Is Sprout Social or Later cheaper?

As published, Sprout Social starts at No free plan, only a 30-day free trial; paid Essentials from about $79 per seat per month billed annually, Standard from about $199 per seat per month, a 2026 repricing that added the lower Essentials tier below the previous Standard entry point and Later starts at Free plan for one social set with a limited number of scheduled posts a month (documented on Later's own help centre, separate from its 14-day paid trial); paid Starter from about $18.75 per month billed annually ($25 monthly), 1 user, 1 social set, 30 posts per profile a month. Verify current pricing at each vendor.

Does Sprout Social have a free plan?

No, Sprout Social does not offer a free plan as of 2026-09-18.

Sprout Social vs Later (2026 comparison)

Sprout Social and Later are both social media management tools. Sprout Social is best for agencies and enterprise teams wanting the deepest analytics, at a per-seat rather than per-channel price (no free plan, only a 30-day free trial; paid Essentials from about $79 per seat per month billed annually, Standard from about $199 per seat per month, a 2026 repricing that added the lower Essentials tier below the previous Standard entry point). Later is best for creators and small brands focused on Instagram and visual content, with a genuine free plan to start on (free plan for one social set with a limited number of scheduled posts a month (documented on Later's own help centre, separate from its 14-day paid trial); paid Starter from about $18.75 per month billed annually ($25 monthly), 1 user, 1 social set, 30 posts per profile a month).

Pricing and features verified against each vendor's published information on 2026-09-18. Sources linked below.

At a glance

Feature	Sprout Social	Later
Free plan	No	Yes
Pricing from	No free plan, only a 30-day free trial; paid Essentials from about $79 per seat per month billed annually, Standard from about $199 per seat per month, a 2026 repricing that added the lower Essentials tier below the previous Standard entry point	Free plan for one social set with a limited number of scheduled posts a month (documented on Later's own help centre, separate from its 14-day paid trial); paid Starter from about $18.75 per month billed annually ($25 monthly), 1 user, 1 social set, 30 posts per profile a month
Best for	agencies and enterprise teams wanting the deepest analytics, at a per-seat rather than per-channel price	creators and small brands focused on Instagram and visual content, with a genuine free plan to start on
Founded	2010	2014
Platforms	Web, iOS, Android	Web, iOS, Android

Quick verdict

Choose Sprout Social for agencies and enterprise teams wanting the deepest analytics, at a per-seat rather than per-channel price. Choose Later for creators and small brands focused on Instagram and visual content, with a genuine free plan to start on. Both are compared on published information only, so confirm current pricing at each source below.

More options

Sources

FAQ

Is Sprout Social or Later cheaper?: As published, Sprout Social starts at No free plan, only a 30-day free trial; paid Essentials from about $79 per seat per month billed annually, Standard from about $199 per seat per month, a 2026 repricing that added the lower Essentials tier below the previous Standard entry point and Later starts at Free plan for one social set with a limited number of scheduled posts a month (documented on Later's own help centre, separate from its 14-day paid trial); paid Starter from about $18.75 per month billed annually ($25 monthly), 1 user, 1 social set, 30 posts per profile a month. Verify current pricing at each vendor.
Does Sprout Social have a free plan?: No, Sprout Social does not offer a free plan as of 2026-09-18.