The Best Social Media Management Tools For 2025
Automation To The Fullest
Last Updated
November 18th, 2024
Written by
Mariam Pilishvili
Let your voice be heard with smart social media planners
You've come up with a great business idea and name. Now it's time to start building your social media presence and posting interesting, audience-focused content regularly.
But managing multiple social accounts can be a so much work, especially when you're trying to run your small business in the meantime. That's why the best social media management tools are truly practical. They take over the posting, simplify your workflow, and, with that, save time. They allow you to create a steady stream of engaging content tailored to your audience.
These are the tasks social media management software can help you with:
Automated Posting and Scheduling
Content Discovery and Planning
Analytics and Performance Tracking
Cross-Platform Customization
Collaboration and Workflow Management
This frees you up to focus on the core of your business while still maintaining an active, polished presence on social networks.
We've tested the most common tools like Hootsuite or Sprinklr, and added a few new favorites like Content Studio and Social Champ.
Honestly, a lot of the features could be prompted manually, content discovery or cross-platform customization can easily be done by an LLM. But since our two top tools offer starter packages at $25 and $29 already, automating your social media posts is well-invested money and so much cheaper than hiring a social media manager.
With the rise of AI tools and more AI-generated content, getting clicks and likes's not getting easier. So, if you want to stay ahead of the competition, it sure is clever to find tools for social listening (looking for mentions of specific topics you choose), one that schedules your TikTok videos, monitors your social inbox, finds the best hashtags and helps you with analytics.
One thing is for sure: we will not get around social media marketing in 2025 and beyond. So check out your new social media management team members.
By the way, our review of the best social media management tools contains a few affiliate marketing links. If you purchase any of the tools, we might receive a small commission.
| Tool Name | Starter Package Price (monthly) | Free Trial Scope |
|---|---|---|
| ContentStudio | $25 | 14 days |
| Social Champ | $27 | 7 days |
| Sprout Social | $199 | 30 days |
| Hubspot Social Manager | $20 | 14 days |
| Vista Social | $39 | 14 days |
| Metricool | $22 | Free Plan for Life |
| Sprinklr | $250 | 30 days |
| SocialPilot | $30 | 14 days |
| Hootsuite | $99 | 30 days |
| Buffer | $6 | Free for 3 channels |
| Lately | $49 | 7 days |
The Best Social Media Management Tools are:
1
Setup/Onboarding
5
User Experience
4
Tool Performance
5
Use Cases
Content Planning and Management, Small Companies
Support
Message Request
- Social Media Posting in sec
- Post Scheduling
- Content Discovery & Planning
- First Comment
- Facebook Text Background
- Facebook Carousel
- Canva Integration
Pros:
- Has solid content planning and scheduling tools
- Good reporting tools for tracking how posts perform
- Perhaps the best all-in-one platform for network management
- Really budget-friendly, especially if you catch a lifetime deal
- 100% human-based customer support
Cons:
- The user interface is a bit clunky
- Some integrations are more complex, such as connecting an account to X (Twitter), which requires an API key that may be difficult for basic users to locate or link.
Setup/Onboarding
5
User Experience
4
Tool Performance
4
Use Cases
Social Media Analytics and Reporting, Personal Use, Freelancers
Support
- Post Publishing
- Post Management
- Strategy Planning
- Content Automation
- Performance Analytics
- Analytics Overview
Pros:
- Instagram scheduler works great
- Competitor Analysis
- Nice analytics features to track performance
- Easy to customize posts for different platforms
- Simple, easy-to-use interface
Cons:
- Connecting to Twitter and Pinterest is unavailable on the free plan
- To downgrade to the $29 plan, you must pay in advance
- No reply to live chats
Setup/Onboarding
5
User Experience
4
Tool Performance
4
Use Cases
Large Businesses, Community Organisations, Content Management, Real-Time Brand Monitoring
Support
Sprout Guide, Sprout Call, Request Submission
- Social Publishing
- Post Scheduling
- Team Collaboration
- Detailed Analytics
- App Integrations
- Social Engagement
- Social Listening
- Post Performance
- Competitor Performance
- Customer Feedback
Pros:
- All-in-one social inbox
- Advanced Automation
- Comprehensive Reporting
- Marketing Analytics
- Reputation Management
Cons:
- Super Expensive
- Pricey Add-Ons
- Complex Cancellation Process
- Limited Features on Basic Edition
Setup/Onboarding
4
User Experience
4
Tool Performance
4
Use Cases
For Personal Use, Small Business and Startups, Freelancers, Creators
Support
Community, Knowledge Base, Academy, Email Support, Live Chat, Toll-free dialing.
- Social Media Posting
- Social Media Marketing
- Contact Management
- App Integration
- Live Chat Functions
- Bulk Scheduling
- Draft Storage of Posts
- In-depth Reporting
- Easy linking with Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google+
- One-click cross-platform posting
- Calendar view of all scheduled posts across platforms
- Easy post editing
- Social clicks tracking
- Part of larger AI CRM system which might be overwhelming
- Premium plans are costly
- Limited Calendar View
5
Vista Social
Setup/Onboarding
4
User Experience
3
Tool Performance
4
Use Cases
Personal Use, Small and Large businesses, Agencies, Content Planning and Management
Support
Help Center, Quick Start, FAQ, Submit a Request
Key Features
- Social Media Scheduling and Posting
- Social listening
- Multi-platform integration
- Content discovery
- Bulk Scheduling
- Social Media Analytics
- Social Media Monitoring
- URL Tracking
- Boost Settings
Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Simple interface
- Built-in link shortener
- Well-organized calendar system
- No credit card required for initial signup
- Wide range of supported social platforms (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Twitter, Reddit)
Cons:
- Slow screen loading times
- Poor AI-powered content generation
- Expensive plans for small agencies
- Excessive email notifications
- Limited features in the basic plan
Price Point
6
Metricool
Setup/Onboarding
4
User Experience
3
Tool Performance
3
Use Cases
Personal Use, Small businesses, Agencies, Content Planning and Management
Support
Metricool Help Center, Metricool Chat, Metricool Blog
Key Features
- Post Publishing and Scheduling
- Social Media Analytics
- Automated reports
- Competitor Analysis
- Easy Integrations
- SmartLinks
- Mobile App
- AI text generator
Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Best Times to Post
- Image and Video Bank
- Hashtag Search Engine
- Post Promotion
- AI Social Media Assistant
Cons:
- The page takes time to load
- Only Facebook pages can be connected, not Facebook profiles
- Twitter and LinkedIn not available on Free Plan
- Team access on higher tiers
- Customizable templates on advanced plans
Price Point
7
Sprinklr
Setup/Onboarding
4
User Experience
3
Tool Performance
3
Use Cases
Large Businesses, Community Organisations, Content Management, Social Proof Building
Support
Sprinklr Service Glossary, Sprinklr Social Glossary, Sprinklr Insights Glossary, Sprinklr Marketing Glossary, Sprinklr Chatbot, Customer Service
Key Features
- Scheduling and Posting
- Content discovery
- Activity Tracking
- Persona Apps
- @mentions
- A/B Testing
- AI/Machine Learning
- API
- Activity Planning
- Activity Dashboard
- Activity Tracking
- Sprinklr AI+
Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Really easy to plan and schedule social media posts for different business accounts
- Really good at planning ahead - you can schedule posts weeks in advance
- Strong data tracking and reporting features to see how well posts are doing
- Strong data tracking and reporting features to see how well posts are doing
- Perfect for big teams who need to work together on social media
Cons:
- Super expensive - might be too pricey for smaller companies
- Hard to learn - needs special training to use it properly
- Can be confusing to find your way around the system
- Reports can take a long time to download
Price Point
8
SocialPilot
Setup/Onboarding
3
User Experience
3
Tool Performance
3
Use Cases
Small businesses, Agencies, and Marketers
Support
Email Support
Key Features
- Publishing and Scheduling
- Social Media Calendar
- Social Media Analytics
- Social Media Engagement
- Collaboration
- White Label
- AI Assistant
Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Easy Integration
- Very affordable compared to competitors
- Good bulk scheduling features
- Great value for the number of accounts you can manage
- Real-time engagement monitoring
Cons:
- The page takes time to load
- Only Facebook pages can be connected, not Facebook profiles
- Interface isn't very intuitive - takes too many clicks to get things done
- Content can get lost in the system
- Posts sometimes don't publish as scheduled
Price Point
9
Hootsuite
Setup/Onboarding
3
User Experience
3
Tool Performance
3
Use Cases
Content Planning and Management, Large Companies, Social Media Tracking
Support
FAQ, Case Studies, Tutorials and Demos, Customer Support
Key Features
- Publish and Schedule
- Publish and Schedule
- AI Content Creation
- Social Listening
- Best Times to Post
- Engagement Tools
- Inbox and Messaging
- Employee Advocacy
- Social Advertising
Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Their training materials are really helpful - they teach you not just about their platform but social media marketing in general
- You can see how well your posts are doing with their tracking tools
- The calendar tool makes planning posts ahead of time really simple
Cons:
- It's expensive - $99 per month is too much for smaller businesses
- Customer service isn't very helpful, especially with billing problems
- Posting stories is tricky and not user-friendly
- The free version doesn't offer much
- Some of the advanced features take time to figure out
Price Point
10
Buffer
Setup/Onboarding
3
User Experience
2
Tool Performance
2
Use Cases
Marketers, Small Businesses, Personal Use
Support
Help Center, Online Chat, Product Roadmap, Request Feature
Key Features
- Scheduling & Publishing
- Multi-platform scheduling
- Video Scheduling
- Canva Integration
- 30+ Third-Party Integrations
- Google Analytics integration
Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Valuable analytics
- Task automation
- Mobile accessibility
- Customizable features
Cons:
- A little confusing to learn the interface
- A little buggy
- Enrolls you onto yearly plan automatically
- Poor customer support
- Takes time to load page
Price Point
11
Lately
Setup/Onboarding
2
User Experience
2
Tool Performance
2
Use Cases
Personal Use, Small and Medium Businesses, Large Enterprises, Content Planning and Management, Social Media Tracking
Support
Help Center, Chat-only / 48-hour response, Training, Customer Success Manager
Key Features
- Post Scheduling
- Social Publishing
- Engagement Overview
- Campaign Tracking
- Anti-keyword controls
- Media library
- Social media calendar
- Reporting
- Integration with HubSpot, Salesforce, Sprinklr and Hootsuite
Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Custom audience targeting
- Video & audio clip captioning
- Top time and day publishing analysis
- Channel performance comparison
- Top keywords, hashtags and @mention synopsis
Cons:
- Relatively expensive
- Most features are limited in the starter package
- Inconsistent Post Queue
- Basic Plan limited to 5 social media accounts
- Occasionally Slow Performance
Price Point
Social Media Tools - FAQ
What you should look for in a social media tool?
When looking for the best social media management tool for you, first check the platforms it supports. Focus on key features like multi-platform support, post-performance analytics, bulk scheduling, and cost-effectiveness. These advanced functions are critical to growing your online presence.
What are social media management tools?
Social media management platforms are software applications that help businesses manage various social media accounts at once and from one place. This auto-posting tool allows you to publish content on multiple social media platforms simultaneously and track its performance via built-in analytics. It can give you new ideas for social media content and let's you easily schedule posts.
What's the best all-in-one social media management tool?
The top option for us on the market includes ContentStudio, which offers an intuitive interface for content creation and scheduling, can help with social media strategy, and detailed analytics at an affordable price. We've reviewed it in detail above and found it to be the most versatile tool with the most reliable performance.
What's the top social media tool for analytics?
There are numerous social media analytics tools available to measure campaign performance, with HubSpot standing out as a top choice for social media management analytics. HubSpot tracks engagement, clicks, and provides in-depth reporting.
Are there free social media manager tools?
While entirely free social media tools are rare, many offer free trials to test out their features. But the best social media management tools like ContentStudio, Hubspot, and SocialPilot provide free plans. So give it a shot, especially as a smaller business, this is an affordable dip into the world of social media management tools.
What's the best social media tool for content creation?
Social Champ is basically your social media assistant. This social media management tool lets you throw together posts for multiple platforms in seconds. Its social media scheduling tools handle all scheduling, so you don't have to manually post everything.
What's the best social media tool for content ideas?
Content Studio is a top choice. It provides powerful content research features to help you find social trending topics. Understandable you will have a few blind spots after writing about the same topic over and over again. Content Studio is great at giving you new inspiration and figuring out what's hot right now.