Viraly vs Sprout Social: Is $199/Seat Worth It? (2026)

ViralyBy Viraly
Updated January 30, 2026
Viraly vs Sprout Social: Is $199/Seat Worth It? (2026)

Last Updated: February 2026

Quick Verdict

Viraly is the better choice if: You want feature-rich social scheduling at a fraction of Sprout’s cost. Viraly offers flat-rate pricing ($19-99/month for unlimited team growth), content recycling, Link in Bio, and social sets for organizing brands with granular permissions. A 5-person team saves $16,752/year vs Sprout while gaining features Sprout lacks.

Sprout Social is the better choice if: You specifically need social listening (Talkwalker-level monitoring), Salesforce integration, or SOC 2/ISO 27001 compliance. These enterprise features justify Sprout’s premium for organizations that require them.

In this Viraly versus Sprout Social comparison, we break down whether premium per-seat pricing delivers proportional value—or if you’re paying enterprise prices for features you won’t use.

At a Glance

FeatureViralySprout Social
Free PlanYes (3 profiles, 10 posts/month)No (30-day trial only)
Starting Paid Price$19/month (5 profiles, 200 posts)$199/month per seat (5 profiles)
Pricing ModelFlat rate per planPer-seat (each user pays)
Platforms Supported1013 + WhatsApp
Evergreen/RecyclingYes (all plans)No
Link in BioFree (1-50 pages), with analyticsNo
Social ListeningNoYes (~$999+/month add-on)
Team MembersBusiness: 5, Agency: 15 (+$2 add-ons)Per-seat ($199-499 each)
Social Sets (Brand Grouping)Yes (all plans)Limited
Permission-Based AccessYes (per social set)Role-based (Professional+)
AI FeaturesUnlimited (all plans)Professional+ only
CRM IntegrationsLimitedSalesforce, HubSpot, Zendesk
ComplianceStandardSOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR
Founded20232010

Pricing Comparison

This is where the tools differ dramatically. Viraly uses flat-rate pricing (pay per plan, not per user). Sprout Social charges per seat—every team member needs their own paid subscription.

Viraly Plans

PlanMonthlyAnnual (17% off)ProfilesPosts/MonthTeam Members
Free$0$0310
Influencer$19$15.805200
Business$49$40.80155005
Agency$99$82.5050Unlimited15
EnterpriseCustomCustomUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited

Note: Agency add-ons: $2/month per additional profile (beyond 50) or team member (beyond 15).

Sprout Social Plans

PlanMonthly/SeatAnnual/SeatProfilesUsers
Standard$249$19951 per seat
Professional$399$299Unlimited1 per seat
Advanced$499$399Unlimited1 per seat
EnterpriseCustomCustomUnlimitedCustom

Important: Each user requires their own seat. A 3-person team on Professional pays $897-1,197/month.

Real Cost Comparison

Team/Profile SetupViralySprout SocialAnnual Savings with Viraly
1 user, 5 profiles$19/mo ($228/yr)$199/mo ($2,388/yr)$2,160/year
1 user, 15 profiles$49/mo ($588/yr)$299/mo ($3,588/yr)$3,000/year
3 users, 15 profiles$49/mo ($588/yr)$897/mo ($10,764/yr)$10,176/year
5 users, 50 profiles$99/mo ($1,188/yr)$1,495/mo ($17,940/yr)$16,752/year
10 users, 50 profiles$129/mo* ($1,548/yr)$2,990/mo ($35,880/yr)$34,332/year

*Viraly: $99 Agency + 5 additional team members at $2 each = $109/mo. Even adding more users, Viraly is a fraction of Sprout’s cost.

Key insight: A 5-person team saves $16,752/year by choosing Viraly. The price difference is so substantial that Viraly could be 10-30x cheaper depending on team size.

Add-On Costs (Sprout Social)

Sprout’s base plans don’t include everything. Key add-ons:

Add-OnPriceNotes
Social Listening~$999-1,000+/monthEssential for brand monitoring
Premium Analytics~$100-400/monthEnhanced reporting
Employee Advocacy~$150-400/employee/yearFor internal sharing programs

A Professional seat + Listening could cost $1,300+/month per user.

Platform Support

PlatformViralySprout Social
Instagram Business/CreatorYes (auto-publish)Yes (auto-publish)
Facebook PagesYesYes
Facebook GroupsNoLimited
X (Twitter)Yes (Influencer+, 10/day)Yes (all plans)
LinkedIn PersonalYesYes
LinkedIn CompanyYesYes
TikTokYesYes
YouTube ShortsYesYes
YouTube Long-formNoYes
PinterestYesYes
ThreadsYesYes
BlueskyYesYes
MastodonYesNo
Google Business ProfileNoYes
WhatsApp BusinessNoYes

Key differences:

  • YouTube long-form: Only Sprout supports full video publishing
  • WhatsApp Business: Only Sprout supports it
  • Google Business Profile: Only Sprout supports it
  • Mastodon: Only Viraly supports it
  • X (Twitter): Viraly limits to 10 posts/day on Influencer+ plan; Sprout has no daily limit

Feature Comparison

Scheduling & Publishing

FeatureViralySprout Social
Visual CalendarDay/Week/Month viewsYes
Drag-and-dropYesYes
Queue ManagementYesYes (Sprout Queue)
Bulk Upload (CSV)YesYes
Optimal Send TimesNoYes (ViralPost, Professional+)
First CommentsYes (Influencer+)Yes
Post Categories/TagsYesYes (Professional+)
Draft PostsYesYes
Approval WorkflowsBusiness+Standard+ (custom on Professional+)
Schedule in AdvanceUnlimited180 days
Asset LibraryMedia Library (all plans)Advanced plan only

Post Limits by Plan

ToolFreeEntry PaidMid TierTop Tier
Viraly10/month200/month (Influencer)500/month (Business)Unlimited (Agency)
Sprout SocialN/A (no free plan)Unlimited (Standard)Unlimited (Professional)Unlimited (Advanced)

Verdict: Trade-offs. Sprout offers unlimited posts on all paid plans and optimal send times. Viraly offers a free plan and unlimited posts on Agency for $99 vs Sprout’s $199+ per seat.

Content Types Supported

Content TypeViralySprout Social
Instagram PostsUp to 10 imagesUp to 10 images
Instagram Reels3 sec – 15 minUp to 60 sec (limited in Sprout)
Instagram StoriesYes (auto-publish)Yes (effects require mobile)
Instagram CarouselsYes (mixed media)Yes (mixed media)
Facebook ReelsYes (3-90 sec)Yes (3-60 sec in Sprout)
Facebook StoriesYesNo (must create on Facebook)
LinkedIn DocumentsYes (PDF, PPTX, DOCX)Yes
LinkedIn CarouselsYes (2-20 images)Yes (up to 20 images)
TikTok VideosUp to 10 minUp to 10 min
TikTok Photo ModeUp to 35 imagesNo (not supported)
X/Twitter ThreadsYes (up to 25)No (not supported)
YouTube ShortsYesYes (up to 3 min)
YouTube Long-formNoYes (up to 12 hrs verified)

Verdict: Context-dependent. Viraly supports TikTok Photo Mode (35 images) and X Threads; Sprout supports YouTube long-form. Sprout has stricter Reel limits (60 sec vs 15 min native).

Evergreen Content Recycling

FeatureViralySprout Social
Auto-recycle postsYes (all plans)No
Recycle intervals7-365 days + customN/A
Caption variations3-10 per postN/A
AI variation generatorYesN/A
End date settingYesN/A

Verdict: Viraly wins. Sprout has no content recycling. This is a major differentiator for evergreen content strategies.

Link in Bio

FeatureViraly FreeViraly InfluencerViraly BusinessViraly AgencySprout Social
IncludedYesYesYesYesNo
Bio pages151550
Page analyticsNoYesYesYes
Products103075
Email collectionNoYesYesYes
Tipping/Donations5 methods10 methodsUnlimited

Verdict: Viraly wins. Sprout Social has no Link in Bio feature. Viraly includes it free on all plans with analytics on paid tiers.

AI & Content Tools

FeatureViralySprout Social
AI Caption GeneratorYes (GPT-4, unlimited)Yes (Professional+)
AI Reply SuggestionsNoYes (Advanced only)
AI Sentiment AnalysisNoYes (Advanced only)
AI Alt TextNoYes (all plans)
Content templates10 categoriesYes
Media libraryYes (all plans)Advanced only
Image editorYes (Pintura)Basic
Video editorYes (trim, crop)No

Verdict: Different strengths. Viraly offers unlimited AI on all plans with video editing. Sprout’s AI features are more advanced but locked behind $299-499/seat plans.

Analytics

FeatureViralySprout Social
Full analytics dashboardAll 10 platforms9+ platforms
Competitor reportsNoProfessional+ only
Custom report builderNoProfessional+ only
Branded PDF exportsNoTeam reports (Advanced)
Scheduled reportsNoAdvanced only
Analytics APINoAdvanced only

Analytics History by Plan

ToolFreeEntry PaidMid TierTop Tier
Viraly2 weeks6 months (Influencer)12 months (Business)2 years (Agency)
Sprout SocialN/ANot specifiedNot specifiedNot specified

Verdict: Sprout wins on depth. Competitor reports, custom report builder, and scheduled delivery are powerful. Viraly wins on accessibility (analytics on all plans including free).

Team Collaboration

FeatureViraly FreeViraly InfluencerViraly BusinessViraly AgencySprout StandardSprout ProfessionalSprout Advanced
Team members11515 (+$2/member)1 per $199 seat1 per $299 seat1 per $399 seat
Social Sets (Brand Grouping)YesYesYesYesLimitedLimitedLimited
Permission per social setNoNoYesYesNoNoNo
Approval workflowsNoNoYesYesBasicCustomAdvanced
Role permissionsNoNoYesYesBasicAdvancedFull
External approvalNoNoNoNoNoYesYes
SSONoNoNoNoNoNoEnterprise

Verdict: Viraly wins for most teams. Viraly Business ($49/month) includes 5 team members with social sets for organizing brands and granular permissions per set. A 5-person team on Sprout Professional costs $1,495/month—30x more—without the same brand organization flexibility. Sprout’s advantage is external stakeholder approval and enterprise SSO.

Comment Management & Engagement

FeatureViralySprout Social
Unified inboxNoYes (Smart Inbox)
Platforms supported10 platforms
AI-generated repliesNoYes (Advanced)
Sentiment labelsNoYes (Advanced)
Message taggingNoYes (Professional+)
Collision detectionNoYes
Saved repliesNoYes
DM managementNoYes
ChatbotsNoYes (Advanced)

Verdict: Sprout wins. Smart Inbox is best-in-class. Viraly focuses on publishing, not engagement.

Social Listening

FeatureViralySprout Social
AvailabilityNoAdd-on (~$999+/month)
Keyword monitoringYes
Competitor trackingYes
Sentiment analysisYes
Crisis alertsYes
Sources11+ (including Reddit, TikTok, web)

Verdict: Sprout wins, but very expensive at $999/month. Social Listening is powerful but costs $999+/month on top of seat costs. Not comparable—Viraly doesn’t offer this.

Integrations

CategoryViralySprout Social
Email Marketing/CRM8 platforms
Tracking PixelsGA4, Meta Pixel, TikTok Pixel, GTMGoogle Analytics, Tableau
Link ShorteningBuilt-in (vrl.link) with analyticsBitly integration
AIOpenAI GPT-4 (built-in)Proprietary AI
Stock PhotosUnsplash (built-in)
CRM (Sales-focused)HubSpot (via email integration)Salesforce, HubSpot, Dynamics 365
Help DeskZendesk, Salesforce Service Cloud
DesignCanva (via upload)Canva, Adobe Express, Bynder
StorageDropbox, Google Drive
AutomationZapier, Make, IFTTTSlack, Microsoft Teams

Verdict: Sprout wins for enterprise CRM. Salesforce and Dynamics 365 integrations are critical for large sales teams. Viraly wins on email marketing (8 platforms vs 0), built-in link shortening, tracking pixels (includes TikTok Pixel and GTM), and built-in Unsplash stock photos.

Compliance & Security

FeatureViralySprout Social
Data Encryption256-bit AES at restYes
Cloud HostingAWSEnterprise cloud
GDPR CompliantYesYes
CCPA CompliantYesYes
SOC 2 Type 2NoYes
ISO 27001NoYes
SSO/SAMLNoEnterprise only
Dedicated CSMEnterpriseEnterprise

Verdict: Sprout wins for regulated industries. SOC 2 and ISO 27001 certifications matter for healthcare, finance, and government. For standard business use, Viraly’s 256-bit AES encryption, AWS hosting, and GDPR/CCPA compliance provide robust security for most organizations.

Where Viraly Wins

Feature-Rich at 3-30x Lower Cost

Viraly isn’t a stripped-down budget alternative—it’s a full-featured platform with capabilities Sprout lacks:

  • Massive cost savings: $99/month for 50 profiles & 15 users vs $1,495+/month for same on Sprout. A 5-person team saves $16,752/year.
  • Social sets for brand organization: Group profiles by client, brand, or region with granular permissions per set. Control exactly which team members access which accounts.
  • Flat-rate pricing: Adding team members costs $2/month, not $199-499/month. Team growth doesn’t destroy your budget.
  • Evergreen content recycling: Automatic republishing with AI caption variations—Sprout has nothing comparable
  • Link in Bio: Free with analytics, e-commerce (75 products), donations, email collection—Sprout doesn’t offer this at all
  • TikTok Photo Mode: 35-image carousels vs unsupported in Sprout
  • X/Twitter Threads: Up to 25 tweets natively vs unsupported in Sprout
  • Unlimited AI: All plans include GPT-4 captions; Sprout locks AI behind $299+/seat plans
  • Email integrations: 8 platforms (Mailchimp, Klaviyo, HubSpot, etc.) vs none in Sprout
  • Video editing: Built-in trim, crop, cover photo selection

Where Sprout Social Wins

  • Social Listening: Industry-leading monitoring (50,000 posts/second)
  • Smart Inbox: Best-in-class engagement across 10 platforms
  • Enterprise integrations: Salesforce, HubSpot, Zendesk, Dynamics 365
  • YouTube long-form: Full video publishing support
  • WhatsApp Business: Messaging integration
  • Google Business Profile: Local business scheduling
  • Compliance certifications: SOC 2, ISO 27001 for regulated industries
  • Competitor reports: Benchmark against competitors (Professional+)
  • Optimal send times: ViralPost algorithm
  • Bot Builder: Automated chatbot responses (Advanced)
  • Team permissions: Granular role-based access control
  • Established platform: 14+ years, 30,000 customers, public company

Who Should Choose Viraly

Small Businesses & Startups

Sprout’s $199/seat minimum is prohibitive for most small businesses. Viraly’s Business plan ($49/month for 15 profiles and 5 team members) covers most SMB needs at 4% of the cost—with social sets and permissions included.

Freelancers & Solopreneurs

If you manage clients solo, Viraly Influencer ($19/month) or Business ($49/month) gives you professional scheduling at 90% less than Sprout’s cheapest option, with content recycling and Link in Bio that Sprout lacks.

Agencies Managing Multiple Clients

Viraly Agency ($99/month for 50 profiles, 15 team members, unlimited posts) replaces what would cost $3,000-15,000/month on Sprout. Use social sets to organize each client’s profiles with granular permissions controlling which team members access which accounts.

Large Teams with Multiple Brands

Marketing teams managing multiple product lines, regions, or business units benefit from social sets—segment profiles by brand and assign team permissions per set. Flat-rate pricing means team growth doesn’t multiply costs like Sprout’s per-seat model.

Evergreen Content Publishers

Tips, quotes, testimonials, product highlights—only Viraly can automatically recycle this content with AI-generated caption variations. Sprout requires manual rescheduling.

Link in Bio Power Users

Multiple bio pages with e-commerce products (up to 75), donations, email collection, and analytics—all included free. Sprout doesn’t offer Link in Bio at all.

Budget-Conscious Teams

Any team that balks at $200+/seat/month for social scheduling. Viraly’s flat-rate model means adding team members costs $2/month, not $199-499/month.

Who Should Choose Sprout Social

Enterprise Organizations

SOC 2, ISO 27001 certifications, SSO, and Salesforce integration matter. Sprout is built for enterprise security and compliance requirements.

Customer Care Teams

Smart Inbox with AI-suggested replies, sentiment analysis, chatbots, and 10-platform engagement is industry-leading. If social is a support channel, Sprout excels.

Brands Needing Social Listening

Monitoring brand mentions, competitor activity, and crisis detection across 11+ sources at 50,000 posts/second. No other tool matches this (though it costs $999+/month extra).

YouTube-Focused Publishers

Sprout supports full YouTube video publishing (up to 12 hours verified). Viraly only supports Shorts.

Large Teams with Complex Workflows

Custom approval workflows, external stakeholder approval, granular permissions across departments—Sprout handles organizational complexity.

Companies Using Salesforce/HubSpot

Deep CRM integration means social conversations link to customer records. Critical for sales and support alignment.

FAQ

How do Viraly and Sprout Social pricing compare?

Viraly uses flat-rate pricing; Sprout Social charges per seat. Viraly costs $19-99/month regardless of team size (Agency includes 15 users). Sprout costs $199-499 per user per month—a 5-person team pays $995-2,495/month on Sprout vs $99/month on Viraly. The savings compound dramatically with team size.

Why is Sprout Social so expensive?

Sprout Social’s per-seat pricing reflects enterprise-grade features: SOC 2/ISO 27001 compliance, Salesforce integration, and industry-leading social listening. For teams that need these, the premium may be justified. For teams primarily scheduling posts, alternatives like Viraly offer core functionality at 90% less cost.

Which tool is better for small businesses?

Viraly. Sprout’s $199/seat minimum is prohibitive for most small businesses. Viraly’s Business plan ($49/month) includes 15 profiles and 5 team members—covering typical SMB needs at 4% of Sprout’s cost. Sprout only makes sense for small businesses requiring Salesforce integration or compliance certifications.

Which tool is better for agencies?

For cost-conscious agencies: Viraly. Agency plan ($99/month) includes 50 profiles, 15 team members, and unlimited posts. Equivalent Sprout setup costs $3,000-15,000/month depending on team size. For enterprise agencies needing compliance: Sprout’s SOC 2 certification and Salesforce integration may justify the premium.

Which tool has a free plan?

Only Viraly. Viraly offers a permanent free plan with 3 profiles and 10 posts/month—no credit card required. Sprout Social has no free tier, only a 30-day trial. After that, the minimum is $199/seat/month.

Can I recycle evergreen content with either tool?

Only with Viraly. Evergreen recycling (automatically republishing content on a schedule with caption variations) is a core Viraly feature on all plans. Sprout Social has no content recycling—every post must be manually rescheduled. This is a major differentiator for quote posts, tips, and promotional content.

Which tool has better analytics?

Sprout wins on depth; Viraly wins on accessibility. Sprout offers competitor reports, custom report builder, and scheduled PDF delivery—but locks these behind $299+/seat plans. Viraly includes analytics on all plans (even free), covering all 10 platforms with up to 2 years of history on Agency.

Which tool supports more social platforms?

Sprout: 13 platforms + WhatsApp. Includes Google Business Profile and WhatsApp that Viraly lacks. Viraly: 10 platforms. Includes Mastodon that Sprout lacks. Both support Instagram, Facebook, X, LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Pinterest, Threads, and Bluesky.

Which tool has better team collaboration features?

Sprout wins on features; Viraly wins on cost. Sprout offers granular permissions, external stakeholder approval, and SSO (enterprise). But a 5-person team costs $1,495+/month. Viraly Business ($49/month) includes 5 team members with approval workflows—adequate for most teams at 3% of the cost.

Does either tool offer Link in Bio?

Only Viraly. Viraly includes Link in Bio free on all plans with analytics, products (up to 75), donations, and email collection on paid tiers. Sprout Social doesn’t offer Link in Bio—you’d need a separate tool like Linktree ($5-24/month).

Is Sprout Social worth the price?

For enterprises: potentially yes. SOC 2/ISO 27001 compliance, Salesforce integration, Smart Inbox, and social listening are genuinely valuable for regulated industries and large support teams. For most teams: probably not. A 5-person team saves $16,752/year with Viraly while keeping core scheduling, analytics, and collaboration features.

Which tool has better AI features?

Different strengths. Sprout offers AI-suggested replies, sentiment analysis, and alt text generation—but only on Professional+ plans ($299+/seat). Viraly offers unlimited GPT-4 caption generation on all plans including free. Sprout’s AI excels at engagement; Viraly’s AI is more accessible for content creation.

Can either tool schedule Instagram Stories automatically?

Both, with differences. Viraly auto-publishes Stories directly. Sprout auto-publishes basic Stories, but Stories with stickers, music, or effects require their mobile workflow (you get a push notification to complete posting on your phone).

Can either tool schedule X/Twitter threads?

Only Viraly. Viraly supports X/Twitter threads up to 25 posts. Sprout Social does not support thread scheduling as of February 2026.

Which tool is better for social listening?

Sprout—but at significant cost. Sprout’s Social Listening add-on (~$999+/month) monitors 50,000 posts/second across 11+ sources including Reddit, TikTok, and web mentions. Viraly doesn’t offer social listening. If brand monitoring is critical, consider Sprout or standalone tools like Mention ($99-299/month).

I’m a freelancer managing 5 clients—which should I use?

Viraly. Influencer plan ($19/month) covers 5 profiles with 200 posts/month and unlimited AI. Sprout’s minimum is $199/month for the same 5 profiles. You’d save $2,160/year with Viraly while gaining evergreen recycling and Link in Bio that Sprout lacks.

Does Sprout Social integrate with Salesforce?

Yes—this is a key Sprout strength. Deep Salesforce integration links social conversations to CRM records, enabling sales and support teams to see full customer context. Sprout also integrates with HubSpot, Dynamics 365, and Zendesk. Viraly focuses on email marketing integrations (8 platforms) rather than CRM.

Final Verdict

For 90% of social media managers, Viraly is the better choice. It’s not just about cost savings (though a 5-person team saves $16,752/year)—Viraly offers features Sprout lacks entirely: content recycling, Link in Bio, TikTok Photo Mode, X/Twitter threads, and social sets for brand organization with granular permissions. You’re getting MORE functionality at 3-30x less cost.

Sprout Social is worth its premium for:

  • Enterprise teams requiring SOC 2/ISO 27001 compliance
  • Customer care teams using social as a support channel (Smart Inbox is best-in-class)
  • Organizations deeply integrated with Salesforce
  • Brands needing real-time social listening at scale ($999+/month add-on)
Your SituationRecommendation
Solo creator or freelancerViraly Influencer ($19/mo)
Small business (1-5 people)Viraly Business ($49/mo)
Agency (any size)Viraly Agency ($99/mo)
Evergreen content strategyViraly (only option with recycling)
Link in Bio needsViraly (Sprout doesn’t offer it)
Enterprise compliance requiredSprout Social
Social listening requiredSprout Social (+ $999/mo add-on)
Salesforce/CRM integrationSprout Social
YouTube long-form videosSprout Social
Social customer care focusSprout Social

Pricing and features verified against official documentation, February 2026.