Is HeyOrca or Sprout Social cheaper?

HeyOrca is cheaper to start, from $59 against $79 for Sprout Social. The unit each one charges by differs, so the real bill depends on how many channels or seats you run.

Does HeyOrca or Sprout Social have a free plan?

HeyOrca has a free plan; Sprout Social does not, though it offers a 30-day trial.

Which is better, HeyOrca or Sprout Social?

HeyOrca is the stronger pick for agencies that want a calendar and approval flow per client, 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.

Head to head

HeyOrca vs Sprout Social

Last updated 4 June 2026

HeyOrca

HeyOrca is an agency tool organised around the client calendar: you get a calendar per client, unlimited users on it, and a sign-off flow where clients approve posts by email without logging in. It charges per calendar, $59 on Basic or $149 on Pro, with a 40% discount once you run five or more.

From: $59 per calendar / mo
Free plan

Visit HeyOrca

Sprout Social

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: $79 per user / mo
Free plan

Visit Sprout Social

Bottom line

HeyOrca and Sprout Social both cover the basics; the right one comes down to how you post. HeyOrca is the stronger pick for Agencies that want a calendar and approval flow per client; choose Sprout Social for Businesses running social as a core function.

Features compared

Feature	HeyOrca	Sprout Social
AI captions	Yes	Yes
Basic analytics	Yes	Yes
Advanced reports	Yes	Yes
Bulk upload	Not assessed	Yes
Evergreen recycling	No	No
Team roles	Yes	Yes
Approvals	Yes	Yes
Link in bio	Yes	Yes

Platforms compared

Network	HeyOrca	Sprout Social
Instagram	Auto	Auto
Facebook	Auto	Auto
X (Twitter)	Auto	Auto
LinkedIn	Auto	Auto
TikTok	Auto	Auto
Pinterest	Auto	Auto
YouTube	Auto	Auto
Threads	Auto	Auto
Bluesky	No	Auto
Google Business	Auto	No
Reddit	No	Auto
Snapchat	No	Auto

Pricing

HeyOrca

Free

Seats: 1
Accounts: 2
Scheduled posts: 15

1 calendar, 2 social accounts, 1 user
15 scheduled posts a month
Inspo library, Instagram bio link, AI tools, mobile app

Basic

$59 per calendar / mo

Seats: Unlimited
Accounts: 10
Scheduled posts: Unlimited

$59 per calendar/mo, unlimited users, 10 social accounts per calendar
Unlimited scheduling, approval workflows, Canva, best time to post, custom branding
Reporting ($59), social inbox ($39), and listening ($39) are paid add-ons per calendar

Pro

Popular

$149 per calendar / mo

Seats: Unlimited
Accounts: 10
Scheduled posts: Unlimited

$149 per calendar/mo, unlimited users, 10 social accounts per calendar
Everything in Basic, with reporting, social inbox, and listening included
Advanced and custom reports, competitor analysis, sentiment, Instagram demographics

Enterprise

Custom

Seats: Unlimited
Accounts: Unlimited
Scheduled posts: Unlimited

Custom pricing for managing many clients
White-label onboarding, priority support, ongoing training
Dedicated account management

Priced per calendar, which is HeyOrca's word for a brand or client: the headline $59 / $149 is for one calendar, and you pay again for each one. Every paid calendar includes unlimited users and 10 social accounts.
There's a 40% volume discount once you run 5 or more calendars, so the per-calendar rate drops to roughly $35 on Basic and $89 on Pro at agency scale; the cost-at-scale table reflects that. Annual billing is a further 15% off.
Extra social accounts beyond the 10 per calendar are $10 a month each.
On Basic, reporting ($59/mo), the social inbox ($39/mo), and social listening ($39/mo) are paid add-ons per calendar; Pro bundles all three in.
There's a genuine Free plan (1 calendar, 2 social accounts, 1 user, 15 posts a month) plus a 14-day trial of Pro, no card required.
Prices are USD, read off the live pricing page and cross-checked against current third-party listings.

Sprout Social

Essentials

$99 per user / mo

$79/mo 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

$249 per user / mo

$199/mo billed annually

Seats: 1
Accounts: 5
Scheduled posts: Unlimited

$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

Popular

$399 per user / mo

$299/mo billed annually

Seats: 1
Accounts: Unlimited
Scheduled posts: Unlimited

$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

$499 per user / mo

$399/mo billed annually

Seats: 1
Accounts: Unlimited
Scheduled posts: Unlimited

$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

Custom

Accounts: Unlimited

Custom pricing
SSO and advanced security
Premium Listening, Advocacy, and Influencer Marketing add-ons
Dedicated support and professional services

Priced per seat: the headline rate is for one user and multiplies by everyone you add. Sprout charges every extra seat at the same plan rate, with no volume discount.
No free plan. There's a 30-day trial with no card required.
Annual billing is paid upfront and is cheaper per seat than monthly: Essentials $79 vs $99, Standard $199 vs $249, Professional $299 vs $399, Advanced $399 vs $499.
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.
Prices are USD list, read off the live pricing page (which renders in USD here); the monthly figures come from the billing FAQ on that page.

Pros and cons

HeyOrca

Client approvals without the client needing an account
Unlimited users on every paid plan
Per-calendar pricing with a 40% volume discount at scale
Reporting, inbox, and listening all included on Pro
On Basic, reporting, inbox, and listening are paid add-ons
No evergreen recycling
Per-calendar pricing adds up before the volume discount kicks in
Paid plans are priced for teams, not solo creators

Sprout Social

Polished, deep platform: inbox, listening, and reporting together
Strong analytics and presentation-ready reports
Wide network list, including Reddit, Bluesky, and Snapchat
Genuinely good for customer care and approval-heavy teams
Expensive, and per-seat pricing has no volume discount
No free plan, and the main plans start at $199 a seat each month
Listening, Premium Analytics, and Advocacy cost extra on top
Overkill if you only schedule a few accounts

HeyOrca vs Sprout Social: FAQ

Is HeyOrca or Sprout Social cheaper?: HeyOrca is cheaper to start, from $59 against $79 for Sprout Social. The unit each one charges by differs, so the real bill depends on how many channels or seats you run.
Does HeyOrca or Sprout Social have a free plan?: HeyOrca has a free plan; Sprout Social does not, though it offers a 30-day trial.
Which is better, HeyOrca or Sprout Social?: HeyOrca is the stronger pick for agencies that want a calendar and approval flow per client, 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.