Best of Social Media Management Software of 2023

Hootsuite was launched in 2008, just before most major social media platforms truly took off. Because of this, it has iterated and refined its services. I feel this leaves you with the most comprehensive way to manage accounts for your e-commerce business.


Hit the ground running and lean into the extensive onboarding tutorials, helping you to connect and launch in less than a minute.

Hootsuite has adapted to the dynamic world of social media management since its launch in 2008 and has expanded its scope of services to include vital elements of your strategy – including social listening, advanced analytics, and centralized message management.

I refined my overall experience via the Hootsuite App Directory, a marketplace of over 150 apps. Hootsuite also offers a flexible social Application Programming Interface (API), allowing you to better automate and integrate your system with any internal tools or processes you rely on.

Beyond these newer features, I feel you’ll also benefit from its other strongest selling points, such as custom advanced reports, Stream views for management at a glance, and its intuitive native planner system with tailored recommendations and tips to boost your results.

Advanced insights are an underrepresented extra benefit you can leverage. They give you new ways to inform and tailor your strategy to cater to the channel’s algorithm.

Who is Hootsuite best for?

I found Hootsuite is best for rapidly growing small and midsize e-commerce businesses and established enterprises looking for a way to centralize and streamline their social media management strategy.

Hootsuite’s Stream view offers you access to your current posts, scheduled posts, and experience across all social channels – letting you manage and iterate between each easily.

Recent upgrades to Hootsuite

Hootsuite is one of the most frequently updated tools on the market, offering near-weekly UX updates and additions your social media team will love. You can keep up with the latest updates in the “What’s New” area.

The platform did some major design updates. You can now use Canva in the Composer tool, allowing you access to thousands of templates in just a few clicks. Also, you can integrate with Grammarly, Vidyard, and more, connecting your most used tools through a single centralized tool.

Reels are also available to track with Hootsuite’s analytics and insights library, giving you exclusive data points and a major strategy upgrade as more channels move to video content.

Hootsuite pricing

In my opinion, Hootsuite is considerably pricy, especially for newer e-commerce businesses. Services range from $49 to $739 per month, with the same base perks of unlimited posts, scheduling, and messaging. However, I believe the best value is in the Team plan, as this allows you to seamlessly delegate, project manage, and assign assets to up to three members.

Buffer is one of the most robust, free social media management tools available. This makes it a fantastic choice for e-commerce startups or businesses on a budget.


Buffer’s start page creation tool allows you to customize your e-commerce experience on social – for yourself and your team members.

If you’re in a startup phase and want the best social media management tool for your budget, I recommend Buffer. The platform has expanded exponentially since its start in 2010, beginning as a Twitter-specific social tool.

It includes everything you need to build your e-commerce brand presence. This includes analytics and insight reports, advanced auto posting and queues, and links in bio Start Pages to build your brand awareness.

I explored the tool for free; you can scale up as your budget permits. I’ve found it’s one of the most robust low-cost social media management software options available, costing up to just $100 per month for agency plans (which is best if you have 10 or more channels).

Whether you have two or 10 channels, you and your team can enjoy the draft collaboration tools natively to get the job done. It has also rolled out certain benefits exclusively for e-commerce business owners, such as the Shop Grid functionality. Channel visitors can easily shop your feed and purchase in just a few clicks.

I think this perk is especially important as you grow and scale since nearly 36% of regular internet users are expected to be social buyers.

Who is Buffer best for?

My research has determined Buffer is the best tool for small businesses and startups looking to manage their social media on a budget. I found it’s also a fantastic tool of choice for e-commerce business owners at all levels due to its native Shop Grid functionality and related tools. I also noticed with the Team plan ($10 per month), you’ll get similar functionality to more expensive tools, with a minimal learning curve involved.

Build out your campaigns with the easy-to-use Composer tool, watching your flow take shape in just a few clicks.

Recent upgrades to Buffer

I like that Buffer remains committed to creating the most inclusive free tool available, rolling out semi-frequent, bimonthly updates. You can keep track via the News area or API changelog.

Most notable recent releases at the time of publication include auto-publishing support for Instagram Reels, support for Google Business Profile posts, and a TikTok video scheduler for both desktop and mobile experiences.

Buffer pricing

I feel Buffer is incredibly affordable, allowing you to start with a free account or scale directly to Team level functionality at just $10 per month. I believe e-commerce business owners will find the most benefit with the Team plan, as Agency essentially mirrors that plan’s inclusion. The main difference is that with the Agency plan, you can expand the number of included accounts – and unlock custom access and permissions to organize your team’s roles.

Zoho Social is relatively new compared to its competitors, entering the social scene in 2015. I believe this only serves as an advantage, allowing the company to adapt to the needs of your modern-day social landscape. The tool offers advanced analytics and a streamlined take on your daily-use dashboards.


Zoho’s intuitive dashboard stream is the first thing you’ll see upon logging in. It’s simple and comprehensive, providing exactly what you need to manage effectively.

Zoho was one of the first e-providers ever, starting in 1996. It launched Zoho Social over a decade later, in 2015, to promote business growth and a more streamlined way to simply master social media management. The company entered right at the “golden age” of social media, as platforms outside of Facebook were beginning to monetize on a major level.

It is well-established in the management market and has won prestigious awards, such as the Forbes Advisor Award for Best Social Media Management Software of 2022 and the Constellation Research shortlist for Social Engagement and Listening Platforms of 2022.

I noticed the platform is one of the most comprehensive management tools available, working to create and schedule content for less-supported services – such as Google My Business, YouTube, Facebook Groups, and TikTok. This is one of the first tools I’ve seen to have such a diverse library of connectivity and management utility since many more mainstream options focus on static channel management over video or e-commerce growth platforms.

In addition to its range of compatibility, Zoho Social’s other most competitive points include its multiple strategic listening columns, seamless app experience for management on the go, and a visually-driven content calendar.

Who is Zoho Social best for?

I believe Zoho Social is a great choice of tool for brands at any stage of development. Its low price point (starting from just $10 per month) and comprehensive tool suite and platform support impressed me. I think that both small- and midsize businesses (SMBs) and established e-commerce enterprises will get competitive benefits from the tool, especially if they lean into the social listening tools, integration library, and multichannel scheduler.

The post scheduler is incredibly easy to use, allowing you to select by channel and post accordingly. You can opt to queue it yourself, or use the SmartQ slot and let the algorithm select a high-traffic time for your post.

Recent upgrades to Zoho Social

With nearly monthly updates, I find that Zoho Social is one of the most frequently updated social media management tools on this list. Every month of 2022, I’ve seen some serious innovation and improvements for user experiences (UX) and the platform as a whole.

Most notably, I appreciate the Instagram Reel report options (tracking engagement, reach, and other key metrics), as well as scheduling, approval, and collaboration support for direct posting of video content to top platforms. These include Instagram Reels, Stories, YouTube Shorts, and TikTok, giving you new and more direct ways to enhance brand recognition and perception.

Zoho Social is one of the only platforms to have supported direct video editing and scheduling functionality at the time of publication.

Looking for more on the latest platform updates? There is a detailed record in the “What’s New” section of the Zoho Social site.

Zoho Social pricing

I also feel Zoho Social pricing is incredibly affordable, especially compared to other tools in the e-commerce space. Plans start as little as $10, allowing access to nine channel slots, 24/5 email support, and key features, such as the native image editor, ZURL link shortener, and summary comprehensive reports of use.

I found Sendible is a robust social media management tool that focuses on the post and workflow elements of social media marketing. Originally developed for agency use, it then expanded to include additional integrations, a native design editor, and single-click, intensive reporting.


The native composer is extremely easy to use and offers convenient advanced features: schedule in bulk, send for approval, and custom URL parameters.

Sendible was designed to be as comprehensive as possible, originally catering its services to agencies and vendors with multiple accounts to manage. But e-commerce business owners can benefit significantly from the tool’s enterprise-friendly structure and advanced functionality.

I’ve found it’s one of the most well-crafted programs to scale with as you grow, rather than graduating its price points steeply like other tools.

Beyond the easy-to-navigate native interface and the low price points, you also receive its other features: in-depth collaboration tools and workflows, user access tiers for larger teams, and enhanced social media reporting – giving you access to over 200 different metric modules for strategic analysis.

Who is Sendible best for?

I believe Sendible is a fantastic tool for rapidly scaling SMBs and larger e-commerce brands looking for a better way to streamline their social media management tasks. But smaller brands can benefit, too, although they may not get as much from the tools designed for larger teams (i.e., workflow support and user permissions/role additions).

The reporting housed in the Sendible native interface is among the most comprehensive I’ve seen, offering channel-specific tracking, custom reports, and seamless management.

Recent upgrades to Sendible

I like that Sendible releases multiple monthly updates, all of which can be found in its Product Update blog. It’s one of the most frequently updated tools on this list, keeping you current with the latest trends and expectations of your modern-day social media management tool.

Recently, Sendible released the ability to directly schedule and optimize the post time of Facebook reels in the native dash and made integrations with tools such as GIPHY and PExels. You can also reply to Instagram comments directly through the dash, a feature other brands have rolled out – embracing the convenience that centralized management truly provides.

Sendible pricing

Sendible goes the extra mile making its pricing tiers as inclusive as possible. It also offers recommendations for which type of entity might get the most benefit.

In my analysis, the Creator plan (starting from $29 per month) is more than enough for your small business. This allows you to manage up to one brand and the top-tier tools in-app, such as social media monitoring, replies, and advanced reporting. It’s a great choice, especially if you already have a workflow setup in a separate project management tool.

Sprout Social launched in 2010 as one of the main industry players to lead the charge to humanize software, social media, and data analytics. It’s one of the most user-friendly and data-backed options in the social media management space. I like that the platform has continued to evolve to meet the needs of modern-day social media managers, staying on top of the trends and demands of social media platforms.


Don’t let the comprehensive suite of tools feel intimidating. Sprout Social makes it easy to start, offering direct access to a personalized account representative, native platform tutorials, and a streamlined dashboard experience for easy onboarding and little-to-no learning curve.

I found Sprout Social is one of the most inclusive platforms in the social media management space, offering access to some rare tools across the platforms. These include paid promotion support and in-depth monitoring across diverse elements like location and keyword – going beyond the average social listening tool.

I think with the base plan, e-commerce business owners have everything they need to start successfully in their respective social media channels. You can manage five different social profiles, enjoy advanced post-optimization options, and take advantage of the native social CRM tool system. Social media managers may also enjoy the platform’s other strongest selling points, like advanced monitoring, granular reporting, and paid promotion tools.

The most competitive perk I found in the research process was that you can do all of this via your mobile device. I haven’t encountered a platform that offers this diverse range of functionality through an app, and I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was.

Who is Sprout Social best for?

Sprout Social is for rapidly scaling SMBs and large-scale enterprises looking to become more strategic and data-driven in their approach to social media. Between the robust reporting capabilities and the granular metric tracking available, I think it’s an ideal choice. It suits those hoping to revamp or optimize their social media presence for their e-commerce business without breaking the bank on expensive consultations or advanced tracking tools.

The main reporting area offers 30 pre-built reports – not counting cross-network or custom reporting options available in the interface.

Recent upgrades to Sprout Social

Sprout Social releases updates a few times per year, often addressing multiple functionality add-ons and UX enhancements at once. In June 2022, several updates included:

• Optimized send time algorithm for TikTok videos


• Competitor performance reporting


• Reshare functionality for LinkedIn posts


• Product tagging for Instagram (especially helpful for e-commerce business owners)


• Enhanced Salesforce integration

I expect to see even more exciting developments with the latest 2023 rollouts.

Sprout Social pricing

I found Sprout Social’s membership plans cost more than its lower-priced competitors. Yet I can confidently say the cost is worth it for brands who want to be more empirical about their social media strategy.

You’ll unlock access to all of the advanced reporting tools in the Standard plan alone (at $89 per month). And you won’t need to move to Professional or Advanced unless you’re looking for over five social profile slots — or tools such as workflows, Twitter trend analysis, and enhanced integration opportunities.

HubSpot has been a staple in the e-commerce community for nearly 20 years – offering a comprehensive suite of business management and marketing tools in its sleek, centralized design. Outside of HubSpot Social, you can use the other business tools in the HubSpot management packages, such as Sales Hub, Service Hub, CMS Hub, and Operations Hub.


The native composer in HubSpot Social is incredibly easy to use, allowing you to tie your asset to any previously established campaign. If you don’t have one, simply use the “Create Campaign” tool at the bottom of the dialog box.

In my experience, managing social media well is all about connection – and that’s exactly where the HubSpot social media tool provides value. The unique centralized framework across each of the HubSpot platforms gives you a “one-stop shop” way to run your e-commerce business while connecting and integrating you directly with your core demographic. The HubSpot Social system relies on automation and innovation to give your customers an entirely seamless experience, and protect your team’s time in the process.

I found the engagement support functionality goes above and beyond, connecting you to new features that cover the entire lifecycle of your customer – from the initial engagement to a potential conversion, all tracked via selected keywords and triggers. Customers will experience a completely clean conversion process, and your team will save hours of lost time with simple management workflows and tracking.

Beyond this unique feature, I think you’ll also benefit from the campaign tracking and tagging functionality and its other strongest selling points, such as custom advanced reports, Stream views for management at a glance, and its intuitive native planner system with tailored recommendations and tips to boost your results.

Who is HubSpot Social best for?

HubSpot is a large-scale software solution; I feel it offers the most benefit to larger e-commerce brands and enterprises. While smaller businesses can benefit from the comprehensive nature of the tool, the learning curve and expense may be a hefty barrier to overcome. Larger e-commerce brands may be more equipped to handle any additional learning steps and have enough of an infrastructure to justify and offset any extra costs.

The Social Monitoring tab is where your social listening and engagement will take place, helping you not to miss a single comment or conversion opportunity as you manage your accounts.

Recent upgrades to HubSpot Social

I noticed HubSpot Social doesn’t update frequently – the last recorded update was from 2017 via the Product Updates | Social Media side of the blog. Yet the tool has remained a top choice for marketers in larger e-commerce brands due to its diverse range of inclusions and advanced connection tools, offsetting the inconvenience of slow update flow.

HubSpot Social pricing

To my dismay, HubSpot’s pricing is notably complicated, offering different bundle types – and then bundles of those. If you’re looking to focus solely on marketing and already have a CRM and operations system you can build automations to, then the Marketing Hub is where I recommend you start for the most value. You can explore the suite of tools for just $45 per month, and decide if you want to use HubSpot for your centralized hub from that point.

While a centralized framework is a more competitive management option, it’s equally important to evaluate and test the tool to determine if it’s feasible long-term.

I found Publer is an ideal tool for smaller e-commerce brands and businesses on a budget. The inexpensive plans offer one of the most competitive auto posting packages available, covering every vital platform you need to grow your business: such as TikTok, Google My Business, WordPress, and many more.


The composer tool is extremely feature-rich, offering unique benefits such as multi-account posting, bulk upload, follow-up comments, and location tags.

Publer hit the scene in 2015, offering a creative new (and low-cost) approach to social media management. The tool is built around efficiency, workflows, and seamless integration to give you the best possible UX for your cost. I found it offers the most comprehensive inclusions of free social media management tools and is a great choice for businesses on a budget.

I like that the platform offers the unique benefit of a custom paid plan option, allowing you to pay and choose only what you use. You can estimate your monthly costs via the site’s price calculator tool, and walk away with a plan truly built for you.

The Pro plan allows unlimited scheduling, drafts, workspaces, and history – letting you look back and see your account growth over three separate social accounts. With Publer, you can also take advantage of other strategic features, such as unlimited really simple syndication (RSS) feeds, in-depth analytics, and robust media libraries with integrations to Canva and VistaCreate.

The perk of RSS feeds in-platform shouldn’t be ignored. It’s somewhat rare and offers a range of benefits – such as enhanced brainstorming for pillar topic ideas, content tracking, podcast support, and viewing by a larger group of potential prospects.

Who is Publer best for?

I think Publer is ideal for brands on a budget looking for more ways to save. It’s an excellent choice for startup e-commerce businesses and smaller ones just beginning to grow their social media presence. Whether you’re a seasoned pro or a social media novice, the tool is easy enough to navigate and load, helping you double productivity as you advance your reach.

In addition to the site’s robust reporting support tools, you can also receive per-post analytics to give you more strategic analysis.

Recent upgrades to Publer

I found that Publer tracks all of its recent changes in the Product Update blog – which is updated approximately monthly with new, user-friendly add-ons and enhancements.

The most recent updates posted at the time of this publication include the ability to schedule Facebook reels, workspace functionality and UX improvements, Instagram story schedule assistance, and the Publer mobile app, which is currently available for Beta testing.

I’m happy to see Publer continue the trend of adapting to video scheduling and content assistance in-app to meet the needs of managers trying to post to Instagram Reels and Facebook Stories. This is fairly recent, as many platforms didn’t offer this functionality earlier in 2022. I hope to see similar improvements continue throughout 2023.

Publer pricing

Publer works to keep its pricing scheme as simple as possible. With membership options starting from (always) free to $28 per month, I feel it’s the tool of choice if you’re looking to save big on your social media management software.

The Free plan is enough to easily grow and scale your e-commerce brand, especially if you have support for social listening and workflow/approval management in place. If you’re seeking more advanced tools, though (such as the evergreen content repurposing and advanced reports), I recommend the Business plan.

SocialPilot was designed with size and scale, quickly establishing itself as a top tool for large-scale enterprises. With unique features such as white-labeled team experiences, I think it’s the tool of choice if you’re managing a bigger social media team for your e-commerce business and need extra help.


The native composer is exceptionally easy to use and offers a variety of advanced posting perks like Urchin Tracking Modules (UTM) tracking, GIF support, Canva integration, and video insertion.

SocialPilot offers the utility of advanced and comprehensive agency tools with the agility of a simple social media poster platform. I believe e-commerce business owners can benefit exceptionally from the user-friendly structure and inclusions, with the ability to run an agency-level experience from their own internal marketing department.

Some of SocialPilot’s strongest selling points include its unlimited integration capabilities with top tools in the space (i.e. Zapier and related libraries, Canva, and Dropbox), as well as content curation and discovery tools.

Also, the extensive library of platforms supported shouldn’t be overlooked. While many platforms in the space are getting to be more exclusive, few support schedule functionality to areas like:

• Google My Business


• TikTok


• Tumblr


• YouTube

Who is SocialPilot best for?

I found any brand at any stage can benefit from SocialPilot, due to its accessible price point and comprehensive suite of social management tools. But I believe larger brands will get the most total benefit from the tool, especially its workflow features, engagement assistance measures, and concierge setup options in the Studio and Agency plans.

I appreciated the platform-specific analytics included in the tool, which were among the most extensive I’ve seen from any other competitor. Other dashboards not pictured included: content type, engagement insights, overview, performance by Tweet, and recommended hashtags.

Recent upgrades to SocialPilot

I was especially surprised to find SocialPilot rolls out updates at least once per month, documenting every change in its Product Update section of the blog.

Improvements to the Social Inbox, Facebook Reel auto publishing support, and the addition of the SocialPilot “Comments” feature were designed to streamline the internal review process and keep your team as productive as possible.

I look forward to seeing what new changes will occur on the platform in 2023, especially around video content and TikTok.

SocialPilot pricing

I’ve noticed SocialPilot is comparable to Sprout Social as far as pricing is concerned, with feature-rich plans starting at just $25.50 per month. I think the price is worth it, and allows you to start and scale appropriately if you’re a startup brand or are new to the social media space.

If you have a third-party project management tool in place already, I believe you can get the most utility from the Pro plan as an e-commerce business owner. You’ll have all the key features to successfully launch and manage.

Loomly’s core design concept was to be as easy as possible, featuring sleek and minimalistic user interface built around collaboration and automation. I found it has grown and scaled quickly since its launch in 2016, amassing a core user base of over 18,000 e-commerce brands and agencies.


Loomly is exceptionally easy to use. Upon login, you’ll be greeted with a guided onboarding process and a chat box to help you get through any questions you might have.

One of the newer platforms on this list, Loomly has a distinct advantage of modernity and simplicity. It’s obviously gotten firsthand accounts of these core elements of need for its platform, as you get a completely comprehensive and tailored experience for your e-commerce social media management needs.

Outside of these benefits, you also get robust chat and email support features, helping you stay on track and efficiently as you grow your social media presence. The brand also offers extensive integrations, trend inspiration tools to keep your content ideas rich, and centralized asset management via its intuitive Library feature – reducing your need to rely on spreadsheets or a fractional approach.

Who is Loomly best for?

I feel Loomly is an excellent choice for SMBs wanting to scale their organizational approach to social media management in a strategic, centralized way. The comprehensive nature of the platform and thorough native tutorials and support offer assistance to both seasoned and new social media managers alike. This helps you to build, refine, and execute your social media strategy for your e-commerce brand.

Loomly’s post ideas by platform is especially helpful to tie your brand into relevance across channels, taking a personalized approach with every post for maximum impact.

Recent upgrades to Loomly

I was happy to learn Loomly rolls out semi-frequent updates to its native inclusions, all of which you can see in greater detail via the Loomly Blog.

Most recently, the platform expanded to include handy features such as the Facebook and Instagram Story reminder tool (which is ahead of the curve, as neither API currently supports that natively), and direct publishing for Instagram carousel posts. Several platforms haven’t picked up on this need yet, making Loomly all the more competitive if you’re looking to explore and use the different post types that either platform offers.

Loomly pricing

Loomly offers low-cost plans with extensive onboarding assistance. I think this makes it an excellent tool for smaller or startup e-commerce businesses. The Base membership begins at just $26 per month and includes support for up to 10 social accounts.

If you’re looking for additional perks outside of the standard package (such as advanced analytics, export tools, and integration libraries), I recommend either the Standard or Advanced plan.

MeetEdgar was designed with innovation in mind. The platform is built around automation and integration concepts to run your social media in the most optimized way possible.


The dashboard offers a streamlined management experience, highlighting key overview of metrics, recommendations, and a portal to create your content.

I think MeetEdgar is in a class of its own when it comes to social media management. It’s exciting that, in addition to the normal capabilities of an auto-poster tool, the service offers unique benefits fueled by AI support and automation to give you a better overall UX. I’ve covered exactly whatthese are below.

Beyond its inexpensive price plans and simple user interface, you receive additional benefits. These include MeetEdgar’s evergreen refresh tool for content repurposing and management, A/B split test assistance to help dial in your post strategy, and intuitive libraries to assist you in dripping your content more strategically.

Who is MeetEdgar best for?

When comparing platforms, I think MeetEdgar is an ideal social media management tool for solopreneurs and small e-commerce brands needing the foundation to succeed in the social media space. It’s robust enough to support a small, rapidly scaling brand, and offers new opportunities to grow and streamline via native additions, strategic testing and reporting, and native resource automation to help solidify your posting strategy.

The post composer allows you to strategically create and save your content by library, cross-posting to whatever accounts you have connected to the platform.

Recent upgrades to MeetEdgar

I didn’t find many updates on the MeetEdgar platform in 2022, which could be due to its recent acquisition. The service was purchased by SureSwift Capital in January of 2022, a company that excels in managing and creating high-powered SaaS applications. I hope to see new additions to the MeetEdgar interface going into 2023.

MeetEdgar pricing

MeetEdgar is another one of the most affordably priced social media management tools on the market. It is definitely worth the investment, offering many of the advanced features and functionality you would expect from a tool like Hootsuite.