Sprout Social Pricing 2026: Plans, Costs & Hidden Fees Explained
TL;DR - Quick Answer
11 min readTips you can use today. What works and what doesn't.
Quick answer: Sprout Social costs $249-$499 per user, per month. A 3-person team pays $747-$1,497/month.
That's $8,964-$17,964 per year, just for social media management.
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Sprout Social Pricing Table 2026
Note: All prices are per user. Annual billing saves about 20%.
What Each Plan Includes
Standard ($249/user/month)
The entry point. You get:
- 5 social profiles
- Publishing and scheduling
- Content calendar
- Basic monitoring
- Mobile apps
Missing: Competitive reports, optimal timing, sentiment analysis.
Real cost for teams:
- 1 person: $2,988/year
- 3 people: $8,964/year
- 5 people: $14,940/year
Professional ($299/user/month)
Most businesses pick this one. Adds:
- Unlimited profiles
- Competitive reports (10 competitors)
- Optimal send times
- Custom report builder
- Trend analysis
Still missing: Sentiment analysis, chatbots, crisis alerts.
Real cost for teams:
- 1 person: $3,588/year
- 3 people: $10,764/year
- 5 people: $17,940/year
Advanced ($499/user/month)
Full feature set. Everything in Professional plus:
- Sentiment analysis
- Automated chatbots
- Message spike alerts
- AI content tagging
- Team productivity reports
Real cost for teams:
- 1 person: $5,988/year
- 3 people: $17,964/year
- 5 people: $29,940/year
A 5-person marketing team wants Sprout Social Professional. What's their annual cost?
💡 Tip: Think carefully before selecting your answer!
Social Listening Pricing
Social listening is included, but features vary by plan:
Bottom line: Want sentiment analysis? You need Advanced at $499/user.
Hidden Costs Nobody Tells You
1. Per-User Pricing Multiplies Fast
Every new team member = another $249-$499/month.
2. Training Takes Weeks
Sprout Social isn't simple. Expect:
- 2-4 weeks to learn the platform
- Training sessions for each team member
- Lost productivity during onboarding
3. Annual Contracts Lock You In
- Best pricing requires 12-month commitment
- Early termination = fees
- Monthly billing costs more
Your team of 2 is using Sprout Social Standard ($498/month). You hire a third social media person. What happens to your bill?
💡 Tip: Think carefully before selecting your answer!
Sprout Social vs Competitors
Annual savings if you switch:
- Sprout → Hootsuite: Save $6,000/year
- Sprout → SocialRails: Save $8,400/year
For detailed comparisons, see Metricool vs Sprout Social.
Is Sprout Social Worth It?
Worth it if you:
- Have 5+ person dedicated social team
- Handle 100+ customer inquiries daily
- Need advanced sentiment analysis
- Budget $10,000+/year for social tools
Not worth it if you:
- Team is under 5 people
- Mainly need scheduling and analytics
- Budget is under $500/month
- Want AI content generation (Sprout doesn't have it)
Free Trial Details
30 days free, no credit card needed.
What you get:
- Full Standard or Professional features
- 5 social profiles
- All publishing and analytics
What you don't get:
- Advanced plan features
- Enterprise features
- Training beyond documentation
You're a 3-person marketing team spending $747/month on Sprout Social. You mainly use scheduling and check analytics weekly. Social listening sits unused. What should you do?
💡 Tip: Think carefully before selecting your answer!
Best Alternatives
SocialRails, Best Value
That's 93% savings with more content creation features.
Hootsuite, Established Platform
See full comparison →Vista Social, Budget Social Listening
Vista Social offers social listening at a fraction of Sprout's price. See our Vista Social vs Sprout Social comparison for the full breakdown.
Quick Answers
How much does Sprout Social cost? $249-$499 per user, per month. Teams pay per person.
Is there a free plan? No. Only a 30-day trial, then you pay.
What's Standard vs Professional? Standard: 5 profiles, basic features, $249/user. Professional: Unlimited profiles, competitive reports, $299/user.
Does Sprout have nonprofit discounts? Yes. 25-50% off with verified nonprofit status. Contact sales.
Is it worth the price? For enterprises with 5+ person social teams and $10K+ budgets, yes. For small businesses mainly scheduling posts, no.
Summary
Sprout Social pricing:
- Standard: $249/user/month
- Professional: $299/user/month
- Advanced: $499/user/month
- 3-person team: $747-$1,497/month
Best for: Enterprise teams needing advanced social listening.
Not for: Small businesses who mainly need scheduling.
Best alternative: SocialRails at $29-99/month flat rate with AI content included.
Done comparing? Try the Sprout Social alternative that does more
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Related
Sprout Social Guides:
Comparisons:
- Hootsuite vs Sprout Social
- Loomly vs Sprout Social
- Sprout Social vs Later
- Sprout Social vs Agorapulse
- Sprout Social vs HubSpot
- Oktopost vs Sprout Social
Competitor Pricing:
Alternatives Guides:
Enterprise & Ad Tools:
- MavSocial Review — Built-in Facebook/Instagram ads at $29/month
- SocialFlow Review — Enterprise publisher optimization
- SocialFlow Pricing — Custom enterprise pricing explained
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