Is Later or Sprout Social cheaper?

Later is cheaper to start, from $18.75 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 Later or Sprout Social have a free plan?

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

Which is better, Later or Sprout Social?

Later is the stronger pick for Instagram-first creators and brands, 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

Later vs Sprout Social

Last updated 4 June 2026

Later

Later is the visual-first scheduler, built around an Instagram feed planner and a strong Link in Bio, and it sells access in social sets (one profile of each network) rather than per channel. The cheapest paid plan is $25 a month, or $18.75 on annual billing, for one social set and one user.

From: $18.75 per social set / mo
Free plan

Visit Later

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

Later and Sprout Social both cover the basics; the right one comes down to how you post. Later is the stronger pick for Instagram-first creators and brands; choose Sprout Social for Businesses running social as a core function.

Features compared

Feature	Later	Sprout Social
AI captions	Yes	Yes
Basic analytics	Yes	Yes
Advanced reports	Yes	Yes
Bulk upload	No	Yes
Evergreen recycling	No	No
Team roles	Yes	Yes
Approvals	Yes	Yes
Link in bio	Yes	Yes

Platforms compared

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

Pricing

Later

Starter

$25 per social set / mo

$18.75/mo billed annually

Seats: 1
Accounts: 8
Scheduled posts: 30

$25/mo, $18.75 on annual
1 social set (8 profiles, one per network)
1 user, 30 posts per profile / month
Link in Bio, best-time-to-post, AI captions
Capped at one social set; no extra sets, users, or AI credits

Growth

Popular

$50 per social set / mo

$37.5/mo billed annually

Seats: 2
Accounts: 16
Scheduled posts: 180

$50/mo, $37.50 on annual
2 social sets (16 profiles), 2 users
180 posts per profile / month
Social inbox, approvals, and collaboration
Extra social sets $15/mo each ($11.25 on annual)

Scale

$110 per social set / mo

$82.5/mo billed annually

Seats: 4
Accounts: 48
Scheduled posts: Unlimited

$110/mo, $82.50 on annual
6 social sets (48 profiles), 4 users
Unlimited posts
Custom analytics, competitive benchmarking, brand listening
Extra social sets $15/mo each ($11.25 on annual)

Priced per social set. A social set is one profile on each of the eight networks Later supports, so the headline price covers a whole brand across networks rather than a single channel.
Starter is capped at one social set and one user with no add-ons, so its column in the cost table stays flat. Only Growth and Scale let you add social sets, at $15 each per month ($11.25 on annual).
Extra users are $5 a month each on Growth and Scale ($3.75 on annual). Growth's two included sets and Scale's six converge in price once you pass six sets, since both add extra sets at the same $15 rate; above that you pay Scale only for its deeper features.
Annual billing gives three months free (about 25% off): Starter $18.75 vs $25, Growth $37.50 vs $50, Scale $82.50 vs $110 per month.
Later still has a limited free plan (Link in Bio plus a small posting allowance, aimed at creators joining brand campaigns), but it's off the main pricing page, which now leads with a 14-day trial.
Prices are USD list, read off the live pricing page, which bills in USD worldwide. The monthly and annual figures were confirmed by toggling the page's billing switch 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

Later

Strong visual planner and Link in Bio, the features it's known for
Clean, Instagram-first workflow
Auto-publishing across all eight supported networks
Social-set pricing is fair if you run a single brand
No X support since 2025
No reorderable evergreen queue and no CSV bulk upload
Listening and competitor benchmarking are locked to the top Scale plan
Starter caps at one social set, so growing past it pushes you up a plan fast

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

Later vs Sprout Social: FAQ

Is Later or Sprout Social cheaper?: Later is cheaper to start, from $18.75 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 Later or Sprout Social have a free plan?: Later has a free plan; Sprout Social does not, though it offers a 30-day trial.
Which is better, Later or Sprout Social?: Later is the stronger pick for Instagram-first creators and brands, 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.