Head to head
Later vs Sprout Social
Last updated 13 October 2026
Later prices scheduling in social sets: Starter is $25 monthly or $18.75 per month billed yearly for one set and one user. A separate limited Free plan exists. Growth adds collaboration; Story publishing and outside feedback have specific account and format limits.
- 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
Later is the pick for Instagram-first creators and brands, 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 adds bulk upload and employee advocacy that Later leaves out.
Later has a free plan and paid plans from $18.75 per social set 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. Sprout Social adds bulk upload and employee advocacy that Later leaves out.
Key differences
Where the two actually diverge, before the full tables.
- Later has a free scheduling plan; Sprout Social doesn't, though it offers a 30-day trial.
- Paid plans start at $18.75 per social set a month, billed yearly on Later and $79 per user a month, billed yearly on Sprout Social.
- Later posts to 8 networks, Sprout Social to 12.
- Only Sprout Social reaches X (Twitter).
- Sprout Social has bulk upload; Later doesn't.
- Sprout Social has employee advocacy; Later doesn't.
- Sprout Social has review management; Later doesn't.
- Sprout Social has ad management; Later doesn't.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Auto | Auto | |
| Auto | Auto | |
| X (Twitter) | No | Auto |
| Auto | Auto | |
| TikTok | Auto | Auto |
| Auto | Auto | |
| YouTube | Auto | Auto |
| Threads | Auto | Auto |
| Bluesky | Not assessed | Auto |
| Google Business | Not assessed | Auto |
| Not assessed | Auto | |
| Snapchat | Auto | 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.
Free plan available.
- 1 social set · StarterTypical
- $25/mo~$19/mo annual
Lowest priced plan at each shown workload. Check the plan's included features before choosing it.
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.
Later
Starter
$18.75 per social set a month 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$37.50 per social set a month 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
$82.50 per social set a month 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.
- Free is documented separately with limited scheduling and a two-week past/future calendar window. The reviewed plan guide does not state its numerical post allowance.
- The live USD pricing page shows 25% off annual billing (three months free). The help guide mentions four months free, so the live priced tariff is used here. Legacy and promotional plan inclusions may differ.
- Starter AI add-ons are inconsistent across official pages: the priced tariff says unavailable while the help guide says they may be available. Check the subscription screen for an existing account.
What it really costs
Monthly cost by social set count. Per-unit tiers grow with usage; flat tiers keep their whole-plan price within the published allowance, with the 1-social set row marked as a realistic setup.
| social sets | Starter | Growth | Scale |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Typical | $25/mo | $50/mo | $110/mo |
| 3 | Exceeds plan capacity | $65/mo | $110/mo |
| 5 | Exceeds plan capacity | $95/mo | $110/mo |
| 10 | Exceeds plan capacity | $170/mo | $170/mo |
| 25 | Exceeds plan capacity | $395/mo | $395/mo |
| 50 | Exceeds plan capacity | $770/mo | $770/mo |
Monthly billing. Volume discounts lower the per-social set rate at higher counts. Annual billing takes about 3 months off.
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
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
- 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
Later vs Sprout Social: FAQ
- Is Later or Sprout Social cheaper?
- Later 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 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.