vs
The Sprout Social Alternative
at 92% Less Cost
Sprout Social charges $199/seat/mo (annual) or $249/seat/mo (monthly) — 3 users costs $597-747/month minimum. API access requires Advanced plan at $399+/seat. Late is $33/month flat with unlimited team members and instant API access on all plans.
No credit card required • Unlimited team members • 86-92% cheaper
Sprout Social (Per-Seat)
1 seat × $249/mo = $2,988/year
3 seats × $249/mo = $8,964/year
5 seats × $249/mo = $14,940/year
API gated to higher tiers
Social listening: extra cost
Late (Flat Pricing)
1 user = $396/year
3 users = $396/year
5 users = $396/year
API on ALL plans (free included)
92% cheaper for 3-user team
The Fatal Flaw: $199-249/Seat + API Gated
Sprout Social's Standard plan is $199/seat/mo (annual) or $249/seat/mo (monthly). Professional is $299-399/seat. Advanced is $399-499/seat. API access is ONLY available on Advanced plan ($399+/seat). A 3-person team on Standard: $597-747/month with NO API access. Late is $33/month flat with unlimited team members and API included on all plans.
"Sprout Social API: Advanced plan only ($399/mo annual, $499/mo monthly per seat)."
Late: $33/mo flat for 50 profiles. Unlimited team. API included. 99.97% SLA.
$33/mo vs $747/mo
Flat pricing vs per-seat enterprise
Sprout Social
- ✕Per-seat pricing: $199-499/seat/month
- ✕3 users = $597-1,497/month minimum
- ✕API access ONLY on Advanced ($399+/seat)
- ✕Standard & Professional plans have NO API
- ✕Excellent analytics and social listening
- ✕Public company (NYSE: SPT) — enterprise focus
- ✕Designed for large marketing teams
Late
- Flat pricing: $33/mo for 50 profiles
- Unlimited team members on ALL paid plans
- API access on ALL plans (including free)
- 99.97% uptime SLA — publicly documented
- Built for developers and agencies
- 92% cheaper for 3-user teams
- API-first, not dashboard-first
86-92% cheaper — $33/mo vs $597-747/mo for 3 users. Plus instant API access — Sprout requires Advanced plan ($399+/seat) for API.
Feature Comparison
Head-to-head comparison
| Feature | Late | Sprout Social |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Flat tiers | Per-seat ($199-499) |
| 3 users cost | $33/mo (included) | $597-1,497/mo |
| API access | All plans (free included) | Advanced plan only ($399+/seat) |
| Team members | Unlimited (all plans) | Pay per seat |
| Uptime SLA | 99.97% (published) | Enterprise only |
| Social listening | No | Yes (excellent) |
| Analytics depth | Add-on (from $10/mo) | Excellent (built-in) |
| CRM features | No | Yes |
| Approval workflows | No | Yes |
| Free plan | Yes (with API) | No |
92% Cost Savings
What Late offers that Sprout can't match on price
92% Cheaper for Teams
3 users on Late: $33/mo total. 3 users on Sprout Standard: $747/mo. That's $8,568/year saved. The math is devastating for Sprout at scale.
API on All Plans
Late includes instant API access on every plan, including free. Sprout's API is ONLY available on Advanced plan ($399+/seat) — Standard and Professional have no API access.
Unlimited Team Members
Late includes unlimited team members on all paid plans. Sprout charges $249-499 per seat per month. Every new hire increases your bill.
99.97% Uptime SLA
Late publishes explicit reliability guarantees on all paid plans. Sprout's SLA commitments are typically enterprise-only.
No Enterprise Lock-in
Late's pricing is transparent and public. Sprout's advanced features require custom enterprise pricing negotiations.
API-First Architecture
Late is built for developers who need programmable posting. Sprout is built for marketing teams who need dashboards.
Which One?
API platform vs enterprise dashboard
Choose Late if you:
- Want 92% cost savings
- Need API access without enterprise pricing
- Have budget constraints (not $747+/mo)
- Building SaaS or automation tools
- Want unlimited team members
- Value transparent, flat pricing
- Need posting API, not analytics suite
Choose Sprout Social if you:
- →Have $747+/mo budget for 3 users
- →Need enterprise social listening
- →Require comprehensive analytics suite
- →Want CRM integration features
- →Need approval workflows for large teams
- →Prefer established enterprise vendor
- →Don't need posting API specifically
Tired of per-seat pricing?
If Sprout Social's $249/seat/month is straining your budget, Late offers the same posting capabilities at 92% less cost. Instant API access, unlimited team members, and 99.97% SLA — for $33/month.
A 5-person team saves $14,160/year switching from Sprout Standard to Late Accelerate.
Simple Pricing
Flat tiers vs per-seat enterprise
Free
$0/mo
Forever free
- ✓ 2 profiles
- ✓ 20 posts/month
- ✓ Full API access
- ✓ Unlimited team
- ✓ Instant API key
Sprout: No free plan
Build
$13/mo
Billed annually ($19/mo monthly)
- ✓ 10 profiles
- ✓ 120 posts/month
- ✓ Unlimited team
- ✓ Webhooks
- ✓ 120 req/min
Sprout: $249/seat/mo
Accelerate
$33/mo
Billed annually ($49/mo monthly)
- ✓ 50 profiles
- ✓ Unlimited posts
- ✓ Unlimited team
- ✓ Priority support
- ✓ 600 req/min
Sprout 3 seats: $747/mo
Need more profiles? View all plans →
Common Questions
How expensive is Sprout Social really?
Sprout Social Standard is $199/seat/mo (annual) or $249/seat/mo (monthly). Professional is $299-399/seat. Advanced is $399-499/seat. A 3-person team on Standard costs $597-747/month ($7,164-8,964/year). A 5-person team costs $995-1,245/month ($11,940-14,940/year). Late is $33/month flat with unlimited team members.
Does Sprout Social have API access?
Sprout Social API access is strictly gated to the Advanced plan ($399/mo annual or $499/mo monthly per seat). Standard and Professional plans have NO API access. Late includes instant API access on all plans, including the free tier.
Is Sprout Social's analytics better?
Yes, Sprout Social has excellent analytics, social listening, and reporting capabilities. Late offers analytics as an add-on starting at $10/mo. If deep analytics is your priority, Sprout excels — but at $249+/seat/month.
Does Late have social listening?
No. Late is focused on reliable multi-platform posting via API. Social listening, brand monitoring, and sentiment analysis are Sprout Social strengths that Late doesn't replicate.
Is Sprout Social better for enterprise?
For large marketing teams with $15,000+/year budgets who need analytics, social listening, CRM, and approval workflows — Sprout Social is comprehensive. For teams needing posting API at reasonable cost, Late is 92% cheaper.
Can I migrate from Sprout Social to Late?
If you primarily need posting capabilities and want to reduce costs, yes. Late won't replace Sprout's analytics or social listening, but it provides reliable posting API at a fraction of the cost.
Ready to save 92%?
Stop paying $249/seat. Late: $33/mo flat, unlimited team, instant API, 99.97% SLA.
No credit card required • Unlimited team members • 92% cheaper