How we make this list: we compare pricing pages, product documentation and public user reviews. Rankite is independent; if a vendor ever pays for a featured spot, that listing is clearly labeled Partner.
Key takeaways
- The myth is that you need Hootsuite or Sprout: a solo creator can schedule everything for $0 (Buffer, Zoho Social, Metricool all have real free tiers), and a small team can run on $10-30/month (Zoho Social $10, Buffer $5/channel, Metricool $20).
- Pricing models differ more than features: per-seat (Hootsuite $99/user, Sprout $79/seat), per-channel (Buffer $5/channel), per-workspace (Planable $39) and flat (Sendible's unlimited users). Match the model to your team shape.
- Agencies should shortlist Sendible (unlimited users from $35/month) and Planable ($39/workspace) where per-seat pricing would explode.
- Analytics depth is what the premium buys: Sprout Social and Metricool for reporting, Agorapulse for the inbox, Buffer and Later for pure scheduling.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Best for | Starting price | Free plan |
|---|
 Hootsuite | SMBs and agencies that need a proven, full-featured command center | $99/user/month billed annually (Standard); Professional $199; Advanced $399; Enterprise custom | Free trial (14 days, no credit card) |
 Buffer | Solo creators, freelancers and tiny teams wanting dead-simple scheduling | Free $0 (3 channels, 10 queued posts/channel); Essentials $5/channel/month billed annually ($6 monthly); Team $10/channel/month billed annually | Yes (Free $0 tier with 3 channels and 10 scheduled posts per channel) |
 Sprout Social | Mid-market and enterprise teams where social is a measurable revenue channel | $79/seat/month billed annually (Essentials); Standard $199; Professional $299; Advanced $399; Enterprise custom | Free trial (30 days, no credit card) |
 Later | Creators, ecommerce brands and small teams living on Instagram and TikTok | $25/month ($18.75 billed annually), Starter; Growth $50/month ($37.50 annual); Scale $110/month ($82.50 annual) | Yes (limited Free plan per Later's help center) |
 SocialBee | Content-heavy SMBs and agencies that want to recycle evergreen posts automatically | $29/month ($24.17 billed annually), Bootstrap; Accelerate $49/month ($40.83 annual); Pro $99/month ($82.50 annual) | Free trial (14 days on Pro) |
 Sendible | Agencies and multi-brand teams that choke on per-seat pricing | $35/month ($30 billed annually), Core; Plus $99/month ($84 annual); Premium $199/month ($169 annual); unlimited users on all plans | Free trial (14 days) |
 Agorapulse | SMBs where community management matters as much as publishing | $79/user/month billed annually ($99 monthly), Standard; Professional $119; Advanced $149; Custom quote-only | Yes (free plan advertised on the homepage: 1 user, 3 profiles, 10 scheduled posts; third-party reports conflict, so verify live) |
 Zoho Social | Zoho shops and cost-conscious SMBs | Free $0; Standard $10/month billed annually ($15 monthly); Professional $30 ($40 monthly); Premium $40 ($65 monthly) | Yes (Free $0: 1 brand, 6 channels, 1 member; 15-day trial on paid plans, no card) |
 Metricool | Data-curious SMBs and freelancers wanting Sprout-like analytics without Sprout prices | Free Forever $0; Starter from $20/month billed annually ($25 monthly); Advanced from $53/month annual | Yes (Free Forever $0: 1 brand, 20 posts/month; no LinkedIn/X) |
 Planable | Agencies and teams whose bottleneck is content approval, not scheduling | $39/workspace/month ($390/year), Basic; Pro $59/workspace/month ($590/year); Enterprise custom from $2,500/year | Yes (free plan: 50 total posts lifetime, no credit card) |
 Loomly | SMBs and agencies wanting a guided, calm publishing workflow | $49/month billed annually ($65 monthly), Starter (12 accounts, 3 users); Beyond $249/month annual (60 accounts, unlimited users); Enterprise custom | Yes (limited free plan exists but is unadvertised: 1 user, 3 accounts, 5 posts/month); 7-day free trial, no card |
Is your product missing or out of date?
We review this list regularly. Vendors can request a listing, send updated pricing or ask about featured placement.
The myth: you need Hootsuite or Sprout Social to do social media properly. The reality: a solo creator can schedule a month of content for $0, a 5-person team can run on $50 a month, and the $399-a-month enterprise tier exists for companies with approval chains and compliance needs you probably do not have. What actually separates these tools is not whether they can schedule a post (all of them can) but the pricing model, the analytics depth, and whether the free tier is real. These eleven cover the honest range, from $0 to enterprise.
#1
Hootsuite
Best for: SMBs and agencies that need a proven, full-featured command center
Visit hootsuite.com
Starting price$99/user/month billed annually (Standard); Professional $199; Advanced $399; Enterprise custom
Free planFree trial (14 days, no credit card)
Hootsuite is the incumbent for a reason: the broadest network coverage, the most mature publishing engine, and analytics plus social listening that deepen with each tier. Standard covers 10 social accounts with scheduling, monitoring and analytics; Professional and Advanced add unlimited accounts and advanced listening. Integrations span Canva, HubSpot, Salesforce and 100+ apps.
The honest catch is cost per seat and the absence of any free tier: Buffer or Zoho Social do the basics for a fraction, and a 5-person team starts near $6,000 a year before add-ons. The interface carries years of accumulated complexity. Best for teams that will actually use the analytics and collaboration depth; overkill for solo schedulers who should not pay the premium.
What we like- Broadest network coverage and most mature publishing engine: 10 social accounts on Standard, unlimited on Pro/Advanced
- Deep analytics and social listening at higher tiers
- Massive integration ecosystem and team workflows
Watch out for- Premium pricing: $99/user/month entry is 5-20x budget rivals
- Per-user pricing punishes teams
- No free plan and an interface carrying years of accumulated complexity
#2
Buffer
Best for: Solo creators, freelancers and tiny teams wanting dead-simple scheduling
Visit buffer.com
Starting priceFree $0 (3 channels, 10 queued posts/channel); Essentials $5/channel/month billed annually ($6 monthly); Team $10/channel/month billed annually
Free planYes (Free $0 tier with 3 channels and 10 scheduled posts per channel)
Buffer is the simplicity pick: the fastest path from signup to scheduled post, with a free tier that covers 3 channels and 10 queued posts per channel indefinitely. Essentials at $5 per channel per month is the cheapest credible paid plan on this list, and per-channel pricing means a solo user with 3 channels pays $15, not a per-seat fee.
The ceiling is depth: reporting, social inbox and listening are basic, so growing teams often migrate to Sprout or Hootsuite later. Channel-based pricing flips against you with many brands. Setup takes minutes with browser extensions and mobile apps. Best for straightforward publishing calendars; not for analytics-driven social teams.
What we like- Genuinely usable free tier, rare among established schedulers
- Per-channel pricing is the fairest model for small accounts: you never pay per seat on Essentials
- Cleanest, simplest UX in the category
Watch out for- Analytics and engagement features are thin versus Hootsuite/Sprout
- Channel-based pricing gets expensive if you manage many brands
#3
Sprout Social
Best for: Mid-market and enterprise teams where social is a measurable revenue channel
Visit sproutsocial.com
Starting price$79/seat/month billed annually (Essentials); Standard $199; Professional $299; Advanced $399; Enterprise custom
Free planFree trial (30 days, no credit card)
Sprout Social is the analytics pick: best-in-class reporting, social listening and a Smart Inbox that unifies every network's messages and comments. Standard at $199 per seat per month is the real starting point for serious publishing plus analytics; Essentials at $79 is deliberately limited. Employee advocacy and governance features suit enterprise rollouts.
The per-seat math is the filter: a five-person team starts near $12,000 a year. For teams presenting social ROI to leadership, the reporting quality justifies it; for solo users, it is 20x overkill. Note the pricing lineup changed in 2026: older pages still show $99/$149/$249 figures, so use the current Essentials/Standard/Professional/Advanced tiers. Setup includes guided onboarding. Best for data-driven teams; solo users should buy Buffer.
What we like- Best-in-class analytics, reporting and social listening: the standard for data-driven teams
- Excellent Smart Inbox unifying all networks' messages and comments
- Strong employee advocacy and enterprise governance features
Watch out for- Per-seat pricing from $79 makes it one of the priciest options for teams
- Overkill for simple scheduling: you pay for depth you may not use
#4
Later
Best for: Creators, ecommerce brands and small teams living on Instagram and TikTok
Visit later.com
Starting price$25/month ($18.75 billed annually), Starter; Growth $50/month ($37.50 annual); Scale $110/month ($82.50 annual)
Free planYes (limited Free plan per Later's help center)
Later owns the visual workflow: a drag-and-drop calendar and media library built for Instagram and TikTok, with post allowances of 30, 180 and unlimited per profile across tiers. Starter ($25/month) covers 1 social set with 8 profiles; Growth ($50) doubles sets and adds AI credits. Annual billing saves 25%.
The network skew is the caveat: X and LinkedIn are second-class citizens here, so B2B schedulers should look elsewhere. Analytics depth trails Sprout, and the best features wait for Growth. Setup is quick with mobile apps built for on-the-go posting. Best for visual-content teams; B2B publishers should compare Buffer or Hootsuite.
What we like- Visual-first planning built for Instagram/TikTok: drag-and-drop calendar and media library
- Generous post allowances per profile (30/180/unlimited across tiers)
- AI credits and Link in Bio tooling for creator workflows
Watch out for- Weaker on X/LinkedIn and B2B workflows than Hootsuite/Buffer
- Analytics depth trails Sprout
- Best features sit on Growth and above
#5
SocialBee
Best for: Content-heavy SMBs and agencies that want to recycle evergreen posts automatically
Visit socialbee.com
Starting price$29/month ($24.17 billed annually), Bootstrap; Accelerate $49/month ($40.83 annual); Pro $99/month ($82.50 annual)
Free planFree trial (14 days on Pro)
SocialBee's standout is the category system: evergreen content recycles automatically by category, squeezing far more value from each post than chronological schedulers. Bootstrap ($29/month) suits solo users; Accelerate ($49) and Pro ($99) add profiles and team features, with generous profile counts per tier versus per-seat rivals. Annual billing saves ~17%.
The learning curve is real: the category system is powerful but takes setup thought, and the UI is busier than Buffer or Later. No free tier, only the trial. Analytics are serviceable rather than Sprout-grade. Best for bloggers, coaches and agencies with large content libraries; minimalists should pick Buffer.
What we like- Category-based evergreen recycling: the best content-repurposing engine for squeezing more from each post
- Generous profile counts per tier versus per-seat rivals
- Built-in AI post generation and Canva integration
Watch out for- No free tier and a busier UI than Buffer/Later
- Analytics are serviceable but not Sprout-grade
#6
Sendible
Best for: Agencies and multi-brand teams that choke on per-seat pricing
Visit sendible.com
Starting price$35/month ($30 billed annually), Core; Plus $99/month ($84 annual); Premium $199/month ($169 annual); unlimited users on all plans
Free planFree trial (14 days)
Sendible's unlimited-users model is the agency answer to per-seat math: Core at $30 per month (annual) with unlimited users, scaling to Plus ($84) and Premium ($169) for more profiles and features. White-label client dashboards and approval workflows suit client work, with publishing, monitoring, analytics and listening in one dashboard.
The company is mid-migration from per-seat to unlimited-user plans, and old pages still show the $29/$89/$199 per-seat structure: verify what you are buying at checkout. The interface feels dated next to Later or Agorapulse. Setup includes onboarding support and bulk scheduling. Best for agencies managing client accounts; solo users get better value from Buffer or Zoho Social.
What we like- Unlimited users on every plan: the best team value in the category for agencies
- Strong white-label client dashboards and approval workflows
- Publishing, monitoring, analytics and listening in one dashboard
Watch out for- Pricing pages conflict during the plan migration: verify your quote at checkout
- Interface feels dated next to Later/Agorapulse
#7
Agorapulse
Best for: SMBs where community management matters as much as publishing
Visit agorapulse.com
Starting price$79/user/month billed annually ($99 monthly), Standard; Professional $119; Advanced $149; Custom quote-only
Free planYes (free plan advertised on the homepage: 1 user, 3 profiles, 10 scheduled posts; third-party reports conflict, so verify live)
Agorapulse is the inbox pick: the best unified social inbox in the category, which is the reason to choose it over Buffer or Later when comments and DMs are half the job. Team collaboration with approval workflows and shared calendars is strong, and the free tier (3 profiles, 10 scheduled posts) is genuinely usable for evaluation.
Two caveats: Standard at $79 per user per month adds up fast for teams, and free-plan reporting conflicts: the official homepage advertises it while some October 2026 third-party sources claim it ended in July. Verify on the live site before planning around $0. Setup is polished with good onboarding. Best for engagement-heavy brands; pure schedulers should compare Buffer.
What we like- Best-in-class unified social inbox: the top pick for teams drowning in comments and DMs
- Generous free tier for trying real workflows
- Strong team collaboration with approval workflows and shared calendars
Watch out for- Paid tiers start at $79/user/month, steep for small teams
- 10 shared profiles per plan can constrain multi-brand users
#8
Zoho Social
Best for: Zoho shops and cost-conscious SMBs
Visit zoho.com
Starting priceFree $0; Standard $10/month billed annually ($15 monthly); Professional $30 ($40 monthly); Premium $40 ($65 monthly)
Free planYes (Free $0: 1 brand, 6 channels, 1 member; 15-day trial on paid plans, no card)
Zoho Social is the budget pick with an ecosystem kicker: Standard at $10 per month (annual) and Professional at $30 deliver scheduling, monitoring and team workflows at a fraction of rival prices, and the free tier (1 brand, 6 channels) covers solo users indefinitely. For Zoho CRM users, the native integration is the real product.
Outside Zoho, the case softens: network coverage and third-party integrations trail Hootsuite and Buffer, and analytics are basic versus Sprout. Setup is instant inside Zoho One, and yearly billing saves 33%. Best for Zoho CRM users and budget teams; analytics-driven teams should look at Sprout or Metricool.
What we like- Cheapest credible paid tiers in the category: Standard at $10/month annual
- Deep Zoho ecosystem integration (CRM, Desk, Campaigns) no rival can match
- Genuinely useful free tier, not a demo
Watch out for- Network coverage and third-party integrations trail Hootsuite/Buffer
- Analytics and listening are basic versus Sprout
#9
Metricool
Best for: Data-curious SMBs and freelancers wanting Sprout-like analytics without Sprout prices
Visit metricool.com
Starting priceFree Forever $0; Starter from $20/month billed annually ($25 monthly); Advanced from $53/month annual
Free planYes (Free Forever $0: 1 brand, 20 posts/month; no LinkedIn/X)
Metricool is the analytics-value pick: unified analytics across networks plus planning, with competitor analysis and reporting depth that embarrasses tools at twice the price. Starter from $20 per month (annual) is the sweet spot, with 5-brand and 10-brand tiers scaling cleanly. Annual billing saves up to 24%.
The free tier excludes LinkedIn and X, so B2B users must pay from day one, and brand-based pricing means multi-brand agencies pay per brand. Setup is quick with a clean dashboard. Best for analytics-led solo marketers and SMBs; team collaboration users should compare Agorapulse, and heavy schedulers should compare Buffer.
What we like- Analytics-first: the best reporting depth per dollar, including competitor analysis
- Free Forever tier genuinely usable for trying the platform
- Scheduling plus ads management and review monitoring in one tool
Watch out for- Free tier excludes LinkedIn and X: B2B users must pay
- Brand-based pricing means multi-brand agencies pay per brand
#10
Planable
Best for: Agencies and teams whose bottleneck is content approval, not scheduling
Visit planable.io
Starting price$39/workspace/month ($390/year), Basic; Pro $59/workspace/month ($590/year); Enterprise custom from $2,500/year
Free planYes (free plan: 50 total posts lifetime, no credit card)
Planable solves the approval problem: stakeholders comment on pixel-perfect post previews in a visual feed, which is where agency workflows actually bottleneck. Per-workspace pricing ($39/$59) means adding team members is free, and multi-brand workspaces with granular permissions suit agencies.
The add-on model inflates the headline: analytics ($14), social inbox ($9) and listening ($99) stack on top per month, and the free plan's 50 lifetime posts run out fast. Publishing and analytics are secondary to collaboration. Setup is fast with an intuitive UI. Best for approval-heavy workflows; pair it with a scheduler or buy up for analytics.
What we like- Best-in-class approval workflows: clients and stakeholders comment directly on pixel-perfect post previews
- Per-workspace (not per-seat) pricing keeps team costs predictable
- Multi-brand workspaces with granular permissions
Watch out for- Publishing and analytics are secondary to collaboration: not a full Hootsuite replacement
- Key features (analytics, inbox, listening) are paid add-ons that inflate the headline price
#11
Loomly
Best for: SMBs and agencies wanting a guided, calm publishing workflow
Visit loomly.com
Starting price$49/month billed annually ($65 monthly), Starter (12 accounts, 3 users); Beyond $249/month annual (60 accounts, unlimited users); Enterprise custom
Free planYes (limited free plan exists but is unadvertised: 1 user, 3 accounts, 5 posts/month); 7-day free trial, no card
Loomly is the guided workflow pick: post ideas, optimization checklists and a calm publishing flow that help junior marketers produce better content. Starter ($49/month annual, 12 accounts, 3 users) suits small teams; Beyond ($249/month annual, 60 accounts, unlimited users) is the agency tier with generous account limits.
The annual commitment is the catch: billed upfront with no early cancellation. Starter is pricey next to Buffer or Zoho for similar publishing, and the free tier is deliberately unadvertised. Setup is straightforward with a friendly UI. Best for teams that value content guidance over analytics depth; data teams should compare Sprout or Metricool.
What we like- Guided post-creation workflow with optimization tips: great for less-experienced social marketers
- Generous account limits per tier (12 on Starter, 60 on Beyond)
- Clean approval workflows and content library
Watch out for- Starter at $49/month is pricey versus Buffer/Zoho for similar publishing
- Annual billing is upfront with no early cancellation: a real commitment
How we chose
We started with the categories buyers search: social media management tools and free social media management tools. For each candidate we opened the vendor's own pricing page, checked plan names and prices against public reviews on G2 and Capterra and practitioner discussion on Reddit, and compared feature lists, pricing models, analytics depth and company-size fit. Where a price could not be verified on the vendor's page we wrote "See website" rather than guessing. The shortlist mixes premium suites with genuine free tiers, because a solo creator and a 20-person agency are not buying the same product.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best free social media management tool?
Buffer (3 channels, 10 scheduled posts/channel), Zoho Social (1 brand, 6 channels) and Metricool Free Forever (1 brand, 20 posts/month) all offer genuinely free tiers. Buffer wins on simplicity, Zoho Social on ecosystem, Metricool on analytics. Later's free plan is the most limited; Hootsuite and Sprout Social have none.
Hootsuite vs. Buffer: which should I choose?
Hootsuite if you need network breadth, analytics depth, listening and team workflows at $99/user/month. Buffer if you need simple scheduling at $5/channel/month with a real free tier. Most small teams overbuy Hootsuite: start with Buffer and upgrade when reporting or collaboration becomes the bottleneck, not before.
How much should a small business pay for social media management?
$0 to $50 a month covers most small businesses: free tiers for solo users, Zoho Social Standard ($10/month), Buffer Essentials ($5/channel/month) or Metricool Starter ($20/month) for small teams. Pay $79+ per seat (Sprout, Hootsuite, Agorapulse) only when analytics, inbox volume or client reporting justifies it.
What is the best tool for agencies managing many clients?
Sendible (unlimited users from $30/month annual, white-label dashboards) or Planable ($39/workspace/month for approval workflows). Per-seat tools (Hootsuite, Sprout) get expensive fast with client teams; per-workspace and unlimited-user pricing keep agency margins intact.
Do I need social listening?
Only when brand mentions drive decisions: reputation management, campaign measurement, or competitive tracking. Sprout Social and Hootsuite (upper tiers) plus Planable's $99/month listening add-on cover it. For scheduling and publishing alone, listening is an upsell you can skip.
Which tool is best for Instagram and TikTok?
Later: the visual planner, drag-and-drop calendar and Link in Bio tooling are built for those networks. Metricool is the analytics alternative. Avoid tools that treat X and LinkedIn as primary and visual networks as an afterthought if short-form video is your main channel.
Per-seat vs. per-channel vs. per-workspace: the pricing models
Four models compete here, and the model matters more than the monthly figure. Per-seat (Hootsuite $99, Sprout $79, Agorapulse $79): you pay per human, so costs scale with team size regardless of output. Per-channel (Buffer $5/channel): you pay per social account, so a solo user with 10 channels pays more than a 5-person team with 2. Per-workspace (Planable $39): you pay per client or brand container, and team members are free. Flat/unlimited (Sendible, Connecteam-style): one price to a user cap.
Map your shape to the model: solo with many channels favors per-seat; team with few channels favors per-channel; agencies favor per-workspace or unlimited-user. The wrong model can double your bill without adding a single feature, so price your actual configuration across two models before committing.
The free tier ladder: what $0 actually gets you
Ranked by generosity: Metricool Free Forever (1 brand, 20 posts/month, analytics included), Zoho Social Free (1 brand, 6 channels, 1 member), Buffer Free (3 channels, 10 queued posts/channel), Later Free (limited), Planable Free (50 posts lifetime), Loomly Free (unadvertised, 5 posts/month). Hootsuite, Sprout Social, SocialBee and Sendible offer no free tier at all.
The pattern: free tiers cover solo publishing indefinitely but gate teams, brands and analytics. They are genuine on-ramps, not demos, with one exception to verify: Agorapulse's free plan is advertised on its homepage but reported ended by some third-party sources, so confirm on the live site. Start free, upgrade when a second brand or a teammate arrives, and treat the free tier as the extended trial it is.
Sources we checked (13)
- https://www.hootsuite.com/plans/
- https://www.buffer.com/pricing
- https://www.sproutsocial.com/pricing/
- https://later.com/pricing-v3
- https://www.socialbee.com/pricing/
- https://www.sendible.com/pricing/
- https://www.agorapulse.com/pricing/
- https://www.zoho.com/social/pricing.html
- https://www.metricool.com/pricing/
- https://help.planable.io
- https://www.loomly.com/pricing
- https://www.g2.com/categories/social-media-management
- https://www.capterra.com/social-media-management-software/
Is your product missing or out of date?
We review this list regularly. Vendors can request a listing, send updated pricing or ask about featured placement.
Shihab Mia · Founder, Rankite
Shihab has spent more than a decade helping SaaS and e-commerce brands grow through search. He writes Rankite's software buying guides from pricing pages, documentation and public user reviews. More about Shihab.