Free and low-cost social media management tools for your business

2-minute read

In today's digital age, there's a multitude of social media platforms you can use to increase your online presence, build brand awareness and drive sales.

But managing multiple social media platforms can be overwhelming. Technology offers solutions to streamline your efforts and save time.

How does a social media management software help?

Once you’ve set clear goals and identified key metrics for your business, social media management tools can help you track and analyze your efforts across various platforms.

These tools make it easier to:

Schedule posts across multiple platforms
Spot industry trends
Follow customers, competitors and thought leaders based on topics or keywords
Manage your online reputation
Engage with your audience
Track and analyze your key performance indicators (KPIs)

What do social media management tools do?

Social media management tools go beyond creating content and connecting with your community. They empower you to streamline your workflow and provide a centralized dashboard to track your performance and identify trends.

AI capabilities in social media software

AI plays a crucial role in simplifying various aspects of content creation and posting. With AI-powered features you can effortlessly:

Discover new topics and trends for creativity and inspiration.
Obtain content and hashtag recommendations based on trending themes and audience interests.
Write or refine captions to maximize their impact and reach.
Generate images and videos tailored to the preferences and interests of your target audience.
Automate scheduling to optimize the timing and frequency of posts across multiple social media platforms, ensuring a cohesive brand presence.
Improve sentiment analysis by processing large volumes of data, allowing you to respond quickly to positive and negative customer opinions.

Free and low-cost social media management tools

There are a range of tools available for tracking and managing your company's online presence. If you're just starting out, consider exploring the following free and low-cost options:

Revised March 2024

Free English French English support French support Data stored in Canada iOS app. Android

Buffer

Free English French English support French support Data stored in Canada iOS app. Android

Buffer enables you to plan, collaborate and schedule posts on social media. You can then create reports and analyze the performance of your content on all your social accounts in one dashboard. The browser extensions and mobile apps make it easy for you to share content from a webpage as you’re reading it. Buffer's AI Assistant can be a real time saver to come up with new ideas, improve your writing, or repurpose existing posts.

Canva

Free English French English support French support Data stored in Canada iOS app. Android

Canva once a simple design tool, has evolved into a social media planning and scheduling platform with AI features that generate images based on simple text prompts. You can start with the free plan and upgrade your subscription to access extended features.

Later

Free English French English support French support Data stored in Canada iOS app. Android

Later has grown from an Instagram scheduler to a platform that lets you plan and schedule your photo and video content across various social media networks. It comes with a free trial and AI-powered features like Caption Writer, smart hashtag suggestions and optimal posting time recommendations to help you optimize your social media presence. Later is a Canadian company headquartered in Vancouver, B.C.

Planable

Free English French English support French support Data stored in Canada iOS app. Android

Planable speeds up the planning and approval process of social media campaigns. The platform shows exactly what the posts will look like and enables you to invite clients and teammates to collaborate in real time. It supports all popular social media networks including Facebook, X, LinkedIn, and TikTok and offers a free plan to get you started.

SocialOomph

Free English French English support French support Data stored in Canada iOS app. Android

SocialOomph is a service developed by a Canadian company that empowers you to manage your social media presence efficiently via any web browser. It offers a combination of scheduling and AI-powered content creation tools to help you keep things fresh. For example, SocialOomph can help you draft engaging posts and set specific dates to automatically delete outdated promotions or content.

SocialPilot

Free English French English support French support Data stored in Canada iOS app. Android

SocialPilot centralizes your social media in one place, making it easier to keep track of everything. You can schedule posts ahead of time and use the bulk scheduling and bulk deletion features for short-term promotions. SocialPilot's AI assistant does more than spark ideas and craft catchy headlines; it also provides clear and understandable reports in different formats that you can share with your team. This helps you stay organized and efficient.

X Pro

Free English French English support French support Data stored in Canada iOS app. Android

X Pro (formerly TweetDeck) is a social media dashboard application owned by X (formerly Twitter) that allows you to use multiple X accounts at once. You can then keep track of each account’s tweets and organize live column streams by topic or account. The main limitation is that this platform does not let you manage other social media profiles such as Facebook or LinkedIn.

This table lists applications alphabetically and isn’t exhaustive. Hyperlinks to external sites do not constitute endorsement by BDC of those websites or any information, opinions, products or services expressed or described on them.

Furthermore, the list is only a starting point and excludes applications not offered either in English or in French, or that are neither low cost nor free. When assessing which solution is best for your organization, you will probably consider many other factors.

BDC will review and edit this list regularly. If you offer a similar application and would like us to consider adding your solution, please contact us.