I’m overwhelmed by indecision. Let me start again. I don’t know which of the many social media scheduling apps to use going forward.
I’ve used SocialOomph (SO) or years. Seven years to be exact. I started with Hootsuite but switched to SocialOomph back in the day when tweets indicated which scheduling app my tweeps were using.
The big guns were using SO.
Recently, SO revamped and improved its website, but it still doesn’t include scheduling for Instagram. In today’s world, can we really put up with an app that doesn’t include scheduling Instagram posts and stories?
No, at least I can’t. So, I’m exploring options.
Actually, let’s explore the options together.
Today’s Top Scheduling Applications
AgoraPulse is popular and expensive. It starts at $79/ month but includes Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
It features a Chrome extension, Facebook ROI calculator, queue categories, and an inbox assistant.
Nice features but not what I need even as someone who has social media marketing clients.
Crowdfire has a free account, and if you pay annually, the Plus version works out to $7.48/month.
You can use it for Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Pinterest. It supports video posts, has a chrome extension, you can schedule with a calendar view, and it will track mentions. And it has even more features. Nice.
But for $7.48/month you can only link one account per social network. This is all you need. But it won’t work for me.
Scheduling Apps that Better Fit Your Budget
I like Later even better than AgoraPulse and Crowdfire. Use it to post to Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest. It offers an Instagram hashtag analytics feature, will tell you the best time to post, monitors groups, and will suggest hashtags. You can schedule photos and videos and Instagram stories.
You can use its free plan or pay $9/month for additional features.
I really like it.
I’ve always liked Buffer. The founders promised to always have a free plan, but they don’t anymore.
The Pro version costs $15/month. Under that price point, you can have eight social accounts, schedule 100 posts, and use its Pablo Image Creator, which in reality is available to anyone right now.
To get advanced analytics, you need to pay for the Premium version, which costs $65/month.
Use Buffer to schedule to Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Instagram.
You get a 30-day free trial when you sign up for the Professional plan, its cheapest. It includes 10 social profiles, performance metrics, unlimited RSS integrations (for your blog), and live chat support.
It also schedules posts to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Pinterest.
Scheduling App with Great Analytics
Social Report is a wonderful application. It integrates with Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Meetup, Vimeo, Pinterest, Reddit, YouTube, and so much more.
You can schedule messages, receive unlimited PDF & Excel reports, and enjoy live support.
Which app do you prefer? If I were deciding for you, I would suggest Later. You can’t find a plan with all these features for just $9/month. I say, go for it!
My case is different. I’ve always liked Social Report, and I really like Later. Which one do you think I should use?
Want to know all of my best social media marketing tips? Get a copy of Social Media Just for Writers.
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Author of this blog: Frances Caballo is an author and social media strategist and manager for writers. She wrote several social media books including Social Media Just for Writers and The Author’s Guide to Goodreads. Her focus is on helping authors surmount the barriers that keep them from flourishing online and building their platform. Her clients have included authors of every genre and writers’ conferences. Not sure how you’re doing online? Sign up for her free email course.
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