Head to head
Post Planner vs Sprout Social
Last updated 4 June 2026
vs
Post Planner is a budget scheduler built around content discovery: it surfaces proven, high-engagement posts to share, lets you recycle your best content, and schedules to eight networks. Plans run from a free tier up to $57 a month on annual billing.
- From
- $7 /mo
- Free plan
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
Bottom line
Post Planner and Sprout Social both cover the basics; the right one comes down to how you post. Post Planner is the stronger pick for Solo creators and small businesses on a tight budget; choose Sprout Social for Businesses running social as a core function.
Features compared
| Feature | Post Planner | Sprout Social |
|---|---|---|
| AI captions | Yes | Yes |
| Basic analytics | Yes | Yes |
| Advanced reports | No | Yes |
| Bulk upload | Not assessed | Yes |
| Evergreen recycling | Yes | No |
| Team roles | Yes | Yes |
| Approvals | No | Yes |
| Link in bio | No | Yes |
Platforms compared
| Network | Post Planner | Sprout Social |
|---|---|---|
| Auto | Auto | |
| Auto | Auto | |
| X (Twitter) | Auto | Auto |
| Auto | Auto | |
| TikTok | Auto | Auto |
| Auto | Auto | |
| YouTube | Auto | Auto |
| Threads | No | Auto |
| Bluesky | No | Auto |
| Google Business | Auto | No |
| No | Auto | |
| Snapchat | No | Auto |
Pricing
Post Planner
Free
Free
- Seats
- 1
- Accounts
- 1
- Scheduled posts
- 15
- 1 social account, 1 user, 15 scheduled posts
- 3 daily posts per account, 100 AI credits a day
- Basic scheduling and content discovery
Starter
$12 /mo
$7/mo billed annually
- Seats
- 1
- Accounts
- 3
- Scheduled posts
- 150
- $12/mo, $7 on annual ($84/yr)
- 3 social accounts, 1 user, 150 scheduled posts
- 12 daily posts per account, 1,000 AI credits a day
Growth
Popular$49 /mo
$37/mo billed annually
- Seats
- 2
- Accounts
- 12
- Scheduled posts
- 1000
- $49/mo, $37 on annual ($444/yr)
- 12 social accounts, 2 users, 1,000 scheduled posts
- 18 daily posts per account, 20,000 AI credits a day, analytics
Business
$79 /mo
$57/mo billed annually
- Seats
- 5
- Accounts
- 25
- Scheduled posts
- 5000
- $79/mo, $57 on annual ($684/yr)
- 25 social accounts, 5 users, 5,000 scheduled posts
- 24 daily posts per account, 40,000 AI credits a day, analytics
- Flat, quota-bundled plans: each tier bundles social accounts, users, scheduled posts, a daily posting cap per account, and a daily AI credit allowance. You move up a plan to grow; for more than Business you contact them.
- There's a genuine Free plan (1 account, 15 scheduled posts) plus a 7-day trial of the paid features.
- Annual billing is roughly 30-40% cheaper: Starter is $7 a month, Growth $37, Business $57.
- Analytics arrive on the Growth plan and up; the AI features are metered by a daily credit allowance.
- Prices are USD, read off the live plans page by toggling monthly and annual, 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
Post Planner
- Strong content-discovery engine with predicted-performance ratings
- Cheap, with a real free plan and a $7 entry on annual billing
- Evergreen recycling and a simple posting plan
- Publishes to eight networks with AI content built in
- No social inbox, and no Threads or Bluesky
- Analytics are basic and only from the Growth plan up
- AI is capped by a daily credit allowance
- No approval workflows, client workspaces, or white-label
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
Post Planner vs Sprout Social: FAQ
- Is Post Planner or Sprout Social cheaper?
- Post Planner is cheaper to start, from $7 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 Post Planner or Sprout Social have a free plan?
- Post Planner has a free plan; Sprout Social does not, though it offers a 30-day trial.
- Which is better, Post Planner or Sprout Social?
- Post Planner is the stronger pick for solo creators and small businesses on a tight budget, 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.