Sprout Social vs Later (2025 Comparison)
Sprout Social offers a comprehensive suite of social media management tools, including advanced analytics and robust team collaboration features, making it ideal for businesses looking to enhance their social media presence.
- Comprehensive analytics and reporting.
- Robust team collaboration features.
- Wide range of integrations.
- Higher cost for small businesses.
- Complex interface for beginners.
Free plan?
YesStarting price
$199 per month per user
Later provides a user-friendly platform for visual content planning and scheduling, with affordable pricing plans and an intuitive interface, perfect for individuals and small businesses.
- User-friendly interface.
- Affordable pricing plans.
- Excellent visual content planning.
- Limited analytics features.
- Fewer integrations available.
Free plan?
YesStarting price
$16.67 per monthWhat is Sprout Social?
Sprout Social is a comprehensive social media management platform that helps businesses streamline their social media efforts. It offers features like scheduling, analytics, and engagement tools, making it easier for teams to manage multiple social media accounts. With Sprout Social, you can track performance metrics, engage with your audience, and collaborate with your team, all from a single dashboard. This tool is particularly beneficial for businesses looking to enhance their social media presence and improve customer engagement.
What is Later?
Later is a user-friendly social media scheduling tool designed to simplify content planning and posting. It allows users to visually plan and schedule posts across various social media platforms, making it ideal for businesses and individuals who want to maintain a consistent online presence. Later's drag-and-drop calendar and media library make it easy to organize and manage content, while its analytics features provide insights into post performance. This tool is perfect for those who prioritize visual content and need a straightforward way to manage their social media strategy.
Pros and Cons of Sprout Social vs Later
Pros & Cons of Sprout Social
- Sprout Social provides detailed analytics and reporting features that help businesses track their social media performance and make data-driven decisions. This is particularly useful for businesses looking to optimize their social media strategies.
- Sprout Social offers excellent team collaboration features, allowing multiple team members to work together seamlessly on social media campaigns. This is ideal for businesses with large social media teams.
- Sprout Social supports a wide range of integrations, making it a versatile tool for businesses that use multiple platforms and tools. This allows for a more streamlined workflow and better efficiency.
- Sprout Social's pricing plans can be expensive for small businesses or individuals, making it less accessible for those with limited budgets. This may be a barrier for some users.
- Sprout Social's interface can be complex for beginners, requiring a learning curve to fully utilize its features. This may be challenging for users who are new to social media management.
Pros & Cons of Later
- Later offers a user-friendly interface that is easy to navigate, making it accessible for beginners and those who prefer a straightforward approach to social media management.
- Later provides affordable pricing plans, making it a cost-effective option for individuals and small businesses looking to manage their social media presence without breaking the bank.
- Later excels in visual content planning, offering a drag-and-drop calendar and media library that make it easy to organize and schedule visual content. This is ideal for users who prioritize visual storytelling.
- Later's analytics features are limited compared to other tools, providing only basic insights into social media performance. This may not be sufficient for users who require in-depth analytics.
- Later offers fewer integrations compared to other tools, which may limit its use for businesses that rely on multiple platforms and tools. This could be a drawback for some users.
Sprout Social vs Later: At A Glance
Value to Price
Sprout Social offers a robust set of features that justify its price, making it a valuable investment for businesses serious about social media management. Later, while more affordable, offers fewer features, making it a better choice for those on a budget.
Ease of Use
Later shines in ease of use with its intuitive drag-and-drop interface, making it accessible for beginners. Sprout Social, while slightly more complex, offers a comprehensive dashboard that experienced users will appreciate.
Functionality
Sprout Social excels in functionality with advanced analytics and engagement tools, ideal for businesses needing in-depth insights. Later provides essential scheduling features, suitable for users focusing on visual content.
Scalability
Sprout Social is designed to scale with your business, offering features that grow with your needs. Later is more suited for smaller teams or individuals who require basic scheduling capabilities.
Integrations
Sprout Social supports a wide range of integrations, making it versatile for various business needs. Later offers fewer integrations, focusing primarily on social media platforms, which may limit its use for some users.
Customer Support
Sprout Social provides excellent customer support, ensuring users have the help they need. Later offers good support but may not be as comprehensive, making Sprout Social a better choice for those who prioritize support.
Security
Both tools offer strong security features, but Sprout Social's enterprise-level security makes it a more reliable choice for larger businesses. Later's security is adequate for smaller operations.
Overall Rating
Sprout Social's comprehensive features and support make it a top choice for businesses, while Later's ease of use and affordability appeal to smaller teams or individuals.
Sprout Social vs Later: A Detailed Breakdown of Key Features
Scheduling
Sprout Social offers a powerful scheduling tool that allows you to plan and automate posts across multiple platforms, making it ideal for businesses with a large social media presence. Later, on the other hand, provides a more straightforward scheduling interface with a visual calendar, which is perfect for users who prefer a more visual approach to planning their content. If you need advanced scheduling capabilities, Sprout Social is the way to go, but if you prefer simplicity, Later is a great choice.
Analytics
Sprout Social excels in analytics, providing detailed insights into your social media performance, which is crucial for businesses looking to optimize their strategies. Later offers basic analytics, which may be sufficient for individuals or small teams who need a quick overview of their performance. If in-depth analytics are a priority for you, Sprout Social is the better option.
Engagement
Sprout Social's engagement tools are designed to help you interact with your audience more effectively, making it a great choice for businesses focused on building strong customer relationships. Later's engagement features are more limited, focusing primarily on scheduling and posting. If engagement is a key part of your social media strategy, Sprout Social is the better choice.
Content Calendar
Later's content calendar is a standout feature, offering a visual and intuitive way to plan your social media content. Sprout Social also offers a content calendar, but it is more feature-rich, allowing for more detailed planning and collaboration. If you need a simple and visual content calendar, Later is the way to go, but if you require more advanced planning features, Sprout Social is the better choice.
Media Library
Later's media library is designed to help you organize and manage your visual content, making it a great choice for users who prioritize visual storytelling. Sprout Social also offers a media library, but it is more integrated with other features, providing a more comprehensive solution for managing your content. If visual content is a priority for you, Later is the better choice, but if you need a more integrated solution, Sprout Social is the way to go.
Team Collaboration
Sprout Social offers robust team collaboration features, making it ideal for businesses with multiple team members working on social media. Later's collaboration features are more limited, focusing primarily on scheduling and posting. If team collaboration is a key part of your social media strategy, Sprout Social is the better choice.
Pricing Comparison of Sprout Social and Later
To assist you in making an informed choice, we’ve outlined the pricing plans and essential features of Sprout Social and Later. This comparison will highlight the best option for managing your social media strategy.
Sprout Social Pricing Plans
- Unlimited real-time keyword and location monitoring available.
- Unlimited AI-generated alt-text for enhanced accessibility.
- Intuitive reporting across groups, profiles, and posts.
- Unlimited review management for better customer feedback.
- Comprehensive social media marketing reporting suite.
- Optimize posting times for maximum engagement.
- Boost creativity with Suggestions by AI Assist.
- Efficiently tag and track all messages for better organization.
- Easily spot high-priority messages with Sentiment detection.
- Exclusive access to Helpdesk integrations for support.
- Robust productivity and social customer care reports.
- Real-time message Spike Alerts for immediate action.
- Maximize investment with a tailored plan to your needs.
- Streamline SSO setup with dedicated service.
- Priority customer support for immediate assistance.
- Additional premium solutions for enhanced capabilities.
Later Pricing Plans
- Instagram best time to post feature for optimal engagement.
- Visual Instagram planner for organized content scheduling.
- Instagram Reels auto publishing for consistent content delivery.
- Hashtag suggestions to enhance post visibility.
- Full analytics with up to one year of data.
- 30 AI feature credits for enhanced content creation.
- Customizable Link in Bio pages for personalized branding.
- Team and brand management tools for efficient collaboration.
- Unlimited posts for unrestricted content sharing.
- 50 AI feature credits for advanced content strategies.
- Team collaboration tools for seamless teamwork.
- Brand collab tools for creators to enhance partnerships.
- 100 AI feature credits for innovative content solutions.
- Content approval workflows for streamlined processes.
- Prioritized support for quick issue resolution.
- Team and brand management tools for effective oversight.
- 200 AI feature credits for extensive content creation.
- Single sign-on with enterprise authorization for security.
- Social listening for strategic insights.
- 1:1 social listening onboarding for personalized guidance.
Our Rating Methodology
We thoroughly evaluate each social media management tool, focusing on key aspects like functionality, ease of use, and customer support. By analyzing user feedback and conducting in-depth testing, we ensure our recommendations are reliable. Each factor is weighted to provide an accurate final rating, helping you choose the best tool for your needs.
Sprout Social or Later: Which One Matches Your Business Needs?
Choose Sprout Social If You Need ...
- Advanced analytics and reporting
If you need a tool with **advanced analytics and reporting features** to track your social media performance and make data-driven decisions, Sprout Social is the ideal choice. Its comprehensive analytics capabilities provide valuable insights for optimizing your social media strategy.
- Robust team collaboration
If you have a large team working on social media campaigns and need a tool with **robust team collaboration features**, Sprout Social is the better option. Its collaboration tools allow multiple team members to work together seamlessly, improving efficiency and productivity.
Choose Later If You Need ...
- User-friendly interface
If you prefer a tool with a **user-friendly interface** that is easy to navigate, Later is the perfect choice. Its intuitive design makes it accessible for beginners and those who prefer a straightforward approach to social media management.
- Affordable pricing plans
If you are looking for a cost-effective solution with **affordable pricing plans**, Later is the better option. Its pricing structure makes it accessible for individuals and small businesses looking to manage their social media presence without breaking the bank.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which tool offers better analytics features?
Is Later suitable for large teams?
Which tool is more affordable?
Does Sprout Social offer a visual content calendar?
Which tool has better customer support?
Can Later handle multiple social media accounts?
Anastasia Belyh
Anastasia Belyh is a senior tech writer with over 15 years of experience in marketing, sales, and business software. Having worked in investment banking, management consulting, and founded multiple companies, her in-depth knowledge and hands-on expertise make her software reviews authoritative, trustworthy, and highly practical for business decision-makers.
