Essentials lost Professional Services and Employee Advocacy add-ons
The Professional Services and Employee Advocacy add-ons were limited to Standard and higher, so Essentials buyers lost access to them.
What changed
- Limits cut, Jan 12, 2026
- Before: Both add-ons available on every plan, including Essentials
- After: Both add-ons available on Standard and higher only
- Existing customers: not stated
Cheaper alternatives to Sprout Social
At 1 user with 5 profiles, Sprout Social costs $99/mo. 2 social media management tools cost less:
- Later: $25/mo (Starter plan, monthly billing (1 user, one 8-profile social set)), covers 70% of Sprout Social; missing or partial: Analytics & reports (partly), Social listening, Queues & evergreen recycling, SSO & compliance, API & integrations
- Buffer: $30/mo (Essentials, 5 channels, monthly billing), covers 77% of Sprout Social; missing or partial: Analytics & reports (partly), Social listening, SSO & compliance, Paid ad campaign management
Sprout Social alternatives: 3 social media management tools compared, at every size.
Sources
Every price and change for Sprout Social: Sprout Social.