Sprout Social vs Later 2026: Which Tool Should You Pick?
TL;DR - Quick Answer
9 min readLater 2026 offers better value with more features at a lower price. Sprout Social excels in simplicity but costs more for similar functionality.
Later: Cheap, visual Instagram planner ($25/month). See Later Pricing 2026 for details. Sprout Social: Enterprise analytics and listening ($249/month).
Here's how to choose.
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30-Second Answer
Pricing Breakdown
Sprout Social
3-person team = $747/month
Later
3-person team = $45/month
A team of 3 needs a scheduling tool. How much does each platform cost?
💡 Tip: Think carefully before selecting your answer!
Cost by Team Size
Sprout costs 10-20x more than Later.
Where Each Tool Wins
Later Wins: Visual Planning
Later was built for Instagram aesthetics.
What you get:
- Visual grid preview before posting
- Drag-and-drop feed planner
- Color palette suggestions
- Stories preview
- Linkin.bio landing pages
Sprout has a basic calendar. No grid preview.
Sprout Social Wins: Social Listening
Sprout monitors what people say about your brand.
What you get:
- Brand mention tracking
- Sentiment analysis
- Competitor monitoring
- Crisis alerts
- Trend spotting
Later doesn't do any of this.
You run an Instagram fashion brand and need to preview your feed aesthetic. Which tool?
💡 Tip: Think carefully before selecting your answer!
Sprout Social Wins: Analytics
Sprout offers:
- Cross-platform dashboards
- Competitive benchmarks
- Team performance metrics
- ROI tracking
- Custom executive reports
Later offers:
- Basic post analytics
- Best times to post
- Growth tracking
For enterprise reporting, Sprout wins.
Later Wins: Link in Bio
Sprout doesn't offer link in bio tools.
Which feature does Sprout Social have that Later doesn't?
💡 Tip: Think carefully before selecting your answer!
Feature Comparison
Who Should Pick What
Choose Later if you:
- Focus on Instagram/visual content
- Want affordable pricing
- Need grid preview planning
- Use link in bio features
- Are solo or small team
- Prioritize simplicity
Choose Sprout Social if you:
- Have $249+/user budget
- Need social listening
- Handle customer service on social
- Run enterprise operations
- Need detailed analytics
You're a solo creator with 3 Instagram accounts, budget under $50/month. Best choice?
💡 Tip: Think carefully before selecting your answer!
What Both Miss
Better Alternative
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Is Later cheaper? Yes. Later starts free. Sprout starts at $249/month.
Which is better for Instagram? Later. Built for visual planning with grid preview.
Does Later have social listening? No. That's Sprout's strength.
Can Later replace Sprout? For scheduling, yes. For enterprise features, no.
Which is easier? Later. Simpler interface, faster to learn.
Bottom Line
Sprout Social: Enterprise tool with listening and analytics. 10x the cost of Later.
Later: Visual Instagram planner. Affordable but no enterprise features.
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Later:
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