Head to head
HeyOrca vs Sprout Social
Last updated 4 June 2026
HeyOrca organizes client work into separate calendars with ten profiles and unlimited users on paid plans. Different calendars can use different plans; Basic offers reporting, inbox and listening as add-ons while Pro bundles them.
- 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
HeyOrca is the pick for agencies whose service revolves around client calendars, 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 Bluesky and Reddit, which HeyOrca doesn't.
A verified price comparison requires the same billing term, currency and eligible workload. See each pricing section for the published terms. Sprout Social adds ad management that HeyOrca leaves out.
Key differences
Where the two actually diverge, before the full tables.
- HeyOrca has a free scheduling plan; Sprout Social doesn't, though it offers a 30-day trial.
- HeyOrca posts to 9 networks, Sprout Social to 12.
- Only Sprout Social reaches Bluesky and Reddit.
- Sprout Social auto-publishes X (Twitter); HeyOrca sends a reminder to post.
- Sprout Social has ad management; HeyOrca doesn't.
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 | Not confirmed | No |
| Team roles | Yes | Yes |
| Approvals | Yes | Yes |
| Link in bio | Yes | Yes |
Platforms compared
| Network | HeyOrca | Sprout Social |
|---|---|---|
| Auto | Auto | |
| Auto | Auto | |
| X (Twitter) | Reminder | Auto |
| Auto | Auto | |
| TikTok | Auto | Auto |
| Auto | Auto | |
| YouTube | Auto | Auto |
| Threads | Auto | Auto |
| Bluesky | No | Auto |
| Google Business | Auto | Auto |
| No | Auto | |
| Snapchat | Not assessed | Auto |
Pricing
Prices use each tool’s billing unit. Annual equivalents are labeled as billed yearly; scaling rows show monthly costs and available annual rates.
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.
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
- Seats
- Unlimited
- Accounts
- 10
- Scheduled posts
- Unlimited
- USD59 per calendar/month before applicable discounts
- Ten profiles and unlimited users per paid calendar
- Standard approval workflow; reporting, inbox and listening are optional paid add-ons
Pro
Popular- Seats
- Unlimited
- Accounts
- 10
- Scheduled posts
- Unlimited
- USD149 per calendar/month before applicable discounts
- Ten profiles and unlimited users per paid calendar
- Reporting, inbox and listening included; custom approval workflows
Agency
- Seats
- Not confirmed
- Accounts
- Not confirmed
- Scheduled posts
- Not confirmed
- Custom plan for a larger roster
- Confirm users, profiles, onboarding and support in the quote
- Choose a calendar or workspace for each brand. Paid calendars include ten social profiles and unlimited users.
- Free, Basic and Pro can be mixed within an account; configure each client around the service it buys.
- Current Basic and Pro cards display USD59 and USD149 per calendar/month. Volume and annual discounts are advertised, but a marginal-band calculation is not established. Confirm the complete mixed-roster bill.
- Basic supports paid Reporting, Social Inbox and Social Listening add-ons; Pro includes these services.
- Free lists two profiles, one user and fifteen monthly posts, with a fourteen-day Pro trial.
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
HeyOrca
- Separate client calendars and shared-link review
- Ten profiles and unlimited users on paid calendars
- Different plan configurations can coexist in one account
- Basic add-ons allow narrower service configurations
- Reporting, inbox and listening add to Basic costs
- Paid calendars are separate billing units
- Custom approval workflows require Pro
- A mixed-roster bill needs plan, add-on and discount checks
- X direct publishing and reports ended; manual notification workflow only
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
HeyOrca vs Sprout Social: FAQ
- Is HeyOrca or Sprout Social cheaper?
- A verified price comparison is unavailable for these configurations. Check the current billing term, currency, required capacity and plan features before comparing totals.
- 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 whose service revolves around client calendars, 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.