Many content marketers devote significant time and energy to crafting and managing their social media strategies—and for good reason. Effective social media management reaps significant rewards, from driving brand awareness to boosting website traffic and conversions.
But let’s face it—it’s no small feat. Juggling tasks like creating content calendars, scheduling posts, picking the right hashtags, and analyzing metrics can quickly feel overwhelming. Thankfully, there are plenty of paid and free social media management tools that simplify these tasks.
To make your job easier, we’ve cut through the noisy market to identify 12 of the best social media management software tools for 2025. With features like powerful automation, detailed analytics, and streamlined workflows, these tools help you save time while achieving a stronger return on investment (ROI).
Note: The brands and examples discussed below were found during our online research for this article.
A quick overview of the top social media management tools
Whether you’re managing multiple accounts, analyzing engagement, or streamlining your workflow, this overview will help you find the right tool for your needs.
| Social media management tool | Best for | Core Offerings | Ease of use | Integrations | *Pricing | Unique strengths |
| Bitly | Social media management teams, Digital marketing teams | URL shortening, audience targeting, Dynamic QR Codes, Mobile-friendly landing pages | Beginner-friendly | Zapier, Hootsuite, WordPress, Sprout Social | Free plan and paid plans available, starting at $10/month (billed annually) | Bitly Pages: customizable landing pages |
| Hootsuite | Mid-sized businesses | Automated assignments and tagging, inbox for public and private messaging, saved replies, autoresponder | User-friendly | Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn | Starts at $99/ month (billed annually) with a free 30-day trial | AI-optimized post scheduling |
| Buffer | Small businesses and startups | Scheduling, analytics, content sharing tools | User-friendly | Canva, Bitly, Google Photos, WordPress | Free plan and paid plans available, starting at $5/month (billed annually) | The Buffer Remix app |
| Sprout Social | Mid-size companies | Social media scheduling, CRM tools, social listening | User-friendly | Slack, Canva, Google Drive, Shopify | Starts at $199/month/seat (billed annually) | AI-driven business intelligence |
| Agorapulse | Agencies | Queue feature, content calendar, scheduling | User-friendly | Google Business, Threads, YouTube, Pinterest | Free plan and paid plans available, starting at $79/month/user (billed annually) | Social listening capabilities |
| Sendible | Agencies | AI content assist, content customization, post composer, centralized inbox | User-friendly | Google Chrome extension, Pexels, X, Google Analytics | Starts at $25/month (billed annually) | Detailed reporting for clients and stakeholders |
| SocialPilot | Agencies | Team functionality, content suggestions, analytics | User-friendly | TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram | Starts at $42/month (billed annually) | Social inbox |
| Zoho Social | Agencies | AI-powered assistant, integration, social media publishing | User-friendly | Mastodon, X, Facebook, YouTube | Free plan, 15-day free trial, and paid plans starting at $10/month (billed annually) | Content recycling |
| MeetEdgar | Small businesses | Content library, automation, analytics | User-friendly | Zapier, Canva, Chrome extension | Starts at $24.91/month (billed annually) | Recurred posting queues |
| Loomly | Small businesses | Centralized dashboard, post-approval workflow, hashtag suggestions | User-friendly | Snapchat, Slack, Zapier, Microsoft Teams | Starts at $32/month (billed annually) with a 15-day free trial | Custom social networks |
| Audiense | Agencies | Social media monitoring, personalized marketing strategies, measure demand for brands and trends | User-friendly | Bitly, DSP, GWI | Starts at $696/month (billed annually) | Audience intelligence |
| Later | Small businesses | Link-in-bio, content creation tools, drag-and-drop, mobile app | User-friendly | Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest | Starts at $16.67/month (billed annually) | Intuitive visual planner |
*Note: Prices listed reflect those displayed on each solution’s website at the time of writing and may vary based on payment frequency (monthly or annually) and other factors.
1. Bitly
Every social media marketer knows that character counts are precious real estate in posts. That’s why Bitly has become indispensable for keeping your links concise and posts clean. But there’s so much more to Bitly than just shortening URLs.
Bitly empowers marketers with a suite of tools designed to make their digital strategies more impactful. With Bitly Pages, you can create dynamic, mobile-friendly landing pages to showcase your content. Bitly Analytics provides real-time insights into link performance, helping you track what’s working and what’s not.
And let’s not forget Bitly Codes, a seamless way to bridge offline and online engagement by driving foot traffic to your digital channels via branded QR Codes.
Whether you’re building brand trust with branded links, QR Codes, and landing pages or tracking key performance metrics to improve your campaigns, Bitly is a versatile platform that adapts to your needs.
Features and capabilities
- Link management: Customizable, branded domains inspire brand trust and recognition while keeping posts professional and polished.
- Link-in-bio (Bitly Pages): Create a centralized, customizable destination page for all your links, making it easier for followers to find what matters most.
- QR Codes: Connect offline marketing efforts to your online presence with QR Codes that link directly to your short links. These codes make it easy for audiences to engage with your content, follow your social channels, and participate in campaigns.
- Bitly’s API marketplace: Integrate with tools like Buffer, Hootsuite, and Zapier for streamlined post management and automation.
Pricing
- Free: $0/month
- Core: $10/month (billed annually)
- Growth: $29/month (billed annually)
- Premium: $199/month (billed annually)
- Enterprise: Custom pricing
2. Hootsuite
Hootsuite is a marketer’s best friend and one of the most versatile social media marketing tools available. It simplifies the process of scheduling and managing social media posts across platforms, all from a single, easy-to-use dashboard.
As an end-to-end solution, Hootsuite supports everything from content creation to post-scheduling and analytics, making it invaluable for busy social media managers. Plus, it integrates seamlessly with Bitly, enhancing link management and tracking capabilities.
Features and capabilities
- Social listening: Using AI and natural language processing, Hootsuite enables you to track and analyze conversations about your brand and industry. This helps you understand customer sentiment and identify emerging trends to refine your social media strategy.
- Social media analytics: Dive into detailed performance metrics to measure the impact of your campaigns, track audience engagement, and optimize your content.
- Best time to post: Hootsuite’s AI takes the guesswork out of scheduling posts by analyzing audience behavior and suggesting ideal times to post, maximizing your reach and engagement.
Pricing
- Professional: $99/month (billed annually)
- Team: $249/month (billed annually)
- Enterprise: Custom pricing
3. Buffer
A trusted choice of over 75,000 brands and 7 million users, Buffer stands out as a user-friendly social media management tool. Designed to simplify your workflows, it allows you to create, schedule, and analyze content across multiple channels—all from one intuitive dashboard.
Features and capabilities
- Create space: Need eye-catching visuals for your social media posts and stories? Buffer’s Create tool helps you design professional-quality visuals in minutes with customizable templates, images, and backgrounds.
- Buffer Remix app: Specifically designed for Instagram stories, the Remix app lets you transform URLs into vibrant, shareable images, giving your content an edge on Instagram.
- Social media engagement: Easily manage mentions, comments, and messages from all your platforms in a single inbox, ensuring you never miss an opportunity to connect with your audience.
Pricing
- Free: $0/month
- Essentials: $5/month/channel (billed annually)
- Team: $10/month/channel (billed annually)
4. Sprout Social
Social media isn’t just about posting—it’s about building connections. Sprout Social goes beyond the basics by focusing on social engagement and customer relationship management (CRM) tools. It’s perfect for teams that want to nurture deeper relationships with their audience while staying organized. Plus, its integration with Bitly makes link creation and tracking a piece of cake.
Features and capabilities
- Social media scheduling: Plan, publish, and monitor your posts from one platform with an intuitive calendar view that simplifies managing multiple accounts and campaigns.
- Collaboration tools: Sprout Social’s team collaboration features make it easy to assign tasks, track progress, and communicate directly within the platform, ensuring seamless coordination.
- Social listening: Keep your ear to the ground with advanced social listening tools that track conversations about your brand or industry, providing valuable insights to refine your strategy.
Pricing
- Standard: $199/month/seat
- Professional: $299/month/seat
- Advanced: $399/month/seat
- Enterprise: Custom pricing
5. Agorapulse
Why settle for a tool that only schedules posts when you could have one that also helps you understand your audience? Agorapulse goes beyond basic content management by combining intuitive content tools with detailed reporting to help you fine-tune your social media strategy.
Whether it’s scheduling posts, engaging with followers, or tracking performance, Agorapulse has your back. It also integrates with Bitly, allowing for easy link management.
Features and capabilities
- Unified inbox functionalities: Say goodbye to scattered messages. Agorapulse brings all your social media conversations into one inbox, making it easy to view and respond without switching between platforms.
- Assign and approve posts: Perfect for teams, Agorapulse lets you assign tasks to team members and request post-approval before publication.
- Publishing and scheduling: Save time with intuitive scheduling tools to plan and publish posts across multiple social media channels with just a few clicks.
Pricing
- Free: $0/month
- Standard: $79/month/user (billed annually)
- Professional: $119/month/user (billed annually)
- Advanced: $149/month/user (billed annually)
- Custom: Quotes for tailored solutions
6. Sendible
No more burning the midnight oil to prepare presentations for your clients. Sendible delivers presentation-ready reports and insights at the click of a button. Designed to enhance your workflow, Sendible combines powerful scheduling, analytics, and reporting tools to optimize your social media strategy. And with the Bitly integration, managing and tracking links has never been easier.
Features and capabilities
- Post scheduling: Plan, schedule, and automate your posts across multiple social media platforms, freeing up your time to focus on strategy.
- Profiles: Manage multiple social media accounts and profiles from one intuitive dashboard, perfect for agencies juggling client needs.
- Reports hub: Generate professional, customizable reports to track performance and demonstrate ROI effortlessly.
Pricing
- Creator: $25/month (billed annually)
- Traction: $76/month (billed annually)
- Scale: $170/month (billed annually)
- Advanced: $255/month (billed annually)
- Enterprise: $638/month (billed annually)
7. SocialPilot
For digital marketing agencies or businesses managing a heavy social media presence, SocialPilot is a reliable, all-in-one social media marketing tool.
Designed to streamline workflows and save time, it helps you understand how to increase social media engagement while effortlessly managing multiple accounts. With a seamless Bitly integration, you can optimize your links for better performance and tracking.
Features and capabilities
- AI assistant: SocialPilot’s AI-powered content assistant suggests relevant posts tailored to your industry and audience. It even analyzes past performance to provide personalized recommendations for future posts.
- Social media analytics: The platform’s advanced analytics dashboard offers comprehensive insights into your social media performance, audience demographics, and competitor analysis.
- Content curation: Discover and share relevant content from trusted sources using SocialPilot’s content discovery tool. Create RSS feeds to share updates automatically from your favorite blogs or websites.
Pricing
- Standard: $42/month (billed annually)
- Premium: $85/month (billed annually)
- Ultimate: $170/month (billed annually)
- Enterprise: Custom pricing
8. Zoho Social
If your goal is to build and launch a strong enterprise social media strategy, Zoho Social delivers the tools you need. Its robust platform combines automation, collaboration, and integration features, making it a great asset for agencies and businesses managing multiple accounts.
With the Bitly integration, you can easily track link performance, improving your overall social media presence.
Features and capabilities
- Social media publishing: Schedule posts across platforms like Facebook, X, LinkedIn, and Instagram. (Check out this guide to cross-posting for tips and best practices.)
- Team collaboration: Empower your team members to collaborate by assigning tasks, setting user roles, and tracking progress—all within the platform.
- CRM integration: Zoho Social connects with Zoho CRM, enabling you to track and engage with leads and customers directly through your social media accounts.
Pricing
For businesses:
- Free: $0/month
- Standard: $10/month (billed annually)
- Professional: $30/month (billed annually)
- Premium: $40/month (billed annually)
For agencies:
- Agency: $230/month (billed annually)
- Agency Plus: $330/month (billed annually)
9. MeetEdgar
For marketers who prefer a straightforward, hands-off approach, MeetEdgar offers intuitive scheduling and automation features to keep your content fresh and organized.
With its ability to create a library of evergreen content, MeetEdgar ensures that your social media channels stay active without constant oversight. Plus, its Bitly integration provides detailed link performance insights, helping you refine your strategy.
Features and capabilities
- Custom scheduling: Build a tailored posting schedule that suits your audience’s peak engagement times, down to specific days and hours.
- Auto-expiring content: Keep your feed up-to-date by setting expiration dates for posts, ensuring your content stays timely and relevant.
- Browser extensions: Add content to your library and schedule posts on the go with extensions for Chrome, Firefox, and Safari.
Pricing
- Eddie plan: $24.91/month (billed annually)
- Edgar plan: $41.58/month (billed annually)
10. Loomly
Managing social media doesn’t have to feel like an uphill battle. Loomly simplifies the process with its intuitive tools and user-friendly design. Whether you’re managing accounts solo or coordinating with a team, Loomly helps you save time and stay organized. There’s also a Bitly integration available, so you can gain in-depth insights into how your links are performing.
Features and capabilities
- Approval workflows: Collaborate with team members or clients by setting up approval workflows to ensure posts meet your standards before going live.
- Multiple scheduling calendars: Manage multiple social media accounts with ease by creating distinct calendars for each platform or campaign.
- Versatile recording options: Record your screen and use your webcam and microphone to create dynamic, personalized content.
Pricing
- Base: $32/month (billed annually)
- Standard: $60/month (billed annually)
- Advanced: $131/month (billed annually)
- Premium: $277/month (billed annually)
- Enterprise: Custom pricing
11. Audiense
Understanding your audience is the cornerstone of any successful social media marketing strategy, and Audiense takes this to the next level.
With its powerful audience intelligence tools, you can gain detailed insights into your audience’s behavior, interests, and demographics, enabling you to create tailor-made content. Thanks to its Bitly integration, you can also track and analyze the performance of your shared content.
Features and capabilities
- Personalized marketing strategies: Leverage Audiense’s AI-powered audience segmentation to uncover traits and preferences and craft personalized marketing strategies that truly resonate.
- X-specific insights and targeting: Audiense is one of the few tools that offers dedicated X (formerly Twitter) analytics, management, and user targeting, helping your business stand out on this unique platform.
- Secure data storage: Your data is protected with secure, encrypted servers, giving you peace of mind as you refine your strategy.
Pricing
- Audiense Insights: $696/month (billed annually)
- Affinio: Custom pricing
12. Later
Originally built for Instagram, Later has grown into a comprehensive platform for managing multiple social media channels, including Facebook, X, and Pinterest.
Known for its intuitive visual planning approach, Later simplifies content scheduling while helping you maintain a visually cohesive and engaging presence. Via the Bitly integration, you can track the performance of your shared content across social media platforms.
Features and capabilities
- UGC capabilities: Easily collect and curate user-generated content (UGC) to increase engagement and build a strong community around your brand. Schedule and share this content directly on the platform.
- Visual planning: Later’s visual planner lets you preview how your Instagram feed will look before publishing posts, ensuring a polished and cohesive aesthetic that captures your audience’s attention.
- Multi-platform posting: Save time and effort by scheduling content for multiple social media platforms simultaneously.
Pricing
- Starter: $16.67/month (billed annually)
- Growth: $30/month (billed annually)
- Advanced: $53.33/month (billed annually)
- Agency: $133.33/month (billed annually)
- Enterprise: Custom pricing
Bolster your social media strategy with Bitly
Building a strong foundation for your social media marketing strategy starts with leveraging the right marketing tools and techniques. These tools can help you streamline processes, save time, and enjoy greater ROI than managing everything manually.
Bitly goes beyond link shortening to provide powerful features that make your links more impactful and engaging, while delivering valuable data to optimize your strategy. From branded links, landing pages, and QR Codes to advanced tracking and analytics, Bitly helps you manage your social media efficiently and effectively.
Find your perfect Bitly plan and start elevating your social media game today.
