Best Social Media Management Tools in 2026: 11 tools compared
Finding the best social media management tools depends on how many brands you run, how many people touch each post and which networks matter most. This page walks through eleven options, from a free scheduler for creators to an enterprise suite for global brands, and shows which one fits which kind of team.
We compared the tools on fit for different team sizes, scheduling and publishing, inbox and reporting features, ease of use and how openly they publish their prices. Each tool also has a section showing what it really costs once extra users, profiles and add-ons are counted.
Top picks at a glance
- Best free plan for creators
BufferBuffer has a free plan, charges per channel instead of per user, and is aimed at creators and small businesses with a few channels.
$5 per channel per month (Essentials) - Best for analytics and a unified inbox
Sprout SocialSprout Social pairs a Smart Inbox with case management and group, profile and post reports, which suits mid-size and enterprise teams.
$79 per seat per month (Essentials, annual); $99 monthly - Best for agencies with many users
SendibleSendible includes unlimited users on every plan and organizes work by client workspaces, with approvals and assignment available from the second tier.
$35/month (monthly billing; third-party listing, not confirmed on the vendor page) - Best for approval workflows on a small team
LoomlyLoomly includes approval workflows and roles on its Starter plan and prices by social accounts, so small teams and agencies avoid per-seat fees.
$49/month billed yearly ($65/month billed monthly) - Best for freelancers managing several brands
MetricoolMetricool offers a free plan for one brand and a Starter plan covering five brands, with analytics and reporting bundled in with scheduling.
$0 (Free, 1 brand); $20/month billed annually (Starter, 5 brands) - Best for large enterprises
SprinklrSprinklr covers publishing, engagement and listening across 30+ channels with role-based access and audit trails, built for brands operating in many markets.
Contact sales
What are social media management tools?
Social media management tools give a team one place to plan, publish and track what a brand does on social networks. Day to day, people use them to fill a content calendar, queue posts for the best times, answer comments and messages, and pull reports for clients or managers. Marketers, community managers, agencies and solo creators all rely on them. The core capabilities that define the category are scheduling and publishing, a shared inbox for replies, analytics and reporting, and approval steps. Larger platforms add social listening to track brand mentions and conversations across the web.
The 11 best social media management tools in 2026
Best free plan for creators
Buffer
Low-cost, per-channel social scheduler with a free plan, aimed at creators and small teams.
Buffer is a simple scheduler priced per connected channel, with a free plan and a clean calendar. It is easy to learn, which makes it a natural starting point for creators and small businesses with only a few channels.
- Best for
- Creators and small businesses with a few channels.
- Company size
- Solo creators to small teams.
Key features
- Scheduling and publishing
- Unlimited scheduled posts on paid plans; 10 per channel on Free; ideas library.
- Supported networks
- G2 reviewers name Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, X; full current list not confirmed by the vendor.
- Analytics and reporting
- Advanced analytics on Essentials and Team.
- Approvals and collaboration
- Approval workflows and custom permissions on Team only.
Pros
- Easy to use.
- Clean calendar and scheduling.
Cons
- Limited analytics.
- Pricing grows with channel count.
Pricing: $5 per channel per month (Essentials) · Free plan, Free trial
Best for analytics and a unified inbox
Sprout Social
Premium per-seat social suite with strong analytics and inbox, listening sold as a paid add-on.
Sprout Social is a per-seat social suite known for detailed analytics and a Smart Inbox with moderation and case management. It supports approval workflows, including external reviewers on the Advanced plan, and fits mid-size and enterprise teams.
- Best for
- Mid-size and enterprise teams that value reporting and a unified inbox.
- Company size
- SMB to enterprise.
Key features
- Scheduling and publishing
- Compose box, calendar, Sprout Queue, ViralPost; CSV bulk scheduling up to 350 messages on Professional and Advanced.
- Supported networks
- Facebook, X, Instagram, LinkedIn, Threads, Pinterest, TikTok.
- Analytics and reporting
- Group, profile and post reports on all plans; competitor reports on Professional and up; scheduled reports on Advanced.
- Social inbox and engagement
- Smart Inbox with moderation and case management; tagging on Professional and Advanced.
Pros
- Detailed analytics.
- Centralized multi-account management.
- Responsive support.
Cons
- High price for larger organizations.
- Accounts disconnect and need reauthorization.
Pricing: $79 per seat per month (Essentials, annual); $99 monthly · Free trial
Best for agencies with many users
Sendible
Agency-oriented social media tool with unlimited users on every plan, priced by workspaces and social profiles.
Sendible is built for agencies, with unlimited users on every plan and plans sized by workspaces and social profiles. Scheduling is easy, and approvals and assignment are available from the Plus tier for teams handling many client brands.
- Best for
- Agencies managing many client brands (workspaces) with many teammates, since users are unlimited.
- Company size
- Agencies and multi-brand teams.
Key features
- Scheduling and publishing
- Scheduling, bulk scheduling, smart queues (10 on Core up to unlimited on Elite), daily send limits of 100 to 500 per workspace.
- Analytics and reporting
- Standard reports on Core; custom branded reports from Premium.
- Social inbox and engagement
- Monitoring and replying included from Core.
- Social listening
- Monitoring included; depth by plan not published.
Pros
- Easy to use and good scheduling.
- Unlimited users suit agencies.
- Strong comparison scores against Hootsuite on G2.
Cons
- Trustpilot score low (2.3 from 8 reviews, per a third-party summary)
- Per-profile limits push agencies into higher tiers.
Pricing: $35/month (monthly billing; third-party listing, not confirmed on the vendor page) · Free trial
Best for approval workflows on a small team
Loomly
Calendar-first social media scheduler with built-in approval workflows, priced by social accounts rather than per user.
Loomly is a calendar-first scheduler with approval workflows and roles built into the entry paid plan. It prices by social accounts, offers unlimited users on Beyond, and suits small marketing teams and agencies that need review steps.
- Best for
- Small marketing teams and agencies that want an approval workflow in the cheapest tier.
- Company size
- Small teams and agencies.
Key features
- Scheduling and publishing
- Calendar scheduling with unlimited calendars on all plans; link shorteners.
- Supported networks
- Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, Google Business Profile, Threads.
- Analytics and reporting
- Advanced analytics on Starter; scheduled reports only on Beyond.
- Social inbox and engagement
- Reply to interactions, saved replies and conversation assignment on both paid plans.
Pros
- Easy to learn and use.
- Approval workflow and calendar view suit small teams.
- Good price for what is included.
Cons
- Support quality reported as declining.
- Trustpilot score is far lower than G2 (1.7 from 26 reviews, per a third-party summary)
- Technical problems and support complaints in low-rated reviews.
Pricing: $49/month billed yearly ($65/month billed monthly) · Free trial
Best for freelancers managing several brands
Metricool
Social media scheduler and analytics tool priced per number of brands, with a free plan for one brand.
Metricool combines scheduling with analytics and reporting, and prices plans by the number of brands rather than users. A free plan covers one brand, and paid plans suit freelancers and small agencies managing anywhere from five to fifty brands.
- Best for
- Freelancers and small agencies managing 5 to 50 brands on a budget.
- Company size
- Freelancers and small agencies.
Key features
- Scheduling and publishing
- Unlimited publishing under fair use on paid plans; Free limited to 20 posts per month.
- Supported networks
- Inbox covers Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, Google Business Profile; LinkedIn from Starter; X needs a paid add-on.
- Analytics and reporting
- PDF/PPT reports and unlimited analytics history from Starter; custom report templates and Data Studio connector on Advanced.
- Social inbox and engagement
- Inbox on all plans for several networks; LinkedIn from Starter.
Pros
- Easy to use with everything in one place.
- Low price per brand.
Cons
- Scheduled posts sometimes shown as published but missing.
- Support responsiveness and pricing concerns.
Pricing: $0 (Free, 1 brand); $20/month billed annually (Starter, 5 brands) · Free plan
Best for large enterprises
Sprinklr
Enterprise unified customer experience platform whose Sprinklr Social suite covers publishing, engagement and listening across 30+ channels.
Sprinklr is an enterprise customer experience platform whose social suite covers publishing, engagement and listening across 30+ channels. It offers automated approvals, role-based access and audit trails, and it is sold through sales rather than self-serve.
- Best for
- Large enterprises with many brands, markets and compliance workflows.
- Company size
- Enterprise.
Key features
- Scheduling and publishing
- AI recommendations for posting times, hashtags and tone; automatic repurposing by region, audience, channel.
- Supported networks
- 30+ social and messaging channels per vendor (list not published on page)
- Analytics and reporting
- Unified dashboards, campaign attribution, audience insights, AI summaries of dashboards.
- Social inbox and engagement
- Engagement tools respond across platforms; AI sorts by channel, sentiment, intent (not called 'unified inbox')
Pros
- Centralized management of many channels.
- Reported ease of use despite breadth.
Cons
- Complex usage.
- Steep learning curve.
- Cost and speed concerns in individual reviews.
Pricing: Contact sales
Hootsuite
Per-user social media suite covering scheduling, a unified inbox, analytics and listening, with SSO reserved for Enterprise.
Hootsuite is a per-user social media suite covering scheduling, a unified inbox with assignment and routing, analytics and listening. It suits teams that want those tools in one place and can budget per user, with SSO reserved for Enterprise.
- Best for
- Teams that need scheduling, inbox and listening in one suite and can budget per user.
- Company size
- Small teams to enterprise (three self-serve tiers plus Enterprise)
Key features
- Scheduling and publishing
- Scheduler, bulk scheduling, best-time-to-post recommendations; bulk scheduling unavailable during the trial.
- Supported networks
- Says 'all major social networks' without a list; listening covers 30+ networks.
- Analytics and reporting
- Post performance, sentiment, industry benchmarks, scheduled and custom reports; GA4 and Adobe Analytics ties on Enterprise.
- Social inbox and engagement
- Unified inbox for public and private messages with saved replies, auto-tagging, assignment and skill-based routing.
Pros
- Manage many networks from one dashboard.
- Cross-network scheduling.
Cons
- Limited Instagram features.
- Price seen as high versus competitors.
Pricing: $99 per user per month (Standard, annual billing basis) · Free trial
Agorapulse
Per-user social media suite with a strong inbox and reporting, aimed at small teams and agencies.
Agorapulse is a per-user suite with an all-in-one inbox, comment moderation and white-label reports on the entry plan. It targets small teams and agencies, and it offers EU data hosting for buyers who need it.
- Best for
- Agencies and small teams that prioritize inbox and comment moderation.
- Company size
- Small teams and agencies; enterprise via Custom.
Key features
- Scheduling and publishing
- Unlimited scheduling and unified calendar; CSV bulk upload (200 posts) and queues from Advanced.
- Supported networks
- Multi-network publishing; X handled via paid X Lite/X Plus add-ons; full list not confirmed by the vendor.
- Analytics and reporting
- Basic and white-label reports from Standard; team reports Professional; scheduled reports, ads reporting, PowerPoint export Advanced; retention 6/12/24 months.
- Social inbox and engagement
- All-in-one inbox on all plans incl. Google reviews moderation; saved replies and bulk actions from Advanced.
Pros
- Responsive, helpful support.
- Clean interface.
- Built-in UTM builder and link-in-bio.
Cons
- Weak paid campaign tracking.
- Pricey per-user model.
- Feature gating across tiers.
Pricing: $79/user/month (Standard, billed annually) · Free trial
SocialPilot
Low-cost social media scheduler for agencies and small teams with per-account add-ons and client approval workflows.
SocialPilot is a low-cost scheduler for agencies and small teams, with bulk scheduling, white-label reports and client management. Extra accounts and users are inexpensive add-ons, so plans scale gradually as a team grows.
- Best for
- Agencies and small teams that want client management and white-label reports at low entry prices.
- Company size
- Solo, small teams and agencies.
Key features
- Scheduling and publishing
- Bulk scheduling from Standard; content library on all plans.
- Analytics and reporting
- Analytics on all plans; PDF and scheduled reports from Standard; competitor and custom reports from Premium; history 3/12/24 months by tier.
- Social inbox and engagement
- Social inbox from Standard.
- Social listening
- Not described on pricing page.
Pros
- Easy to set up and administer.
- Strong social publishing.
- Low cost versus larger suites.
Cons
- Missing features and Instagram limitations.
- Cluttered interface and glitches with large posts per third-party summaries.
- Trustpilot 2.4 per a third-party summary.
Pricing: $17/month billed yearly ($20/month billed monthly) · Free trial
Later
Visual-first social scheduler (Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest focus) that sits inside a larger creator and affiliate marketing company.
Later is a visual-first scheduler centered on Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest, with a calendar and best-time-to-post suggestions. It suits creators, small brands and small teams, and it prices by plan with social sets and users bundled in.
- Best for
- Solo creators, small brands and small teams that plan visual Instagram and TikTok content.
- Company size
- Creators and small teams on Starter/Growth; larger teams via Scale and enterprise agreements.
Key features
- Scheduling and publishing
- Visual calendar, smart scheduling and best-time-to-post; post caps per profile per month: 30 (Starter), 180 (Growth), unlimited (Scale)
- Supported networks
- Instagram, Facebook, TikTok named on pricing page for best-time features; full network list not confirmed by the vendor.
- Analytics and reporting
- Platform analytics history: 3 months (Starter), 1 year (Growth), 2 years (Scale); custom and Meta Ads analytics on Scale only.
- Social inbox and engagement
- Social inbox from Growth plan; not on Starter.
Pros
- Easy, visual scheduling calendar.
- Strong ease of use and admin scores on G2.
- Clear low entry price.
Cons
- Mixed feedback on setup.
- Key features such as inbox, approvals and listening locked behind higher plans.
- Low post caps on Starter.
Pricing: $18.75/month (Starter, billed yearly) · Free trial
Planoly is a visual planner for creators and small teams, built around previewing an Instagram-first feed. Paid plans add unlimited uploads and DM automation, and pricing follows the number of social sets and users.
- Best for
- Solo creators and small brands planning Instagram-first visual feeds.
- Company size
- Solo creators to small agencies.
Key features
- Scheduling and publishing
- Visual calendar, scheduling or reminders for native posting, unlimited uploads on paid plans.
- Supported networks
- Instagram, Facebook, X, Pinterest, LinkedIn, YouTube, Threads, TikTok (one account per channel per social set)
- Social inbox and engagement
- Auto-replies and Instagram DM automation on all paid plans.
Pros
- Easy to use visual planning.
- Clean feed preview.
Cons
- Auto-posting failures and posts not appearing.
- Analytics could be more complete.
Pricing: $14/month (Starter, 1 social set, 1 user) · Free plan, Free trial
How to choose the best social media management tools
Start with your workflow, not the feature list. Count the people who publish, the brands or profiles you manage and the networks you post to, then decide whether you need a shared inbox, client reports or listening. A solo creator and a global brand need very different things from the same category. The criteria below explain what each capability means in practice, so you can judge which tools are strong where you need them and which ones gate key features behind higher plans.
Scheduling and publishing
This is the core of every tool: a calendar to plan posts, queues that fill open slots and bulk upload for large batches. Strong tools make it easy to adjust timing, preview each network and reuse content from a library. Weak ones cap monthly posts or hide bulk scheduling on higher plans, which matters if you publish daily across many profiles.
- Buffer: Unlimited scheduled posts on paid plans; 10 per channel on Free; ideas library.
- Sprout Social: Compose box, calendar, Sprout Queue, ViralPost; CSV bulk scheduling up to 350 messages on Professional and Advanced.
- Sendible: Scheduling, bulk scheduling, smart queues (10 on Core up to unlimited on Elite), daily send limits of 100 to 500 per workspace.
- Loomly: Calendar scheduling with unlimited calendars on all plans; link shorteners.
- Metricool: Unlimited publishing under fair use on paid plans; Free limited to 20 posts per month.
Supported networks
Coverage tells you which platforms you can publish to and manage from the tool, such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Pinterest, YouTube and X. Check that every network you use is supported and which features work on each, since inbox or analytics may cover fewer networks than publishing. Some networks, such as X, can require a paid add-on.
- Buffer: G2 reviewers name Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, X; full current list not confirmed by the vendor.
- Sprout Social: Facebook, X, Instagram, LinkedIn, Threads, Pinterest, TikTok.
- Loomly: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, Google Business Profile, Threads.
- Metricool: Inbox covers Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, Google Business Profile; LinkedIn from Starter; X needs a paid add-on.
- Sprinklr: 30+ social and messaging channels per vendor (list not published on page)
Analytics and reporting
Analytics show how posts, profiles and campaigns perform, and reporting turns that into something a client or executive can read. Good tools offer post-level and profile-level numbers, scheduled reports and exports, and sometimes white-label branding for agencies. Watch for short history limits and for competitor or custom reports reserved for upper tiers.
- Buffer: Advanced analytics on Essentials and Team.
- Sprout Social: Group, profile and post reports on all plans; competitor reports on Professional and up; scheduled reports on Advanced.
- Sendible: Standard reports on Core; custom branded reports from Premium.
- Loomly: Advanced analytics on Starter; scheduled reports only on Beyond.
- Metricool: PDF/PPT reports and unlimited analytics history from Starter; custom report templates and Data Studio connector on Advanced.
Social inbox and engagement
A social inbox collects comments, mentions and direct messages from every connected profile so replies happen in one place. Strong tools add saved replies, tagging, assignment and moderation, which keep a community team organized and fast. Basic inboxes may cover only some networks or start on a higher plan, so check this early if engagement is a daily task.
- Sprout Social: Smart Inbox with moderation and case management; tagging on Professional and Advanced.
- Sendible: Monitoring and replying included from Core.
- Loomly: Reply to interactions, saved replies and conversation assignment on both paid plans.
- Metricool: Inbox on all plans for several networks; LinkedIn from Starter.
- Sprinklr: Engagement tools respond across platforms; AI sorts by channel, sentiment, intent (not called 'unified inbox')
Social listening
Listening tracks mentions of your brand, competitors, hashtags and topics beyond the accounts you own. Full listening includes sentiment analysis and trend search across many networks, and it is usually a separate product or a top-tier feature. Many tools offer only light monitoring or hashtag search, which is enough for small brands but not for reputation work.
- Sprout Social: Paid add-on (Query Builder, Listener Insights) on Standard and up.
- Sendible: Monitoring included; depth by plan not published.
- Loomly: Limited: 2 searches per month on Starter, 5 on Beyond.
- Metricool: No named listening feature; competitor analysis (5 profiles Free, 100 Starter) and hashtag search instead.
- Sprinklr: Included via Sprinklr Insights product; sold as separate suite.
Approvals and collaboration
Approvals let a draft pass through reviewers before it goes live, which protects brand accounts from mistakes. Good tools provide roles and permissions, multi-step review and external approval for clients. Agencies and regulated teams should check which plan unlocks these steps, since entry plans often leave them out.
- Buffer: Approval workflows and custom permissions on Team only.
- Sprout Social: Message approval on Professional and Advanced; external approval on Advanced.
- Sendible: Assignment and approvals from Plus; advanced user permissions from Elite; unlimited users on all plans.
- Loomly: Approval workflows and roles on Starter; custom roles and workflows on Beyond.
- Metricool: Post approval and role management only on Advanced and Custom.
Pricing model
Tools charge in different ways: per user, per connected channel, per brand or workspace, or by bundles of accounts and users. The model decides how cost grows as your team or client list expands, so match it to your situation. An agency with many teammates and a creator with many channels will pay very differently for the same tool.
- Buffer: Per connected channel, not per user.
- Sprout Social: Per seat per month; tiers by profile count and features.
- Sendible: Per workspace and profile bundle, unlimited users; extra workspace adds 6 profiles.
- Loomly: Bundles of social accounts plus users; Beyond and Enterprise have unlimited users.
- Metricool: Priced by number of brands, not users.
Target company size
Some tools are built for solo creators, others for agencies, and others for enterprise teams with compliance and multi-market needs. A tool designed for your size usually has the right depth, support and pricing, while a mismatched one leaves you with missing features or complexity you never use. Look at the audience each vendor builds for before comparing features.
- Buffer: Solo creators to small teams.
- Sprout Social: SMB to enterprise.
- Sendible: Agencies and multi-brand teams.
- Loomly: Small teams and agencies.
- Metricool: Freelancers and small agencies.
What social media management tools really cost
Features decide the shortlist; the bill decides whether it stays affordable as the team grows. The numbers below come from each vendor's published plans: entry prices, how far plans climb, what single sign-on costs extra and which fees sit on top.
- Median entry price
- $79
- Publish their prices
- 10 of 11
- Free plans
- 3 of 11
- Biggest price climb
- 10x
per user per month, cheapest paid plan of each tool
1 quote on request
Buffer, Metricool and Planoly
SocialPilot, $17 to $170
What social media management tools cost per year for your size
For 20 users on the cheapest plan that fits, Planoly costs $168 a year and Hootsuite $23,760. Pick your own size: the order changes because free plans end, plans have user caps and per-user prices multiply differently.
| # | Tool | Plan and price basis | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Planoly | Starter$14 per month, flat | $168 |
| 2 | SocialPilot | Essentials$17 per month, flat | $204 |
| 3 | Later | Starter$18.75 per month, flat | $225 |
| 4 | Metricool | Starter 5 brands$20 per month, flat | $240 |
| 5 | Sendible | Core$35 per month, flat | $420 |
| 6 | Loomly | Beyond$249 per month, flat | $2,988 |
| 7 | Sprout Social | Essentials$79 per user per month | $18,960 |
| 8 | Agorapulse | Standard$79 per user per month | $18,960 |
| 9 | Hootsuite | Standard$99 per user per month | $23,760 |
List prices per month as published on October 24, 2026, billed annually where the vendor shows both, promotions excluded. Full feature plan adds one-time onboarding fees in year one. Not in the calculation: Buffer and Sprinklr (quote only, another pricing unit or a plan that does not fit this size).
How far each price can climb
The entry price is rarely what you pay once the team needs more. Each line runs from a tool's cheapest paid plan to its most expensive published plan. SocialPilot grows 10x from $17 to $170, Sendible 8.5x.
- SocialPilotEssentials $17 to Ultimate $170 per month10x
- SendibleCore $35 to Elite $299 per month8.5x
- MetricoolStarter 5 brands $20 to Advanced 50 brands $159 per month8x
- LoomlyStarter $49 to Beyond $249 per month5.1x
- Sprout SocialEssentials $79 to Advanced $399 per user per month5.1x
- LaterStarter $18.75 to Scale $82.5 per month4.4x
- HootsuiteStandard $99 to Advanced $399 per user per month4x
- PlanolyStarter $14 to Pro $47 per month3.4x
- BufferEssentials $5 to Team $10 per unit per month2x
- AgorapulseStandard $79 to Advanced $149 per user per month1.9x
Published plan prices only; quote-only plans are not on the scale. The scale is logarithmic so cheap and expensive tools fit on one line.
How social media management pricing works
Pricing in this category is built around a unit, and the unit determines how your bill scales. A plan priced per user grows with your team, a plan priced per channel grows with your networks, and a plan priced per brand grows with your clients. Add-ons for extra profiles, users and listening make the final amount harder to predict. Understanding the unit before you look at prices keeps you from comparing numbers that measure different things.
Per user pricing
Tools like Hootsuite and Sprout Social list prices per user, at $99 and $79 per seat. Teams with many contributors pay the most under this model.
Per channel pricing
Some tools charge for each connected channel, such as Buffer at $5 per channel. It suits a small number of channels and gets expensive as you add networks.
Per brand or workspace bundles
Agencies often use plans priced per brand or workspace, sometimes with unlimited users. This can be cheap for many teammates but costly for many clients.
Social sets with extra seat and profile fees
Plans include a limited number of profiles and users, then charge for extras. Examples on this list include extra profile fees of a few dollars and extra user fees.
Listening and premium analytics add-ons
Listening, advocacy and advanced analytics are often sold separately with no published price. Ask for a quote early, because these can exceed the base subscription.
Costs that are easy to miss
Add-ons, usage fees and premium modules often decide the real bill. These are the paid extras the vendors list themselves.
- Sprout SocialListening (price not published); Premium Analytics (not published); Employee Advocacy (not published)
- SendibleWhite label (Elite and Enterprise), price not published; Extra workspace (adds 6 profiles), price not published
- LoomlyNo extra-user or extra-account add-ons published
- MetricoolX add-on (price not captured); Advanced Analytics add-on (price not captured)
- SprinklrListening (Sprinklr Insights) and other suites sold separately; no prices published
- HootsuiteExtra user seats (price not published)
- AgorapulseExtra profiles $10 or $15/month each; Advanced Listening, Advocacy, Competitive Benchmarking (quote); X Lite / X Plus (quote)
- SocialPilotExtra social account $4/month; Additional user $5/month (Standard, Premium)
Our recommendation
Pick the tool that matches how your team actually works. Solo creators and small businesses will do well with Buffer, Metricool or Later, agencies with many teammates should look at Sendible, Loomly or SocialPilot, and larger organizations with reporting and inbox needs should compare Sprout Social, Hootsuite and Sprinklr. Run a trial week before committing. To keep the cost under control, count users, profiles and add-ons up front, since those limits drive the final bill more than the headline price.
Social Media Management Tools: frequently asked questions
What are social media management tools?
Social media management tools let teams plan, schedule and publish posts across networks, monitor mentions and messages, and report on performance from one dashboard. Larger platforms add approvals, social listening and a shared inbox.
Which social media management tool is best for small business?
Buffer, Loomly, SocialPilot and Later are the strongest fits for small businesses. Buffer has a free plan and charges per channel, Loomly includes approvals in its entry plan, SocialPilot adds accounts cheaply, and Later focuses on visual Instagram and TikTok planning.
Is there a free social media management tool?
Yes. Buffer and Metricool both have free plans. Buffer's free plan allows 10 scheduled posts per channel, and Metricool's covers one brand with up to 20 posts per month. Planoly also lists a free plan.
What features should social media management tools have?
Look for calendar scheduling, support for every network you use, analytics and reporting, and a shared inbox. Teams should also check approval workflows and roles, and larger brands may want social listening.
How much do social media management tools cost?
Entry prices range from free to about $99 per user per month. Buffer starts at $5 per channel, SocialPilot at $17 per month billed yearly, Hootsuite at $99 per user, and Sprinklr is sold by custom quote.
What do social media management tools cost for a team of 20?
Calculated from published list prices: Buffer: Priced per channel, not per user. Example: 20 channels on Team = $120 x 20 = $2,400 per year (Team has unlimited users); Sprout Social: $199 x 20 seats x 12 = $47,760 per year at Standard (assuming the listed price is per seat per month); Essentials $79 x 20 x 12 = $18,960; Sendible: Plus (approvals, unlimited users): $99/month x 12 = $1,188/year on monthly billing (third-party listed price); Loomly: Beyond (unlimited users): $249/month x 12 = $2,988/year on yearly billing; $332 x 12 = $3,984/year on monthly billing; Hootsuite: $99 x 20 users x 12 months = $23,760 per year at the Standard 'from' price (annual basis); Standard allows only 10 social accounts; Agorapulse: Standard annual: 20 x $79 x 12 = $18,960/year (monthly billing: 20 x $99 x 12 = $23,760). Profile limits per user not confirmed by the vendor. Tools that quote on request are not included.
Which social media management tools have a free plan or free trial?
Buffer (free plan, free trial), Sprout Social (free trial), Sendible (free trial), Loomly (free trial), Metricool (free plan), Hootsuite (free trial), Agorapulse (free trial), SocialPilot (free trial), Later (free trial) and Planoly (free plan, free trial), according to the vendors' sites on October 24, 2026.
Social Media Management Tools compared
Prices as published by each vendor on October 24, 2026. "Contact sales" means the vendor publishes no price.