Later is a lightweight, Instagram-focused social media scheduler best for visual content creators, while Sprout Social is an enterprise-grade platform offering comprehensive social management, analytics, and team collaboration across multiple channels. Sprout Social costs 3-5x more but serves larger teams requiring advanced features.
Later vs Sprout Social — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Instagram-native social media scheduler focused on visual content planning and posting.
Enterprise social media management platform with advanced analytics, team collaboration, and customer engagement.
Primary Focus. Starting Price (Monthly). Team Size Sweet Spot. Supported Platforms. Advanced Analytics & Reporting. User Interface Complexity. Content Calendar Features
Choose Later if you're a solo creator, influencer, or small team focused primarily on Instagram and visual platforms—it's affordable, intuitive, and doesn't overwhelm with unnecessary features. Choose Sprout Social if you manage multiple channels, lead larger teams, need advanced analytics, require approval workflows, or serve enterprise clients—the investment pays off in automation and insights at scale.
Later: Unlimited | Sprout Social: 1 team member
Later: No (paid plans only) | Sprout Social: Yes (all plans)
Later: Pinboard-style visual drag-and-drop | Sprout Social: Grid-based calendar view
Later: Advanced with product tagging | Sprout Social: Feed posting only
Later: Up to 15% discount | Sprout Social: Up to 20% discount
Later: 6 major platforms | Sprout Social: N/A
Later: Up to 35 posts | Sprout Social: N/A
Later: Excellent visual editing on mobile | Sprout Social: N/A
Later: Caption generation, hashtag suggestions | Sprout Social: N/A
Later: Grid view, visual feed preview | Sprout Social: N/A
Later: 200+ (basic) | Sprout Social: N/A
Later: 5 (Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, Facebook, LinkedIn) | Sprout Social: N/A
Later: Yes—engagement rates, best posting times, competitor benchmarking | Sprout Social: N/A
Later: Yes—multi-step approval chains with comments | Sprout Social: N/A
Later: 6-month visual calendar | Sprout Social: N/A
Later: No—must write captions separately | Sprout Social: N/A
Later: Not available (requires $50+/month Growth plan) | Sprout Social: N/A
Later: Yes, with native scheduling and analytics | Sprout Social: N/A
Later: Engagement, reach, impressions, audience demographics, ROI, revenue attribution | Sprout Social: N/A
Grid Preview (How feed looks before posting)
Later: Basic grid preview available on paid plans | Sprout Social: N/A
Posts Schedulable Per Month (Entry Plan)
Later: Basic (engagement, reach, clicks) | Sprout Social: N/A
Later: Native Instagram Shopping integration | Sprout Social: N/A
Later: Drag-and-drop visual calendar | Sprout Social: N/A
Later: Unlimited (Professional plan+) | Sprout Social: N/A
Later: 15+ metrics including competitor benchmarking, demographics, content performance | Sprout Social: N/A
Later: Desktop-first with functional mobile app (secondary experience) | Sprout Social: N/A
Later: Basic calendar view without live feed layout preview | Sprout Social: N/A
Later: 14-day free trial, no free tier | Sprout Social: N/A
Later: Unlimited with role-based permissions | Sprout Social: N/A
Later: Basic timeline view with limited visual preview | Sprout Social: N/A
Later: Shopify integration available | Sprout Social: N/A
Later: 6 platforms | Sprout Social: 10+ platforms
Later: 100 scheduled posts | Sprout Social: N/A
Later: Yes (native feed + Reels) | Sprout Social: N/A
Later: No (RSS feed only) | Sprout Social: N/A
Later: No (Zapier integration) | Sprout Social: N/A
Later: 1 team member | Sprout Social: N/A
Later: Unlimited (all plans) | Sprout Social: Unlimited (enterprise tiers)
Later: Visual calendar, basic scheduling, bulk upload | Sprout Social: Advanced calendar, approval workflows, team assignments, content versioning
Later: Basic metrics: likes, comments, reach, engagement rate | Sprout Social: Advanced: sentiment analysis, competitive benchmarking, custom reports, audience insights
Later: 3 (very easy) | Sprout Social: 6 (moderate)
Later: Shoppable posts, Stories planning, Reels scheduling, swipe-up links, follower insights | Sprout Social: Standard scheduling, hashtag recommendations, Stories, Reels support
Later: Visual drag-and-drop with image preview | Sprout Social: N/A
Later: Yes, full-featured free plan | Sprout Social: N/A
Later: Instagram and Pinterest only | Sprout Social: N/A
Later: Yes, native with payment system | Sprout Social: N/A
Social Listening Keywords (Standard Plan)
Later: N/A | Sprout Social: Advanced (predictive)
Later: N/A | Sprout Social: Table-based customizable
Later: N/A | Sprout Social: Advanced with attribution (20+ metric types)
Later: N/A | Sprout Social: All 12+ platforms
Later: N/A | Sprout Social: Advanced role-based with custom rules
Later: N/A | Sprout Social: Advanced queue, optimal send times, bulk scheduling
Later: N/A | Sprout Social: Basic competitor tracking
Later: N/A | Sprout Social: Comprehensive with routing and assignment
Later: N/A | Sprout Social: Advanced with custom dashboards, sentiment analysis, competitor benchmarking
Social Listening / Competitor Monitoring
Later: N/A | Sprout Social: Full suite with keyword tracking and sentiment analysis
Later: N/A | Sprout Social: 24/7 phone, email, chat + dedicated account manager (Standard+)
Content Calendar Capacity (Posts Per Month)
Later: N/A | Sprout Social: 50+ metrics with custom dashboards
Later: N/A | Sprout Social: Multi-stage with custom roles
Later: N/A | Sprout Social: 24 hours (all tiers)
CRM Contact Storage Limit (Free/Entry Tier)
Later: N/A | Sprout Social: 8+ (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, X, Pinterest, YouTube, WhatsApp, Bluesky)
AI Sentiment Analysis / Social Listening
Later: N/A | Sprout Social: Advanced with trend detection, competitor analysis, and custom listening rules
Team Members Supported (Free/Standard Tier)
Later: N/A | Sprout Social: 50+ with role-based access
Later: N/A | Sprout Social: Not included in social plan
Later: N/A | Sprout Social: Multi-level customizable
Monthly Post Scheduling Limit (Entry Plan)
Later: N/A | Sprout Social: Unlimited posts
Later: N/A | Sprout Social: Included (all plans)
How to choose between Later and Sprout Social
Later vs Sprout Social — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for Later vs Sprout Social. Contains 112 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
Later vs Sprout Social — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Later vs Sprout Social.
Can Later compete with Sprout Social for enterprise teams?
No. Later maxes out around 5-10 team members due to limited collaboration features (no approval workflows or role-based permissions). Sprout Social is built for 10-500+ person organizations with granular access controls, approval queues, and compliance tools. If your team exceeds 10 people or requires content approvals, Later becomes inadequate.
Is Later good for multi-channel brands managing Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter equally?
Not ideal. Later prioritizes visual platforms (Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest). While it supports Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter, it lacks the advanced listening, multi-channel analytics, and brand monitoring tools Sprout Social offers. For brands treating all channels equally, Sprout Social is the better choice.
How do the analytics compare for ROI tracking?
Later provides engagement metrics (likes, comments, reach, CTR) sufficient for content creators optimizing for audience growth. Sprout Social offers deeper ROI analytics including conversion attribution, revenue impact, customer journey tracking, and competitive benchmarking—essential for e-commerce and performance-driven brands. If you need to tie social to revenue, Sprout Social is significantly more capable.
Can I export data from Later or Sprout Social if I switch?
Both platforms allow data export. Later exports scheduling calendar and basic analytics via CSV. Sprout Social provides comprehensive data exports including full analytics, reports, and audience insights. However, switching either platform requires re-creating workflows and templates—neither makes switching simple.
Which is better for agencies managing client accounts?
Sprout Social dominates for agencies due to account-level reporting, white-label capabilities, team role management, and client dashboards. Later works for smaller agencies (under 10 clients) but lacks the client management infrastructure, approval workflows, and custom reporting that agencies managing 20+ clients require.
How to Choose Between Later and Sprout Social
Primary Focus: Later has Visual content (Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok), while Sprout Social has Multi-channel management & analytics.
Starting Price (Monthly): Later has $25/month, while Sprout Social has $249/month.
Team Size Sweet Spot: Later has 1-5 person teams, while Sprout Social has 10-500+ person enterprises.
Supported Platforms: Later has 6 platforms (Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn), while Sprout Social has 12+ platforms (includes WhatsApp, Messenger, YouTube, Threads, BlueSky).
Consider: Advanced Analytics & Reporting
Advanced Analytics & Reporting: Later has Basic engagement metrics, limited reporting, while Sprout Social has Sentiment analysis, competitive benchmarking, custom reports.
User Interface Complexity: Later has Intuitive, visual-first design, while Sprout Social has Steeper learning curve, more features.
Content Calendar Features: Later has Visual calendar, basic scheduling, while Sprout Social has Approval workflows, team assignments, content versioning.