Head to head
Postly vs Sprout Social
Last updated 4 June 2026
Postly sells paid channel-based publishing plans with a 14-day no-card trial. Its current USD 16 display is an annual monthly equivalent for five channels, and AI Studio image/video capacity costs extra.
- From
- Check current price
- Free scheduling
- No
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
Postly is the pick for creators and small agencies who want wide coverage cheaply. Sprout Social fits businesses running social as a core function better.
A verified price comparison requires the same billing term, currency and eligible workload. See each pricing section for the published terms.
Key differences
Where the two actually diverge, before the full tables.
- Postly posts to 14 networks, Sprout Social to 12.
Features compared
| Feature | Postly | Sprout Social |
|---|---|---|
| AI captions | Yes | Yes |
| Basic analytics | Yes | Yes |
| Advanced reports | Not assessed | Yes |
| Bulk upload | Yes | Yes |
| Evergreen recycling | Partial | No |
| Team roles | Yes | Yes |
| Approvals | Yes | Yes |
| Link in bio | Yes | Yes |
Platforms compared
| Network | Postly | Sprout Social |
|---|---|---|
| Auto | Auto | |
| Auto | Auto | |
| X (Twitter) | Auto | Auto |
| Auto | Auto | |
| TikTok | Auto | Auto |
| Auto | Auto | |
| YouTube | Auto | Auto |
| Threads | Auto | Auto |
| Bluesky | Auto | Auto |
| Google Business | Auto | Auto |
| Mastodon | Auto | Not assessed |
| Auto | Auto | |
| Snapchat | Not confirmed | Auto |
| Telegram | Auto | Not assessed |
| WordPress | Auto | Not assessed |
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.
Postly
Pro
PopularCheck current monthly price; annual billing starts at USD 192/year for five channels
- Seats
- Unlimited
- Scheduled posts
- Unlimited
- Five-channel minimum; USD 192/year for five channels
- Annual monthly equivalents: USD 3.20/channel for 1-10, 1.60 for 11-100 and 0.80 for 101+
- Unlimited posts, team members and workspaces; API and MCP included
- AI Studio image/video capacity is a separate paid add-on
Enterprise
Check current configuration and billing price
- Accounts
- 25
- Enterprise Core includes 25 channels; configuration and governance options change the bill
- The current 14-day trial needs no card and ends with a paid-plan choice; no automatic charge.
- Pro displays USD 16/month equivalent, billed USD 192/year for five channels. This is not a flexible monthly quote.
- Annual channel bands are marginal; each rate applies only to channels in its band. The current flexible monthly tariff was not captured.
- Legacy and lifetime customers may retain separate arrangements; the current trial does not establish loss of existing allowances.
- AI Studio images and video are a separate paid add-on.
- Optional annual-billed add-ons: AI Studio $288/year per stack (100 images and 16 video seconds monthly); X-Pro $288/year per managed account (250 weighted credits monthly; link posts cost 14 credits, standard/media posts one). Enterprise Core displays $2,870.40/year for 25 channels before governance options and $1,500 onboarding.
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
Postly
- Unlimited team members and workspaces on Pro
- API and MCP included in the publishing plan
- 14-day trial without a card
- Five-channel minimum on the standard Pro configuration
- AI Studio images and video need a separate add-on
- Displayed annual equivalents must be separated from flexible monthly prices
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
Postly vs Sprout Social: FAQ
- Is Postly 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 Postly or Sprout Social have a free plan?
- Neither has a free plan. At least one advertises a trial. Check each current trial offer and billing terms.
- Which is better, Postly or Sprout Social?
- Postly is the stronger pick for creators and small agencies who want wide coverage cheaply, 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.