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Planable
Manage your socials as a team
Planable is the best client-facing social media tool we've ever used and we've used a lot.
Creation
fast, AI-powered, platform-perfect
Scheduling
9 platforms, all formats, one-click
Planning
clean, visual content planning
Social Inbox
one inbox for all your comments
Collaboration
real-time & clear feedback
Analytics
actionable insights, at a glance
Approval
easy, step-by-step approvals
Social Listening
listen, discover, and act
A client forwards a Reddit thread you never saw, already surfacing in Google and AI answers, and asks why it's missing from your Reddit social listening report. A social media listening routine keeps that email from landing. Give each client one goal and one query....
Oct 15, 2026
Google and AI search engines love companies with strong omni-channel visibility, and Semrush’s tool suite seems to make that possible. If you use Semrush for AI, organic, and paid search strategies, it probably makes sense to upgrade to its Social Media Toolkit too.
I tested Semrush’s social media platform. It gets the job done, but I feel like its features are slightly underwhelming compared to other Semrush products: its analytics only cover a select few networks, and the platform lacks inbox management and content approval features, for example.
I worked in social media and SEO for years and learned that a proper omni-channel presence requires treating social media as more of an independent strategy. Social media is where your audience gets the chance to engage with you directly, so treating socials as more of a tack-on to other channels can limit your overall strategy’s effectiveness.
That means specialized social media management tools are ideal, and this list covers the best ones I ever tested and actually worked with.
The tools in this post are full social media management solutions: they handle content scheduling, analytics, inbox management, and more. Still, I purposefully selected platforms that do a specific job particularly well.
For example, Planable is ideal for agencies that need client approvals across multiple brands, while Agorapulse has top-notch inbox management tools. The table below covers what each tested tool I found best at and for whom.
Also, carefully check each platform’s pricing model. Per-user pricing offers good value for solo users or small businesses, but costs can add up drastically for larger teams.
A per-workspace or per-channel model scales prices based on the number of brands or channels you manage, which may make more sense for medium- and large-sized companies, but might have a higher barrier-to-entry for small agencies.
The main issue I found with Semrush’s Social Media Toolkit is that it feels rather limited compared to other dedicated social media management tools. Here’s what I mean by that.
Semrush’s publishing tools cover Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and Google Business Profile. But its analytics tools only handle Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and LinkedIn.
Semrush Social Analytics only reports on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTok
That means you’ll need to use third-party tools or Pinterest’s and Google Business Profile’s native dashboards to track performance across the two channels.
This disconnect causes you to constantly jump between platforms and disrupt your workflows — an issue most other social media management tools don’t have.
The platform’s calendar lacks drag-and-drop features, while tags and visual previews won’t display in the calendar view itself (only if you click on a particular date). Its filtering options are also rather lackluster: you can only filter between posts by social profile.
The option to browse content by format or tags would’ve definitely been useful.
Semrush Social Poster’s calendar shows only post times, and filters only by profile
This can become problematic for busy calendars: you’ll have to click on each particular post to preview its visuals, while rescheduling content requires you to get back to the composers and select other time slots from there (it takes an unnecessary number of clicks).
UI and ease of use seem to be a platform-wide issue: “The learning curve is probably the biggest downside” – Jodie M., G2
I also noticed some UI quirks, like misleading icons and buttons.
There are editing icons on the calendar next to each draft or scheduled post. But clicking on them won’t actually do anything. Editing a post requires you to click on the same exact icons, but on the preview section on the right-hand side of the calendar.
It may seem like a minor inconvenience, but I feel like such issues add to the platform’s overall tricky UI.
The edit icons on Semrush’s calendar don’t open the post; editing only works from the side panel
Here are some of the biggest features the Social Media Toolkit currently lacks:
These are features other tools do cover for a similar entry-level price tag (around $20 per user per month).
Plus, Semrush’s social media monitoring and influencer analytics capabilities are locked behind a $250 per month subscription package.
Paywalls are a big pain point in the Semrush community: “One thing I dislike about Semrush is that some of the platform’s most valuable capabilities are heavily gated behind higher-tier plans or additional paid add-ons” – Poulumi M., G2
The tools that made it to this list had to fit various budget sizes and strike a good balance between versatility and specificity: each platform does a bit of everything, but one might be particularly good for content collaboration, while another may excel in inbox management.
Here’s a quick checklist of all the other criteria I looked for:
Each of the six tools below can take over the Social Toolkit’s scheduling, and each wins a different job. They’re ranked by fit for an agency running client approvals across many brands, so Planable comes first and Buffer, the free-plan pick, comes last.
Planable is a full-stack social media management solution built specifically around ease of use. The platform’s interface lets marketers handle most day-to-day tasks in just a couple of clicks.
Planable’s multi-level approvals: your team signs off first, then the client
Planable’s calendar: drag-and-drop scheduling, labels and one-click approvals in one view
Planable’s composer supports inline comments and suggested edits, much like Google Docs
Planable Competitor Analytics benchmarks your account against competitors activity and engagement
Planable Social Listening tracks brand mentions, engagement and sentiment over time
Planable lets you tag mention sentiment and hide irrelevant mentions from the feed
Planable’s calendar lets you schedule and re-schedule posts through a drag-and-drop interface, leave notes and comments, approve posts with one click, and more: all directly in the calendar view. You can also create custom color-coded labels and filter through posts based on author, content format, approval status, and post status; features that Semrush lacks.
Couple that with its native content collaboration, visual editing, and asset management features, and you’ve got a platform that handles end-to-end content workflows: from planning to creation, approval, and scheduling.
Best for: Agencies and multi-location brands that want to centralize social and content workflows, and need rigorous approval features.
G2 rating: 4.6/5 (1,123 reviews)
Planable covers a similar feature set to Semrush, and also brings some extra tools to the table:
Integrations: Most major social networks (X, Threads, and Pinterest included), Claude, ChatGPT, and Gemini MCP connectors, plus Canva, Zapier, and more.
Pricing: Basic costs $39 per workspace per month, billed monthly, or $390 per workspace per year, billed annually, with 4 pages per workspace. Pro adds required approval and 10 pages per workspace for $59 per workspace per month, billed monthly, or $590 per year, billed annually. Enterprise starts at $200 per month, billed monthly, or $2,500 per year, billed annually.
Social Inbox is a $9 add-on per workspace per month. The free trial has no time limit and caps at 50 posts in total.
Takeaway: Planable’s centralized dashboards and advanced collaboration tools make it one of the best options for agencies looking to speed up content workflows with no compromise on quality.
Agorapulse is a solid Semrush alternative if you’re looking for a social media management tool with particularly powerful social inbox and moderation features.
Agorapulse inbox approvals: replies and labels from chosen users wait for an approver
Agorapulse’s inbox brings comments, DMs and reviews into one filterable queue
Agorapulse’s calendar keeps scheduled posts and team notes alongside inbox, analytics and listening
Agorapulse’s automated rules route matching inbox items to the right action
Agorapulse unifies cross-channel comments, DMs, and reviews under a searchable inbox, while its automated workflows let you handle messages at scale.
Best for: Social media teams that also handle moderation tasks across client pages.
G2 rating: 4.5/5 (974 reviews).
Agorapulse’s latest updates made the platform’s inbox tools even better: you can set up approvals for particular inbox actions like comment replies, deletes, and likes. I found this feature perfect for agencies that want an extra layer of control when managing a client’s social inbox.
Integrations: ChatGPT and Claude MCPs, Google Analytics, plus HubSpot, Salesforce, Slack, and MS Teams (available in the Custom plan).
Pricing: Agorapulse starts at $79 per user per month with the Standard plan. The Professional plan starts at $119, while Advanced costs $149 per user per month, billed annually. All three plans include 10 social profiles. There is also a customized pricing package.
You can try the platform for free for 30 days.
Takeaway: I personally think Agorapulse really makes up for Semrush’s lack of social inbox management tools. Plus, the platform’s moderation workflows help teams keep their clients’ comment sections clean and spam-free.
Hootsuite is a social media management suite with proprietary AI toolsets, each designed to handle different social media tasks.
For example, there’s Lumen for social listening, Perch for content planning, and Nest for inbox management.
Best for: Brands that need listening history and trend forecasts more than they need client approvals.
G2 rating: 4.3/5 (7,480 reviews).
I found Lumen to be probably one of the most in-depth social listening tools on the market. It pulls conversations from across 30+ social networks and 150 million+ web sources (Twitch, Reddit, and Vimeo included) and sets up detailed analytics dashboards covering sentiment, common themes, and demographics, each under its own dedicated tab.
Plus, Lumen identifies text, image, video, and audio-based brand mentions: perfect for enterprise-level companies looking to gauge audience opinions across specific brands or topics as accurately as possible.
Integrations: Most major social networks (Bluesky included), plus an app marketplace with 100+ third-party integrations.
Pricing: Hootsuite sells plans per user: Standard is $99, Professional $199 and Advanced $399 per user per month, billed annually. Standard manages up to 10 social accounts, while Professional and Advanced are unlimited. The free trial lasts 14 days with no credit card required.
Takeaway: Hootsuite fits brands that need listening data coverage and depth. The platform goes beyond text-based mentions and tracks data up to 13 months old.
Sprout Social is a monitoring-first social media management platform, with keyword and review tracking across social media and review platforms like Trustpilot, Yelp, and TripAdvisor.
Sprout Social collects reviews from connected profiles so you can respond in one place
Sprout Social surfaces keyword monitoring results inside its consolidated inbox
Sprout Social turns inbox messages into support cases with an assignee and internal notes
Sprout Social’s dashboard groups its publishing, inbox, analytics and listening tools
The platform also blends inbox management and customer care tools: you can monitor messages across multiple channels within a consolidated inbox, and turn critical feedback into customer support cases whenever needed.
Best for: In-house teams that monitor social conversations for customer care and relationship management.
G2 rating: 4.4/5 (6,874 reviews).
Sprout Social includes numerous features for social media teams that mainly prioritize customer support: CSAT and NPS surveys, message spike alerts, and case management features. Plus, its built-in contact management tools let you store customer records, track conversations, and leave notes.
Integrations: Most major social networks (Reddit, Snapchat, and Threads included), Google Analytics, plus HubSpot, Salesforce, and Zendesk (in the top-tier plan).
Pricing: Sprout Social starts with Essentials at $79 per seat per month, billed annually, or $99 per seat per month, billed monthly. The higher tiers are only available annually with Standard at $199, Professional at $299, and Advanced at $399 per user per month. Enterprise has custom pricing.
Essentials and Standard connect up to 5 social profiles. Every plan includes 100 monthly AI agent credits per seat. The free trial runs for 30 days.
Takeaway: Sprout Social is particularly useful for social sales and customer support teams. Still, its massive price tag is a big drawback.
SocialPilot is a flat-priced social media management tool with an account cap on each plan.
Best for: Agencies that resell reporting under their own brand on a tight per-client budget.
G2 rating: 4.5/5 (846 reviews).
SocialPilot offers pretty good value for agencies looking for a white-labeled platform. Its Premium plan starts at $85 per month with six users and 25 social accounts included: it covers white-label reports, dedicated client approval workflows, and full access to the platform’s core features.
If you want to white-label the entire platform, you’ve got the Ultimate plan at $170 per month, with unlimited users and 50 social accounts.
Integrations: Most major social networks (Threads and Bluesky included), Slack, Canva, plus MCPs for ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Cursor.
Pricing: Essentials costs $30 per month, billed monthly, or $25 per month, billed annually. On monthly billing, Standard runs $50 per month and Premium $100 per month. Billed annually, Standard comes to $42 per month and Premium to $85 per month.
Essentials covers 7 social accounts, Standard 15 and Premium 25, and the plan above Premium raises the cap to 50. For client work, price Premium against the other tools here: Essentials includes one user, Standard three and Premium six. The free trial lasts 14 days with no credit card required.
Takeaway: SocialPilot is the pick here for white-label reports, the one agency need on this list that Planable doesn’t cover.
Buffer is a budget-friendly social media tool with built-in publishing, analytics, and inbox management features.
The platform’s per-channel pricing model also brings better value for small teams that don’t require omni-platform support.
Best for: A two- or three-person team managing socials on a select few channels on a budget.
G2 rating: 4.3/5 (1,041 reviews)
I actually used Buffer’s free plan on some of my side projects, and it’s pretty solid: it covers inbox management with Google Business Profile support, a drag-and-drop calendar with content queuing, analytics, and a handy micro-site builder.
Integrations: Buffer connects to Claude and other AI assistants over the Model Context Protocol, and lets you manage content from Codex.
Pricing: Buffer charges per channel: Essentials is $5 and Team $10 per channel per month, billed annually, or $60 and $120 per channel per year. Paid plans come with a 14-day free trial.
Takeaway: I would say Buffer is the option to go for if you’re running a small project or business. But its channel-based model bumps up the cost if you plan on posting on more than three social networks.
Yes, especially for full-stack marketing teams or agencies. SE Ranking measures both organic and AI search optimization efforts: it handles keyword and prompt tracking, as well as backlink and citation source analytics.
Its competitive research and content optimization tools also help maximize online visibility across both search types. As such, SE Ranking’s feature set makes the platform comparable to the Semrush One tool suite, and at a more affordable price tag. SE Ranking’s Core package starts at $103.20 per month (billed annually), while Semrush One starts at $165.17.
If you want to see how SE Ranking compares with Semrush and other SEO contenders, check out our roundup of the best Semrush alternatives.
As for Planable, its intuitive calendars, workspace management, top-notch content collaboration and approval tools, coupled with its analytics, social listening, and inbox tools, make it a super capable contender to Semrush’s Social Media toolkit.
Even better, Planable is actually part of the SE Ranking platform. That means you can manage AI and organic search visibility alongside social media campaigns within a fully unified ecosystem.
Planable is part of the SE Ranking platform, so social and search work live in one place
To put it differently, bundling Planable and SE Ranking will turn your marketing team into a powerhouse for all things omnichannel visibility-related. Plus, you’ll also get a 20% bundle discount. Try it out for free and see for yourself!
Choose by the bottleneck that’s costing you the most hours today, then check that the tool’s pricing model grows the way your agency does. These four bottlenecks each point to a different first trial, so you spend the trial window on the tool most likely to stick.
Trial Planable first. Required approval on Pro means a post can’t be scheduled until an approver signs off, and clients see only what you share with them. For an agency lead, that’s governance across brands; for the person running the calendar, it’s fewer follow-up emails.
Start the trial window on Agorapulse. Reviews from every connected network land in the same queue as comments and DMs, which matters most when a multi-location client’s reviews need answers the same day.
Hootsuite earns the first trial if you need long listening history and trend forecasts, as long as you budget for its Enterprise tier. If brand keyword monitoring is enough, Sprout Social’s Standard plan is the narrower and earlier step. Semrush’s Media Monitoring covers 10 keywords on Business, so either pick adds depth rather than moving sideways.
Trial SocialPilot if you need white-label reports for clients, or Buffer if a small team can start on the free plan. Run your real channel and user counts through both pricing pages first, since one charges per plan and the other per channel. A team of two posting to three channels lands in a very different place on each model than a team of six covering fifteen.
Semrush’s Social Toolkit still makes sense when social is a side job for an SEO team that already pays for Semrush and wants one login. If none of your clients need to sign off before posts go live, the case for switching gets weaker. In these three situations, staying put is the stronger choice:
Yes. Buffer’s Free plan connects up to 3 channels at no cost, which covers a small team publishing to a few profiles. Planable’s free trial has no time limit and caps at 50 posts in total, so an agency can run real client approvals before paying. Pick Buffer to stay free, and Planable to test sign-off.
Planable. On Pro and Enterprise, at least one approver must approve a post before it can be scheduled or published. Content can also lock after approval, so the post becomes read-only once the client signs off. Enterprise adds sequential approval stages, which lets a post move from your team to legal to the client.
Semrush is the pick when SEO comes first and you want AI to generate on-brand content ideas and hashtags, along with posts and visuals, inside the same suite. Planable is the pick when client sign-off is the job, because the approval flow and the client view live inside each workspace. Decide by which team owns the social calendar.
Yes. Sprout Social includes the Sprout API and helpdesk integrations on its Advanced plan. Planable offers a Public API for custom integrations and MCP, which connects Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT or any MCP-compatible AI tool to your workspaces. Choose Sprout for helpdesk-heavy care teams and Planable for agencies building AI-assisted drafting.
Move the social half of Semrush to a tool built around social work, and keep the SEO half in an SEO platform such as SE Ranking. Then take two steps before your next invoice:
If approvals are what’s slowing your clients down, the 50-post trial is enough to run a real client round on your own content. Try Planable for free and see how your next approval cycle goes.
Horea is a B2B SaaS content writer and MarTech researcher. He has written for Planable since 2023, covering social media management, scheduling, listening and collaboration software. He's spent 7+ years writing about marketing technology, with work for HubSpot, Surfer and UX Pilot AI on topics from SEO and answer engine optimization to UX and web design tools. His roundups are research-first: he tests the tools and workflows himself, then writes the comparisons that help marketers choose with confidence.
