.
CoSchedule
Free
- Accounts
- 1
- Scheduled posts
- 15
- One social profile; up to fifteen posts waiting at a time
Starter
$29 a month billed annually
- Seats
- 1
- Accounts
- 3
- Scheduled posts
- Unlimited
- USD39 monthly or USD29/month with annual billing
- One user; three included profiles; X is billed separately
- ReQueue, social reporting and Facebook/Instagram inbox
Professional
Popular$49 a month billed annually
- Seats
- 2
- Accounts
- 5
- Scheduled posts
- Unlimited
- USD59 monthly or USD49/month with annual billing
- Two included users; one additional user available
- Five included profiles; social-message approvals and client calendars
Suite
- Seats
- Unlimited
- Accounts
- Unlimited
- Scheduled posts
- Unlimited
- Custom quote; verify the complete configuration
- Broader content/campaign planning, permissions and workspaces
- Current paid plans are Starter, Professional and Suite, with bundled users and profiles rather than multiplying the headline price by every seat.
- Extra non-X profiles cost $5/month on Starter and Professional. Professional includes two users and permits one additional user at $29/month. X profiles are separately purchased; verify their checkout rate.
- Professional adds social-message approvals. Suite adds broader content/campaign planning.
- Free is a queue of up to fifteen waiting posts on one profile; it is not a recurring fifteen-post monthly quota.
Sprout Social
Essentials
$79 per user a month billed annually
- Seats
- 1
- Accounts
- 5
- Scheduled posts
- Unlimited
- $79 per seat/mo on annual, $99 monthly
- Up to 5 social profiles
- Publishing, calendar, and the Smart Inbox
- Profile and post-level reporting
Standard
Billed annually
- Seats
- 1
- Accounts
- 5
- Scheduled posts
- Unlimited
- USD199/seat/month with annual billing; confirm monthly tariff
- $199 per seat/mo on annual, $249 monthly
- Up to 5 social profiles
- Smart Inbox, review management, and tasks
- Unlocks paid add-ons: Listening, Premium Analytics, Advocacy
Professional
PopularBilled annually
- Seats
- 1
- Accounts
- Unlimited
- Scheduled posts
- Unlimited
- USD299/seat/month with annual billing; confirm monthly tariff
- $299 per seat/mo on annual, $399 monthly
- Unlimited social profiles
- Competitor, tag, and paid reporting
- Message tagging and scheduling for optimal send times
Advanced
Billed annually
- Seats
- 1
- Accounts
- Unlimited
- Scheduled posts
- Unlimited
- USD399/seat/month with annual billing; confirm monthly tariff
- $399 per seat/mo on annual, $499 monthly
- Unlimited social profiles
- Chatbots, automated workflows, and helpdesk integrations
- AI-enhanced replies, message spike alerts, and the Sprout API
Enterprise
- Accounts
- Unlimited
- Custom pricing
- SSO and advanced security
- Premium Listening, Advocacy, and Influencer Marketing add-ons
- Dedicated support and professional services
- List pricing is per seat. Obtain a quote for larger or customized deployments; no-volume-discount guarantees are not established by the current public evidence.
- Annual advertised rates per seat: Essentials USD79, Standard USD199, Professional USD299 and Advanced USD399. Essentials USD99 monthly is verified; other monthly rates need confirmation.
- No free plan. There's a 30-day trial with no card required.
- USD advertised list pricing. Check the applicable billing offer and paid add-ons before purchase.
- Premium Analytics, Listening, and Employee Advocacy are paid add-ons on Standard and up, quoted on request, so the real bill runs higher than the seat price.
What it really costs
Monthly cost by seat count. Per-unit tiers grow with usage; flat tiers keep their whole-plan price within the published allowance, with the 3-seat row marked as a realistic setup.
| seats | Essentials |
|---|---|
| 1 | $99/mo |
| 3Typical | $297/mo |
| 5 | $495/mo |
| 10 | $990/mo |
| 25 | $2,475/mo |
| 50 | $4,950/mo |
Monthly billing.
Pros and cons
CoSchedule
- ReQueue for recurring promotion
- Professional social-message approval
- Suite campaign and project planning
- Current plans bundle users and profiles
- Extra profiles and X need separate budgeting
- Broader planning requires Suite
- A campaign move needs a workflow-specific check
- Recurring promotions need factual and expiry maintenance
Sprout Social
- Publishing and social-care workflows
- Plan-based reporting and add-on listening
- Documented Reddit, Bluesky and Snapchat capabilities
- Internal and external review workflows
- Seat fees and add-ons increase the total
- Essentials and Standard have five-profile limits
- External MCP scope is narrower than the main product
- Network and mobile format coverage varies
CoSchedule vs Sprout Social: FAQ
- Is CoSchedule or Sprout Social cheaper?
- CoSchedule has a free entry plan. Sprout Social starts at $79 per user a month, billed yearly. The plans may cover different workloads, so check the required accounts and features.
- Does CoSchedule or Sprout Social have a free plan?
- CoSchedule has a free plan; Sprout Social does not, though it offers a 30-day trial.
- Which is better, CoSchedule or Sprout Social?
- CoSchedule is the stronger pick for teams coordinating editorial campaigns and social promotion, while Sprout Social is the better fit for businesses running social as a core function. We don't score them; the right call comes down to how you post.
