Most Popular Tools For Social Media Management In 2023

Which social media management tool will help you save time, grow engagement, and keep your campaigns organized in 2023?

Most Popular Tools For Social Media Management In 2023

You need a clear picture of which tools matter this year so you can pick one that fits your goals and workflow. This article walks you through the most popular tools, how they differ, and how to choose and use them effectively.

Why social media management tools matter in 2023

Social media platforms and audience expectations keep changing, and manual posting no longer scales for brands or busy creators. Using a dedicated management tool helps you schedule consistently, analyze performance, coordinate teams, and maintain a coherent brand voice.

How to choose the right tool for your needs

Choosing a tool isn’t only about features — it’s about fit. Consider your budget, team size, platform mix, need for advanced analytics or listening, and whether you require approvals and role management.

Define your goals and priorities

Figure out whether you want to focus on content scheduling, community management, analytics, social listening, or influencer relationships. Clear priorities will narrow your options quickly.

Consider team size and collaboration needs

If you work with a team, you’ll want approval workflows, role-based access, and shared content calendars. Solo creators or small teams can often get by with simpler tools.

Match the platforms you use

Not every tool supports every platform or post type (for example, TikTok scheduling, Instagram Reels, or Stories). Make sure the tool supports the platforms and content formats you rely on.

Think about analytics and reporting

If you need custom reports for stakeholders, choose a platform with robust analytics and exportable reports. Basic insights are fine for simple use, but larger teams need deeper metrics.

Budget and pricing model

Tools range from free plans to enterprise-level pricing. Decide if you prefer flat monthly fees, per-user pricing, or higher costs for advanced features like social listening and CRM integrations.

Top tools — quick comparison

Below is a compact comparison to help you see the major players at a glance. Prices and features change frequently, so use this table as a starting point and confirm details on each vendor’s site.

Tool	Platforms Supported (high-level)	Best For	Free Plan	Typical Entry Price (per month, 2023)
Hootsuite	Facebook, Instagram, Twitter/X, LinkedIn, YouTube, TikTok	Enterprises & agencies	Limited free / 30-day trial	$99 (Professional/Team tiers vary)
Buffer	FB, IG, X, LinkedIn, Pinterest	Simplicity & small teams	Free plan with limitations	$6–$15 per social channel (Essentials)
Sprout Social	FB, IG, X, LinkedIn, TikTok	Customer care & analytics	No free plan; trial available	$249+ (Standard/Professional tiers)
Later	Instagram-focused, TikTok, Pinterest, FB	Visual content creators & e-commerce	Free plan	$12.50+
Canva (Content/Publishing)	Content creation + direct posting	Visual creation + scheduling	Free plan	Pro $12.99 (per user)
Agorapulse	FB, IG, X, LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube	Social inbox & team collaboration	Free trial	$79+
SocialBee	FB, IG, X, LinkedIn, Pinterest	Content category recycling	No free plan; trial	$19+
Sendible	FB, IG, X, LinkedIn, TikTok, Pinterest	Agencies (white-label)	Trial available	$29+
SocialPilot	FB, IG, X, LinkedIn, TikTok, Pinterest	Budget-friendly teams & agencies	Trial available	$25+
HubSpot (Social Tool)	FB, IG, X, LinkedIn, YouTube	CRM integrated marketing teams	Free CRM w limited features	Included with Marketing Hub plans
Zoho Social	FB, IG, X, LinkedIn, Pinterest	Small businesses & Zoho users	Free trial	$10+
Planable	FB, IG, X, LinkedIn, TikTok	Content approvals & collaboration	Free trial	$11+

Detailed tool reviews

This section gives you a practical breakdown for each tool: primary strengths, key features, pros and cons, and who should consider it.

Hootsuite

Hootsuite is one of the longest-standing platforms and remains a go-to for larger teams and agencies. You’ll find powerful scheduling, team management, and an ecosystem of integrations.

• Key features:
  • Unified scheduling across many platforms
  • Team workflows, approvals, and role management
  • Basic social listening and analytics
  • App directory for integrations (Google Drive, Slack, etc.)
• Pros:
  • Robust team and approval features
  • Supports many social networks
  • Good enterprise capabilities
• Cons:
  • Can be expensive for small teams
  • Interface feels dense for new users
• Best for: Agencies, medium to large marketing teams that need enterprise features and many integrations.

Buffer

Buffer focuses on simplicity and ease of use for scheduling and basic analytics. If you want straightforward posting and a clean interface, this is a solid choice.

• Key features:
  • Intuitive queue-based scheduling
  • Browser extension and mobile apps
  • Engagement analytics and reporting
  • RSS feed integration for automated content
• Pros:
  • Very easy to learn
  • Affordable for small teams
  • Clean UI and reliable posting
• Cons:
  • Limited advanced analytics & listening
  • Fewer team collaboration features than some competitors
• Best for: Small teams, solo creators, and businesses wanting a reliable, simple scheduler.

Sprout Social

Sprout Social emphasizes customer care, analytics, and reporting. You’ll get powerful social CRM features and shared inbox functionality ideal for managing conversations at scale.

• Key features:
  • Unified social inbox for message management
  • Advanced reporting and custom reports
  • Social CRM and tagging for contacts
  • Bot automation and workflows for replies
• Pros:
  • Excellent customer support tools
  • Extensive reporting capabilities
  • Strong integrations with CRM and helpdesk tools
• Cons:
  • Higher price point
  • Some advanced features require higher tiers
• Best for: Teams that manage customer support via social channels and need strong analytics.

Later

Later specializes in visual social networks and has grown into a full content planning platform. It’s especially strong for Instagram planning, visual calendars, and link-in-bio features.

• Key features:
  • Visual content calendar and drag-and-drop scheduling
  • Instagram grid preview and hashtag suggestions
  • Link-in-bio and landing pages
  • Auto publishing for Instagram and TikTok (depending on post type)
• Pros:
  • Excellent visual planning tools
  • Strong e-commerce and influencer features
  • Affordable entry-level plans
• Cons:
  • Limited advanced analytics on lower tiers
  • Less focus on social listening or inbox management
• Best for: Visual brands, creators, and e-commerce stores focused on Instagram and TikTok.

Canva (Publishing and Content Creation)

Canva is primarily a design tool but also offers scheduling and publishing features that integrate directly with your social profiles. It’s great if you produce your visual content in-house.

• Key features:
  • Templates and drag-and-drop design tools
  • Direct scheduling to social platforms
  • Brand kit and team collaboration on designs
  • Magic Write and AI-assisted features (in some plans)
• Pros:
  • Extremely easy design creation
  • All-in-one content creation and scheduling
  • Great for non-designers
• Cons:
  • Scheduling features are basic compared to dedicated managers
  • Not focused on analytics or social listening
• Best for: Small teams and creators who need to create visuals and post them without a separate design workflow.

Agorapulse

Agorapulse is strong as a unified inbox tool combined with scheduling, reporting, and social listening. It balances ease of use with powerful team features.

• Key features:
  • Social inbox with automated labeling and assignment
  • Scheduling and content queues
  • Comprehensive reporting and exports
  • Listening, competitor analysis, and CRM features
• Pros:
  • Simple inbox management and collaboration
  • Good value for teams
  • Helpful reports and social listening
• Cons:
  • Some features limited by plan tier
  • Interface could be smoother in places
• Best for: Teams that prioritize managing messages, comments, and community with structured workflows.

SocialBee

SocialBee focuses on content categorization and recycling so you can maintain evergreen content alongside new posts. It’s useful when you have content libraries and want to reuse successful posts.

• Key features:
  • Content categories and recycling schedules
  • Bulk uploads and CSV import
  • RSS automation and content curation tools
  • Native link shortener and UTM parameter support
• Pros:
  • Powerful content recycling model
  • Affordable pricing for features offered
  • Good onboarding and support
• Cons:
  • Limited social listening
  • Team features less advanced than enterprise tools
• Best for: Marketing teams and creators who want structured content libraries and automated recycling.

Sendible

Sendible is popular with agencies for its white-label reporting and multi-client management features. You can tailor the platform for agency workflows and client sign-off processes.

• Key features:
  • Multi-client dashboards and white-label reporting
  • Content calendar and scheduling
  • Social listening and monitoring
  • Integrations with Google Analytics, Canva, and more
• Pros:
  • Agency-friendly features and reports
  • Good range of integrations
  • Affordable for agencies with multiple clients
• Cons:
  • Occasional performance issues with large queues
  • UI can feel cluttered for some users
• Best for: Agencies managing multiple clients across various platforms.

SocialPilot

SocialPilot offers a budget-friendly option for small to mid-sized teams and agencies. It provides strong scheduling, reporting, and collaboration capabilities without the enterprise price tag.

• Key features:
  • Bulk scheduling and content calendar
  • Client management and team workflow
  • Analytics and white-label reports (higher tiers)
  • Browser extension and mobile apps
• Pros:
  • Good value for features
  • Scales to small agencies well
  • Clean interface
• Cons:
  • Less robust listening functionality
  • Reporting depth not as deep as some competitors
• Best for: Small agencies and growing teams looking for a cost-effective solution.

HubSpot (Social Tools)

If you already use HubSpot CRM or Marketing Hub, HubSpot’s social tools integrate seamlessly with your customer data. You’ll get publishing plus the ability to track social interactions against contacts and deals.

• Key features:
  • Social publishing tied to CRM records
  • Automated posting and campaign performance tracking
  • Integrated marketing automation and workflows
  • Reporting that ties social to leads and conversions
• Pros:
  • Powerful when used with HubSpot’s CRM and marketing suite
  • Centralizes customer data and social interactions
  • Strong attribution and conversion tracking
• Cons:
  • Costly if you need full marketing hub features
  • Social-only capabilities limited compared with specialists
• Best for: Teams using HubSpot who want social to feed directly into CRM and marketing funnels.

Zoho Social

Zoho Social is an affordable tool for small businesses and integrates well with the Zoho product ecosystem. It covers scheduling, monitoring, and analytics with collaborative features.

• Key features:
  • Scheduling, publishing, and monitoring
  • Team collaboration and approval workflows
  • Built-in CRM integration with Zoho CRM
  • Analytics and reporting with custom filters
• Pros:
  • Budget-friendly with solid core features
  • Integrates well if you use other Zoho apps
  • Easy to use for smaller teams
• Cons:
  • Social listening and advanced analytics not as strong as enterprise tools
  • Limited app marketplace compared to larger vendors
• Best for: Small businesses, especially those already using Zoho apps.

Planable

Planable emphasizes approval workflows and a visual content calendar that speeds up collaboration between creators and approvers. It’s designed for content teams that need clear approvals and previews.

• Key features:
  • Visual content calendar and post previews
  • Commenting and approval workflows
  • Content versioning and history
  • Integrations with major platforms
• Pros:
  • Excellent for collaborative approval processes
  • Easy to present content to stakeholders
  • Fast feedback loops with comments and statuses
• Cons:
  • Less advanced analytics than full-featured platforms
  • Limited social listening capabilities
• Best for: Marketing teams, agencies, and brands that rely heavily on approvals and stakeholder reviews.

Comparative feature matrix

This table helps you compare core features across the tools at a glance. Use it to match your needs with capabilities.

Feature / Tool	Hootsuite	Buffer	Sprout Social	Later	Canva	Agorapulse	SocialBee	Sendible	SocialPilot	HubSpot	Zoho Social	Planable
Scheduling & Queue	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Visual Content Calendar	Yes	Basic	Yes	Strong	Yes	Yes	Basic	Yes	Yes	Basic	Yes	Strong
Unified Inbox	Yes	Limited	Strong	Limited	No	Strong	Limited	Strong	Limited	Integrated	Strong	No
Analytics & Reporting	Good	Basic	Advanced	Basic->Good	Basic	Good	Basic	Good	Good	Excellent (with HubSpot)	Basic->Good	Basic
Social Listening	Basic	No	Yes	Limited	No	Yes	Limited	Yes	Limited	Limited	Limited	No
Team Collaboration & Approvals	Yes	Limited	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Strong
Influencer/ UGC Features	Apps	No	Yes	Good	No	Limited	Limited	Limited	Limited	Limited	No	No
CRM Integration	Via apps	Via apps	Yes	Via apps	No	Yes	No	Yes	Via apps	Native	Native	Via apps
Best for	Enterprise	Simplicity	Customer Care	Visual creators	Visual creation	Community mgmt	Content recycling	Agencies	Budget agencies	CRM-driven	Small biz	Approval workflows

Workflows and best practices

You’ll get the most from any tool if you establish consistent workflows and governance. Below are practical workflows you can adopt.

Content planning and calendar

Create a content calendar with themes, campaign windows, and posting cadence. This keeps your team aligned and helps avoid last-minute content rushes.

Content creation and approval

Standardize templates, publishing guidelines, and approval roles so content moves smoothly from draft to published. Use versioning and comments to preserve feedback history.

Scheduling and automation

Schedule posts for peak engagement windows, but avoid fully automating conversation-heavy channels. Automate repetitive tasks but keep a human voice for responses.

Community management and inbox routing

Set up rules to route messages to the right team members, and use tags to categorize inquiries. Response SLAs will help you track and maintain fast reply times.

Reporting and optimization

Use weekly and monthly reports to spot trends and refine your strategy. Test formats, headlines, and posting times and use data to optimize content.

Metrics you should track

You need a balanced mix of engagement, reach, and conversion metrics to evaluate performance. Track both short-term content metrics and long-term business outcomes.

• Reach and impressions: Understand how many people saw your content.
• Engagements (likes, comments, shares): Measure immediate audience interest.
• Click-through rate (CTR): See how many people moved from social to your desired destination.
• Conversions and attribution: Tie social to leads, sales, or sign-ups.
• Response time and inbox volume: Track community management efficiency.
• Follower growth and audience demographics: Monitor long-term brand growth and audience composition.

Integrations and automation

Integrations amplify the value of your tool by connecting content to analytics, CRM, and publishing workflows. Look for native integrations and a rich API or app marketplace to connect extras like Google Analytics, Shopify, Slack, and Canva.

• Automation ideas:
  • Auto-post evergreen content during low-traffic periods
  • Trigger campaign workflows based on social events
  • Sync social leads with your CRM automatically
  • Use tagging and auto-assignment to route messages to the right team member

Security, compliance, and access control

Protecting accounts and data is essential. Choose tools that offer role-based access, audit logs, two-factor authentication, and support for SSO at enterprise tiers.

• Best practices:
  • Limit account access to those who need it, and use role-based permissions.
  • Rotate API keys and use 2FA.
  • Maintain audit logs and regular reviews of who has access.
  • Use enterprise contracts for compliance-heavy industries.

How to trial and evaluate a tool

You’ll save money and time by testing tools before committing long-term. Use trials strategically to run a side-by-side evaluation.

• Steps to evaluate:
  1. Define 3–5 core tasks you must accomplish (e.g., schedule 10 posts, set up an approval workflow, connect IG, and run a report).
  2. Run the same tasks on each trialed tool and note ease, time-to-complete, and missing features.
  3. Test integrations with your CRM, analytics, and design tools.
  4. Evaluate onboarding, documentation, and support responsiveness.
  5. Calculate total cost, including seats, add-ons, and implementation time.

When to upgrade vs. switch tools

You might upgrade within a tool to unlock needed features, or you might switch when costs, limitations, or poor experiences reduce ROI. Assess whether the missing functionality is temporary or structural.

• Upgrade if:
  • You need a higher tier feature that directly impacts ROI (e.g., analytics, listening).
  • The tool integrates well with your stack and teams already know the UI.
• Switch if:
  • Core capabilities you need are missing or continually broken.
  • Pricing grows disproportionally as you scale.
  • Onboarding and support are poor and negatively impact productivity.

Common pitfalls to avoid

Avoid these mistakes so your social program scales smoothly.

• Over-automation: Don’t set-and-forget community management; you’ll lose authenticity.
• Ignoring analytics: Assume what works without testing, and you’ll waste resources.
• Not training teams: Tools without clear processes create confusion and errors.
• Skipping security: Lax access controls invite mistakes or breaches.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

Which tool is best for solo creators on a budget?

For solo creators, Buffer, Later, and Canva offer low-cost entry points with intuitive design and scheduling. Choose based on whether you prioritize visuals (Later/Canva) or straightforward scheduling (Buffer).

Which tool is best for agencies?

Agencies often prefer Sendible, Hootsuite, Sprout Social, or SocialPilot because of multi-client management, white-label reporting, and collaboration features. Pricing and the number of managed accounts will steer the final choice.

How important is social listening?

Listening is crucial if you manage reputation, run campaigns sensitive to sentiment, or want to identify trends and influencers. If you only need scheduling, listening may not be essential — but it adds strategic value.

Do these tools post directly to Instagram and TikTok?

Many tools can post directly to Instagram and TikTok for feed posts; Stories and some Reels features may require mobile publishing or extra steps. Check each tool’s current capabilities for these formats.

Can I integrate social tools with my CRM?

Yes, many tools (HubSpot, Sprout, Agorapulse, Hootsuite via integrations) support CRM sync so social interactions become part of your contact records. Native integrations are the smoothest option.

How do these platforms handle analytics attribution?

Attribution varies: some connect directly to your analytics platform (Google Analytics) or CRM to provide conversion-level data, while others focus on social engagement metrics. If attribution matters, choose platforms with CRM or UTM-friendly reporting.

Are there free options good enough for small businesses?

Yes, limited free plans exist (Buffer, Later, Canva) that work for basic scheduling and content creation. For growth and reporting, you’ll likely need a paid tier.

Final checklist to choose the right tool

This quick checklist helps you finalize your decision:

• Does it support all the platforms and post types you need?
• Does it have role-based access and team workflows?
• Are analytics and reporting sufficient for stakeholder needs?
• Does it integrate with your CRM, analytics, and design tools?
• Is the pricing sustainable as you scale seats and accounts?
• Can you trial it and complete your core workflows within the trial period?

Conclusion

You’ll get the best results when you match a tool’s strengths to your priorities: choose Sprout Social or Hootsuite for enterprise-level teams and customer care, Later or Canva for visual-first creators, and Buffer, SocialPilot, or SocialBee if you want affordable simplicity with solid scheduling. Trial a shortlist of tools, test real tasks, and pick the one that reduces friction, improves collaboration, and helps you achieve measurable goals.

If you want, you can tell me your team size, platforms you use, and budget, and I’ll recommend the top 2–3 tools that fit your needs and explain why.