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Want to know the best social media management tools for agencies this year? Click to read and get an edge over your competition.
We know social media is a core part of any successful digital strategy, and for agencies, managing multiple clients while delivering top-notch results is no easy feat. The right tools can make all the difference, streamlining workflows, organizing campaigns, and making it easier to engage with your audiences across platforms.
For agencies juggling a variety of client needs, social media management can be both rewarding and overwhelming. Each client has unique goals, target audiences, and brand voices, so staying organized is essential. A reliable social media management tool can really transform your agency’s workflow - saving time, improving client satisfaction, and helping your team deliver consistent, quality results. With so many platforms available, it can feel overwhelming to find one that ticks all the boxes.
Looking for the best social media management tools for agencies in 2024? In this guide, we’ve rounded up Sked’s top picks. Whether you’re handling a handful of clients or managing hundreds of accounts, these tools offer the essential features you need to stay organized, productive, and creative.
What to look for in the best social media agency tools
When it comes to choosing the right social media management tool, there’s no “one size fits all.” As an agency, your needs are different from those of a small business or individual influencer. You’re handling multiple accounts, often with unique content requirements, deadlines, and analytics to track. Here’s what to keep in mind when evaluating tools to ensure you’re choosing one that truly supports your team.
First, think about your day-to-day workflow. The best tools for agencies offer features for scheduling posts across multiple platforms, so you can manage all your clients from one place. Look for tools that allow for batch scheduling, automated publishing, and easy content customization for each platform.
Since social media management involves input from strategists, creators, and clients, great collaboration tools will help keep everyone on the same page. Reporting and analytics are critical too, allowing you to show clients the impact of your work. Look for tools that offer detailed metrics and customizable reports.
Lastly, consider scalability and cost. Choose platforms with flexible pricing that can grow with your agency’s needs, so you’re always equipped to handle more clients and deliver value.
Key features
When it comes to finding the right social media tool for your agency, there are a few features that are absolutely essential. The right tool can make managing clients’ social accounts way simpler, keep your team on the same page, and give you data that helps drive better results. Here’s what to look out for:
- Multiple Accounts. Managing multiple clients should be easy, not a juggling act. The best tools let you handle all your accounts from one place, so you can switch between clients smoothly without logging in and out every time.
- Multiple Channels. One tool that covers all your social channels - Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok - keeps everything streamlined. You’ll be able to plan, post, and monitor across different platforms without constantly jumping from one tool to another.
- Post Scheduling. Scheduling features are a lifesaver. Look for tools that let you schedule posts in advance, batch content, and set it all up to go live when audiences are most active. It’s a simple way to keep things running smoothly, even on busy days.
- Inbox Management. A single inbox for all messages and comments keeps client interactions organized. Respond to everything from one place and stay on top of engagement, making it easy to handle messages quickly and professionally.
- Social Analytics. Clients love seeing the impact of their social media, and detailed analytics make it easy to show them. The best tools break down engagement, audience demographics, and performance trends, helping you adjust strategies as you go.
- Team Collaboration. Social media is a team effort, so tools that support collaboration are key. Look for features that let you assign tasks, review content, and message each other internally. It’ll keep your team aligned and make sure everything’s ready to go before it hits your clients’ feeds.
Our picks for 2024’s best social media management platforms for agencies
- Sked Social. The best all-in-one social media management tool for agencies.
- Later. The best social media management tool for smaller agencies with lower budgets.
- Hootsuite. A popular social media management platform for agencies with a focus on text-based channels.
- Sprout Social. A strong but pricier choice for agencies looking for features like social listening and sentiment analysis.
Other platforms to consider
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Why settle for a lackluster social media management tool when you could be using Sked Social? With unlimited collaborator access, streamlined approvals and advanced auto-post technology that lets you schedule to all major platforms, Sked Social offers everything you need.
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1. Sked Social
Sked Social is a popular all-in-one social media management tool, perfect for anyone but especially those who are managing multiple social accounts at once. This means that it’s got everything; social media scheduling, photo editing, reporting functions, and the technology to allow for streamlined team collaboration. All this is located in a single dashboard, making it super easy to strategize and take action all at once.
There are plenty of social media scheduling tools out there, but not all of them let you upload your photos to a huge image library, plan out your posts in a visual feed planner, and collaborate in the platform with your team members so your managers, clients, and graphic designers can seamlessly review, edit, and approve your social media calendar.
Agencies can spend a lot of their time chasing clients for approvals, or going back and forth on feedback for social media posts. Sked simplifies this process by keeping approvals confined to the app in a branded portal that can be easily accessed by agencies and client teams. All feedback and approvals can be easily tracked, so it’s easy to see which posts still need work, and which are ready to be scheduled.
Best for
Sked Social is the ideal all-in-one social media management tool for agencies seeking to streamline complex workflows, make collaboration easier, and efficiently manage multiple client accounts across various platforms.
Key features
- Visual Content Calendar: Organize, plan, and manage posts across multiple platforms with an easy-to-use centralized calendar
- Team Collaboration: Assign roles and collaborate seamlessly with multi-user features for content approvals and scheduling
- Integrated Link in Bio tools: Help drive traffic from Instagram by creating customizable landing pages for key content
- Instagram Automation: Automatically schedule and post Instagram Stories, Reels, and carousels, streamlining content management
- Detailed Analytics: Track post performance and gather insights to optimize social media strategies and improve engagement.
Pros
- Excellent for Instagram-focused content management with advanced scheduling options
- Affordable pricing compared to alternatives - Sked doesn’t charge extra for seats
- Great AI-powered content generation with Captivate AI, integrated into Sked’s core features
- Provides a dedicated link-in-bio feature, making it easier to drive traffic from Instagram
Cons
- Other platforms may have more in-depth social listening and analytics
- Auto-publishing is not supported for select platforms (e.g., Snapchat)
Cost
Sked’s Essentials plan starts at $59/month, or $199/month for the Professional plan. Contact Sked to book a demo for Enterprise pricing.
2. Later
Later is a social media management platform designed with a strong focus on visual content, making it perfect for businesses that rely heavily on platforms like Instagram and Pinterest. Later’s simple drag-and-drop calendar makes content planning simple, helping agencies create visually engaging campaigns with minimal effort.
What sets Later apart is this image-first design, great for users and brands who are focused on Instagram and Pinterest content. The platform also offers an inbuilt Linkin.bio tool to turn posts into traffic-driving opportunities. For visually-driven campaigns, Later delivers a smoother, more focused experience than other platforms.
Later tends to fall short on advanced analytics when stacked against its competitors, which offer more comprehensive reporting. It’s also limited in multi-platform support, making it less versatile for managing a wide range of social networks. Sked Social might be a better choice if you need deep reporting or broad platform management.
Best for
Later is ideal for small businesses, influencers, and content creators who prioritize visual content, particularly on Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok. It’s perfect for users looking for an easy-to-use tool that focuses on content scheduling, visual planning, and traffic conversion through posts.
Key features
- Visual content calendar with drag-and-drop functionality to easily schedule and organize posts
- Linkin.bio tool to convert social media posts into traffic and sales for websites
- Hashtag suggestions to improve reach and engagement on Instagram and other visual platforms
Pros
- Easy-to-use, visual-first interface perfect for Instagram and Pinterest
- Very affordable pricing plans, especially for small businesses and creators
- Integrated Link in Bio feature is simple and great for converting sales
Cons
- Limited advanced analytics compared to other platforms
- Less support for multi-platform management, focusing mainly on visual-heavy platforms
- Not ideal for large teams, lacking collaboration and workflow tools
Cost
Later offers a free plan, and paid plans range from the $15/month Starter to $80/month Advanced plan (6 social sets and users per month).
3. Hootsuite
Hootsuite is a well-established platform in social media management, popular among agencies that focus on text-based channels like X (formerly Twitter), LinkedIn, and Facebook. It’s known for its scalability and flexibility, making it a great fit for agencies of all sizes. With versatile plans, Hootsuite offers a wide array of tools to support growing teams and meet diverse client needs.
Hootsuite stands out for its integrations with over 20 social networks, along with its powerful scheduling tools and comprehensive analytics. For businesses that need to manage numerous accounts, Hootsuite’s advanced team collaboration features make it a solid choice.
Hootsuite’s advanced team collaboration features also make it a solid choice for agencies handling high client volumes, and its flat-rate pricing on most plans (for up to five users) provides value without surprise fees. However, the platform’s steep learning curve and higher pricing for larger teams can be challenging, especially for smaller agencies or those just starting out. For mid-sized agencies and growing businesses, alternatives like Sked Social may offer a more accessible and cost-effective solution.
See how Hootsuite compares to Sked and the top Hootsuite alternatives on the market today.
Best for
Hootsuite is ideal for agencies that prioritize platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook and X, offering a strong suite of tools for content scheduling, monitoring, and engagement across text-centric channels.
Key features
- Bulk scheduling: Publish and schedule posts across multiple platforms of up to 350 posts
- Social listening tools: Monitor brand mentions, hashtags, and keywords in real-time
- Easy content creation: Built-in Canva templates, an AI caption writer, and streams to discover the best content to share.
Pros
- Easy-to-use interface for managing multiple social accounts
- Strong integration options with third-party apps and tools like Canva
- Great analytics features to track and visualize the performance of each post
Cons
- Higher costs for larger teams, as pricing increases significantly with added users and features
- Lacks advanced Instagram features like auto-posting Reels and Stories
- Many of its best features like advanced inbox management are limited without a high-end plan
Cost
Hootsuite’s pricing starts at $99/month for the Professional plan (1 user), $249/month for the Team plan (3 users), and custom pricing for the Enterprise plan.
4. Sprout Social
Sprout Social is a popular choice for agencies, known for its broad compatibility across social networks like Facebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn, YouTube, Pinterest, TikTok, and WhatsApp. Sprout’s reach across these networks makes it a great choice for agencies working with diverse clients. A standout feature is its social listening tool, which uses AI to scan conversations and sentiment across platforms.
Sprout Social’s reporting features allow agencies to break down metrics by platform and campaign, providing valuable insights into what’s working. The platform also includes social listening tools, so agencies can monitor audience sentiment and spot trends, giving them a deeper understanding of client audiences. The platform’s ability to unify social marketing, customer care, and data analytics makes it a solid choice for agency-level social media management.
Sprout’s biggest drawback is its cost. The platform’s pricing can get steep, especially when adding multiple users—each additional user requires an extra fee. Some features, such as certain content publishing options, are also locked behind the more expensive plans, which can be pretty limiting if you’re working with a smaller budget or aiming for flexibility.
Explore alternatives to Sprout Social and see how it stacks up against Sked.
Best for
Sprout Social is best suited for larger agencies and teams that need an all-encompassing social media solution and don’t mind a higher price point.
Key features
- Social Listening: Sprout’s AI-powered social listening tools provide real-time insights by tracking customer sentiment, competitor activity, and market trends.
- Analytics and Reporting: Sprout Social offers customizable reporting features that allow you to track your social media performance, generate tailored reports, and measure ROI across various campaigns.
- Automation and Chatbots: Sprout includes tools for automating responses, reducing manual tasks, and offering 24/7 customer engagement through customizable chatbots.
Pros
- Automation for customer engagement with chatbots and workflow management
- Customizable reports which are easy to create and share
- Great competitor analysis and social listening tools to help optimize your approach
Cons
- High cost, especially for large teams with multiple users
- Limited amount of social media accounts for cheaper plans
- Many users mention a steep learning curve for the scheduling tools
Cost
Sprout’s pricing starts at $199/month per seat for the Standard plan, $299/month for the Professional plan, $399/month for Advanced and custom pricing for Enterprise.
5. Agorapulse
Agorapulse is a popular social media management platform known for its affordability and user-friendly design, making it a solid choice for agencies. It offers competitive pricing, particularly suited to smaller and mid-sized agencies, while covering essential features like social inbox management and robust reporting.
One of Agorapulse’s standout features is its Inbox Zero tool, which allows users to streamline message management across platforms. Plus, Agorapulse includes unlimited reporting on all plans, making it budget-friendly for agencies needing consistent performance insights. Additional tools, like a social media ROI calculator and built-in CRM management, further enhance its value for agencies focused on efficient client reporting and engagement.
While Agorapulse shines in ease of use and affordability, it may fall short for agencies needing more advanced analytics or social listening features. Additionally, it has limited third-party integrations and lacks some visual content planning tools, which may be important for agencies with more complex social media strategies.
Best for
Agorapulse is best suited for smaller teams to mid-sized businesses, ideal for social media teams that need an affordable solution for managing social media interactions and content publishing.
Key features
- Unified social inbox to manage your social media messages, comments, and reviews in one place.
- Social Media ROI Calculator tool to track top-performing platforms, content, and even team members.
- Built-in CRM management tool to learn about your most passionate followers
Pros
- Content scheduling and publishing across platforms is intuitive and efficient
- Inbox Zero feature helps users manage all social media conversations in one place
- Unlimited reporting on all plans, including advanced performance reports and data exporting options
Cons
- Pricing is per user, which can get expensive if you need a lot of users.
- Reporting and analytics features are limited compared to other platforms
- Many users point out poor integration with some platforms
Cost
Agorapulse has a free plan for 3 profiles, and ranges from the Standard plan at $49/month to the Advanced plan at $119/month.
6. Zoho Social
Zoho Social is a full-featured social media management platform built for businesses and agencies, making it a great choice for large teams. It helps streamline social media tasks like scheduling posts, tracking mentions, and managing multiple brands through one central dashboard.. Backed by Zoho’s suite of 40+ tools, Zoho Social integrates effortlessly with broader business workflows, helping everything run smoothly.
One of its standout strengths is its integration with Zoho’s CRM system, allowing businesses to track social media-driven revenue and generate leads directly from platforms like Instagram and Facebook. Zoho Social's powerful collaboration tools also make it easy for enterprise teams to assign roles, set permissions, and track performance, allowing for smoother teamwork and better insights to guide strategic decision-making.
Zoho Social's main weakness lies in its lack of depth for Instagram analytics, especially in areas like tracking performance for Reels and Stories. Additionally, Zoho’s platform can feel less user-friendly when managing visual content like Instagram carousels, so it may not be the best fit for Instagram-focused businesses.
Best for
Zoho is a great option for those looking to combine social media management with a Customer Relationship Management system. Its smooth integration with Zoho CRM makes it easy to track social media leads and revenue, making it a great fit for teams focused on building strong, data-driven customer relationships.
Key features
- Zoho CRM Integration: Easy CRM integration allowing businesses to track leads and social media-driven revenue
- Listening Dashboard: Allows the creation of listening columns to track brand reviews, @mentions and brand keywords.
- Publishing tools: Visual content calendar, bulk scheduling, and planner to manage content across multiple platforms.
Pros
- User-friendly interface for content scheduling and management
- Integration with Canva to create and edit visuals for social media
- Easy to interact with leads and potential customers from the dashboard and refer them to the CRM program
Cons
- Mobile app lacks the full functionality of the desktop version, making on-the-go management less efficient
- Limited third-party integrations compared to other platforms
- A steep learning curve when navigating advanced features
Cost
Zoho’s pricing starts at $15/month for a Standard plan, up to $200/month for the Agency plan
7. Buffer
Buffer is a social media management platform designed to make scheduling and publishing across multiple platforms easy and accessible. It’s especially appealing to agencies looking for a straightforward, user-friendly tool with essential features like unlimited post scheduling, analytics and engagement tools, all at a great price point.
Buffer’s strengths lie in its simplicity and transparent pricing, making it ideal for small to mid-sized agencies or those working with limited budgets. The platform offers a free plan for individual users and affordable paid tiers, allowing agencies to access key features without stretching their budget. This balance of functionality and affordability makes Buffer a solid choice for teams looking to simplify social media management without compromising on essential tools.
While Buffer excels in simplicity and is ideal for small brands and individuals, it lacks the depth of analytics and advanced reporting features that other platforms offer. Buffer’s collaboration tools are more limited, so you might look elsewhere for more advanced team coordination features.
Best for
Buffer is an excellent low priced option for smaller agencies that don’t require complex features, offering a budget-friendly way to manage social media without the need for extra bells and whistles.
Key features
- AI-powered scheduling to optimize posting times based on audience activity
- Visual calendar for easy post scheduling
- Central, multi-channel social media management lets you manage across different platforms from a single dashboard
Pros
- Very user-friendly and intuitive interface, easy to navigate
- Very affordable, with the free plan offering a decent set of features
- Great, simple tool for publishing and scheduling posts
Cons
- Lacks the depth of analytics and advanced reporting features of other platforms
- AI tools are not as advanced or versatile as other platforms
- Collaboration tools are quite limited, not ideal for large teams
Cost
Buffer’s free plan allows 3 social accounts. The Essentials plan starts at $6/month, Team at $12/month, and Agency plans starting at $100/month.
8. CoSchedule
CoSchedule is a calendar-focused platform for agencies looking to manage content calendars and plan social media posting across multiple channels. With a strong focus on organization, it’s designed to help you keep campaigns on track and align social media efforts with other marketing tasks, making it a solid tool if you want to focus on efficient planning.
Coschedule’s biggest strength lies in this easy to use, unified content calendar. You can keep track of everything - social posts, blogs, newsletters - all in one place, making it so much easier to plan campaigns. The ReQueue feature is a real timesaver, automatically resharing posts to keep content active without extra effort, while the Headline Analyzer uses data to help create more engaging social content. CoSchedule even integrates smoothly with platforms like WordPress, so managing text-based platforms feels seamless.
While CoSchedule is excellent for scheduling, it lacks some advanced social engagement and analytics features that many agencies need for in-depth audience insights. Its Instagram management tools are less comprehensive, which can limit agencies working heavily with visually-focused brands. It can also be pretty pricey compared to other platforms with more comprehensive social media tools.
Best for
CoSchedule is best for agencies that handle a mix of social media, content marketing, and blogging. It’s ideal for keeping complex, multi-channel projects organized and efficient.
Key features
- Intuitive, unified marketing calendar to manage social media, blogs, and newsletters in one place
- ReQueue feature for automatic rescheduling of social media posts to boost engagement without creating new content
- AI-powered Headline Analyzer generates headlines optimized for engagement and SEO
Pros
- Great for agencies that work with blog content and other text-based platforms
- Easy task management tools to assign tasks, set deadlines, and track team progress
- Very intuitive, easy to navigate interface
Cons
- Limited advanced analytics for social media insights and performance tracking
- Lacks engagement tools for interacting directly with audiences in-app
- Pretty basic Instagram and other visual content management
Cost
CoSchedule offers a free social calendar for one user, with plans starting at $19/month for the advanced Social Calendar and $49/month per user for the Agency plan.
9. Brandwatch
Brandwatch is a bit of a different platform, built for monitoring social media sentiment and analyzing online conversations. It’s a great option for agencies with clients who are more focused on customer sentiment and tracking trends across social channels. It also has an integrated content calendar, centralised inbox and a handy digital asset library.
Brandwatch stands out for its advanced social listening and analytics. It lets businesses monitor brand health, spot trends, and keep tabs on competitors, making it useful for organizations that rely on data to make decisions. It’s got a fairly intuitive UX, making it easy for new users to master.
While Brandwatch is excellent for social listening and analytics, it can be complex and difficult to navigate for new users. Compared to competing platforms, Brandwatch lacks advanced features for Instagram content, which can be a disadvantage for visually focused brands. Its non-transparent pricing structure is also a downfall, with no pricing information directly available.
Best for
Brandwatch is best if your clients are focused on comprehensive social listening and advanced analytics. It's really a platform for monitoring brand reputation, tracking competitor activity, and gathering deeper insights from online conversations.
Key features
- Tracks brand mentions, customer sentiment, and competitor insights across multiple social platforms in real time.
- Data visualization makes it easy for teams to interpret complex data and share insights.
- Provides in-depth analysis and reports to help you understand trends, audience behavior, and campaign performance.
Pros
- Great advanced, customizable analytics and a large variety of integrations
- Strong audience reporting, real-time monitoring, and alerting features
- Unlimited users and a range of distribution, sharing and permissions options
Cons
- Non-transparent pricing - you can only get a pricing quote by booking a demo
- Lacks automatic posting for Instagram Stories and Reels, which can be a disadvantage for visual content-heavy brands.
- Less of an all-in-one social media platform, more of a social listening and consumer intelligence tool.
Cost
Contact Brandwatch for a pricing quote.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best all-around social media management tools for agencies?
For agencies looking to cover all their social media needs, Sked Social and Hootsuite are your best options. Sked Social is a standout choice for visual content and Instagram-focused work, with features like content scheduling, team collaboration, and a link-in-bio tool that makes it easier to drive traffic. Hootsuite is ideal for agencies focused on text-based platforms like LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter). Both platforms provide reliable, all-around solutions to keep social media organized, productive, and effective for agencies.
What are the best social media scheduling tools for agencies?
For effective scheduling, Sked Social, Later, and Buffer are top choices. Sked Social excels at advanced scheduling for Instagram, Later offers a visual drag-and-drop calendar, and Buffer provides an easy, budget-friendly solution for planning posts across multiple channels.
What are the best social media analytics tools for agencies?
For top quality analytics, your best options are Sprout Social, Brandwatch, and Agorapulse. Sprout Social offers detailed performance metrics and customizable reports, Brandwatch specializes in in-depth data analysis, and Agorapulse provides unlimited reporting, making it easy for agencies to demonstrate value to clients.
What are the best social media engagement tools for agencies?
For increasing engagement for your clients, Sked Social, Hootsuite, and Sprout Social are excellent choices. Sked Social provides a centralized inbox that allows agencies to respond quickly across platforms, keeping client interactions organized. Hootsuite and Sprout also integrate responses across multiple channels, with automated tools for customer engagement. These platforms help agencies maintain responsive, consistent communication with audiences.
What are the best social listening tools for agencies?
Brandwatch and Zoho Social are among the best tools for social listening. Brandwatch offers real-time sentiment tracking so you can track what’s being said about your clients, and Zoho Social’s listening dashboard helps track brand mentions, keywords, and industry trends across multiple channels.