Best Paid & Free Social Media Analytic Tools

by

The image features a close-up view of a digital mesh network with interconnected lines and nodes. The mesh is illuminated in vibrant red and green colors against a dark background, creating a striking contrast. This abstract visualization could represent various concepts such as connectivity, network infrastructure, digital technology, or data complexity.
What is considered success on social media? Well, some consider posting more often than other competitors’ success. Agencies, independent business owners might be swayed by narrative. However, it is important to remember that data is king.

Once you review data carefully, certain patterns will start to emerge. Data will dictate whether it is  good to post videos at certain times or not. This is more beneficial than simply posting for sake of doing so.Social media analytics will aid in creating strategies that will ultimately lead to achieving business goals.

Perhaps colleagues might ask, is the time spent posting videos or reposting upvoted content worthwhile? Analytics will be able provide an answer for sure.

There are myriad of social media analytic tools that you can use to analyze data. Social media tracking tools, schedulers, competitor analytics tools, and last but least social media metric tools. All in all, the aforementioned tools provide a holistic view of data related to your site(s).

The reporting and social media analytic tools can crunch the deluge of data being generated. As a result, you delve into actionable insights.

Integrated Social Media Analytics

Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter have their own built-in analytics. Leverage these free analytics tools to view how your advertisements, campaigns, or videos are resonating with consumers. Some of typical data points to gauge business performance are clicks and page views. Ultimately, you want to measure your ROI and understand your audience.

The above social media analytics platforms have helpful, but are limited in scope. Plus, there is a high likelihood that data it too much to process or understand.

Choosing a powerful social media analytics tool, that has a multitude of features is critical to gaining actionable insights. This will enable you to measure the impact of your social media marketing efforts. Whether that be impact, reach, or clicks. Here are some free and paid social media analytics tools that help you achieve your business goals.

The image is a promotional banner for "SocialPilot," which is described as a "Simple & Cost-Effective Social Media Management Tool for Teams and Agencies." The logo of SocialPilot, which resembles a paper airplane, is visible on the left side of the banner. The background is a gradient of blue shades with a faint overlay of a keyboard and a person's hands, suggesting the tool's use in a work environment. The text and logo are centrally aligned in the banner for clear visibility.

SocialPilot                                     $30/mo for the profession plan

SocialPilot, an all-in-one social media marketing tool, is an excellent analytics tool. The app integrates with some of the most popular social media apps, like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter and provides a Google Business Profile Analytics Tool. This simplifies the ability to track and evaluate common KPIs related to marketing. Perhaps you want to know how a recent social media campaign has had an effect or not. Well, review the data to gain insight.

Maybe you are curious about your posting times, specifically, when is the best time to post? Discover the best time to post by delving into active fans per week. Knowing this will ensure content is posted at the right date and time for maximum exposure.

SocialPilot is constantly adding new features to satisfy customers and provide more value. Here are just a few.

  • Instagram Inbox: Engage with your Instagram family from SocialPilot’s Instagram Inbox and never miss out on any opportunity to interact with them.
  • French Language Support: SocialPilot added support for the French. Switch between languages to carry out your scheduling work.
  • Add-on Purchase: You love your existing plan but feel add-ons are too much. SocialPilot now enables you to add-on new features without changing your plan.

Noteworthy SocialPilot analytics features

  • Pinpoint top content that your audience is drawn to by reviewing content performance
  • Analyze growth patterns by using Audience Insights
  • Who interacts with your content the most? Review active sharer, commenter, liker and more.
  • Find out the best time to post by analyzing your fans are most active
  • Get a holistic view of posts with comprehensive posts
  • Ability to share details analytics via PDF with stakeholders

SocialPilot is a fantastic application which suits new comers, intermediate, and experts needs. The app is versatile. It enables users to delve into analytics, collaborate with each other, and schedule posts seamlessly.

Note: This website contains sponsored links and advertisements. Full disclosure.

The image appears to be a graphical title or heading, primarily in orange and white text against a dark grey background. It reads "agora pulse" in lowercase letters, followed by a horizontal line, and the word "REVIEW" in uppercase letters. The design is simple and bold, indicating that the content following this header likely pertains to a review of the social media management platform AgoraPulse.

Agorapulse                                      $49/mo for the standard plan

Agorapulse has features to detect what content is performing best. And you can track performance of campaigns, recently posted content, and team performance. Plus, the application will provide recommendations as what step you a take with regard to social content. The key here is behavior, tracking how consumers interact with content will provide insight into content to repost or remove.

Pros

  • Easy to use interface
  • Post scheduling option
  • Comprehensive social inbox
  • Post scheduling option

Cons

  • No free version
  • No post editing option
  • Compared to competitors, it pricer based on features.

The image is a composite that includes a person's hands holding a smartphone with various social media notification icons (like hearts and a speech bubble) popping out of the screen. In the background, there's an open laptop displaying what appears to be a social media site. Overlaying the image in large, bold black letters is the text "SOCIAL STATUS." A cup of coffee sits next to the laptop, adding to the casual yet connected vibe of the setting. The image conveys the concept of staying updated and engaged on social media platforms.

Social Status                                   $29/mo for the standard plan

Are you looking for a social media analytics tool geared towards agencies and marketers? Well, look no further than Social Status. It automates your social media reporting, saving you and your team a lot of time. Time saved gathering data can be shifted towards gaining insights, improving strategy, and connecting with consumers.

The application provides analytics about paid and organic traffic breakdown, ROI on social media activities, and last but least month-to-month performance.

Advantages

  • Has a free plan
  • Ability to view competitor profiles
  • Responsive customer support

Disadvantages

  • No publishing or management features
  • Higher plans might out of reach price-wise.

The image features a banner with the text "Tracking Social Media with Google Analytics" in black font against a white background. Below the text, there's a stylized graphic of a rising trend line in red, with circular data points, indicating an increase, set against an orange gradient. This image likely serves as a header or an informational graphic about using Google Analytics for monitoring social media performance.

Google Analytics                                                    Free

One of the most recognized and useful analytics tools is Google Anlaytics. Individuals and teams can use it to track campaigns, views, clicks, month-to-month performance and much more. Also, it is a splendid application to track traffic social media traffic.

Use the built-in, ready to go analytics available on the dashboard. Perhaps you want in depth analytics, customize filters to suit your business needs.

Advantages

  • It is free.
  • It can be integrated into websites, mobile apps, and other Google accounts.
  • You can customize reports in order to make better decisions.

Disadvantages

  • There is a learning curve for the app.
  • Multiple dashboards can be confusing and overwhelming at times.

The image is a graphic with the word "SHORTSTACK" in bold, uppercase letters. Above the text is a stylized icon featuring a blue cylindrical shape, resembling a stack of layers or a database, with a diamond shape on the top layer. Below the main text, there is a tagline in smaller font stating "Create engaging landing pages, contests, forms & more." The overall design is clean and professional, suggesting that ShortStack is a software tool designed for building various online marketing materials.

ShortStack                                    $99/mo for a standard plan

Every so often, your brand will want to generate excitement. One way to do so is being creating contests; ShortStack is the premier application for contests. You can run a contest to engage fans with comment to enter contests, create custom contests, or create sweepstakes to expand your reach.

On the analytics front, ShortStack provides businesses the ability to measure landing page analytics. Also, email analytics are part of their offerings.They can help you track what motives customers act.

Advantages

  • Unique campaign templates
  • Ease of use
  • Great customer service

Disadvantages

  • Prices for packages are not competitive
  • Since the app is heavily focuses on contests, it is not a great analytics tool

The image displays the word "Keyhole" in bold, dark letters centered on a bright yellow background. The font is straightforward and the text includes a registered trademark symbol, indicating that Keyhole is a branded name. The vibrant yellow backdrop makes the brand name stand out, suggesting a sense of energy and attention. The simplicity of the design suggests a focus on clarity and branding.

Keyhole                                          $99/mo a standard plan

Consider Keyhole as your next analytics application. Why? Consumers have spoken, it is easy to grasp how to use the features. This minimizes the learning curve that comes as result of adopting a new app. Anyway, this provides profile analytics which enable customers to analyze growth & engagement.

Influencers are engrained in the social media landscape now. To  discover new ones, use the influencer tracking feature then compare influencer performance. Lastly, analyze reports on the influencers affect on the business to determine the ROI.

The image features the logo for "Hootsuite," which consists of a stylized owl with two circles representing eyes, to the left of the brand name written in bold, uppercase letters. The logo and text are black set against a white background, emphasizing simplicity and a clean design. The owl is indicative of wisdom, likely suggesting that Hootsuite is a smart choice for social media management.

HootSuite                                         $99/mo for a standard plan

HootSuite, another all-in-one social media management application, is also a robust app used to analyze data. It was the first application to provide these services, so it has been tested. What’s more, it allows you to track social media analytics in one place.

The benefit of being able to view analytics from different platforms in one place  is saving time and money. Beyond that, see what previous strategies are working or not.

Pros

  • Support several social platforms, such as Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook
  • Add different platforms in a centralized dashboard for easy monitoring

Cons

  • This app might be suited for experience marketers(complex)
  • Some users have reported the auto-scheduling feature is buggy
  • Plan prices are not suitable for small businesses or those that are on a budget

The image shows the logo for "Sendible," which is composed of the brand name in a sleek, modern font. To the left of the text is a graphic element resembling a chat bubble with a yin-yang symbol inside it. The background of the image is transparent, allowing the logo to be placed over different backgrounds without a white box around it. The design conveys a sense of balance and communication, which is often associated with social media management platforms.

Sensible                                            $29/mo for a standard plan

Sensible is capable of handling social media scheduling, reporting and monitoring. These are the bread and butter of social media management. Plus, it has been recognized as the “Most Implementable” social media application by businesses last year.

How is the app’s analytics/reporting feature? You can generate indepth reports about any social media platform they integrate with. Whether that be Instagram, Facebook, or LinkedIn or one that is not named.

Pros

  • Ability to manage and delegate taks efficiently
  • Assists you with generating new leads

Cons

  • Dashboard is confusing to navigate
  • Recurring glitches and reconnection issues

The image shows the text "BRAND24" in bold, uppercase letters. The font is simple and modern, with no additional graphics or images. The design is monochromatic, with the text in black on a white background. This image appears to be a logo or a branding element that represents the company or product named BRAND24.

Brand24                                           $79/mo for a standard plan

Billed as the #1 social listensing tool by customers, Brand24 is a great choice for analytics as well. Whether you want to measure  awareness, automate reporting, or track reach- Brand24 can do all that and more. Accessing customer insights is crucial to shifting strategies(whether good or bad), this app has features to do so.

From insights data, you will learn what customers like about the brand. As a result, the team will make more informed decisions. For example, you launched a campaign a couple weeks ago with a video which went viral. The video showcased a couple of would customers talking about new hair spray in salon. One customer asked, how do you tame your frizzy hair?

A friend, non-chalantly sipping on a latte, says try “electrifyx.” I have been using it for about a couple of months and it has worked wonders.

Pros

  • Queries submitted to support are solved in a resonable time
  • Learning curve is steep.

Cons

  • Plan prices are not budget friendly
  • CRM features are not present

The image shows the word "whatagraph" written in a lowercase, cursive font. The text color is a gradient ranging from a darker shade at the beginning of the word transitioning to a lighter shade towards the end, giving it a dynamic and modern appearance. The playful and informal style of the font suggests creativity and possibly a connection to data visualization or graphic design, as indicated by the play on words in the name itself.

Whatagraph                                  $233/mo for a standard plan

Built with agencies and in-house teams in mind, this social media analytics tool will take your business to the next level. The app showcases data in a visual way on central dashboard. Associates can leverage the native in-built apps  such as Google Sheets, Google Big Query and many others to analyze data.

Perhaps a client is requesting a report to see a how social media traffic has increased year to year. Since the app automates data collection from multiple platforms, this can be done fairly easily.  Brand and businesses, agencies, and in-house teams all rave about this app’s data capabilities.  Check out some of the advantages and disadvantages of this app.

Advantages

  • Fantastic app for creating visually stunning compelling marketing reports
  • Ease of use
  • 40+ Data sources
  • 95+ report templates

Disadvantages

  • Does not have a mobile app
  • Only annual plans available
  • Pricing plans are on the expensive side

The image is a partial logo that reads "Rival IQ" in bold, block letters on a black background on the left side. To the right, there is a graphic with overlapping shapes in shades of blue and red, against a transparent background. The design suggests a data-driven or analytical service, with the use of the term "IQ" possibly indicating intelligence or insight, and the graphical element implying growth, data, or metrics.

Rivial IQ                                          $239/mo for standard plan

Staying ahead of the competition is never ending ,that’s why you should seriously consider Rivial IQ.  Competitor analytics are this app’s strong suit, enabling you view what is working and what is not. Meauring yourself against competitors is how you get better in life and in business.

With this app, you can quickly add a competive context to all your social media metrics. Save time and money by using this app  to see what is working for your competition. Ultimately, you can boost your views, clicks, sales, engagement by using Rivial IQ.

Advantages

  • Reporting is stellar
  • Data is easy to digest and understand
  • User friendly application

Cons

  • No free version
  • For new users, it is confusing to setup.

Mention                                        $41/mon for standard plan

Mention  is another fantastic social media marketing tool, it’s strong suit is the ability to monitor the web. Monitoring what customers or consumers are saying about your brand is important. You can gauge whether the conversations or posts are positive, muted, or negative. Listen- Discover themes in conversations which might provide some insight in needs you were not aware of.

On the analytics front, Mention analytics tool focuses on competitve analysis. In other words, keeping track of what businesses in same space are doing to remain relevant. From another viewpoint,  monitoring what they are not doing can be important as well.

Summary

There are a multitude of paid and free social media analytic tools on the internet. What makes some apps standout from the others? Price of course- Mainly, setting up plans that are not too cheap or expensive for individuals and businesses. While simultatenously providing an app which can crunch data, provide results, and display them in easily disgestable dashboard. All the above apps have there strengths and weakness, but ulimately they deliver on the ultimate goal: Analyzing data.

2 thoughts on “Best Paid & Free Social Media Analytic Tools”

  1. Thanks for your post.

    You have provided great detail into these social media analytics tools that will help us to really understand our audience and target a better strategy to meet their needs with our informational posts. 

    SocialPilot looks like this may be a great place to start. I have begun to use Google analytics and are becoming aware of some of the features presented within its platform. The information is helpful, however interpreting this and then making positive useful change is the challenge. 

    Thanks again for opening my eyes as to what other analytic tools are out there. 

    Reply

    • Hi Dale – Appreciate your feedback. Analytics are integral part of social media management – cannot be overlooked. 

      Indeed, Social Pilot is one of the best analytics apps out there. It integrates with some of the most popular and commonly used social media platforms. This decreases the amount of time it takes to collect and review data. Plus, the starter plan is a reasonably priced compared to similar apps. 

      With more time, one can become more comfortable with reading and understanding Google Analytics. 

      Reply

Leave a Comment