Dig vs Sprout Social: Which Is Better? (2026 Comparison)

TL;DR

Dig is a niche, video-first intelligence platform built for Fortune 500 brand reputation and disinformation monitoring, while Sprout Social is a broad, market-leading enterprise management tool for publishing, analytics, and cross-channel engagement. For a deeper look at your choices, check out our all ShortsIntel comparisons or explore specific Dig alternatives.

Feature Comparison
Feature
Dig
Sprout Social
Content Discovery
UGC Discovery
3/5
2/5
Brand Mention Detection
5/5
4/5
Untagged Content Detection
4/5
1/5
Video Tracking
Short-Form Video Tracking
5/5
2/5
Creator Management
Creator Analytics
3/5
3/5
Rights Management
1/5
2/5
Intelligence & AI
Competitor Intelligence
4/5
5/5
AI Content Tagging
5/5
3/5
Platform & Integrations
Multi-Platform Support
3/5
5/5
Integrations
1/5
5/5
Reporting & Collaboration
Reporting Dashboards
3/5
5/5
Team Collaboration
2/5
5/5
API Access
1/5
4/5
Usability & Support
Ease of Use
2/5
3/5
Customer Support
3/5
4/5

Feature Deep Dive

When comparing Dig and Sprout Social, the primary differentiator is the medium they prioritize. Dig is built for the video-first era of social media, utilizing a proprietary LLM stack to analyze TikTok, Reels, and YouTube Shorts frame-by-frame. It excels in narrative detection and brand safety, earning a 5/5 for short-form video tracking and AI content tagging. Conversely, Sprout Social is a generalized powerhouse, holding the G2 #1 spot for social listening. It provides a unified inbox and deep CRM integrations that Dig lacks, though its video-specific intelligence is significantly less advanced (scoring 2/5 for video tracking).

In terms of content discovery, Dig offers superior untagged content detection (4/5) compared to Sprout Social's basic keyword matching (1/5). This makes Dig better for brands worried about reputation management and deepfake detection. However, if your team needs to manage a unified inbox and schedule posts across nine or more platforms, Sprout Social's 5/5 rating for multi-platform support and team collaboration makes it the logical choice. For those exploring more specialized video options, a ShortsIntel vs Dig comparison reveals how focused tools can outperform generalists in niche categories.

Sprout Social’s strengths lie in its reporting dashboards and integration ecosystem. With a 5/5 for Salesforce and CRM connectivity, it serves as a central hub for marketing teams. Dig, on the other hand, is a specialized intelligence layer. It lacks a public API and has very few integrations (1/5), meaning insights often stay siloed within the platform. If you are leaning toward Sprout but concerned about costs, you might look for a Sprout Social alternative that offers similar reporting at a lower price point.

Finally, creator management is a secondary focus for both. While Sprout Social offers basic listening add-ons, it lacks native rights management. Dig focuses on the reputational impact of influencers rather than the logistics of running campaigns. Users comparing these two often find that while Sprout is better for high-volume publishing, Dig is better for deep-dive market research. You can find more head-to-head data in our Archive vs Sprout Social and Brandwatch vs Dig guides to see how they stack up against other enterprise-grade tools.

Pricing Comparison
Plan Details
Dig
Sprout Social
Pricing Model
Custom
Per Seat
Free Tier
Free Trial30 days
Pricing Tiers
Entry Tier
EnterpriseCustom
Standard$199/moor $199/yr
Mid Tier
Professional$299/moor $299/yr
Top Tier
Advanced$399/moor $399/yr
Annual Cost (5-Person Team)*
Contact Sales
$995
Hidden Costs
  • Custom pricing only — no public pricing page, must request demo
  • Brand-specific customization and onboarding required
  • No self-serve option — enterprise sales process only
  • +1 more
  • Premium Analytics add-on required for custom comparisons
  • Listening add-on required for advanced social listening features
  • Employee Advocacy add-on for content curation
  • +2 more

* Annual cost calculated using entry tier pricing. Per-seat pricing multiplied by 5 users. Actual costs may vary based on specific plan and usage.

Pricing Analysis

The pricing models for Dig and Sprout Social could not be more different, reflecting their distinct market positions. Sprout Social utilizes a per-seat pricing model, starting at $199/mo per user for the Standard tier and reaching $399/mo for the Advanced tier. For a team of five users on the Professional plan ($299/mo), the annual investment would be roughly $17,940, excluding required add-ons for social listening or premium analytics. If your team is growing, you may want to research Sprout Social alternatives to avoid the scaling costs of per-seat billing.

Dig operates exclusively on a custom enterprise pricing model. There is no self-serve option or free trial; access requires a demo and a formal sales process. Market data suggests entry-point budgets for Dig typically start at $2,000/month ($24,000/year), which includes brand-specific customization and onboarding. While more expensive than Sprout for a single user, Dig can be more cost-effective for large global organizations that need specific disinformation and narrative clustering features not found in standard listening tools. For those who find these enterprise costs prohibitive, seeking a Dig alternative is usually the next step. Dig's lack of a free tier makes it strictly a high-stakes investment for Fortune 500 brands, whereas Sprout Social offers a 30-day trial for mid-market teams to test the waters.

Who Is Each Product Best For?

Dig

Video-first social intelligence platform for brand reputation monitoring, narrative detection, and influencer evaluation across social video

Best For

  • Enterprise brands needing deep social video intelligence and monitoring
  • Fortune 500 companies in luxury, CPG, and fashion verticals
  • Brand safety teams monitoring for deepfakes and disinformation
  • Market research teams analyzing video-first consumer narratives
  • Organizations requiring reputation intelligence across social video platforms

Not Ideal For

  • Small businesses and startups (enterprise-only, no accessible pricing)
  • Content creators needing UGC tracking and rights management
  • Teams needing text-based social listening across all social platforms
  • Companies wanting self-serve onboarding without sales process
  • Brands needing public API access or third-party integrations
  • Budget-conscious teams without enterprise-level budgets ($2K+/mo)
Sprout Social

Enterprise social media management with unified inbox, publishing, analytics, and social listening capabilities

Best For

  • Enterprise teams managing 5+ social profiles
  • Brands needing unified social inbox and publishing
  • Companies requiring deep analytics and reporting
  • Organizations with Salesforce or CRM integration needs
  • Teams prioritizing social listening across traditional social networks
  • Agencies managing multiple client accounts

Not Ideal For

  • Brands focused on short-form video/UGC campaigns
  • Teams needing to track untagged creator content
  • Small teams sensitive to per-seat pricing
  • Startups or early-stage companies on tight budgets
  • Brands needing automated UGC rights management
  • Teams wanting specialized TikTok/Reels/Shorts analytics
Use Case Analysis

Choose Dig if...

You are a Fortune 500 brand in a high-risk vertical like CPG, fashion, or tech and need to monitor your reputation across social video. Dig is the right choice if you require deepfake detection, narrative clustering to find emerging disinformation, and 90%+ coverage of untagged video content. It is designed for brand safety teams and market researchers who value video-first intelligence over social media management. You can see how it compares to other intelligence tools in the Collabstr vs Dig guide.

Choose Sprout Social if...

You are a mid-market or enterprise team that needs a single platform to manage all social media activities, from publishing and engagement to reporting and listening. Sprout is ideal for teams that prioritize a unified inbox and deep CRM integrations (like Salesforce). It is the better choice for organizations that manage multiple social profiles and need a robust, user-friendly interface for team collaboration. If you're on the fence, you can compare any two tools to see if Sprout's breadth fits your workflow.

Neither might be right if...

You are a B2C or DTC brand primarily focused on scaling creator and UGC campaigns. Dig is too focused on high-level reputation, and Sprout Social is too focused on general management. Neither tool offers automated usage rights management or the ability to easily build a library of high-res video assets for ad creative. If your bottleneck is tracking creators and securing rights rather than enterprise reputation monitoring, you may need a more specialized solution.

Consider a Third Option

ShortsIntel
Recommended

Scale creator marketing with data, not grunt work.

If Dig feels too focused on enterprise brand safety and Sprout Social feels too expensive for team-based management, ShortsIntel offers a powerful middle ground. While Dig and Sprout Social are generalists in their own ways, ShortsIntel is purpose-built specifically for the tracking and management of user-generated content (UGC) across TikTok, Reels, and YouTube Shorts.

Unlike Sprout Social, which charges per seat, ShortsIntel uses a flat-rate model starting at $99/month, making it accessible for growing teams. While Dig excels at high-level narrative detection, ShortsIntel focuses on the practical needs of marketing teams: finding untagged content, analyzing video frames for trends, and automating usage rights management via a magic-link consent system. It captures up to 30% more content than general listening tools by identifying brand presence in audio and visual frames even when hashtags are missing.

For teams who find the CreatorIQ alternative space or the Archive alternative landscape too complex, ShortsIntel provides a streamlined, AI-native experience. It bridges the gap between the deep video intelligence of Dig and the management capabilities of Sprout, specifically for brands that want to turn creator content into performance assets. You can explore how it compares to other heavy hitters in our ShortsIntel vs Brandwatch comparison or browse all alternatives to find your perfect fit.

Why Choose ShortsIntel

  • Purpose-built for short-form video (TikTok, Reels, Shorts) unlike general social listening tools
  • Detects untagged content that competitors miss (claims 30% more coverage)
  • AI-powered content tagging analyzes videos frame-by-frame for format, visual elements, and trends
  • Automated rights management with magic-link consent system and audit trails

Best For

DTC/B2C brands running UGC creator campaigns
Marketing teams drowning in content but starving for insights
Brands needing to track creators who forget hashtags or tags
Teams wanting to build a library of ad creatives from UGC

Starting at $99/mo

7-day free trial

Try ShortsIntel Free

Full Comparison: All Three Options

Feature Comparison
Feature
Dig
Sprout Social
ShortsIntel
Recommended
Content Discovery
UGC Discovery
3/5
2/5
5/5
Brand Mention Detection
5/5
4/5
5/5
Untagged Content Detection
4/5
1/5
5/5
Video Tracking
Short-Form Video Tracking
5/5
2/5
5/5
Creator Management
Creator Analytics
3/5
3/5
4/5
Rights Management
1/5
2/5
5/5
Intelligence & AI
Competitor Intelligence
4/5
5/5
4/5
AI Content Tagging
5/5
3/5
5/5
Platform & Integrations
Multi-Platform Support
3/5
5/5
4/5
Integrations
1/5
5/5
3/5
Reporting & Collaboration
Reporting Dashboards
3/5
5/5
4/5
Team Collaboration
2/5
5/5
3/5
API Access
1/5
4/5
3/5
Usability & Support
Ease of Use
2/5
3/5
4/5
Customer Support
3/5
4/5
4/5

Frequently Asked Questions

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Track UGC, discover creators, and monitor brand mentions across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube Shorts.

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Last updated: January 30, 2026