Best Social Media Management Tools: 16 Compared (2026)

Florian and I run every brand we have from one Pozy account. That's 17 social accounts on Instagram, X, YouTube, Facebook, Threads and LinkedIn, and we both work in it.

I co-founded Pozy, so read my first pick with that in mind. It's the social media scheduler I grew my own Instagram with.

On Hootsuite, more than 10 accounts means Professional, at $199 a person a month. For the two of us, $398. On Sprout Social it's $299 a seat, so $598. On Pozy we're on Pro, for 30 channels: $39 a month billed yearly, for both of us.

Most people don't need the biggest tool. They need the parts they'll really use, at a price that doesn't grow with every person or account.

#How I tested them

I've tried each of these 16 tools, and our own posting runs on Pozy. Then I put all 16 side by side on what a management tool is for:

• What you really pay for 3 setups, from each tool's own pricing page (and its calculator where it has one).
• Where the inbox starts, and whether it takes DMs and reviews or only comments.
• Where approvals, reports and listening start.
• The small print: accounts per plan, people per plan, X add-ons, what the free plan leaves out.
• What Claude or ChatGPT can do through each one, and on which plan.

Two rules for the prices. Every price, plan and limit here comes from the tool's own site on 16 November 2026. Prices are per month, billed yearly, because they're lower. A "user" or a "seat" is one person who logs in. An account, channel, profile or page all mean one connected social account.

#What a social media management tool does

A scheduler posts for you at a set time. A management tool does that and the rest of the job:

• Publishing. One post to several networks, on a calendar.
• An inbox. Comments, DMs and reviews from every account in one list.
• Approvals. A post waits until a client or a boss says yes.
• Analytics and reports. Your numbers for every account, and a report you can send.
• Listening. Tracking what people say about your brand outside your own accounts.
• A team. Several people, each with their own access.

If you only need the first one, read the best social media schedulers instead.

#The best social media management tools at a glance

#What each one costs for your setup

"From" prices hide the real bill. Here is what each one costs for 3 real setups, per month, billed yearly, before tax.

How I counted:

• The setups. 3 accounts means Instagram, X and LinkedIn for one brand. The 10 accounts are 5 per brand, each on a different network, and don't need X.
• Pozy: 3 accounts fit Standard. 10 channels are its Team plan, with no limit on people. X posts add X's own price: 1.5 cents, or 20 cents with a link.
• Buffer: $5 a channel on Essentials. A team needs Team, at $10 a channel, because Essentials is 1 user.
• Hootsuite: Standard is $99 a user for 10 accounts. Until 20 November 2026 its fall sale takes 50% off one Standard seat for the first year.
• Sprout Social: Essentials and Standard stop at 5 profiles, so 10 accounts need Professional, at $299 a seat.
• Agorapulse: Standard is $79 a user for 10 profiles.
• Zoho Social: a brand has one account per network. A second brand needs Professional ($30) plus $14.50, or Premium ($40, 3 team members) plus $19.50.
• SocialPilot: Essentials has 7 accounts and 1 user, and extra accounts are $4 each. Standard has 15 accounts and 3 users.
• Vista Social: Professional is 2 users and 15 profiles. Advanced is 3 users.
• Metricool: counts brands, not accounts. Starter is $20 for 5 brands. Teams need Advanced.
• Sendible: Core has 6 profiles and Plus has 18, both with unlimited users. Core can add 6 more profiles for $35 a month billed monthly. It lists no yearly price for that, so I counted Plus.
• Later: a "social set" is one account per network, so 2 brands need Growth. A third user is $3.75.
• Planable: prices are per workspace, a separate space for one brand, with unlimited users. 5 accounts need Pro's 10 pages.
• Statusbrew: Lite is 1 user and 5 profiles. Standard is 3 users and 10 profiles.
• Publer: from its calculator. The team adds 2 members at $1.60 each.
• SocialBu: Starter has 8 accounts and one brand. Growth has 20 accounts, several brands and 4 team members.
• ContentStudio: Standard is 5 accounts and 1 user. Advanced is 10 accounts and 2 users, and a third user is $10.

#Where the inbox, approvals, reports and listening start

Prices are per month, billed yearly:

SocialPilot's prices here are its Black Friday prices. "None" means the tool's own pricing page lists no such feature.

#The 16 best social media management tools

Pozy first, because it's the one we use every day. Then Buffer, Hootsuite and Sprout Social, then the rest.

#1. Pozy

Pros: Claude or ChatGPT posts, answers comments, DMs and reviews, and reads your numbers for you. The inbox, approvals and analytics are on every plan. From Team up, one flat price for everyone who logs in.

Cons: No free plan, X posts cost extra at X's own price, and no social listening.

For who: Founders and small teams who already use Claude or ChatGPT and want them to do the managing.

Pricing (checked 16 Nov 2026 on pozy.ai/pricing): Standard is $29 a month, or $23 billed yearly, for 5 channels and 1 person. Team is $39, or $31 billed yearly, for 10 channels and unlimited people. Pro is $49, or $39 billed yearly, for 30 channels. Ultimate is $99, or $79 billed yearly, for 100. Every feature is on every plan. 7-day free trial, card required.

You add Pozy to Claude with one link (ChatGPT needs its developer mode turned on), then ask in plain words. It posts to 13 networks, including Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, LinkedIn, X, Threads, Bluesky and Google Business.

What the management side looks like:

• One inbox. Comments, DMs and Google and Facebook reviews in one list. It doesn't take LinkedIn DMs.
• Approvals. Any plan can hold posts until you approve them.
• Your numbers. Reach, views, likes, comments, shares, saves and clicks for each account, with an export to a spreadsheet.
• Ads. Your AI can read your ad numbers on 9 ad networks, and pause or resume a campaign.
• Instagram trial Reels from your AI. A trial Reel is shown to people who don't follow you first: a free way to test a new opening line (how trial Reels work).

Try this in Claude once Pozy is connected:

Use Pozy for this. Show me the comments, DMs and reviews I haven't answered this week, draft a reply for each one, and wait for my yes before you send anything.

#2. Buffer

Pros: A free plan for 3 channels, and a Claude and ChatGPT connection on every plan, free included.

Cons: The inbox answers comments, not DMs or reviews. You pay for every channel, and a team doubles the price up to 10 channels.

For who: Creators and small businesses who mostly publish and want to start for free.

Pricing (checked 16 Nov 2026 on buffer.com/pricing): Free for 3 channels and 1 user, with 10 scheduled posts per channel at a time. Essentials is $5 a channel a month billed yearly ($6 monthly), for 1 user. Team is $10 a channel ($12 monthly), with unlimited users and approvals. 14-day trial, no card.

#3. Hootsuite

Pros: Publishing, an inbox for comments and DMs, competitor numbers and listening on every plan. No account limit from Professional.

Cons: Every person pays $99 a month or more, and approvals sit on Advanced, at $399 a user.

For who: Big social teams that track their brand and work the inbox in one place.

Pricing (checked 16 Nov 2026 on hootsuite.com/plans): Standard is $99 a user a month billed yearly, for 10 accounts. Professional is $199 a user with unlimited accounts and custom reports. Advanced is $399 a user. 14-day trial. Its fall sale takes 50% off one Standard seat for the first year, billed yearly, until 20 November 2026.

#4. Sprout Social

Pros: Reports a boss can read on every plan, an inbox from Standard, and a 30-day trial with no card.

Cons: It costs per seat, Essentials has no inbox, and Essentials and Standard stop at 5 profiles.

For who: Companies with a social team that reports to management.

Pricing (checked 16 Nov 2026 on sproutsocial.com/pricing): Essentials is $79 a seat a month billed yearly ($99 monthly) for 5 profiles. Standard is $199 ($249 monthly). Professional is $299 ($399 monthly) with no profile limit. Advanced is $399.

Listening is an add-on with no public price. Its site names no Claude or ChatGPT connection. Its own AI agent, Trellis, is on every plan.

#5. Agorapulse

Pros: One inbox for comments, DMs and Google reviews on every plan. Reports with your logo on every plan too.

Cons: Every person pays $79 or more, and approvals start on Professional.

For who: Community managers who spend their day in comments, DMs and reviews.

Pricing (checked 16 Nov 2026 on agorapulse.com/pricing): Standard is $79 a user a month billed yearly ($99 monthly) for 10 profiles. Professional is $119, with approvals. Advanced is $149. Extra profiles are $10 a month each. 30-day trial, no card.

Listening is an add-on, price on request. It also lists two X add-ons, price on request.

#6. Zoho Social

Pros: One brand for $10 a month, and a free plan.

Cons: A brand takes one account per network. Messages and reviews start on Professional, and the full inbox, approvals and custom reports on Premium.

For who: Small businesses with one brand and a small budget.

Pricing (checked 16 Nov 2026 on zoho.com/social/pricing.html): Free for 1 brand and 6 channels. Standard is $10 a month billed yearly ($15 monthly). Professional is $30 ($40 monthly). Premium is $40 ($65 monthly), with 3 team members. A second brand is $14.50 on Professional. 15-day trial, no card.

#7. SocialPilot

Pros: 15 accounts, 3 users, the inbox, approvals and reports for $35 a month right now. A Claude and ChatGPT connection on every plan.

Cons: Essentials is 1 user with no inbox and no reports. Client approvals and reports with your own brand start on Premium. Reviews are a separate product.

For who: Small teams and agencies that want many accounts per dollar.

Pricing (checked 16 Nov 2026 on socialpilot.co/plans): Black Friday prices are live. Billed yearly, Essentials is $21 a month for 7 accounts and 1 user. Standard is $35 for 15 accounts and 3 users. Premium is $70 for 25 accounts and 6 users. Ultimate is $140 for 50 accounts and unlimited users. Extra accounts are $4 a month. Its FAQ says people who start a trial can still get the offer price until 18 December. Free trial, no card.

#8. Vista Social

Pros: The inbox, reviews, reports, competitor reports and a Claude and ChatGPT connection are all on the first plan. Its plan table ticks one-step approvals there too.

Cons: X is a $29 a month add-on per profile, and there is no free plan.

For who: Small teams that want every part of the job in one tool from day one.

Pricing (checked 16 Nov 2026 on vistasocial.com/pricing): Professional is $950 a year, shown as $80 a month ($99 monthly), for 2 users and 15 profiles. Advanced is $160 a month for 3 users and 30 profiles, with custom reports. Scale is $360 for 4 users and 70 profiles. 14-day trial.

Listening on your own profiles is included. Listening across social, the web and news starts at $75 a month.

#9. Metricool

Pros: A free plan with an inbox and 5 competitors to watch. From $20: analytics with no time limit, reports and up to 100 competitors.

Cons: No LinkedIn or X on free, X is a paid add-on ($10 a month per account on its pricing page), and teams and approvals need Advanced.

For who: People who pick a tool for the numbers first.

Pricing (checked 16 Nov 2026 on metricool.com/pricing): Free for 1 brand and 20 posts a month. Starter is from $20 a month billed yearly ($25 monthly) for 5 brands. Advanced is from $53 ($67 monthly) for 15 brands, with teams and approvals.

#10. Sendible

Pros: Unlimited users on every plan, with bulk scheduling and replies to comments from the first one.

Cons: Core includes 6 profiles, sending posts for approval starts on Plus, and reports you can send start on Premium. No Claude or ChatGPT connection yet: its FAQ says one is in the works.

For who: Agencies and businesses with many people in one account.

Pricing (checked 16 Nov 2026 on sendible.com/pricing): Core is $30 a month billed yearly ($35 monthly) for 6 profiles. Plus is $84 ($99 monthly) for 18 profiles. Premium is $169 ($199 monthly). 14-day trial, no card.

Its page names DMs on Instagram only.

#11. Later

Pros: Strong on Instagram and TikTok. From Growth, the inbox takes Instagram and Facebook DMs and comments, and TikTok comments.

Cons: No X at all, Starter allows 30 posts per profile a month, and all-network reports and listening sit on Scale.

For who: Creators and brands whose feed lives on Instagram and TikTok.

Pricing (checked 16 Nov 2026 on later.com/pricing): Starter is $18.75 a month billed yearly ($25 monthly), for one "social set" (one account per network) and 1 user. Growth is $37.50 for 2 sets and 2 users. Scale is $82.50 for 6 sets and 4 users. An extra user is $3.75. 14-day trial.

#12. Planable

Pros: Your first 50 posts are free. Unlimited users, and approvals built for clients: optional on Basic, required from Pro.

Cons: The inbox, analytics and listening are all paid add-ons, and Basic publishes 1 X post every 24 hours.

For who: Agencies and teams where a client or a boss approves every post.

Pricing (checked 16 Nov 2026 on planable.io/pricing): Basic is $33 a month billed yearly ($39 monthly) per workspace, with 60 posts a month and 4 pages. Pro is $49 ($59 monthly) for 150 posts a month and 10 pages. On top, per workspace: the inbox is $7.50, analytics $12 and listening $82.50.

#13. Statusbrew

Pros: An inbox on every plan that can hide or sort comments in bulk, and bulk upload on Lite. Listening comes with Premium.

Cons: Lite is 1 user and 5 profiles with no reports at all. Approvals start on Premium, at $229.

For who: Brands with busy comment sections, where cleaning up comments matters more than posting.

Pricing (checked 16 Nov 2026 on statusbrew.com/pricing): Lite is $69 a month billed yearly ($89 monthly) for 1 user and 5 profiles. Standard is $129 ($179 monthly) for 3 users and 10 profiles. Premium is $229 ($299 monthly) for 6 users and 15 profiles. 14-day trial, no card.

#14. Publer

Pros: The lowest paid price of the 16 for 1 to 3 accounts, a free plan, and approvals from Professional.

Cons: No inbox on its plans page. Analytics, competitor numbers and its Claude and ChatGPT connection all start on Business.

For who: Solo creators who publish and don't need an inbox.

Pricing (checked 16 Nov 2026 on publer.com/plans): Free for 3 accounts (not X) and 10 scheduled posts each. Professional is $5 a month for 1 account, or $4 billed yearly. On its calculator, 3 accounts cost $9.60 a month billed yearly and 10 cost $28.80. Business is $8 for 1 account, billed yearly. An extra member on Professional is $1.60 billed yearly ($2 monthly).

#15. SocialBu

Pros: Listening from $22 a month. Five tools here sell it as an add-on. A free plan, and a Claude and ChatGPT connection from Starter.

Cons: Starter has no team, no inbox and one brand. All three start on Growth, at $59.

For who: Solo posters who want to track a keyword or their brand name on a small budget.

Pricing (checked 16 Nov 2026 on socialbu.com/pricing): Free for 3 accounts and 10 posts in total. Starter is $22 a month billed yearly ($29 monthly) for 8 accounts. Growth is $59 ($79 monthly) for 20 accounts and 4 team members. Agency is $149 ($199 monthly) for 50 accounts. 7-day trial.

Starter's listening is 1 search and 100 results a month. Growth has 5 searches and 5,000 results.

#16. ContentStudio

Pros: Its own AI writes posts for your brand. A Claude and ChatGPT connection comes with every plan, from $19 a month.

Cons: Standard is 1 user, 5 accounts and no inbox. The inbox, approvals, report exports and competitor numbers all start on Advanced, at $49.

For who: Solo marketers and small teams who want the posts written inside the tool.

Pricing (checked 16 Nov 2026 on contentstudio.io/pricing): Standard is $19 a month billed yearly ($29 monthly) for 5 accounts and 1 user. Advanced is $49 ($69 monthly) for 10 accounts and 2 users, and extra users are $10. Agency Unlimited is $99 ($139 monthly) for 25 accounts and unlimited users. 7-day trial, no card.

Listening is an add-on: $950 a year on Advanced, or $99 monthly.

#Six specialist tools worth knowing

Six more names worth knowing. Each fits one kind of buyer, so they have no entry above.

• Tailwind, for Pinterest. Its pages name Pinterest only. Scheduling and creating Pins is $17.99 a month billed yearly, per Pinterest account. You can start free.
• Typefully, for text posts. It posts to X, LinkedIn, Threads, Bluesky and Mastodon. Free for 10 posts a month. Creator is $99 a year.
• Iconosquare, for analytics. It calls itself "analytics-first". Free for 2 profiles, then from $10 a month billed yearly for 3 profiles. X needs its Launch plan, from $39.
• HubSpot Marketing Hub, if your customer list lives in HubSpot. Its social tools start on Professional, from $800 a month, plus a one-time $3,000 setup fee.
• Sprinklr, for very large companies. No public price. Its site only offers a demo.
• Oktopost, for companies that sell to other companies on LinkedIn. No public price. Both plans say "Get a quote".

#Can your AI do the managing?

Most of these tools now connect to Claude and ChatGPT through MCP, the open standard that lets an AI assistant use another app for you, like a plug.

The connections are not equal. Some only draft. Some schedule. A few answer your inbox.

If the part you want off your plate is the inbox, look at Pozy, Agorapulse, Vista Social or SocialBu. Hootsuite's replies use saved answers.

#The X (Twitter) costs

X changes the price more than any other network:

• Later: X isn't in its networks at all.
• Publer and SocialBu: no X on the free plan.
• Metricool: a paid add-on for each X account, $10 a month on its pricing page, and no X on free.
• Vista Social: $29 a month for each X profile.
• Agorapulse: lists two X add-ons, price on request.
• Planable: 1 X post every 24 hours on Basic, and no X in the 50 free posts.
• Pozy: X's own price per post, 1.5 cents, or 20 cents with a link.

#The best free social media management tools

• Buffer: 3 channels, 10 scheduled posts each, and a comment inbox.
• Metricool: 1 brand, 20 posts a month, 30 days of analytics and an inbox. No LinkedIn or X.
• Publer: 3 accounts, 10 scheduled posts each. No X, no inbox.
• Zoho Social: 1 brand and 6 channels.
• SocialBu: 3 accounts and 10 posts in total, not per month. No X.
• Planable: your first 50 posts, with no time limit and no card.

The others are free only during their trial, Pozy included, except Agorapulse: its FAQ mentions a free plan after the trial, with no limits listed. A free plan is fine to publish from. Approvals and reports mostly start on paid plans.

#What to look for before you pay

Does it post to your networks? Check X first: it's missing, limited or extra on eight tools here. Then check the one network you can't live without.

Does the inbox take what you get? Almost every inbox takes comments. DMs and reviews are not a given. Buffer answers comments only. Sendible's page names DMs on Instagram only. Publer has no inbox.

Who has to approve a post? If the answer is "nobody", skip this. If it's a client, check the plan: approvals cost $10 a channel on Buffer, $119 a user on Agorapulse, and $399 a user on Hootsuite.

Does the price grow with people or with accounts? Per-user prices (Hootsuite, Sprout Social, Agorapulse) grow with the team. Per-channel prices (Buffer, Publer) grow with your accounts. Flat plans (Pozy from Team, Sendible, Planable per workspace) grow with neither until the next plan.

Do you need listening? Most small teams don't. If you do: Hootsuite has it on every plan, SocialBu from $22, Statusbrew on Premium, Later on Scale. Sprout Social, Agorapulse, Vista Social, Planable and ContentStudio sell it as an add-on.

#Which one should you pick?

• You'd rather tell your AI what to post and answer: Pozy. That's why we built it.
• You want it free: Buffer to publish. Metricool if you want the numbers and can skip X and LinkedIn.
• You're a team of 3: Pozy's Team plan ($31), Publer ($32, no inbox) or SocialPilot ($35 with its Black Friday price).
• Your day is comments, DMs and reviews: Pozy, Agorapulse or Vista Social.
• You're an agency: Pozy for one project per client and no limit on people from Team up. Sendible for unlimited users. Planable if clients approve every post.
• You track what people say about your brand: Hootsuite, or SocialBu on a small budget.
• You report to a boss: Sprout Social.
• Your feed is Instagram and TikTok: Later.
• You have one brand and $10: Zoho Social.

#Questions

What is the best social media management tool? It depends on the part of the job you need most. Pozy if you want Claude or ChatGPT to do the work. Buffer for a free start. Hootsuite or Sprout Social for big teams. Agorapulse for a busy inbox.

What are 10 popular social media management tools? Buffer, Hootsuite, Sprout Social, Agorapulse, Zoho Social, SocialPilot, Vista Social, Metricool, Sendible and Later are ten of the best known. Pozy is the one we built and use. The table at the top compares all 16.

What are the most important tools for social media managers? A calendar to publish from, one inbox for comments and DMs, analytics you can turn into a report, and approvals if someone else signs off. Listening matters for bigger brands.

What's the difference between social media scheduling and social media management? Scheduling is publishing posts at a set time. Management adds the inbox, approvals, reports, listening and a team.

Are there free social media management tools? Yes. Buffer, Metricool, Publer, Zoho Social and SocialBu have free plans, and Planable gives your first 50 posts free. Pozy is not free: it has a 7-day free trial.

How much do social media management tools cost? For one person with 3 accounts, from $0 to $109 a month on this list. For a team of 3 with 10 accounts, from $31 to $897, billed yearly.

What is the best social media management tool for small businesses? Pozy if you already use Claude or ChatGPT at work. Zoho Social for one brand at $10 a month. Buffer if free is the goal. SocialPilot for a small team.

What is the best social media management tool for agencies? Pozy if you want one project per client and your AI doing the posting. Sendible for unlimited users from $30. Planable if clients approve every post.

What is the best social media management tool for enterprises? Sprout Social and Hootsuite are built for big teams, and both charge per person. Hootsuite includes listening, and Sprout Social sells it as an add-on. Sprinklr sells to very large companies, with no public price.

What are the best AI tools for social media management? There are two kinds. Built-in AI writes captions inside the tool: most tools here have it. A connection to Claude or ChatGPT lets your own AI do the work. Pozy, Buffer, Agorapulse, SocialPilot, Vista Social, Metricool and ContentStudio have that on every plan.

Which tool has the best social media analytics? On a small budget, Metricool: free for 1 brand, then $20 a month with up to 100 competitors to compare. For company reports, Sprout Social.

Do I need a separate tool for analytics? Usually not. Every tool here except Publer's Professional, SocialPilot's Essentials and Statusbrew's Lite includes analytics on its first paid plan. Planable sells it as a $12 add-on.

Which tool is best for managing reviews? Pozy's inbox takes Google and Facebook reviews on every plan. Agorapulse and Vista Social answer Google reviews from their first plan.

Do social media management tools support all platforms? No. Later has no X, and several charge extra for it. Check your networks before you pay.

Can Claude or ChatGPT manage my social media? Yes, through a tool that connects them to your accounts. With Pozy they post, answer comments, DMs and reviews and read your numbers. Most apps ask you before anything goes out.

What are the 5-5-5 and 3-3-3 rules on social media? Rules of thumb for how to split your posts and your time. Neither comes from a platform, and each has several versions. Your own numbers tell you more than a fixed rule.

Is Pozy free? No. Every plan starts with a 7-day free trial, card required. After that it's from $23 a month billed yearly. Cancel before the 7 days end and you pay nothing for the plan.

Leaving one of the big tools? See the Hootsuite alternatives and the Buffer alternatives.