Craft vs Sprout Social (2026): pricing and features compared
Sprout Social Essentials is $99/mo ($79 annual) for 5 profiles. Craft is $48 for 5 accounts (Solo plus extra accounts) with Instagram and Telegram funnels.
Sprout Social is a premium social media management suite for brands and agencies: publishing, a shared inbox, listening and reporting. Craft schedules posts to Instagram, TikTok and YouTube and, on the same plan, runs Instagram comment auto-replies and DM and Telegram funnels. They serve different buyers — this page shows where the line is.
Prices checked on September 21, 2026; Craft prices as of October 6, 2026. If a price changed, message us and we'll fix the page.
Short answer#
- Pick Craft if you run up to 5 accounts as a creator or small business: $48 a month vs $99, or $42 vs $79 annually.
- Pick Craft if you run one or two accounts: Solo is $12 vs $99, and Craft has a free plan.
- Pick Craft if you want comment auto-replies and DM or Telegram funnels without another subscription.
- Pick Sprout Social if you need a team suite: many networks, shared inbox, approvals, reporting for clients or management.
- Pick Sprout Social if Facebook, LinkedIn, X, Pinterest or Threads are part of your plan.
What it costs#
| Scenario | Craft, monthly | Craft, annual | Sprout Social, monthly | Sprout Social, annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (A) 5 Instagram accounts | $48 — Solo + 3 extra accounts | $42 | $99 — Essentials | $79 |
| (B) 2 Instagram + TikTok + YouTube | $36 — Solo + 2 extra accounts | $30 | $99 — Essentials | $79 |
| (C) 1 Instagram account | $12 — Solo, 2 accounts included | $6 | $99 — Essentials | $79 |
| (D) posting to 5 Instagram + funnels on one | $48 — Solo + 3 extra accounts | $42 | $138 — Essentials + ManyChat Pro | $108 |
💡 How we counted. Annual prices are per month, billed yearly. Craft: Solo $12 includes 2 accounts; each extra account is $12 a month, also on annual billing, so 4 accounts come to $36 ($30 a month billed annually) and 5 accounts to $48 ($42); Premium $249 (unlimited). Annual: Solo $6, Premium $125. The Pro plan is no longer sold to new users. Sprout Social Essentials: $99 a month, $79 billed annually, with 5 social profiles. Sprout prices its plans per user seat; we counted one user. Scenario D adds ManyChat Pro at $39 a month ($29 annually) for one Instagram account with up to 2,500 active contacts; ChatPlace would be $36 for Instagram + a Telegram bot ($20 + $16; $32 annually). On Craft the funnel runs on one of the same 5 accounts.
For these scenarios Craft is cheaper even for posting alone: two accounts cost $12 vs $99, and 5 accounts cost $48 vs $99 — about half — on monthly billing, and $42 vs $79 on annual billing.
See the Craft pricing.
How accounts are counted#
- Sprout Social: Essentials includes 5 social profiles. Each connected Instagram account counts toward that limit, whatever the network mix. See Sprout Social pricing.
- Craft: one shared account limit per plan, any networks, no per-user price. Solo includes 2 accounts and each extra one is $12 — 5 Instagram accounts, or a mix of networks, for example 2 Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and a Telegram bot. The same accounts serve posting and funnels.
Features side by side#
| Feature | Craft | Sprout Social |
|---|---|---|
| Instagram carousels and Reels | ✓ | ✓ |
| Instagram Stories | — | not verified |
| TikTok | ✓ video | ✓ |
| YouTube Shorts | ✓ | ✓ |
| Telegram channel posting | — | — |
| Facebook, Threads, LinkedIn, Pinterest, X | — | ✓ |
| Scheduler (post now, schedule, reschedule, cancel) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Analytics | funnel stats only | ✓ deep reporting |
| Team approvals | — | ✓ (plan level not verified) |
| Public API | ✓ Premium | not verified |
| MCP (Claude, ChatGPT) | ✓ any plan | not listed |
| Instagram comment auto-reply | ✓ | not verified |
| Instagram DM + Telegram funnels | ✓ | not listed |
| Payments inside the funnel | ✓ via your Lava account | — |
| Free plan | ✓ 1 account, 3 posts a month | not listed (trial) |
"Not listed" and "not verified" mean we didn't confirm it on the pages we checked — check with Sprout Social.
Where Sprout Social is stronger#
- A full team suite. Publishing, a shared inbox across networks, approvals and user roles.
- Reporting for managers and clients, far beyond Craft's funnel statistics.
- Networks. Facebook, LinkedIn, X, Pinterest and Threads alongside Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.
- Enterprise track record, support and integrations.
Where Craft is stronger#
- Price. 5 accounts for $48 ($42 annually) vs $99 ($79); two accounts for $12 ($6) vs $99.
- No per-user pricing and a free plan forever.
- Funnels included. Instagram comment auto-replies by keyword, DM funnels with buttons and delays, Telegram bot funnels, subscription checks and unlimited Telegram broadcasts, on the same accounts.
- Payments inside the funnel through your own Lava account. The money goes straight to you; Craft takes no commission.
- Telegram. Bots, broadcasts, closed-chat access after payment — Sprout Social doesn't cover Telegram.
What Craft posting doesn’t do#
Craft publishes to Instagram (carousels of 2–10 photos, Reels and videos, single photos), TikTok (videos) and YouTube (Shorts and videos). It doesn't post to Facebook, Threads, LinkedIn, Pinterest, X or Telegram channels. There are no team approvals, no user roles and no deep reach analytics. For a marketing department, Craft doesn't replace Sprout Social.
Schedule posts and build funnels by chatting with Claude or ChatGPT#
Craft has an MCP connector on every plan. Connect Craft to Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor or Claude Code and ask in plain words: "schedule these three carousels to Instagram for Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 9:00", or "build a funnel that sends the guide to everyone who comments GUIDE and checks they follow the account". Setup guide: Connect your Claude.
Moving from Sprout Social#
Message us on Telegram or at [email protected] and we'll help you connect your accounts and set up funnels. Or start free at app.craftopen.space.
Also compare: Craft vs Hootsuite · Craft vs Later · Craft vs Metricool · Best social media schedulers
Frequently asked questions#
Can I connect 5 Instagram accounts to Sprout Social, and what does it cost?#
Yes. Essentials includes 5 social profiles for $99 a month, or $79 billed annually, for one user. On Craft, 5 Instagram accounts cost $48 a month (Solo plus 3 extra accounts) or $42 a month billed annually.
Is Craft cheaper than Sprout Social?#
Yes, in every scenario we checked, even for posting alone. With funnels, Craft is $48 vs about $138 for Sprout Social plus a funnel tool.
Does Sprout Social support Telegram?#
We didn't find Telegram on Sprout Social's pricing page. Craft runs Telegram bot funnels and broadcasts, but doesn't post to Telegram channels.
Is Craft a Sprout Social alternative for agencies?#
For posting and funnels on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, yes. For multi-network reporting and team approvals, no.
Does Craft charge per user?#
No. Craft charges per plan: Solo includes 2 accounts, each extra account is $12, Premium is unlimited.
Sources#
- Craft pricing — https://craftopen.space/en#pricing — prices as of October 6, 2026
- Sprout Social pricing — https://sproutsocial.com/pricing/ — checked September 21, 2026
- ManyChat pricing — https://manychat.com/pricing — checked September 21, 2026
- ChatPlace pricing — https://help.chatplace.io/en/articles/6763310 — checked October 17, 2026