Sprout Social Pricing Revealed: Is It Worth the Cost?

Marketing, Social

 Written by: Afirah Shaikh

 | Reviewed by: Zainab Adil

Sprout Social Pricing

Table of Contents

Disclaimer:
The information presented in this blog post is based on publicly available data from official sources at the time of writing. Our intention is solely to provide accurate and helpful information. If you notice any inaccuracies, please feel free to contact us for corrections.

If you’re trying to look for the right fit for your social media management needs, comparing tools like Sprout Social with others is a smart step.

It is one of the most powerful social media tools, trusted by both big and small businesses, but it’s not inexpensive.

In this guide, we’ll break down Sprout Social pricing and guide you through its plans so you know if you’re getting one of the best social media posting platforms.

Short Summary

  • Sprout Social offers several pricing tiers designed for growing businesses and large teams.
  • Higher-tier plans include more advanced tools like automation, premium analytics, and customer care features.
  • Pricing starts at $199/month per user, which can quickly get expensive as your team grows.
  • Unlike Sprout Social, Social Champ charges per profile, not per user, starting at just $4/month.
  • Social Champ also offers a free plan and includes essential features even in lower-tier plans.
  • Before choosing Sprout Social, it’s important to compare the value you’re getting for the price with flexible alternatives like Social Champ.

Let’s go ahead!

Sprout Social Pricing Revealed: Is It Worth the Cost? 4

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Sprout Social Pricing Plans: A Detailed Overview

Sprout Social is a social media management tool designed to help businesses publish and schedule posts, engage with audiences across various networks, and monitor performance.

Sprout Social's Dashboard
Sprout Social’s Dashboard

It is built for larger enterprises and offers features like analytics, automation, smart inbox, and much more.

The platform offers a 30-day free trial, which you can sign up for without a credit card. This allows you to thoroughly explore the plan without having to commit firsthand.

Unfortunately, the commitment starts once your trial is over. Once you subscribe, you’ll have to pay for one year, minimum.

Here’s what Sprout Social offers in its four main pricing plans:

Standard Plan: $199 per seat/month

Professional Plan: $299 per seat/month

Advanced Plan: $399 per seat/month

Enterprise Plan: Custom pricing

One seat means one user, so if you have a team of five people, it means you’ll need to get five users in a plan.

Let’s go deeper to find out what each plan has to offer:

Standard Plan: $199/seat/month

This plan is best for smaller teams handling a few profiles.

Includes:

  • 5 social profiles
  • AI-generated alt text
  • Keyword/location monitoring
  • Post-level and profile reporting
  • Review management

Professional Plan: $299/seat/month

Best for teams managing multiple accounts and high engagement.

Offers everything in the Standard plan, plus:

  • Unlimited social profiles
  • AI-assisted post enhancement
  • Competitor insights
  • Message tagging
  • Paid social insights

Advanced Plan: $399/seat/month

Created for teams with higher-level needs and complex workflows.

Includes everything from the Professional plan, plus:

  • Sentiment analysis
  • Team productivity reports
  • AI-assisted replies
  • Smart inbox upgrades
  • Message spike alerts
  • API access

Enterprise Plan: Custom Pricing

This plan is made for larger businesses and operations. It offers everything in Advanced, plus:

  • SSO setup support
  • White-glove onboarding
  • Dedicated support
Plan Price (per seat/month) Social Profiles Key Features & Target Audience
Standard $199 5
Best for smaller teams. Includes AI-generated alt text, keyword/location monitoring, post-level reporting, and review management.
Professional $299 Unlimited
Best for teams managing multiple accounts. Everything in Standard, plus AI-assisted post enhancement, competitor insights, message tagging, and paid social insights.
Advanced $399 Unlimited
For complex workflows. Everything in Professional, plus sentiment analysis, team productivity reports, AI-assisted replies, smart inbox upgrades, and API access.
Enterprise Custom Unlimited
For large-scale operations. Everything in Advanced, plus white-glove onboarding, SSO setup support, and dedicated priority support.

Key Details to Remember:

  • Trial Period: A 30-day free trial is available without requiring a credit card, allowing for risk-free exploration.
  • Commitment: Once the trial ends and you subscribe, there is a one-year minimum commitment.
  • Per-Seat Pricing: The cost is per user. For example, a team of five on the Professional Plan would cost $1,495 per month ($299 x 5).
  • Target User: The platform is specifically built for larger enterprises requiring high-level automation, deep analytics, and sophisticated inbox management.

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How Much Does Sprout Social Cost?

Sprout Social’s pricing is set per user.

Sprout Social’s Pricing Plans
Sprout Social’s Pricing Plans

Hence, the price increases as the number of users is added.

So, let’s say you want to opt for the standard plan and instead of one user, which costs $199/month, you want to add two more users to this plan.

This means the current plan’s cost will be multiplied by three users ($199 x 3 users), which would then cost you $597/month.

Likewise, if you want to add more users, let’s say up to five, then the current plan pricing would be multiplied by the total number of users ($199 x 5 users = $995).

The same applies to all the other plans by Sprout Social.

In short, the more users you keep on adding, the cost of the plan will multiply by the total number of users as you increase the user count.

Here’s a detailed overview of all their plans and prices, and how the cost increases as you increase the number of users:

Plan Monthly Cost (1 User- Billed Annually)  Monthly Cost (3 Users- Billed Annually) Monthly Cost (5 Users- Billed Annually)
Standard $199 $597 $995
Professional $299 $897 $1,495
Advanced $399 $1,197 $1,995
Enterprise Custom Custom Custom
Sprout Social Pricing Revealed: Is It Worth the Cost? 4

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Sprout Social Pricing: An In-Depth Breakdown for Various Business Types

Sprout Social is an enterprise-grade platform designed for high-level automation and analytics. Because its pricing model is per seat, choosing the right plan is critical to balancing your budget with your operational needs.

  1. Individuals, Solopreneurs, and Influencers

    • Suitable Plan: None
    • Why: Sprout Social is not designed for individual creators. The entry-level price of $199/month for a single user is often prohibitive for individuals who only need basic scheduling.
  2. Small Businesses

    • Suitable Plan: Standard ($199 per seat/month)
    • Suitability: This plan is best for small teams that manage a limited number of profiles (up to 5) and need essential tools like a unified smart inbox, basic reporting, and review management
  3. Agencies

    • Suitable Plan: Professional ($299 per seat/month)
    • Suitability: This is the most popular choice for agencies. It offers unlimited social profiles, which is essential for managing multiple client accounts under one dashboard. It also includes competitive reports and paid social insights to prove ROI to clients.
  4. Multi-Locational Brands & Mid-Sized Teams

    • Suitable Plan: Advanced ($399 per seat/month)
    • Suitability: Built for teams with complex internal workflows. It includes sentiment analysis, team productivity reports, and automated chatbots, which are vital for brands managing high-volume customer care across different regions.
  5. Large Enterprises

    • Suitable Plan: Enterprise (Custom Pricing)
    • Suitability: Designed for global corporations that require “high-touch” service. It includes White-glove onboarding, Dedicated Support, and SSO (Single Sign-On) setup for high-level security.

Summary Table: Suitability vs. Missing Features

Business Type Recommended Plan Top Missing Feature for this Segment
Solopreneur N/A
Low-cost “Lite” plan
Small Business Standard
Competitive insights & Team workflows
Agencies Professional
Advanced approval workflows & Sentiment analysis
Mid-Large Team Advanced
Priority 24/5 support & Custom onboarding
Enterprises Enterprise
Integrated Social Listening (often an add-on)

Are the Sprout Social Pricing Plans Worth It?

Now, let’s break down the value of each plan on a plan-by-plan basis, considering their pricing, features, and who should opt for which plan based on their specific needs.

Standard Plan: $199/Month per User

This plan encompasses all essential factors, including publishing, scheduling, and engagement features.

However, you only get 5 profiles in this plan with no automated feeds publishing or scheduling content in bulk.

If you’re only looking for the basics for posting and inbox management, then this plan might be pricey for you compared to other social media management tools that offer the same for a much lower price.

Best For: Teams focused on content scheduling with a bit of reporting
Not Ideal For: Small businesses or solo users who only need core features

Professional Plan: $299/Month per User

This plan offers all you get in the standard plan but with unlimited social profiles, competitor reports, and custom workflows.

You also get deeper analytics features like paid social performance reports, competitor reports (Facebook, Instagram, and X), custom report branding, tag reports, and brand-level engagement reporting.

Best For: Mid-sized teams that need more detailed reporting and collaboration
Not Ideal For: Teams that don’t need advanced features or already use separate analytics tools

Advanced Plan: $399/Month per User

With everything present in the professional plan, you get an addition of automated workflows with integration (Sprout API), automated link tracking, and publishing rule builder, among others, in content and planning features.

For analytics, you get team activity reports, social customer care reporting, business intelligence integrations, and more.

For tool integrations, you get Salesforce, Marketo, Microsoft Dynamics 365, Zendesk, and HubSpot.

For security aspects, you also get feature visibility controls and IP whitelisting.

Best For: Large businesses with complex workflows and multiple stakeholders
Not Ideal For: Anyone trying to control monthly software costs

Enterprise Plan: Custom Pricing

In this package, you get a fully operational plan, but with a personalized onboarding process, custom automated feeds publishing, and dedicated support.

You may not find much difference between advanced and enterprise plans, but this plan is suitable for large-scale social media management in bigger businesses.

Best For: Enterprise-level teams needing custom solutions and high-touch support
Not Ideal For: Any team without a dedicated budget for social software

It’s also important to note that Sprout Social supports the following social media channels:

  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube
  • Facebook
  • TikTok
  • WhatsApp
  • LinkedIn Company Pages
  • Google Business Profile
  • TripAdvisor
  • Glassdoor
  • Yelp
  • LinkedIn Personal Profiles

These do not count against your profile limit:

  • Google Analytics
  • Non-social and messaging integrations
  • Ad accounts linked to a profile or Page on a supported network

By knowing this, you can decide better and avoid paying extra when adding profiles.

Featured Article: Sprout Social Alternatives

Sprout Social vs. Social Champ: Pricing Comparison

Up until now, we have discussed everything related to Sprout Social, including its pricing, features, and suitability for various types of users.

Now, we are going to compare it with Social Champ, which is well-known for its super-affordable and flexible plans.

Let’s do a Sprout Social vs. Social Champ comparison, plan-by-plan:

Standard vs Starter Plan

Feature Sprout Social (Standard) Social Champ (Starter)
Cost $199/user/month $4/profile/month (billed annually)
Social Profiles 5 (Facebook, Twitter X, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Pinterest) 12 (Facebook, X, Instagram, Threads, Bluesky, Mastodon, WhatsApp Business, Google Business Profile, YouTube, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and TikTok)
Users 1 per seat (add more as needed) 1 per plan (add more as needed)
Bulk Upload No Yes
AI Assist Yes Yes
Social Inbox Yes Yes
Reporting Basic Core analytics included

Professional vs Growth Plan

Feature Sprout Social (Professional) Social Champ (Growth)
Cost $299/user/month $8/month (billed annually)
Social Profiles 10 (Facebook, Twitter X, Instagram, Threads, Salesforce, WhatsApp, LinkedIn, YouTube, Pinterest, and TikTok) 12 (Facebook, Twitter X, Instagram, Threads, Bluesky, Mastodon, WhatsApp Business, Google Business Profile, YouTube, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and TikTok)
Users 1 per seat (add more as needed) Unlimited
Bulk Upload Yes Yes
AI Assist Yes Yes
Social Inbox Yes Yes
Reporting Advanced Advanced

Advanced/Enterprise vs Enterprise Plan

Feature Sprout Social (Enterprise) Social Champ (Enterprise)
Cost Custom pricing (starts higher)  Custom pricing
Social Profiles 10 (Facebook, Twitter X, Instagram, Threads, Salesforce, WhatsApp, LinkedIn, YouTube, Pinterest, and TikTok) 12 profiles (Facebook, Twitter X, Instagram, Threads, Bluesky, Mastodon, WhatsApp Business, Google Business Profile, YouTube, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and TikTok)
Users 1 per seat (extra cost per user) Unlimited
Bulk Upload Yes Yes
AI Assist Premium AI features + customization AI Suggested Time, AI content wizard, AI Imaginator, and Sentiment Analysis
Social Inbox Yes Yes
Reporting Premium analytics + add-ons White-label + team performance reports
Support Dedicated account rep & support Dedicated onboarding + success manager
Best For Enterprises with custom needs Agencies, franchises, enterprises with custom needs, and large teams

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Why Social Champ is a Good Alternative to Sprout Social

Social Champ’s Dashboard
Social Champ’s Dashboard

Social Champ comes off as a better choice for the following reasons:

  1. Flexible Pricing

    A major plus point is the pricing factor, which is a huge difference as compared to Sprout Social’s starting prices.

    For $4/month, as part of the Starter plan, you get quite a lot of features that Sprout Social doesn’t offer, even in their $199/month Standard plan.

    Also, you don’t have to pay per user; instead, you add profiles/users, and then the cost increases.

  2. Free Plan Available

    What sounds convincing is the fact that Social Champ has a forever-free plan and a 7-day free trial, too.

    But with Sprout Social, you don’t have the option of a free plan; instead, you have a 30-day free trial to test out the tool.

  3. Advanced Features at Lower Costs

    You get many big features, such as competitor analysis, social listening, post labels, white-label reports, and many more at a much lower price compared to others.

  4. Unlimited Scheduling Across All Paid Plans

    Social Champ offers unlimited scheduling, even in the Starter plan, whereas Sprout Social offers this starting from their professional plan.

  5. Ease of Use

    Talking in terms of user interface, Social Champ has a more user-friendly and clean dashboard.

    It helps beginners navigate smoothly across the platform.

  6. Fast Customer Support (Live Chat)

    Social Champ provides live chat and support, plus dedicated onboarding starting from their lower-tier plans, but Sprout Social offers support with a ticket-based system, which can cause delays.

Sprout Social Pricing Revealed: Is It Worth the Cost? 4

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Conclusion

To sum up, Sprout Social is quite a popular and large tool suitable for large-scale operations.

It comes with a higher price, especially for teams, and limited features are available in lower-tier plans as compared to what Social Champ has to offer.

If you’re a startup, solo marketer, or SMB willing to save money, then Social Champ offers a smarter way forward.

It has flexible pricing plans and useful features that would fit perfectly for your growing needs.

Hence, choose a tool that makes your work easier, yet not heavier on your wallet!

FAQs- Sprout Social Pricing

1. How Much Does Sprout Social Media Cost?

The Standard plan starts at $199 per seat/month (billed annually) or $249 (billed monthly). Higher-tier plans like Professional and Advanced cost $299 and $399 per seat/month, respectively, when billed annually.

2. Why Is Sprout Social So Expensive?

It is positioned as an enterprise-grade platform that bundles advanced CRM, deep analytics, and automation into one tool. The cost is high because it targets large organizations needing high-level security, complex workflows, and unified data integrations.

3. Is There a Free Version of Sprout Social?

There is no permanent free version, but Sprout Social offers a 30-day free trial for its Standard, Professional, and Advanced plans. Unlike many competitors, you can sign up for this trial without providing any credit card information.

4. What’s Better Than Sprout Social?

Social Champ and SocialPilot are often considered better for small-to-mid-sized teams due to their lower price points and more social profiles. For individuals on a budget, Buffer or Later provide more accessible scheduling tools and free tiers. Social Champ also has impressive plans for individual creators.

5. What Are the Disadvantages of Sprout Social?

The per-seat pricing model makes it expensive to scale for growing teams, and the base plan restricts you to only 5 social profiles. Additionally, many advanced features like social listening and premium analytics are locked behind higher tiers or sold as costly add-ons.

Afirah Shaikh

Afirah Shaikh is a content marketer at Social Champ who turns strategy into storytelling. With three years of experience in content marketing and an MBA to her name, she has worked with brands across the digital marketing, e-commerce, and SaaS industries worldwide to create content that performs. She is known for her ability to balance creativity with purpose to drive results.

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