Managing multiple social media platforms — whether for yourself or for a brand — means juggling a lot at once. On any given day, you are creating posts, repurposing content, staying on top of trends, reviewing detailed analytics, and more.
If you’re a creator or a small business owner managing your social media presence yourself, all of this is in addition to running your business. Phew!
The good news: there are plenty of social media management tools that can lighten the load — and maybe even make the work feel… less like work?
The social media management tools on this list are the ones I recommend to creators, marketers, agency owners, and my mates.
But why should you care what I have to say? Well, I'm a journalist turned content marketer and creator. I've managed social media platforms for tabloids, lifestyle magazines, SaaS tech brands, and, of course, myself. I have 30K+ followers across TikTok, Instagram, LinkedIn, Threads, YouTube, and X.
Plus, I am obsessed with tools (seriously, it's my weird ADHD hyperfixation). So when I tell you I have been around the block with social media management tools, I'm not kidding! 🤓
So if you're on the hunt for a social media management tool to make your work online just a little smoother (and more fun!), you're in the right place!
If you're just here for a quick recommendation, here's a summary:
Key takeaways
- Best overall for creators and small-medium businesses: Buffer — per-channel pricing from $6/mo and a free plan for up to 3 channels.
- Best for enterprise teams: Sprinklr and Sprout Social handle the heavy social listening and influencer work, but both are on the pricier end, so they only make sense at real scale.
- Best for Pinterest: Tailwind — a purpose-built, official Pinterest partner from $29.99/mo.
- Best for B2B: Oktopost — campaign-tagged posts and buyer-journey tracking (pricing on request).
- Best if you have a Substack: Buffer. Buffer is one of the few platforms that supports Substack Notes.
- Best for DM and comment automation: Manychat — 24/7 chat automation across Instagram, Facebook, TikTok (beta), and WhatsApp from $14/mo.
- Watch the scaling cost: pricing is usually per user or per channel, so check what it'll cost you 12 months from now, not just right now. Entry plans run $6–$30/mo; enterprise tools reach $199/mo per seat or custom quotes.
Jump to a section:
- What are social media management tools?
- Comparison table of the 11 best social media management tools
- 1. Buffer
- 2. Hootsuite
- 3. Tailwind
- 4. SocialPilot
- 5. Zoho Social
- 6. Sprout Social
- 7. Oktopost
- 8. Later
- 9. Socialinsider
- 10. Manychat
- 11. Sprinklr
- What should you look for in social media management apps?
- FAQs about social media management tools
- More social media management resources
What are social media management tools?
Social media management tools are apps that let you plan, schedule, publish, engage with, and analyze content across multiple social networks from a single dashboard — instead of logging in and out of each platform separately.
Most combine scheduling, a handy unified inbox for comments and DMs, and analytics, and they range from free creator plans to enterprise suites with social listening and CRM built in. A good social media management tool is so much more than just a hefty set of features. It's software that you actually want to use every single day.
Comparison table of the 11 best social media management tools
These are 11 top social media management tools. They vary from beginner-friendly tools to enterprise-level platforms requiring deep analytics and CRM integration. Whatever your needs, I can pretty much guarantee this list has got you covered.
Here's a quick summary: