Roundup · Social listening
Best social media analytics tools for small teams and agencies (2026)
The short answer
For performance reports on your own profiles, the analytics built into a scheduler such as Later, SocialBee, Vista Social, Buffer or Hootsuite is usually enough. To see what people say about you beyond your own profiles, you need a listening tool such as Brand24. Agencies managing many clients usually want white-label reporting, which Vista Social and Sprout Social both offer.
On this page 5 sections
Affiliate disclosure: the “Visit” links below are affiliate links. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you, and that does not change what we recommend. How we make money.
Analytics1 Score result
#1 social media analytics tools for small teams and agencies, by the Analytics1 Score: Sprout Social (79.4/100)
- #2 Buffer 78.5
- #3 Vista Social 75.4
Scored from vendors’ own published pages with fixed weights; partner and sponsor status are not inputs. How the score works.
How to choose
Social analytics covers two different jobs, and most tools are built for one of them.
| Job | What you need | Kind of tool |
|---|---|---|
| How are our posts performing? | Reach, engagement and follower growth per profile, per post | Scheduler with analytics |
| What are people saying about us? | Mentions on social, news, blogs, forums and reviews, with sentiment | Social listening |
| Which bio links get clicked? | Click counts on the links behind your profile link | Link-in-bio tool |
| Is social driving sales? | UTM-tagged links and conversions in GA4 or your store | Your web analytics, not a social tool |
Native analytics (Meta Business Suite, LinkedIn page analytics, TikTok analytics) is free and often the most complete for a single network. Paid tools earn their place by putting every network in one report.
The ranking
Ranked by the Analytics1 Score, from evidence read on each vendor’s own site on 19 October 2026. Affiliate partners and sponsors are scored by the same rules as everyone else: being a partner or buying a placement has no effect on a score or a position. We have not tested these products in a live account.
- #2
Buffer
78.5/100
Best for: simple scheduling with basic analytics on a small budget
Scheduling for the major networks with post and profile analytics, and a free plan for a few channels.
Score breakdown: 78.5 of 100
Criterion Points Weighted What we found Core jobs 4/5 24/30 4 of 5 core jobs statedbuffer.com, buffer.com, buffer.com Pricing transparency and entry price 5/5 15/15 Essentials $5/month per channel ($60/year per channel); monthly-billed figure not separately shownbuffer.com Privacy and consent 2.5/5 7.5/15 DPA, CCPAbuffer.com Free plan or trial 5/5 10/10 Free planbuffer.com Setup effort 5/5 10/10 Sign up and connect social channelsbuffer.com Integrations 4/5 8/10 Integrations page lists 24 apps; API with developer docs at developers.buffer.combuffer.com, developers.buffer.com Support channels 2/5 4/10 Self-service knowledge base and email support on all plansbuffer.com - Post-level analytics for your profiles: stated by the vendor
- Four or more networks in one report: stated by the vendor
- Monitoring beyond your own profiles: not found on the vendor's pages
- Scheduled or exportable reports: stated by the vendor
- Link click or traffic tracking: stated by the vendor
Evidence read 19 October 2026. “Not found” scores zero until a vendor page shows it.
- #4
Hootsuite
71.4/100
Best for: larger teams that want scheduling, inbox and listening in one suite
Long-established social management suite with publishing, analytics, a shared inbox and listening add-ons.
Score breakdown: 71.4 of 100
Criterion Points Weighted What we found Core jobs 5/5 30/30 5 of 5 core jobs statedhootsuite.com, hootsuite.com Pricing transparency and entry price 4/5 12/15 Standard starts at $99 (billing period not stated on page); Enterprise customhootsuite.com Privacy and consent 3.8/5 11.4/15 DPA, CCPA, SOC 2 Type IIhootsuite.com, hootsuite.com, hootsuite.com Free plan or trial 3/5 6/10 Free trial (14 days)hootsuite.com Setup effort 5/5 10/10 Start free trial online and connect social accountshootsuite.com Integrations 0/5 0/10 App Directory exists (no total stated); developer access by applicationapps.hootsuite.com Support channels 1/5 2/10 Enterprise includes expert-led onboarding, consulting and training; other channels not confirmed (help centre returned 401)hootsuite.com - Post-level analytics for your profiles: stated by the vendor
- Four or more networks in one report: stated by the vendor
- Monitoring beyond your own profiles: stated by the vendor
- Scheduled or exportable reports: stated by the vendor
- Link click or traffic tracking: stated by the vendor
Evidence read 19 October 2026. “Not found” scores zero until a vendor page shows it.
- #6
Later
60.9/100
Best for: visual-first brands and creators on Instagram and TikTok
Scheduling with performance insights and Link in Bio, plus an influencer platform with sales and ROI tracking.
PriceStarter from $18.75 per month, billed yearly (October 2026)
Score breakdown: 60.9 of 100
Criterion Points Weighted What we found Core jobs 4/5 24/30 4 of 5 core jobs statedlater.com, later.com Pricing transparency and entry price 5/5 15/15 Starter $18.75/month billed yearly (monthly-billed price not shown)later.com Privacy and consent 1.3/5 3.9/15 CCPAlater.com Free plan or trial 3/5 6/10 Free trial (14 days)later.com Setup effort 5/5 10/10 Start trial online and connect social profileslater.com Integrations 0/5 0/10 No integrations directory readable (later.com/integrations 404) Support channels 1/5 2/10 Help Center at help.later.com; basic support on Starter, priority support on Scale; channels not specifiedlater.com - Post-level analytics for your profiles: stated by the vendor
- Four or more networks in one report: stated by the vendor
- Monitoring beyond your own profiles: stated by the vendor
- Scheduled or exportable reports: not found on the vendor's pages
- Link click or traffic tracking: stated by the vendor
Evidence read 19 October 2026. “Not found” scores zero until a vendor page shows it.
- #7
Brand24
58.9/100
Best for: monitoring mentions and sentiment beyond your own profiles
Social listening across social networks, news, blogs, forums, reviews and podcasts, with sentiment classification, language detection and AI insights, including an AI visibility feature.
PriceIndividual plan from $199 per month billed annually ($249 billed monthly) (October 2026)
Score breakdown: 58.9 of 100
Criterion Points Weighted What we found Core jobs 3/5 18/30 3 of 5 core jobs statedbrand24.com, brand24.com, brand24.com Pricing transparency and entry price 3/5 9/15 Individual $249/month billed monthly ($199/mo billed annually); Enterprise from $1,499brand24.com Privacy and consent 1.3/5 3.9/15 DPAbrand24.com Free plan or trial 3/5 6/10 Free trial (14 days)brand24.com Setup effort 5/5 10/10 Start trial online, create a project with keywords; no site tag neededbrand24.com Integrations 2/5 4/10 Slack and Microsoft Teams integrations listed; API access as paid add-on ($149)brand24.com Support channels 4/5 8/10 Help centre and help@brand24.com; chat support Team+; Client Success Lead on Business/Enterprisebrand24.com - Post-level analytics for your profiles: not found on the vendor's pages
- Four or more networks in one report: stated by the vendor
- Monitoring beyond your own profiles: stated by the vendor
- Scheduled or exportable reports: stated by the vendor
- Link click or traffic tracking: not found on the vendor's pages
Evidence read 19 October 2026. “Not found” scores zero until a vendor page shows it.
- --
Shorby
Not yet scored
Best for: putting several links behind one Instagram bio link
A link-in-bio page builder for adding multiple links to an Instagram bio. Tag each link with UTMs so the visits show up by link in GA4.
Why this tool is not yet scored
We could not confirm enough on the vendor’s own pages to score it: a score needs core-job evidence, a pricing fact and at least three of the other five criteria. It is listed so you can still consider it. Vendors can send documentation through the contact form.
Criterion Points Weighted What we found Core jobs 1/5 6/30 1 of 5 core jobs stateddash.shorby.com Pricing transparency and entry price 5/5 15/15 Rocket $15/month billed monthly ($12/mo billed annually)dash.shorby.com Privacy and consent 0/5 0/15 None found on the vendor's pages Free plan or trial 0/5 0/10 No free plan or trial founddash.shorby.com Setup effort 5/5 10/10 Activate a plan online and build a link-in-bio pagedash.shorby.com Integrations 0/5 0/10 Pricing lists Google Analytics; no integrations page founddash.shorby.com Support channels 0/5 0/10 No support information readable - Post-level analytics for your profiles: not found on the vendor's pages
- Four or more networks in one report: not found on the vendor's pages
- Monitoring beyond your own profiles: not found on the vendor's pages
- Scheduled or exportable reports: not found on the vendor's pages
- Link click or traffic tracking: stated by the vendor
Evidence read 19 October 2026. “Not found” scores zero until a vendor page shows it.
The metric that matters is off the platform
Likes and reach tell you whether content lands. Whether social pays for itself shows up in your web analytics and your store or CRM. Tag every link you post with UTM parameters, using a consistent source and medium (for example utm_source=instagram, utm_medium=social), and the visits and conversions appear by network in GA4. The UTM builder keeps the tags consistent.
For the full method, read how to measure social media ROI. For listening specifically, read social listening for small business.
Agency checklist
- White-label reports or a client portal, so clients see your brand.
- Per-client workspaces and permissions.
- Pricing by profile, not only by seat, if you manage many small clients.
- Exports or a connector to your reporting tool if you combine social with ads and SEO; see the best marketing reporting tools.
Comparisons: Later vs Vista Social, Later vs Hootsuite, SocialBee vs Buffer, Brand24 vs Mention and Hootsuite alternatives.
Free toolCTR calculator: Click-through rate from clicks and impressions, and the clicks you would gain at a higher CTR.
Questions
- What is the difference between social media analytics and social listening?
- Social media analytics measures how your own posts and profiles perform: reach, engagement and follower growth. Social listening monitors what people say about your brand, competitors or topics anywhere online, including posts that never tag you.
- Are native social analytics enough?
- For one or two networks, often yes: Meta, LinkedIn and TikTok all give free analytics for business accounts. A paid tool helps when you report on several networks together or for several clients.
Sources
Read next
Social listening and brand monitoring
Who is talking about us online, and is it good or bad?
Social listening for small business: a practical start
What social listening is, the keywords to track, how to read sentiment and reach, and a weekly routine a small team can keep up.
How to track brand mentions online
Free and paid ways to find every mention of your brand on the web, social media, news, forums and reviews, and what to do with them.
UTM parameters explained (with a free UTM builder)
What the five UTM parameters do, naming rules that keep reports clean, common mistakes, and a free in-browser UTM builder.