Head to head

Ayrshare vs GrowSocialelion

GrowSocialelion is an open-source alternative to Ayrshare with the shape inverted. Ayrshare sells the API as the product, from $149 a month per profile, and you build the app. GrowSocialelion is the app, AGPL-3.0 and free to self-host, with an approval-gated AI agent and MCP built in. Developers embedding posting into their own SaaS should still price Ayrshare.

Ayrshare

Ayrshare is a paid social media API for developers: apps, platforms and AI agents call its REST endpoints and MCP server to publish, read analytics and manage engagement on 14+ networks, billed per social profile from $149 a month.

12 channels · plans: Premium, Launch, Business, Enterprise

GrowSocialelion

GrowSocialelion is an open-source AI social media manager: the agent drafts, schedules and engages behind per-action approval gates, free to self-host under the AGPL-3.0.

8 channels · plans: Self-hosted, Hosted

Pricing and plans

What each side charges

Ayrshare

Premium$149/mo

Launch$299/mo

Business$599/mo

EnterpriseCustom/mo

GrowSocialelion

Self-hosted$0

HostedLaunching

Channels

Where each one publishes

Ayrshare

Bluesky
Facebook Pages
Google My Business
Instagram
LinkedIn
Pinterest
Reddit
Telegram
Threads
TikTok
X
YouTube
Dev.to
Discord
Dribbble
Farcaster
Hashnode
Kick
Lemmy
Listmonk
Mastodon
Medium
MeWe
Moltbook
Nostr
Skool
Slack
Twitch
VK
Whop
WordPress

GrowSocialelion

Bluesky
Dev.to
Lemmy
Mastodon
Nostr
Telegram
Tumblr
X
Discord
Dribbble
Facebook Pages
Farcaster
Google My Business
Hashnode
Instagram
Kick
LinkedIn
Listmonk
Medium
MeWe
Moltbook
Pinterest
Reddit
Skool
Slack
Threads
TikTok
Twitch
VK
Whop
WordPress
YouTube

We build GrowSocialelion, so read every table here knowing that. Channel support and plan prices were compiled from public listings and vendor pages on 2026-08-27; a tool's own site always wins over this page. GrowSocialelion's own column is generated from its live platform catalog, so it cannot claim a network the app does not publish to.

The verdict

Pick Ayrshare if

If you are building a SaaS that needs posting as a feature, stay. A managed API that absorbs fourteen networks' auth flows and breaking changes is exactly what you were shopping for, and GrowSocialelion is an app to run, not managed infrastructure to resell.

If your users need Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Snapchat or WhatsApp, Ayrshare publishes to them today. Those networks are planned in our catalog, not live.

If you want a vendor on the hook, with 24/7 support and someone to answer when a network changes its API overnight, that is what the subscription buys. Self-hosting an AGPL app puts your team on the hook instead.

Pick GrowSocialelion if

You want the whole product open: an ai agent drafts, schedules and engages, and every action is approval-gated — human approval, semi-auto or autopilot, per action type. The app is AGPL-3.0 with no paid tier hiding features, and 500+ free tools live now: character counters with sourced limits, generators, and more

The switching guide lives at the Ayrshare alternative page.

Questions

Asked before choosing

How much does Ayrshare cost compared to GrowSocialelion?

As of 2026-08-27, Ayrshare runs $149 a month for one profile (Premium), $299 for up to ten (Launch) and $599 for thirty (Business), billed monthly, with 17% off for annual billing and extra Business profiles at $8.99 each. GrowSocialelion is free to self-host under the AGPL; its hosted version is pre-launch.

Is Ayrshare open source?

No. Ayrshare is a closed-source hosted API with no self-host option and no permanent free tier. GrowSocialelion's entire app is AGPL-3.0 on GitHub.

Both have MCP servers, so what is the difference?

Ayrshare's MCP server is the interface to a metered, paid API: your agent posts through their infrastructure on your subscription. GrowSocialelion's MCP tools are part of the free open-source app and call the same code the UI calls, with every agent action passing an approval gate you set per action type.

Which networks does each support?

Ayrshare posts to 14+ networks including Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Snapchat, Threads and WhatsApp (beta). GrowSocialelion publishes to 8 today (X, Bluesky, Mastodon, Telegram, Tumblr, Nostr, Lemmy, DEV) with 30 more researched in the catalog. If your users need the mainstream visual networks now, that decides it.

Keep comparing

Compare alternatives

Ayrshare: compare alternatives

GrowSocialelion: compare alternatives

Ready to try the open one?

GrowSocialelion is AGPL-3.0, free to self-host, with an approval-gated AI agent and 500+ free tools that need no account at all.

Open the free tools Start free