Best Social Media Analytics Tools in 2026: 9 Compared
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Best Social Media Analytics Tools in 2026: 9 Compared
Updated November 3, 2026. Prices and analytics limits are from each tool's own pricing page on that date.
What is the best social media analytics tool? Sprout Social has the deepest reports if you have the budget. Metricool is the best value: scheduling and analytics together from about $20 a month, with a free plan. Each network's own insights (Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn Page analytics) are free and enough for one account.
Social media analytics tools compared
| Tool | Starting price | Analytics on the entry plan | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sprout Social | $79 per seat a month, billed yearly | Profile and post reports | Deep reporting for larger teams |
| Metricool | from $20 a month; free plan | Unlimited history on paid plans; 30 days free | Analytics on a small budget |
| Later | $18.75 a month, billed yearly | 3 months of history on Starter | Instagram and TikTok results |
| SocialBee | $29 a month ($24 billed yearly) | 3 months of data | Small teams |
| Agorapulse | from $79 per user a month | Basic reports | Teams that also handle replies |
| Buffer | from $5 a month for 1 channel | Included | Simple numbers, low cost |
| Hootsuite | from $99 per user a month, billed yearly | Included | Big teams |
| Blaze | $79 a month; 7-day free trial | 7- and 30-day highlights, history up to a year | Seeing results next to the posts it made |
| Planable | $33 per workspace a month | Paid add-on | Approvals first, analytics extra |
What to measure
- Reach or impressions: how many people saw your posts. Networks count it differently: Instagram reports reach, YouTube reports views.
- Followers gained: net new followers per week, not the total.
- Engagement: likes, comments, shares and saves per post, which tells you what to make more of.
- Clicks: visits to your site from a post, best tracked in Google Analytics.
Analytics in Blaze
Blaze's Insights tab shows highlights for each connected account with a 7-day or 30-day view, and history up to a year. New accounts take a few days to fill in. You can also connect Google Analytics.
From Claude, ChatGPT or Codex, the Blaze MCP server gives a daily or weekly digest: followers and impressions for each account for yesterday, the last 7 days and the last 30 days, each compared with the period before, plus the week's top posts. Missing numbers are shown as missing, never estimated.
Questions people ask
Is there a free social media analytics tool?
Each network's own insights are free. Metricool's free plan includes 30 days of analytics for 1 brand.
Which tool keeps the longest history?
Metricool lists unlimited history on its paid plans. Later and SocialBee list 3 months on their entry plans; Blaze shows up to a year.
Do I need a separate analytics tool if my scheduler has one?
Usually not. Most schedulers above include analytics on the entry plan; Planable charges for it separately. See the social media scheduler comparison.