What social media tools cost a small business each month

Key takeaways

Social media tools cost per month for a small business is usually modest. Individual tools typically cost £20–£80 a month, so a stack of two to four tools for scheduling, design and analytics runs to roughly £40–£320 a month. Many agencies include their tools in the fee.

• £20–£80 a month is the typical price of one social media tool.
• A stack of two to four tools costs roughly £40–£320 a month.
• Many agencies include tool costs in the retainer.
• Free plans cover many sole traders and very small firms.

Which tools does a small business need?

Most small businesses need three things: a way to schedule posts, a way to make graphics and a way to see results. The platforms' own free tools cover all three at a basic level. Paid tools save time when you post often, run several channels or work with a team.

• Social media agency pricing in the UK
• Social media scheduling tools for UK small businesses

How much does a social media tool stack cost?

Individual social media tools typically cost £20–£80 a month for a small team plan. A scheduler, a design tool and an analytics tool together come to roughly £60–£240 a month, and adding a listening or link tool takes it towards £320. These are indicative market figures, not a GBL price list.

• Scheduling tool: typically £20–£80 a month.
• Design tool: typically £20–£80 a month for a team.
• Analytics or listening: typically £20–£80 a month.
• Platform native tools: free.

Should the agency or the client pay for tools?

Either works if the contract says so. Agencies often run tools on their own accounts and include the cost in the fee. Clients sometimes prefer to own the accounts so they keep access and history if they change supplier. Whatever the choice, the client should own the social media accounts themselves.

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Where do small businesses waste money on tools?

The common waste is paying for overlapping tools and premium tiers nobody uses. Two schedulers, a design tool on an annual plan nobody opens and an analytics tool that duplicates free platform data are typical. Review subscriptions every six months and cancel anything unused.

• Two tools doing the same job.
• Seats for people who no longer post.
• Annual plans renewed without review.
• Premium tiers bought for one feature.

When are free tools enough?

Free tools are enough for one or two channels and a handful of posts a week. Meta Business Suite schedules Facebook and Instagram, LinkedIn lets you schedule posts on a page, and free design tool plans cover simple graphics. Paid tools start to earn their cost at higher volumes.

• Social media analytics tools: what a small business needs

What does this look like in practice?

A pattern we see with UK small businesses that come to us: several tool subscriptions left over from past freelancers, with nobody sure what each does. Global Bridge Labs (GBL) runs publishing on its own tools, so the client stops paying for overlapping subscriptions and keeps full ownership of their accounts.

• See client work
• Social Media Marketing for UK businesses

Tool cost checklist

Review these every six months.

• List every tool, its cost and renewal date.
• Note who uses it and how often.
• Remove overlaps and unused seats.
• Confirm who owns each account and its data.
• Check what your agency's fee already covers.

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Next step

Send us a list of the social media tools you pay for. We will tell you which ones you need and which overlap.