Here’s a quick look at the top tools:

• Hootsuite: Best for multi-platform management with AI-powered inbox and analytics.
• Buffer: Simple scheduling for small businesses and creators.
• Sprout Social: Ideal for team collaboration and advanced analytics.
• Agorapulse: Focused on engagement and response management.
• Later: Tailored for visual content planning.
• CoSchedule: Combines marketing calendar with social tools.
• Sendible: Designed for agencies managing multiple clients.
• Zoho Social: Budget-friendly for small businesses with CRM integration.

Quick Comparison

These tools help businesses streamline workflows, improve engagement, and track ROI effectively. Choose the one that fits your goals, team size, and budget.

Best Social Media Management Tools Compared (2025)

1. Hootsuite: Complete Platform Overview

Hootsuite is a high-powered social media management tool designed for businesses managing multiple platforms. It supports major networks like Instagram, Facebook, X, LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube, and Pinterest, offering a centralized way to oversee them all. Its standout feature? An all-in-one inbox powered by AI, which can reduce support message volume by up to 80%.

"Hootsuite allows us to better understand the impact of social media and engage customers more strategically through social channels. As social media becomes a more important part of how our customers communicate, we will continue to invest here."

• Sanjay Dholakia, Chief Marketing Officer, Marketo

Key Features

Hootsuite also boasts over 150 app integrations, connecting with popular CRM and project management tools. Its AI-driven content optimization tools stand out by analyzing engagement trends to recommend the best posting times and hashtags. These features are particularly useful for enterprise users, providing detailed brand sentiment analysis and competitive insights.

Pricing

Hootsuite offers tiered pricing to cater to different business needs:

• Professional: $99/month (1 user, 10 accounts)
• Team: $249/month (3 users, 20 accounts)
• Business: $739/month (5+ users, 35 accounts)
• Enterprise: Custom pricing (5+ users, 50+ accounts)

Strengths and Weaknesses

Hootsuite shines in analytics, automation, and its ability to handle complex workflows. However, its collaboration tools could use improvements, as they lack in-context commenting and annotation options. Additionally, some users have noted that rising costs make it less attractive for smaller organizations.

For businesses managing multiple accounts and needing advanced tools, Hootsuite remains a strong contender. Up next, we’ll dive into Buffer’s simpler take on social media scheduling.

2. Buffer: Simplified Social Scheduling

Buffer is a go-to option for over 100,000 businesses and individuals who want an easy way to manage their social media. Known for its straightforward interface, Buffer makes scheduling posts a breeze across 11 social platforms, including newer networks like Bluesky and Threads.

Platform Support and Media Features

Buffer supports a wide range of platforms, allowing you to tailor your posts for each network:

AI-Powered Content Tools

Buffer’s AI assistant simplifies content creation by:

• Suggesting industry-relevant topics
• Improving existing posts for better engagement
• Recommending content based on performance data

Features That Save Time

Buffer includes tools designed to speed up your workflow, like a browser extension for quick scheduling, suggested media options, and a mobile app. The Content Inbox feature is another standout – it helps you save and organize content from your favorite sites for easy sharing.

Insights and Analytics

Want to know what’s working? Buffer offers detailed analytics, helping you track post performance and identify the best times to publish. With over 7.8 million posts published monthly, the platform provides actionable data for businesses aiming to optimize their strategies.

Pricing Options

Buffer keeps its pricing simple:

• Free Plan: 3 social channels, 10 posts per channel
• Essentials: $6/month per social network
• Team: $12/month per social network
• Agency: $120/month for 10 channels (+ $6/month for each additional channel)

Buffer is ideal for small businesses and solo creators looking for an efficient, no-frills tool. With its growing list of supported platforms and AI tools, it’s ready to meet the demands of social media in 2025. Next up, we’ll dive into Sprout Social’s team collaboration features.

3. Sprout Social: Team Collaboration Tools

Sprout Social earned the top spot as G2’s #1 Best Overall Software Product for 2024. Its team collaboration features make managing social media across organizations smoother and more efficient.

Smart Inbox and Workflow Management

The Smart Inbox gathers messages from all your social profiles into one organized stream. This makes it easier for teams to manage communications without missing a beat. Plus, real-time collision detection ensures no duplicate responses. For example, Grammarly used Sprout Social to cut response times by 80%.

Advanced Case Management

Sprout Social simplifies case management with tools designed to improve team efficiency:

Trek Bikes used these features to boost their total social engagements by an impressive 1,002%.

Team Publishing Tools

Sprout Social doesn’t just streamline messaging – it also helps with content creation and scheduling:

• Profile Governance: Set custom access controls based on team roles.
• Shared Calendar: Manage content across multiple networks in one place.
• Approval Workflows: Built-in review processes to ensure compliance and quality.
• Draft Collaboration: Collaborate on drafts for peer review and brainstorming.

Enterprise-Grade Performance

Serving over 30,000 organizations – including big names like Glassdoor, DoorDash, and Shopify – Sprout Social excels in usability and support. According to G2’s platform comparison, it outperforms competitors like Hootsuite in key areas:

• Ease of use: 8.8/10 (vs. Hootsuite’s 8.4)
• Setup simplicity: 8.7/10
• Support quality: 8.7/10 (vs. Hootsuite’s 8.0)

"Sprout’s team was incredibly helpful in allowing us to run a pilot so we understood how to use the tool, onboarding our 100’s of social accounts and ensuring we knew how to use all of the most relevant features for our small team to accomplish our social goals. The software is also social first – their roadmap has some great features we’re looking forward to using." – Holly S., Mid-Market

Digital Natives, a marketing agency, doubled their average client retainer after adopting Sprout Social’s collaboration tools. This highlights how the platform can help businesses scale effectively.

CRM and Helpdesk Integration

Sprout Social integrates seamlessly with CRM and helpdesk platforms. It connects directly with Salesforce for CRM needs and works with helpdesk tools like Zendesk, HubSpot, and UserVoice. This creates a unified workflow for managing social media and customer support, saving teams time and effort.

4. Agorapulse: Advanced Engagement Features

Agorapulse offers tools that simplify team publishing while focusing on engagement tracking and response management, making social interactions easier to handle.

Smart Inbox Management

Agorapulse brings all your social media interactions – organic posts, paid comments, mentions, private messages, and reviews – into one inbox. The Inbox Assistant automates tasks like reviewing and assigning content based on keywords and manages ad comments across platforms like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok.

Advanced Engagement Analytics

Get detailed daily reports, find the best times to post using activity data, measure ROI, and keep track of mentions of your brand.

Team Collaboration Tools

Avoid duplicate responses with collision detection, ensure consistent messaging with saved replies, categorize conversations using custom labels, and handle tasks more efficiently with bulk actions.

Real-World Impact

Isaiah Rappaport from Autumn Lake Healthcare shares:

"With Agorapulse, managing 100 profiles is so much more organized and streamlined. The social inbox and listening features put everything in one place, saving me half the time compared to before."

CRM Integration

Agorapulse works seamlessly with CRM systems like Salesforce and HubSpot, helping you maintain strong customer relationships. It syncs social interactions with customer profiles, offers sentiment analysis, and allows you to label customers to identify loyal advocates.

Lacee Tolliver from Wondercide highlights:

"Agorapulse has streamlined moderation in a way that makes my life so much more simple. Instead of visiting multiple websites and double-checking inboxes, Agorapulse has pulled everything into one place."

With a 96% user satisfaction rating and response times under 30 minutes, Agorapulse stands out as a key tool for managing social media engagement effectively in 2025. Up next, we’ll dive into Later’s visual content management features.

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5. Later: Visual Content Management

As social media platforms grow more visual, managing content effectively is becoming a top priority for digital marketers. Later focuses on visual-first platforms like Instagram but also supports Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest. With over 3 million businesses using its scheduling tools, Later has become a trusted choice for brands that rely heavily on visual storytelling.

Visual Planning and Organization

Later’s Visual Planner is a drag-and-drop tool that helps you preview your Instagram feed before publishing. This feature makes it easier to plan and maintain a polished, consistent aesthetic while organizing content for the long term. The Media Library takes things a step further by letting teams store, tag, and manage assets. You can track which content has already been used, add notes to media files, and search or filter assets quickly.

Advanced Scheduling Features

The Quick Schedule tool allows users to drag and drop posts into pre-set time slots for easy scheduling. Later also recommends the best times to post based on when your audience is most active, helping you drive better engagement. With a 4.5 out of 5 rating for ease of use, Later is accessible for beginners and experts alike. It also integrates with other platforms to expand its functionality.

Integration Capabilities

Later’s integrations improve its versatility and workflow. Some of the key partnerships include:

Real-World Application

Brands using Later often praise its practical features. Drew McGowan from Clif Bar & Company shares:

"Later makes dealing with the world of influencers as turnkey as it can be. I consider them partners. The influencer landscape is constantly changing and evolving. Later helps us stay on top of trends and reach consumers in an authentic, effective, and efficient way."

HIPPEAS Snacks also benefits from Later’s grid preview feature, which helps maintain consistent branding. Their marketing teams, located in both the US and UK, use Later to align their visual strategy across regions.

Content Creation Optimization

Later helps teams create reusable content templates that perform well. To unlock all scheduling features, Instagram accounts need to be set up as Business Profiles linked to Facebook. While Later offers a free tier, premium features – like the Conversations module for managing Instagram comments – are part of its higher-tier plans.

6. CoSchedule: Marketing Calendar Integration

CoSchedule is a marketing calendar platform trusted by over 100,000 marketers. It brings together social media and marketing efforts to make workflows smoother.

Centralized Calendar Management

CoSchedule’s calendar helps manage a variety of content types:

AI-Driven Social Tools

With features like the AI Social Assistant, CoSchedule helps you create engaging posts tailored for each platform. The Social Message Optimizer ensures your content resonates, while the Best Time Scheduler posts at times when your audience is most active .

Team Collaboration Simplified

CoSchedule’s built-in chat system makes team communication easier. Team members can tag each other directly within projects, keeping everyone aligned. Beverly Cook, Director of Communications at NYC Leadership Center, shares:

"Before CoSchedule, everything was scattered between emails & spreadsheets. With Marketing Calendar, I can easily organize all of my marketing and keep everyone on the same page."

This focus on collaboration, paired with automation, enhances productivity.

Automation and Templates

The ReQueue feature automatically reposts high-performing content, while pre-made sharing templates save time on repetitive tasks. Fiorella Rollins, Marketing Specialist at Joovy, notes:

"Completing marketing projects used to be a huge challenge. I love that CoSchedule lets us organize our marketing, helps us get work done, and gives my CEO visibility into everything we do."

Flexible Pricing Options

Integration and Limitations

CoSchedule stands out as a centralized hub for marketing activities, especially for content creators managing multiple channels. However, it offers fewer project management tools than Asana and less advanced social media features compared to Hootsuite. That said, its focus on unifying marketing efforts makes it a strong choice for marketers looking for simplicity in managing campaigns.

7. Sendible: Agency-Level Management

Sendible is designed specifically for agencies juggling multiple client accounts. Its features are tailored to cut down on time spent managing social media, boasting a 50% reduction in management time.

Advanced Client Management

Sendible simplifies client management with secure onboarding, personalized dashboards, and automated reporting tools that highlight campaign performance. Ryan Grimshaw, Head of Brand and Marketing at Topodium Group, shares:

"The ability to centralize partners’ social media accounts is a huge time-saver. Gone are the days of manically switching between accounts, logging into several places in various tabs, and remembering passwords."

Performance Metrics and Results

Pricing Plans

Sendible offers flexible pricing options to suit different needs:

Integration Ecosystem

Sendible integrates seamlessly with tools like Canva, Dropbox, and Google Drive. Adrienne Wilkins, founder of Sphere Media Marketing, praises these integrations:

"I’m absolutely in love with the Canva plugin. It’s a huge time-saver and keeps me organized! I also appreciate being able to tailor posts in different tabs and customize them for each platform."

These integrations streamline workflows, making client management and reporting more efficient.

ROI Tracking and AI Assistance

Sendible’s real-time reporting tools simplify ROI tracking, helping agencies showcase results to clients. Sheri Hermann, CEO of 1972Media, highlights its impact:

"I’ve been able to secure five clients because of the reporting system from Sendible."

The platform’s AI Assist feature accelerates content creation, allowing agencies to produce a month’s worth of content in just one week. Teams like Olive + Milo can then focus on engagement and fine-tuning strategies.

Competitive Edge

When compared to competitors, Sendible stands out by offering similar features at a much lower entry price. For example, while Sprout Social’s basic plan starts at $249 per month, Sendible’s starts at just $29. Additionally, Sendible’s white-labeling options are not included in Agorapulse’s basic packages. This combination of affordability and functionality makes it a strong choice for agencies.

8. Zoho Social

Zoho Social is a budget-friendly tool designed with small businesses in mind. It consistently earns high customer ratings, often scoring over 4.5 out of 5.

Smart Scheduling and Calendar

One standout feature is SmartQ, which identifies the best times to post based on when your audience is most active. Rachel A Martins, an Information Technology Specialist at MC², shares her experience:

"I love the publishing calendar with the drag and drop function. My management time has reduced by almost 80%. I wish I had found Zoho Social years ago!"

The drag-and-drop calendar simplifies planning, while its analytics features help businesses monitor performance with ease.

Performance Analytics and ROI Tracking

Zoho Social offers detailed analytics tools to help businesses gauge their social media effectiveness. Peter Paul Duran, a Reporter and Social Media Manager at Manila Standard, highlights its value:

"Zoho Social is one of the best sharing tools I’ve used. Especially the custom reports and advanced analytics which helped me a lot in pointing out the strengths and weaknesses of my brands."

These insights make it easier to identify areas for improvement and measure return on investment.

Integration Benefits

Zoho Social integrates seamlessly with Zoho CRM and other tools, improving productivity by 74%, customer engagement by 68%, and communication timeliness by 58%. This level of connectivity enhances its appeal for businesses looking to streamline their operations.

Pricing Structure

Zoho Social offers a range of pricing plans to suit different needs:

All prices in USD

Brand Management Features

Managing multiple social media accounts is easier with Zoho Social. Rick Powell, Director at Fascinating Monsters, appreciates its organization tools:

"I very much like how you can separate into ‘brands’ instead of just having a mess of social media accounts, as well as use the calendar for each. Makes it very easy to keep things separate and schedule accordingly for each brand."

This feature is especially helpful for businesses handling multiple brands or campaigns.

Time-Saving Automation

For small business owners managing numerous tasks, Zoho Social’s automation tools are a game-changer. Jon Tromans, a Digital Marketing Trainer, explains:

"I spend a lot of time in the training room, and I can’t stop to post something because I’m working. Zoho Social helps me keep all my social media channels really busy."

Marketing professionals also find it indispensable. Sheldon Maxwell, Project & Marketing Manager at C7D, adds:

"As a marketing manager, it simplifies scheduling, reporting, and brand monitoring. It’s so nice to be able to do that all in one place."

With its user-friendly features and automation, Zoho Social saves time and simplifies social media management for businesses of all sizes.

Conclusion

Pick a social media management tool that aligns with your needs, team size, and budget. Our reviews break down how each tool addresses common social media challenges.

Understanding Your Investment

Choose a tool that fits your business scale and goals:

These details can help you make a well-informed decision.

Key Decision Factors

• Platform Integration: Ensure the tool supports your primary social networks.
• Analytics Capabilities: Match the tool to your reporting needs. For instance, Sprout Social offers detailed analytics, while Zoho Social provides solid reporting at a lower price.
• Team Collaboration: Larger teams or agencies should prioritize tools with user management and approval workflows.

Planning for Growth

Select a tool that can scale with your business:

• Integration Options: Tools like Zoho Social and HubSpot connect easily with CRM and marketing platforms.
• AI Features: Look for AI-driven content creation and optimization tools.
• Security and Support: Ensure the tool has strong security measures and reliable customer support, especially for enterprise use.

Keep scalability in mind as you evaluate your options.

Budget Optimization

Take advantage of free trials and evaluate the total costs, including features like profiles, users, and add-ons, before making a commitment.

Final Recommendations

Each tool has strengths suited to specific needs:

• Small Businesses: Buffer and Zoho Social offer simple, effective solutions.
• Mid-sized Organizations: Hootsuite and SocialPilot provide scalable options.
• Agencies: Sendible simplifies collaboration and workflow management.
• Enterprises: Sprout Social offers advanced analytics, security, and scalability.

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