Sprout Social video editor alternatives: 5 steps for 2026
Sprout Social bills per seat from $99 a month. BetterSocials, Metricool and Canva each make a video editor. Five steps to price one stack at four accounts.
By Growth Ops Weekly staff6 min readUpdated Nov 8, 2026
If you want the video editor and the scheduler in one app, three Sprout Social alternatives make an editor of their own: BetterSocials, Metricool and Canva. Every price here is what the vendor's own page listed in October 2026 unless a line names another month. Sprout Social sells every plan per seat, from $99 a seat a month billed monthly. BetterSocials fits creators and local businesses that edit a clip, post it to six platforms and answer the comments from one login, from $29 a month for four accounts.
Metricool fits a team that wants a free plan to start on. Canva fits a team that already designs its posts in Canva.
Sprout Social's seat price, and the setup we walk through
Sprout Social prices every plan per seat. Essentials is $99 a seat a month billed monthly, and the shared inbox starts on Standard at $199 a seat a month billed yearly, per Sprout Social's pricing page. The bill grows with every person you add.
The five steps below put editing, posting and replies into one stack you can set up this week, with the bill worked out at four accounts. BetterSocials paid plans hold the editor, the scheduler and the inbox in one app. If your team only needs the inbox, our piece Agorapulse vs Sprout Social: what a small team pays in 2026 prices that job on its own.
Step 1: list the tools that make their own editor
BetterSocials, Metricool and Canva each make a video editor of their own.
That's your shortlist when you want to cut a clip without sending it through a second app first.
- BetterSocials runs a free AI video editor in the browser, with no card needed. It cuts silences and filler words, writes captions from the transcript, and lets you edit by deleting words from that transcript. Every paid plan includes the same editor next to scheduling and the inbox.
- Metricool lists an Image and Video Editor in its planner, beside the content calendar, auto publication and a Canva integration.
- Canva makes its own video editor, and Metricool's planner lists both a Canva and an Adobe Express integration.
- SocialBee lists a built-in image editor to edit, crop or flip visuals, plus custom video thumbnails.
Write one number beside each tool: how many minutes of footage one project can hold. BetterSocials caps the free editor at 4 minutes, and its paid plans run from 4 minutes on Creator to 2 hours on Team.
Step 2: check what Metricool's free plan covers
Metricool's Free plan covers 1 brand, up to 20 scheduled posts a month, 30 days of analytics, 5 competitor profiles and the AI social media assistant. A brand, in Metricool's terms, is one business with all of its social networks. The Free plan connects every network except LinkedIn and Twitter.
Paid Metricool is priced by brand. Starter is $25 a month, or $20 billed yearly, for up to 5 brands, per Metricool's pricing page. Advanced is $67 a month, or $53 billed yearly, and adds team and client management, roles and a post approval system.
At the entry tier Metricool costs less than BetterSocials, and its Free plan costs nothing. Connect one brand on the Free plan and check which planner tools open for it before you pay for Starter.
Step 3: price a two-tool stack with Buffer and an editor
Buffer and Descript prices are from August 2026. Buffer charges $5 a channel a month on annual billing, so four channels run $20 a month. That makes it cheaper per channel than BetterSocials Creator at $29 a month.
Buffer's Community inbox covers comments on every plan. If your Instagram and Facebook messages matter to sales, BetterSocials puts the comments and the Instagram, Facebook and TikTok DMs in one inbox.
A separate editor adds its own line to the bill. Descript's Hobbyist plan is $16 a month on annual billing, which puts Buffer plus Descript at $36 a month for four channels ($16 + 4 x $5 = $36). Canva is the other common partner, since it makes a video editor of its own.
Any two-tool stack has a handoff. You edit in one app, export the file and upload it to the scheduler.
Each of those steps is a place a clip can stall.
Step 4: compare Publer, SocialBee and Later on price
Publer is the cheapest paid entry here at one account. Professional is $5 a month and Business is $10 for one social account, with 20% off on yearly billing, per Publer's plans page. Publer also has a Free plan for one user.
Publer's price climbs with each account. Two accounts run $9 a month on Professional and $17 on Business, billed monthly.
SocialBee bills by profile count, and yearly billing takes 16% off. Bootstrap is $29 per month for up to 5 profiles. Accelerate is $49 for 10, and Pro is $99 for 25 profiles across 5 workspaces.
Every SocialBee plan includes unlimited AI content generation and a 14-day free trial. SocialBee's pricing page lists a built-in image editor for crops and flips, plus custom video thumbnails.
Later's prices are from September 2026. Starter is $25 a month, or $18.75 billed yearly. Later's Conversations inbox covers Instagram and Facebook DMs and comments plus TikTok comments, and it starts on Growth at $50 a month, or $37.50 billed yearly. Later has no YouTube or LinkedIn conversations.
Step 5: run the sum at four accounts
One person posting to four accounts is the case to price, and BetterSocials Creator covers it with the editor, posting and the inbox included. The table prices each stack that way.
| Stack | Editor | Covers | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| BetterSocials Creator | Built in | 4 accounts | $29 a month |
| Metricool Starter | Metricool's own | 5 brands | $20 a month, billed yearly |
| SocialBee Bootstrap | Image editor | 5 profiles | $29 less 16%, billed yearly |
| Buffer and Descript | Descript Hobbyist | 4 channels | $20 plus $16, billed yearly |
Buffer's line is 4 x $5 = $20, plus Descript Hobbyist at $16, for $36 a month. Metricool Starter is the cheapest stack at $20 a month.
BetterSocials Creator costs $29 - $20 = $9 a month more than Metricool Starter and $36 - $29 = $7 less than Buffer and Descript, and it includes one inbox for comments and DMs, with AI replies written in your voice.
Check the footage cap before you pick. BetterSocials Creator holds 4 minutes of footage per project, Pro holds 60 minutes for six accounts, and Team holds 2 hours.
For scale, one Sprout Social Standard seat, the first Sprout Social plan with the inbox, is $199 a month billed yearly. A second person doubles that bill.
Where BetterSocials fits in the stack
BetterSocials is an AI social media manager, best for creators and local businesses who want to edit a video, post it and answer the comments and DMs it brings in from one app. BetterSocials posts to Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Threads, LinkedIn and TikTok, and it drafts replies in the account owner's voice.
The free AI video editor runs in the browser with no card needed, and it's capped at 4 minutes of footage. Paid plans add the same editor with captions, text, sounds and overlays. Creator is $29 a month for four accounts, Pro is $49, for six, and Team is $99, for twelve accounts and unlimited teammates.
Creator and Pro are one login each, so a team where several people sign in needs Team. Every plan starts with a 7-day free trial with a card required, and BetterSocials has no free plan beyond the editor.
To try it, open the free editor on the BetterSocials site or start the 7-day trial from its pricing page.
FAQ
Which Sprout Social alternative has a free video editor built in?
BetterSocials has a free AI video editor in the browser, with no card needed, capped at 4 minutes of footage. It cuts silences and filler words and writes captions from the transcript. Metricool and Canva also make video editors of their own, and BetterSocials paid plans start at $29 a month for four accounts.
What does Publer cost in 2026?
Publer has a Free plan at $0 for one user. Professional is $5 a month and Business is $10 for one social account, with 20% off on yearly billing. The price rises with each account, so two accounts run $9 a month on Professional and $17 on Business, billed monthly.
What does a social media scheduler with a video editor cost in 2026?
BetterSocials Creator is $29 a month for four accounts, with 4 minutes of footage per editor project. Pro is $49 a month for six accounts and 60 minutes, and Team is $99 a month for twelve accounts and 2 hours. Metricool, which makes its own editor, starts paid plans at $25 a month, or $20 billed yearly, for up to 5 brands.