Is Iconosquare or Sprout Social cheaper?

Iconosquare is cheaper to start, from $33 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 Iconosquare or Sprout Social have a free plan?

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

Which is better, Iconosquare or Sprout Social?

Iconosquare is the stronger pick for social media managers and agencies who lead with analytics, 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

Iconosquare vs Sprout Social

Last updated 4 June 2026

Iconosquare

Iconosquare started as an Instagram analytics tool and still leads with reporting: deep performance and audience analytics across eight networks, with scheduling, listening, and competitor tracking layered on. Plans run from a free tier up to $116 a month on annual billing, with a profiles slider and per-user pricing on the team plans.

From: $33 /mo
Free plan

Visit Iconosquare

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

Iconosquare and Sprout Social both cover the basics; the right one comes down to how you post. Iconosquare is the stronger pick for Social media managers and agencies who lead with analytics; choose Sprout Social for Businesses running social as a core function.

Features compared

Feature	Iconosquare	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	Not assessed	Yes
Link in bio	No	Yes

Platforms compared

Network	Iconosquare	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
Reddit	No	Auto
Snapchat	No	Auto

Pricing

Iconosquare

Free

Seats: 1
Accounts: 2
Scheduled posts: 10

2 social profiles, 1 user
10 scheduled posts per profile a month
Basic analytics and limited reporting

Launch

$39 /mo

$33/mo billed annually

Seats: 1
Accounts: 5
Scheduled posts: 100

$39/mo, $33 on annual
5 social profiles (sliderable), 1 user, 100 posts a month
Standard analytics and reports, best time to post, AI caption writing

Scale

Popular

$83 /mo

$69/mo billed annually

Seats: 3
Accounts: 5
Scheduled posts: Unlimited

$83/mo, $69 on annual
5 social profiles (sliderable), 3 users (extra users $16/mo)
Adds campaign analytics, social listening, competitor tracking, DM management, collaboration

Excel

$139 /mo

$116/mo billed annually

Seats: 6
Accounts: 5
Scheduled posts: Unlimited

$139/mo, $116 on annual
5 social profiles (sliderable), 6 users (extra users $16/mo)
Adds white-label reporting, unlimited data retention, API access, unlimited competitor benchmarking

Custom

Seats: Unlimited
Accounts: Unlimited
Scheduled posts: Unlimited

Contact sales, for 20 or more social profiles
Dedicated customer success manager and personalised onboarding

Flat plans that differ mainly by users and feature depth, all starting from a base of 5 social profiles, with a slider to add more profiles (which scales the price) and Custom for 20 or more. Extra users are $16 a month each on Scale and Excel.
There's a genuine free plan (2 profiles, 1 user, 10 posts a month per profile) plus a 14-day trial of the top features, no card required.
Annual billing is up to 17% cheaper (two months free): Launch works out to $33 a month, Scale $69, Excel $116.
Iconosquare is analytics-first: listening and competitor tracking arrive on Scale, and white-label reporting and API access on Excel.
Prices are USD. The live pricing page geo-located to Australia and showed AUD, so the USD figures were taken from Iconosquare's USD listings and cross-checked by converting the AUD (for example AU$53 times about 0.74 lands near the $39 Launch monthly rate).

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

Iconosquare

Deep, analytics-first reporting and audience insights
Competitor tracking and social listening on Scale and up
White-label reporting and API on Excel
Genuine free plan and a clear annual discount
No evergreen recycling or link-in-bio
No Google Business; network list stops at eight
Listening and competitor tracking are Scale-only
Team plans add per-user fees on top

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

Iconosquare vs Sprout Social: FAQ

Is Iconosquare or Sprout Social cheaper?: Iconosquare is cheaper to start, from $33 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 Iconosquare or Sprout Social have a free plan?: Iconosquare has a free plan; Sprout Social does not, though it offers a 30-day trial.
Which is better, Iconosquare or Sprout Social?: Iconosquare is the stronger pick for social media managers and agencies who lead with analytics, 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.