Best Free Social Media Management Tools Shortlist
Here’s my pick of the 10 best software from the 20 tools reviewed.
Our one-on-one guidance will help you find the perfect fit.
Free social media management tools are valuable for any company. They enable teams to schedule posts and track engagement metrics efficiently. However, finding the right tool can be challenging with so many available options.
Using my experience with marketing software, I tested and compared several top free social media management tools. My in-depth reviews will help you find the best tool for your specific needs, and I'm confident you'll discover the solution for you in the list below.
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Best Free Social Media Management Tools Summary
This comparison chart summarizes pricing details for my top free social media management tool selections, helping you find the best one for your budget and business needs.
Tools | Price | |
---|---|---|
SocialBee | From $29/user/month | Website |
Taggbox | From $24/month (billed annually) | Website |
Sendible | From $29/user/month | Website |
Planable | From $11/user/month (billed annually) | Website |
Iconosquare | From $52.50/month (billed annually) | Website |
Buffer | From $6/user/month | Website |
Keyhole | From $79/user/month | Website |
Social Champ | From $26/month + free plan available | Website |
Vista Social | From $374/year | Website |
Viralpep | From $25/month (billed annually) | Website |
Compare Software Specs Side by Side
Use our comparison chart to review and evaluate software specs side-by-side.
Compare SoftwareHow To Choose Free Social Media Management Tools
It’s easy to get bogged down in long feature lists and complex pricing structures. Here's a checklist of factors to remember to help you stay focused as you work through your unique software selection process.
Factor | What to Consider? |
Scalability | Will this tool grow with your social media needs? |
Integrations | Does it integrate with the platforms you use? |
Customizability | Can you tailor it to fit your unique workflows |
Ease of Use | Is it easy for your team to learn and use? |
Budget | Are there any hidden costs or limitations? |
Security Safeguards | Does it offer solid security features? |
Support | Is customer support readily available when you need it? |
Compliance | Does it help you stay compliant with local regulations? |
Best Free Social Media Management Tool Reviews
Below are my detailed summaries of my shortlist’s best free social media management tools. My reviews offer a detailed look at each tool’s key features, pros and cons, integrations, and ideal use cases to help you find the best one for you.
SocialBee is an AI-powered social media management tool that simplifies social media operations for businesses, freelancers, and agencies. It enables users to manage content creation, scheduling, and engagement across multiple social media platforms.
Why I picked SocialBee: SocialBee helps you stay on top of your posting schedule with customizable content generation and automated scheduling. You can invite your team, assign roles, and manage feedback easily with the collaboration tools. It also gives you detailed analytics to track performance and improve your strategy. With its simple interface, your team can get started quickly without needing much time to learn the platform.
Standout features & integrations:
Features include customizable content generation, automated scheduling and publishing, and team collaboration tools. You can also track performance with detailed analytics and manage interactions across multiple social platforms from a single dashboard.
Integrations include Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest, Google My Business, TikTok, YouTube, and Zapier.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Detailed analytics
- Limited advanced features
- Occasional bugs
Cons:
- Customizable content generation
- Efficient team collaboration
Taggbox is a platform that boosts website engagement by embedding social media feeds and user-generated content (UGC). It is designed for businesses seeking to enhance brand trust and interaction through authentic customer content.
Why I picked Taggbox: Taggbox lets your team easily embed social media feeds and reviews on your website, boosting visitor engagement. The Social Walls feature shows live social media content at events, helping increase brand visibility. With built-in analytics, you can track how your social displays are performing. Plus, customizable widgets make integrating Taggbox into your site simple, giving you flexibility for any project.
Standout features & integrations:
Features include social walls for live event displays, widgets for embedding social feeds, performance analytics for social displays, and customization options for unique needs.
Integrations include WordPress, Shopify, Mailchimp, Google Reviews, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Slack, and Zendesk.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Easy to embed content
- Performance analytics
- Customizable widgets
Cons:
- Requires some technical knowledge
- Limited customer support
Sendible is a social media management platform designed for businesses and agencies to simplify content scheduling, management, and analytics. It supports users from small businesses to large enterprises in managing multiple social media accounts.
Why I picked Sendible: Sendible gives you a Smart Compose Box to create and schedule content quickly, and the Priority Inbox helps you keep track of comments and messages. Bulk import options and custom tags make organizing your content much easier. Plus, the content library makes managing and storing your assets simple.
Standout features & integrations:
Features include a Smart Compose Box, Priority Inbox, bulk import capabilities, and custom tags. The platform also offers a content library to organize your assets and AI assistance for generating captions.
Integrations include Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, Google Business Profile, Canva, Dropbox, Google Drive, and Pexels.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Bulk import capabilities
- Priority Inbox
- Smart Compose Box
Cons:
- Limited customization
- Requires time investment
Planable is a content planning and collaboration tool for social media management, specifically for brands and agencies. It simplifies content creation, planning, and approval processes, resulting in substantial time savings.
Why I Picked Planable: Planable gives your team a marketing calendar that pulls all your content into one place, making it easier to stay organized. You can view your content differently—feed, calendar, grid, or list—to choose what works best. Collaboration is simple, with easy feedback options and real-time updates that keep the approval process moving. It’s built to help you manage social media content more efficiently.
Standout features & integrations:
Features include a unified marketing calendar, multiple viewing options, such as feed, calendar, grid, and list, and real-time updates for content approval. Your team will also benefit from intuitive feedback mechanisms that streamline collaboration and improve efficiency.
Integrations include Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Google My Business, YouTube, and TikTok.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Intuitive feedback
- Real-time updates
- Multiple viewing options
Cons:
- Basic reporting features
- No offline access
Iconosquare is a social media management tool built for brands and agencies to improve content strategy with advanced analytics, scheduling, and collaboration features. It helps social media managers track performance, engage with audiences, and simplify content approval processes.
Why I picked Iconosquare: Iconosquare gives you advanced analytics to track key metrics and keep an eye on your social media performance. You can plan and publish posts across multiple accounts from one dashboard, making things easier for your team. The collaboration tools let you assign social profiles, gather feedback, and manage content approval. With AI-driven content ideas and a Group Calendar, you'll have an easier time developing new ideas and organizing your social media tasks.
Standout features & integrations:
Features include advanced analytics for tracking key metrics, a scheduling tool for planning and publishing posts, and collaboration features for content approval processes. AI-driven content inspiration helps generate new ideas efficiently, and a Group Calendar view organizes social media activities.
Integrations include Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, X (Twitter), Google Analytics, YouTube, Pinterest, Tumblr, and Flickr.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Group Calendar view
- AI-driven content ideas
- Advanced analytics
Cons:
- Learning curve
- Limited free tools
Buffer is a social media management platform for small businesses and growing brands. It enables users to plan, publish, and analyze social media content across multiple channels.
Why I picked Buffer: Buffer makes it easy for your team to schedule posts and manage multiple social accounts from one dashboard, saving you time. Its analytics tools help you see how your posts are doing so you can fine-tune your strategy. The approval workflow makes sure everything meets your standards before going live.
Standout features & integrations:
Features include scheduling posts across various social platforms, analytics for tracking engagement, and an approval workflow for team collaboration. You can draft posts, get feedback, and make necessary adjustments all within Buffer. Additionally, its analytics tools help you understand what works best for your audience.
Integrations include Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Google Business, Shopify, WordPress, Zapier, and Canva.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Useful analytics
- Clean interface
- Easy to set up
Cons:
- Limited customization
- No bulk upload
Keyhole is a social media analytics and reporting tool for brands, agencies, and institutions. It enables users to monitor their online presence and analyze social media performance effectively.
Why I picked Keyhole: Keyhole's hashtag tracking feature helps measure the reach and impact of specific hashtags. Its social media profile analytics offer insights into follower growth and engagement. The social listening tools identify key industry trends, keeping you ahead of competitors. Additionally, the reporting features compile all the metrics clients value, making it easy to present data-driven results.
Standout features & integrations:
Features include hashtag tracking to measure campaign impact, social media profile analytics to gain insights into follower engagement, and social listening tools to identify trends.
Integrations include Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Google Analytics, Slack, and Hootsuite.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Advanced social listening
- In-depth profile analytics
- Detailed hashtag tracking
Cons:
- Steep learning curve
- Limited customization options
Social Champ is a social media management tool for startups, small businesses, and agencies. It simplifies social media management with features for scheduling posts, tracking analytics, and enhancing engagement.
Why I picked Social Champ: Social Champ makes it easy for your team to schedule posts across different platforms. The drag-and-drop calendar helps organize your content quickly so you can stay on top of your schedule. Detailed analytics give you clear insights into how your posts are performing. Plus, the centralized inbox ensures you won’t miss any messages or comments.
Standout features & integrations:
Features include scheduling posts, a drag-and-drop calendar, and detailed analytics. You can also manage all your social media messages in one place. Social listening tools help you understand customer sentiments.
Integrations include Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, YouTube, Google My Business, TikTok, WordPress, and Google Drive.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- AI content suggestions
- Social listening tools
- Detailed analytics
Cons:
- Limited customization options
- No phone support
Vista Social is a comprehensive social media management platform for brands and agencies. It supports essential functions such as content publishing, engagement management, analytics, social listening, and reputation management, providing a solid solution for managing social media efforts.
Why I picked Vista Social: Vista Social lets you manage all your social media messages and comments in one place with its unified inbox. You can create customizable link-in-bio pages and an employee advocacy program to increase your brand’s reach. It works across all major channels like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Threads, and X (Twitter). With an easy-to-use interface and competitive pricing, it’s a great tool for agencies and marketers looking to level up their social media strategy without hassle.
Standout features & integrations:
Features include a unified inbox for managing messages, customizable link-in-bio pages, and employee advocacy programs. You can also use performance analytics, social listening, and reputation management. The platform is designed to simplify social media management across multiple channels.
Integrations include Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Threads, X (Twitter), YouTube, Pinterest, Google My Business, and Reddit.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Excellent customer support
- Integrated inbox
- Supports multiple channels
Cons:
- Limited customization options
- The learning curve for beginners
Viralpep is a social media marketing tool designed to help marketers, influencers, and businesses manage their online presence. It offers content creation, scheduling, collaboration, and analytics features, streamlining social media management efforts.
Why I picked Viralpep: Viralpep helps your team plan, approve, and schedule content across multiple social media accounts. It’s built for everyone, from students to large businesses, making collaboration easy. The analytics feature gives you data-driven insights to fine-tune your social media strategies and keep everything on track.
Standout features & integrations:
Features include content scheduling, team collaboration, and performance-tracking analytics. You can also manage drafts and preview posts before they go live. The tool supports multimedia posts and provides detailed insights to optimize your social media strategy.
Integrations include Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, YouTube, Google My Business, Tumblr, WordPress, and TikTok.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Team collaboration
- Detailed analytics
- Supports multiple accounts
Cons:
- Basic customer support
- No offline mode
Other Free Social Media Management Tools
Here are some additional free social media management tools options that didn’t make it onto my shortlist but are still worth checking out.
- Postly
For free social media scheduling and management
- Metricool
For comprehensive social media analytics
- Loomly
For multi-level approval workflows
- Agorapulse
For social ROI measurement
- CoSchedule
For AI-powered marketing calendar
- Hootsuite
For advanced social listening
- Brand24
For real-time sentiment analysis
- HubSpot Marketing Hub
For unified campaign management
- Cloud Campaign
For free white-labeling
- Zoho Social
For user privacy features
Free Social Media Management Tool Selection Criteria
When selecting the best free social media management tools to include in this list, I considered everyday buyer needs and pain points, such as limited budgets and ease of use. I also used the following framework to keep my evaluation structured and fair.
Core Functionality (25% of total weighting score)
To be considered for inclusion in this list, each solution had to fulfill these everyday use cases:
- Schedule posts
- Monitor social media activity
- Analyze social media performance
- Engage with followers
- Manage multiple social media accounts
Additional Standout Features (25% of total weighting score)
To help further narrow down the competition, I also looked for unique features, such as:
- AI-driven marketing strategy content suggestions
- Integrated social media network listening tools
- Customizable social network media dashboards
- Automated reporting features
- Integration with third-party apps
Usability (10% of total weighting score)
To get a sense of the usability of each system, I considered the following:
- Intuitive user interface
- Easy navigation
- Minimal learning curve
- Customizable workflows
- Responsive design
Onboarding (10% of total weighting score)
To evaluate the onboarding experience for each platform, I considered the following:
- Availability of tutorial videos
- Access to pre-built templates
- Interactive product tours
- Live chat support during onboarding
- Webinars for new users
Customer Support (10% of total weighting score)
To assess each software provider’s customer support services, I considered the following:
- 24/7 customer support availability
- Multiple support channels (email, chat, phone)
- Comprehensive knowledge base
- Fast response times
- Community forums for peer support
Value For Money (10% of total weighting score)
To evaluate the value for money of each platform, I considered the following:
- Transparent pricing structure
- No hidden fees
- Competitive feature set for the price
- Availability of a free plan
- Regular updates and new features included
Customer Reviews (10% of total weighting score)
To get a sense of overall customer satisfaction, I considered the following when reading customer reviews:
- High overall satisfaction ratings
- Positive feedback on ease of use
- Reports of reliable customer support
- Favorable comparisons to competitors
- Testimonials highlighting key features
Trends In Free Social Media Management Tools
In my research, I sourced countless product updates, press releases, and release logs from different free social media management tool vendors. Here are some of the emerging trends I’m keeping an eye on.
- AI-Powered Analytics: Tools increasingly incorporate AI to provide deeper insights and predictive analytics. This helps users understand their audience better and plan content more effectively. For instance, some tools now offer AI-driven sentiment analysis to gauge public opinion on social media posts.
- Content Scheduling Flexibility: Enhanced scheduling features allow for more intricate planning, such as timing posts based on audience activity patterns. This ensures higher engagement rates. Specific tools suggest optimal posting times based on historical data and engagement metrics.
- Unified Inbox Management: A unified inbox for managing messages across different social platforms helps streamline communication. This feature is becoming more common and is crucial for businesses to maintain consistent and timely interactions with their audience. Some tools allow users to filter and prioritize messages based on keywords and sentiment.
- User-Generated Content (UGC) Integration: More tools enable the collection and curation of user-generated content (UGC). This trend leverages UGC's authenticity and engagement to build brand trust and increase interaction. Features like hashtag tracking and UGC approval workflows are becoming standard.
- Advanced Collaboration Tools: Built-in collaboration features are changing to support remote work and team-based social media strategies. These tools include task assignments, approval processes, and real-time editing capabilities. This ensures cohesive team operations, even when working from different locations.
What Are Free Social Media Management Tools?
Free social media management software are applications that allow users to manage and schedule content across multiple platforms without cost. Typically used by social media managers, digital marketers, and small business owners, these tools help save time and stay organized.
Features like post-scheduling, engagement monitoring, and performance analysis enable users to maintain a consistent online presence and make data-driven decisions. Overall, these tools streamline managing multiple accounts and enhance efficiency.
Features Of Free Social Media Management Tools
Watch for the following key features when selecting free social media management tools.
- Post scheduling: Allows users to plan and automate posts in advance, ensuring consistent content delivery.
- Analytics and reporting: Provides insights and metrics on social media performance to help refine strategies.
- Content calendar: Offers a visual timeline for planning and organizing posts across different platforms.
- Social inbox: Centralizes messages and interactions from various social media accounts for efficient management.
- Multi-platform support: Enables management of multiple social media accounts from a single interface, saving time and effort.
- Basic image editing: Provides tools for editing and optimizing images directly within the platform, enhancing visual content.
- Hashtag tracking: Monitors the performance and reach of hashtags to improve engagement and discoverability.
- User roles and permissions: Allows different access levels for team members, facilitating collaboration.
- Content curation: Helps discover and share relevant content from other sources to keep your audience engaged.
- Link shortening: Creates shorter, trackable URLs for sharing, making posts cleaner and easier to manage.
Benefits Of Free Social Media Management Tools
Implementing free social media management tools benefits your team and your business. Here are a few you can look forward to:
- Cost savings: You can manage your social media accounts without spending money on expensive software.
- Time management: Schedule posts in advance on your social media channels so you don't have to be online at all times.
- Content consistency: Plan and organize your content to maintain a regular posting schedule.
- Engagement tracking: Monitor likes, comments, and shares to understand what content resonates with your audience.
- Collaborative features: Work with team members on content creation and approval without needing separate tools.
- Analytics access: Get basic insights into your social media performance to help guide your strategy.
- Multi-platform management: Handle multiple social media accounts from one dashboard, saving content creators from switching between apps.
Costs And Pricing Of Free Social Media Management Tools
Selecting free social media management tools involves understanding pricing models and plans. Costs can vary depending on features, team size, add-ons, and other factors. The table below summarizes standard plans, average prices, and typical features included in the best social media management tool solutions:
Plan Comparison Table For Free Social Media Management Tools
Plan Type | Average Price | Common Features |
Free Plan | $0 | Basic scheduling, limited analytics, up to 3 social accounts, and ad-supported |
Personal Plan | $5-$15/user/month | Advanced scheduling, basic analytics, up to 5 social accounts, and email support |
Business Plan | $20-$50/user/month | Team collaboration, detailed analytics, up to 10 social accounts, and priority support |
Enterprise Plan | $50-$100+/user/month | Customizable workflows, comprehensive analytics, unlimited social accounts, and dedicated support |
Free Social Media Management Tools FAQs
Here are some answers to common questions about free social media management tools.
How many free social media social media accounts can you manage with free tools?
Most free social media management tools allow you to manage a limited number of accounts, usually between 1 to 3. This limit varies depending on the tool, so it’s important to check the specifics of each platform. If you need to manage more accounts, you may need to consider upgrading to a paid plan.
Can you schedule posts in advance using free tools?
Yes, most free social media management tools allow you to schedule posts in advance. However, there may be restrictions on how many posts you can schedule at once or how far in advance you can plan content. Free plans usually offer basic scheduling features, with more advanced options on paid plans.
Do free tools offer analytics for social media performance?
Some free social media management tools provide basic analytics, such as post reach, engagement, and follower growth. However, the depth of analytics is often limited compared to paid versions. If detailed reporting is critical for your strategy, you might need to upgrade or use a separate analytics tool.
Are there collaboration features in free social media management tools?
Free plans usually limit collaboration features. Some tools may allow a single user to manage multiple accounts, but team collaboration features like assigning roles or approval processes are often reserved for paid plans. If collaboration is key for your team, you may need to explore paid options.
Can you manage ad campaigns with free social media management tools?
Free tools typically don’t include features for managing paid ad campaigns. These features are usually part of advanced or premium plans. If your strategy includes advertising on platforms like Facebook or Google Ads, you’ll likely need to invest in a paid version.
Are free social media management tools secure?
Most free social media management tools provide basic security features, like password protection and secure logins. However, advanced security measures, such as two-factor authentication or dedicated support, are often reserved for paid plans. It’s important to verify each tool’s security offerings before connecting your social media accounts.
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