A cheaper Sprout Social alternative for a small team is one that covers posting, scheduling and replies without charging for each person. Sprout Social's Essentials plan is $79 per seat a month on annual billing, or $99 billed monthly, as published in October 2026, and it includes 5 social profiles. For a team of three that is three seats. It is a deep product, and many small teams use a small part of it.
This page compares Sprout Social with five lower-priced alternatives using each company's own published prices. It also says when Sprout Social is the right choice, because for some teams the price is fair.
A note on who is writing. WyreIt is our own product, so read our view of it with that in mind. Where another tool is the better choice, this page says so.
Sprout Social and five alternatives at a glance
| Tool | Entry paid price | Free plan or trial | What the entry plan covers | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WyreIt (our product) | £19 a month (Standard), £49 (Pro), £79 (Creator) | No free plan. 14-day trial, no card | Any 3 platforms and 3 extra profiles on Standard; all 7 platforms on Pro | UK sole traders and small businesses who want one flat price in pounds |
| Sprout Social | $79 per seat a month on annual billing, $99 billed monthly (Essentials) | No free plan. 30-day trial, no card | 5 social profiles on Essentials; unlimited from Professional ($299 per seat) | Established teams who need depth and can pay per seat |
| Buffer | From $5 a month per channel on yearly billing ($60 a year per channel) | Free plan: up to 3 channels, 10 scheduled posts per channel | Priced per channel, so the bill grows with each one you add | One to three channels, or anyone who needs a free plan |
| Metricool | Starter from $20 a month on annual billing ($25 monthly) | Free plan: 1 brand, 20 scheduled posts a month, no LinkedIn or X | Up to 5 brands on Starter. X is a paid add-on at $10 a month per account | People who want a free plan and care most about analytics |
| SocialBee | $29 a month, or $24 on annual billing (Bootstrap) | No free plan. 14-day trial, no card | 5 social profiles and 1 user on Bootstrap; 10 profiles on Accelerate ($49) | Solo operators who want unlimited AI writing in the entry plan |
| Later | $18.75 a month, billed yearly (Starter) | No free plan. 14-day trial | 1 social set, 1 user and 30 posts per profile a month on Starter | Visual brands built around Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest |
Competitor prices and plan details are as published by each company on its own pricing page, October 2026: Sprout Social, Buffer, Metricool, SocialBee, Later. Dollar prices are shown as each company lists them and may exclude VAT. Prices change, so check the page before you buy. This is not a complete list of tools. WyreIt is our own product, and its prices are on our pricing page.
What Sprout Social costs in 2026
As published on Sprout Social's pricing page in October 2026:
- Essentials: $79 per seat a month on annual billing, or $99 billed monthly, with 5 social profiles.
- Standard: $199 per seat a month, with 5 social profiles.
- Professional: $299 per seat a month, with unlimited social profiles.
- Advanced: $399 per seat a month.
- Enterprise: custom pricing.
- Free plan: none. There is a 30-day free trial with no card.
Two things drive the bill. The price is per seat, so each person who needs to sign in is another seat. And the lower plans include 5 social profiles, so a business with more than five has to move up.
Work out your own figure first
Before you compare tools, write down two numbers: how many people need access, and how many social profiles you run. Then do the sum for each pricing model.
- Per seat (Sprout Social, Hootsuite): the plan price times the number of people.
- Per channel (Buffer): the channel price times the number of profiles.
- Per plan (WyreIt, SocialBee, Later, Metricool): one price, with limits on platforms, profiles, brands or users that you need to check.
A team of three on Sprout Social Essentials is three times $79 a month on annual billing. The same three people on a per-plan tool pay the plan price once, provided the plan allows them.
WyreIt vs Sprout Social
WyreIt has four plans. Standard is £19 a month for any 3 platforms, with 3 extra profiles, the inbox, analytics, and AI caption and reply drafting. Pro is £49 a month for all 7 platforms (Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok, LinkedIn, YouTube and Bluesky), with 4 extra profiles, WyreIt AI, Autopilot and 1,000 AI credits a month. Creator is £79 a month with 3,000 AI credits and AI images. Agency is priced by conversation. The price is for the account, not per user or per channel. There is a 14-day free trial with no card needed. The trial does not include any AI.
So the gap is wide: £19 or £49 a month for the account, against $79 a month for each seat. What you give up is depth, and it is right to be plain about that. Sprout Social is built for marketing departments, with reporting, team workflows and a long list of platforms that go well beyond what WyreIt does. WyreIt publishes to 7 platforms and does not publish to Threads, Pinterest or Google Business Profile. Its analytics show what was published, what failed and the figures each platform provides, and stop there.
What WyreIt does cover is the daily work of a small business: a calendar, one inbox for comments, mentions and messages, and on Pro and Creator, WyreIt AI and Autopilot, which plan and draft posts for you to review before anything is published. The detailed side-by-side is on WyreIt vs Sprout Social.
The other alternatives
Buffer
Buffer has a free plan for up to 3 channels with 10 scheduled posts per channel. Essentials is from $5 a month per channel on yearly billing ($60 a year per channel), and the Team plan is from $10 a month per channel with unlimited users. For a small team with a handful of channels, that Team plan is a low-cost published route to giving several people access.
A word on the sums. Buffer charges $5 a month for each channel, so one to four channels cost less than WyreIt Standard at £19 a month, and up to three can be free. From about five channels upwards, compare your own total with a flat price.
Metricool
Metricool has a free plan for 1 brand with 20 scheduled posts a month, without LinkedIn or X. Starter is from $20 a month on annual billing for up to 5 brands, and X is a paid add-on at $10 a month per connected account. If reporting is the part of Sprout Social you would miss, start here.
SocialBee
SocialBee's Bootstrap plan is $29 a month, or $24 on annual billing, for 5 social profiles and 1 user. Accelerate is $49 for 10 profiles. Its Pro plan is $99 a month for 25 profiles, with 3 users per workspace and 5 workspaces. The trial is 14 days with no card.
Later
Later's Starter plan is $18.75 a month billed yearly for 1 social set and 1 user. Growth is $37.50 billed yearly with 2 users, and Scale is $82.50 with 4 users. There is no free plan. It suits teams whose work centres on Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest.
When Sprout Social is the better choice
- You are a marketing team where social media is several people's full-time job.
- You report to a board or to clients and need detailed, presentable reporting.
- You need approval steps, shared workflows and controls over who can do what.
- You handle a high volume of customer messages and need them routed between people.
In those cases a per-seat price buys real work, and a cheaper tool would cost you time. It is poor value when one or two people post a few times a week and reply to comments.
How to move from Sprout Social
- List the features you opened in the last month. Not the ones you could use: the ones you did.
- Start a free plan or trial on the alternative and connect the same profiles.
- Download the reports you need to keep before the Sprout Social account closes.
- Check your billing terms. If you pay annually, plan the move around the renewal date.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Sprout Social cost in 2026?
As published in October 2026, Essentials is $79 per seat a month on annual billing, or $99 billed monthly. Standard is $199 per seat, Professional is $299 and Advanced is $399. Enterprise is custom.
Is there a free alternative to Sprout Social?
Buffer and Metricool each publish a free plan, with limits on channels and scheduled posts. Sprout Social has no free plan, and neither does WyreIt: WyreIt has a 14-day free trial with no card needed.
What is the cheapest Sprout Social alternative for a small team?
For a few channels, Buffer: its free plan covers up to 3 channels, and its Team plan is from $10 a month per channel with unlimited users. From about five channels upwards, compare your total against a flat price such as WyreIt Standard at £19 a month for any 3 platforms, or Pro at £49 for all 7.
Does WyreIt charge per user?
No. WyreIt's price is for the account, not per user or per channel. Standard is £19 a month, Pro is £49 and Creator is £79.
Is WyreIt a full replacement for Sprout Social?
Not for a marketing department. WyreIt covers scheduling, an inbox and analytics of what was published for a small business. It does not offer the depth of reporting and team workflow that Sprout Social sells.
See every WyreIt plan on pricing, or read Hootsuite alternatives for small businesses if you are comparing the bigger tools.
WyreIt is a social media management tool for small business owners and sole traders. Post to Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok, and more from one dashboard — at a fraction of the price of Hootsuite.