Best Social Media Marketing Apps

‘Speed’ and ‘efficiency’ are two terms that businesses are most focused on these days. Users want everything done in seconds, and businesses are doing everything they can to stay in their audience’s favorites. Marketers still struggle to deliver quality as well as speed. Plenty of mobile apps can help you reach your goals faster and more conveniently. We cannot cover all of them, so this article focuses on one domain: social media marketing apps.

Last updated: 6 November 2026

Quick answer

The best social media marketing apps for a small team are Buffer for simple scheduling (free plan, then $5 per channel a month), Hootsuite for deeper analytics and larger teams (from $99 per user a month), and CoSchedule for a marketing calendar (from $29 a month). Feedly helps you find content to share, and Repost for Instagram helps with sharing other accounts’ posts.

In this article, my primary focus is on social media marketing and the top social media marketing apps that you should be using. More often than not, small businesses only have one person to do all internal marketing. That person has to think of ideas, write the post content, find pictures and videos to go with the post, target the right audience, publish it on all the social media sites, and so much more.

Luckily, I’ve found some apps that cut down that workload. I tested and rounded up the top 5 social marketing apps that I have used. The screenshots below come from the original 2019 testing and show older interfaces, so the plan and price details in each section are what to rely on today.

How big is the audience?

According to DataReportal’s October 2026 figures, there are about 5.81 billion social media user identities worldwide, close to 7 in 10 people on Earth. The same source puts typical daily time on social at roughly 2 hours 45 minutes per internet user, a number we calculated from its weekly figure of about 19 hours 18 minutes. That is a lot of audience, and a lot of channels to feed, which is why scheduling tools matter.

The 5 apps at a glance

App	Best for	Cost (checked November 2026)
Buffer	Simple scheduling	Free for 3 channels; Essentials $5 per channel a month; Team $10
Repost for Instagram	Reposting other accounts	Several apps share this name; most are free with in-app purchases
Hootsuite	Analytics and teams	From $99 per user a month, annual billing; 14-day trial
CoSchedule	Marketing calendar	Starter $29 a month billed annually; 14-day trial
Feedly	Content discovery	Check feedly.com for current plans

Best Social Media Marketing Apps

1. Buffer

I have found Buffer the most convenient and easy-to-use app for social media management. It took less than a minute to install, and I could sign up without entering a credit card. Most users do not like handing over card details even for a free trial, and I faced no such issue with Buffer. The interface is easy to navigate and easy to understand, and I have had the best user experience on Buffer.

Buffer is primarily focused on scheduling social media posts. Its pricing page now lists Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn, X, YouTube, Threads, Pinterest, Google Business Profile, Bluesky, Mastodon and Substack. The free plan covers up to 3 channels with 10 scheduled posts per channel. Essentials costs $5 a month per channel ($60 billed yearly) and Team costs $10 a month per channel. This is my go-to app when I am running late and need to send a post to all my business pages. You can also publish posts on Instagram from it.

Below are some screenshots from the original test to give an idea of how it works.

Buffer also lets you view post insights: impressions, link clicks, reach, comments and shares.

Best for: solo marketers and small teams that want clean scheduling at a low price.

Watch out for: per-channel pricing adds up quickly across many channels.

2. Repost for Instagram

There are days when you have so much work piling up that you do not have time to think of something creative to post. On those days, it is best to share something from another page or a user.

It is easy to repost on Twitter and Facebook, but Instagram historically did not allow content sharing, mainly to limit spam and copyright issues. That has changed. According to Later’s guide, Instagram launched a native repost feature in August 2025: tap the paper airplane icon under a post, choose Repost to Feed, add a caption and share. It only works with public Reels and feed posts, not Stories, and not with creators who have turned resharing off.

So try the built-in option first. Third-party Repost apps still exist for cases the native feature does not cover, but several different apps use this name, so read the listing and permissions before installing. Whichever route you use, get the creator’s permission and credit them. The best part about being a digital marketer is that you can work wherever you are, and with apps like these you can reduce your workload further.

How the older app flow worked:

Installing the app took about a minute, and it asked for permission to access your camera and other features. You opened Instagram from the app, found a post, copied its link, and returned to the app, where the copied link appeared as shareable content. One tap on Repost shared it to your account. The screenshot below shows that flow.

Best for: filling gaps in your calendar with credited community content.

Watch out for: copyright and permission. Third-party apps often download media and add watermarks.

Social Media Marketing for E-commerce Stores: A Step-by-Step Guide

3. Hootsuite

Hootsuite is one of the oldest apps for social media management and analytics. It is a popular platform that lets you schedule your posts for multiple social channels. Its in-depth analytics give it an edge over Buffer for reporting.

Pricing has changed a lot since this was first written. The Hootsuite plans page lists Standard from $99 per user a month (10 social accounts), Professional from $199 (unlimited accounts), Advanced up to $399 and a custom Enterprise tier, all on annual billing with a 14-day trial on the first three. No free plan is listed.

Hootsuite has a scheduler that lets you queue posts for whichever time you want to publish them.

Here is how it works:

When your accounts are set up, you hit the compose button, pick the channels, then add text, images, videos and links.

After composing, you can post right away, save a draft, or schedule for later.

I found Hootsuite very convenient for creating weekly or monthly content in one go and queuing it for the right dates. That saved me many hours on content, time management, and managing all the profiles, so I could focus on connecting with people and replying to comments and messages. One of my favorite features is the customizable social streams. You can set up tabs and streams to monitor your posts for comments and activity.

Best for: agencies and teams that need reporting, approvals and many accounts.

Watch out for: the entry price is far above Buffer, so it is no longer the budget option.

4. CoSchedule

CoSchedule is an excellent app for getting a bird’s-eye view of your marketing calendar and managing and editing your social media posts. Unlike many other social media managing tools, it lets you schedule and post to Instagram.

Once you have a good piece of content, your work does not end there. With many channels to update, the task can feel cumbersome, especially when you are wrapping up for the day. CoSchedule lets you update your channels, integrate WordPress blogs and bit.ly links, and manage everything under one platform.

The CoSchedule pricing page lists Starter at $29 a month billed annually ($39 monthly) for one seat and 3 social profiles, Professional at $49 for two seats and 5 profiles, and a custom Suite from $69 a month. Extra profiles cost $5 a month each, X profiles are billed separately, and paid plans have a 14-day trial. A free plan schedules up to 15 posts at a time on one profile.

Highlights of the interface:

• View and edit your CoSchedule calendar messages
• Compose, preview, and schedule social media messages
• Schedule Instagram messages and get notified when they are ready to share
• Check the analytics of your sent messages
• Multi-image post feature

Best for: content teams that plan blog posts and social posts together.

Watch out for: seats and profiles are limited by plan, and extra profiles are billed monthly.

5. Feedly

Feedly is a content discovery tool that collects content from a number of fields so that you never run out of material to post. I am one of those people who cannot always create amazing content. Some days I wrap up three blog posts, and on other days I cannot write a single line. On those days, Feedly saves the day.

When you are marketing something, you cannot always come up with quality content to share. On Feedly you can follow sources from across your industry and share items to your social feed with a tap. Whether you use the content or not, you stay updated on current events and trends in your field.

Check before you buy: Feedly’s homepage now leads with its Threat Intelligence product for security teams, and we could not load its consumer pricing page. Confirm current plans and the free-plan feed limit on feedly.com before relying on it. The old “100 outlets” limit mentioned in earlier versions of this article is unverified.

Best for: finding content ideas and keeping up with your industry.

Watch out for: it does not publish to social networks on its own.

Final Thoughts On Best Social Media Marketing Apps

Deciding which social media management app fits you depends on your business needs and the complexity of the services you require. If you want deep analytics for a team, Hootsuite is the all-rounder, but it is priced for businesses. If you want something easy to use and low cost, Buffer is an excellent fit, and its free plan lets you test it for as long as you like. If you plan content on a calendar, CoSchedule is worth a trial.

Try the tools above and see which suits your business needs. If you know of any other tool, leave a comment below. I am always on the lookout for tools to simplify social media marketing.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best social media marketing app for small business?

Buffer is the best starting point for most small businesses because it has a free plan for 3 channels and paid plans at $5 per channel a month. Move to Hootsuite or CoSchedule when you need team workflows or a content calendar.

Is Buffer free?

Yes. Buffer’s free plan allows up to 3 connected channels and 10 scheduled posts per channel. Paid plans start at $5 per channel a month.

Does Hootsuite have a free plan?

Not on its current plans page, which lists paid tiers from $99 per user a month and a 14-day trial. Check the site, as vendors change their offers often.

Can I repost on Instagram without an app?

Yes. Instagram added a native Repost to Feed option in August 2025 for public Reels and feed posts. It does not work for Stories or for creators who have turned resharing off.

Which app is best for planning content on a calendar?

CoSchedule is built around a marketing calendar, with plans from $29 a month billed annually. It also supports blog posts alongside social posts.

Short bio:

Khloe Hunter is a Digital Marketing Executive for Appverticals, a mobile app development company. Her expert writing skills enable her to convert complex information into content that anyone can read. Her technical educational background, combined with her know-how of content marketing, gives her an edge over others in a variety of blog posts.