Is Sprout Social or Tailwind cheaper?

Tailwind is cheaper to start, from $17.99 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 Sprout Social or Tailwind have a free plan?

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

Which is better, Sprout Social or Tailwind?

Sprout Social is the stronger pick for businesses running social as a core function, while Tailwind is the better fit for Pinterest and Instagram creators and small businesses. We don't score them; the right call comes down to how you post.

Head to head

Sprout Social vs Tailwind

Last updated 4 June 2026

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

Tailwind

Tailwind is a visual-social specialist: it grew up on Pinterest, added Instagram and Facebook, and pairs scheduling with AI that writes posts and designs images. It publishes to just those three networks, runs flat plans from a free tier up to $49.99 a month on annual billing, and ignores X, LinkedIn, and TikTok entirely.

From: $17.99 /mo
Free plan

Visit Tailwind

Bottom line

Sprout Social and Tailwind both cover the basics; the right one comes down to how you post. Sprout Social is the stronger pick for Businesses running social as a core function; choose Tailwind for Pinterest and Instagram creators and small businesses.

Features compared

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

Platforms compared

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

Pricing

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.

Tailwind

Free Forever

Free

Seats: 1
Accounts: 1
Scheduled posts: 5

1 account, 1 user, 5 posts a month across Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook
5 Tailwind credits and 5 post designs a month
Smart.bio link, basic analytics

Pro

$29.99 /mo

$17.99/mo billed annually

Seats: 1
Accounts: 1
Scheduled posts: 150

$29.99/mo, $17.99 on annual (save $144/yr)
1 account, 1 user, 150 posts a month
150 Tailwind credits, 200 post designs, advanced analytics, Smart.bio

Advanced

$54.99 /mo

$29.99/mo billed annually

Seats: 2
Accounts: 2
Scheduled posts: 300

$54.99/mo, $29.99 on annual (save $300/yr)
2 accounts, 2 users, 300 posts a month
300 Tailwind credits, unlimited post designs, advanced analytics

Max

$99.99 /mo

$49.99/mo billed annually

Seats: 5
Accounts: 3
Scheduled posts: Unlimited

$99.99/mo, $49.99 on annual (save $600/yr)
3 accounts, 5 users, unlimited posts a month
1,000 Tailwind credits, unlimited post designs, advanced analytics

Flat, quota-bundled plans: each tier bundles a number of accounts (social profiles), monthly posts, Tailwind credits, and users. Publishing is limited to Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook; there's no X, LinkedIn, TikTok, or YouTube.
There's a genuine Free Forever plan (1 account, 5 posts a month) and no separate trial; you upgrade when you outgrow it.
Annual billing is steeply discounted, 40% to 50% off, so Pro is $17.99 a month, Advanced $29.99, and Max $49.99.
Tailwind Credits power the AI features (Ghostwriter writing and Tailwind Create designs) and refill at about $10 per 100 credits when you run out.
Separately, Tailwind sells Pinterest-only products (Pin Scheduling and Creation, Pinterest SEO, Pinterest Engagement) priced per Pinterest account; the plans above are the main multi-network suite. Nonprofits get 50% off.
Prices are USD, read off the live pricing page by toggling monthly and annual and cross-checked against current third-party listings.

Pros and cons

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

Tailwind

Best-in-class for Pinterest, with SmartSchedule, SmartLoop, and Communities
AI that both writes posts (Ghostwriter) and designs images (Tailwind Create)
Instagram feed planner and Smart.bio link-in-bio built in
Genuine free plan and steep annual discounts
Only publishes to Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook
AI features are metered by credits that cost extra to top up
No social inbox or approval workflows
Not built for agencies or client management

Sprout Social vs Tailwind: FAQ

Is Sprout Social or Tailwind cheaper?: Tailwind is cheaper to start, from $17.99 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 Sprout Social or Tailwind have a free plan?: Tailwind has a free plan; Sprout Social does not, though it offers a 30-day trial.
Which is better, Sprout Social or Tailwind?: Sprout Social is the stronger pick for businesses running social as a core function, while Tailwind is the better fit for Pinterest and Instagram creators and small businesses. We don't score them; the right call comes down to how you post.