Semrush Social Alternatives: 6 Tools for Social Teams

Your company bought Semrush for SEO. The social media toolkit came along with it, so the social team started using it too.

Nobody really chose it. It was simply already there.

That works fine for a while. Posts go out, a few reports get pulled, competitors get a quick glance. The questions start when social reporting gets more serious and leadership wants more than a light summary.

In this guide, I look at what Semrush Social does well, where it stops, and six tools that pick up where it leaves off, either next to Semrush or in place of its social toolkit.

My take: if light publishing and basic reporting are all your team needs, Semrush Social is fine to keep. If the gap is competitor benchmarking and deeper analytics, add a dedicated analytics tool next to it. And if the social team needs real publishing workflows, approvals or an inbox, a dedicated social suite will serve it better.

What does Semrush Social do well, and where does it stop?

Key takeaway: Semrush Social handles everyday publishing, light analytics and basic competitor tracking well for teams already in Semrush, but it stops short of the competitor depth and workflows dedicated social tools offer.

Let's be fair to it first.

Semrush Social lets you publish to six channels (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Google Business Profile and Pinterest) from the same workspace your SEO team already uses. You get a content calendar, basic performance reports and a simple view of how a few competitors are doing.

For a team that posts regularly and reports lightly, that's enough. And because it lives inside Semrush, there's no new contract to approve.

So where does it fall short?

Mostly in depth. Competitor tracking stays at a summary level, so questions like "which topics work for our competitors?" or "how has our engagement changed against theirs this year?" are hard to answer. Collaboration features are basic too, which shows once more that only a couple of people touch every post.

Does the Adobe acquisition change anything for social teams?

Key takeaway: Adobe completed its acquisition of Semrush on April 28, 2026; existing contracts stayed the same, but Semrush's focus has shifted further toward SEO and AI search visibility.

Not overnight. Adobe closed the deal on April 28, 2026, and Semrush told customers that contracts, pricing, features and support would stay the same.

The bigger signal is where Semrush is putting its energy. Since the deal, it has reorganized its plans around AI search visibility, which fits Adobe's interest in how brands show up in search and AI answers.

That's great news for SEO teams. For social teams, it's a reminder that the social toolkit was never the main event, and probably won't become one now.

If Semrush Social already covers what you need, there's no reason to rush. If it doesn't, renewal time is a natural moment to look around.

Which Semrush Social alternatives are worth comparing?

Key takeaway: Socialinsider and Brand24 work alongside Semrush for analytics and listening, while Metricool, Agorapulse, Sprout Social and Planable can replace Semrush Social's publishing.

Start from what your team is missing, then scan the last column.

Is Socialinsider a good Semrush Social alternative for analytics?

Key takeaway: Socialinsider is a strong Semrush Social alternative for teams that need deeper competitor benchmarking and content analysis, and it works well next to Semrush, but it doesn't publish posts.

If Semrush already handles your SEO and your social reports feel thin, Socialinsider is the piece I'd add. It's a social media analytics and benchmarking platform, so it sits alongside Semrush instead of competing with it.

What it adds that Semrush Social doesn't?

The main difference is depth on competitors. Add your brand and the competitors you care about, and Socialinsider loads 3, 6 or 12 months of their past posts, depending on the plan. From there, you can compare engagement, follower growth, posting frequency and formats side by side, and check your results against industry benchmarks.

It also explains why content works. Content pillars group posts by theme automatically, and the Query Builder lets you create your own pillars from words or phrases. For example, you could pull every post that mentions a product launch, across your accounts and your competitors', to see whose launch content landed better.

And if your team already uses AI assistants, the MCP connector lets you ask Claude or ChatGPT questions about your Socialinsider data directly.

Trade-offs

Socialinsider doesn't schedule or publish posts, and it has no inbox or listening. Many teams keep a publisher for that and use Socialinsider for reporting.

Pricing

Adapt costs $82 a month billed yearly, or $99 month to month. Predict costs $199 a month billed yearly and covers 40 profiles, five seats and twelve months of history. See all plans.

Reviews

What I like most about Socialinsider is how easy it makes social media analytics and benchmarking. It provides clear, easy-to-understand insights across different platforms, so I can quickly see what’s working without having to dig through complicated data. - G2 reviewer

Pick it if: your team keeps Semrush for SEO but needs proper competitor benchmarking for social.

Is Metricool a good Semrush Social alternative?

Key takeaway: Metricool is a low-cost Semrush Social alternative that combines publishing and analytics for several brands, with a free plan, but its competitor analysis and collaboration tools are fairly basic.

For teams that want to move publishing out of Semrush without a big budget, Metricool is often the first stop. It combines scheduling, analytics and simple competitor tracking in one tool.

What it adds that Semrush Social doesn't?

Metricool covers more networks, including Threads, Bluesky and Twitch, and priced by brand, it stays affordable when you manage several brand accounts. Its Advanced plan adds approvals, team management and API access.

Trade-offs

Competitor analysis is lighter than in a dedicated analytics tool, and X costs extra on paid plans. The free plan leaves out LinkedIn and X altogether.

Pricing

Free for one brand. Starter costs $20 and Advanced $53 a month billed yearly, or $25 and $67 billed monthly.

I think the best thing about Metricool is its ease of use. - G2 reviewer

Pick it if: you want publishing and everyday analytics outside Semrush at a very low price.

Is Agorapulse a good Semrush Social alternative?

Key takeaway: Agorapulse is a good Semrush Social alternative for growing teams that need publishing, a shared inbox and approvals in one place, but it charges per user.

When the social team grows past two or three people, Semrush Social's basic collaboration starts to pinch. Agorapulse is built for exactly that stage, with publishing, a shared inbox and reporting in one tool.

What it adds that Semrush Social doesn't

The shared inbox is the big one. Comments, DMs and mentions from every connected profile land in one place, where teammates can assign and resolve them. Approval workflows start on the Professional plan, and every plan includes 10 social profiles.

Trade-offs

Agorapulse bills per user, so the cost grows with the team. Extra profiles cost $10 a month each, and competitor reporting is lighter than in a dedicated analytics tool.

Pricing

Standard costs $79, Professional $119 and Advanced $149 per user a month billed yearly, or $99, $149 and $199 billed monthly.

I like how the inbox system is set up in Agorapulse. It's easy to track what has been replied to and what still needs attention, which helps me to stay organized throughout the day. When dealing with a high volume of interactions, having that kind of structure really makes a difference. I also love the speed and efficiency of how quickly replies are sent out. It keeps me on a fast reading pace and doesn't slow me down. - G2 reviewer

Pick it if: your social team handles a lot of comments and messages and needs a proper inbox.

Is Sprout Social a good Semrush Social alternative?

Key takeaway: Sprout Social is a good Semrush Social alternative for larger social teams that want publishing, an inbox and reporting in one polished suite, but it charges per seat and caps profiles on its lower plans.

Once social becomes a team of its own with its own budget, many companies move from a bundled toolkit to a full suite like Sprout Social.

What it adds that Semrush Social doesn't

Sprout Social is built around social workflows end to end: a Smart Inbox for messages and comments, approval workflows, detailed reports and optional listening. It feels like a tool made for social teams, because it is.

Trade-offs

Every seat costs extra, and the Essentials and Standard plans cap you at five social profiles. Listening and Premium Analytics are paid add-ons.

Pricing

Essentials costs $79, Standard $199, Professional $299 and Advanced $399 per seat a month billed yearly, or $99, $249, $399 and $499 billed monthly.

Pick it if: your social team is big enough to justify its own all-in-one platform.

Is Planable a good Semrush Social alternative for approvals?

Key takeaway: Planable is a good Semrush Social alternative for teams whose posts need several sign-offs, with unlimited users per workspace, but analytics and the inbox are paid add-ons.

If every post passes through brand, legal or a regional lead before it goes out, Planable makes that process much easier than a general-purpose toolkit.

What it adds that Semrush Social doesn't

Approvals are Planable's core. Reviewers see posts exactly as they'll appear, leave comments in context and approve in a click, and they don't need a paid seat to do it.

Trade-offs

Planable prices per workspace and caps the number of posts each month on its lower plans. Analytics and the social inbox cost extra, and there's no competitor benchmarking.

Pricing

Basic costs $33 and Pro $49 per workspace a month billed yearly, or $39 and $59 billed monthly. Analytics and the social inbox are add-ons, at $12 and $7.50 per workspace a month billed yearly ($14 and $9 monthly).

It's easy to use, easy to pause when there is a lull in my business, and most important: My clients LOVE the layout and find it super easy to use for approval and making comments on posts. I will continue using it, as it has saved me from receiving 300 emails back and forth for changes, and instead I can just get an approval right in the app and schedule it right away. - G2 reviews

Pick it if: your posts need sign-off from several people, and chasing approvals slows down your publishing.

Is Brand24 a good Semrush Social alternative for listening?

Key takeaway: Brand24 is a good addition for teams that need social listening beyond what an SEO platform offers, with public pricing from $199 a month billed yearly, but it doesn't publish posts.

Sometimes the gap isn't publishing or reporting at all. It's knowing what people say about your brand outside your own channels. Brand24 tracks those conversations across social media, news, blogs, forums, podcasts and review sites.

What it adds that Semrush Social doesn't

Dedicated listening. You set keywords for your brand, products or competitors, and Brand24 collects new mentions, scores their sentiment and highlights the accounts driving the conversation.

Trade-offs

Brand24 is listening only, so you'll keep another tool for publishing and analytics. Its entry plans update every few hours rather than in real time, and each plan caps keywords and monthly mentions.

Pricing

I like that Brand24 brings online mentions from different sources into one dashboard. The source and sentiment filters make it easier to explore results, and the overview of mentions, estimated reach, and social interactions provides a useful starting point for understanding a brand's online visibility. - G2 reviewer

Pick it if: the question you can't answer today is "what are people saying about us?"

Should you keep Semrush Social, add to it or switch?

Key takeaway: Keep Semrush Social for light needs, add Socialinsider or Brand24 when reporting or listening falls short, and switch to Metricool, Agorapulse, Sprout Social or Planable when the team needs real publishing workflows.

There's no need to throw anything out. Semrush stays useful for SEO either way.

So how do you tell which situation you're in? Look at the requests that land on the social team.

If they're mostly "post this" and "send last month's numbers," the toolkit is doing its job.

If they sound more like "how do we compare?" or "what are people saying about us?", publishing is fine, and the gap is in reporting or listening.

And if the team spends more time chasing approvals and answering messages across tabs than actually posting, the workflow itself is the problem.

Final thoughts

Semrush’s social toolkit was a handy extra back when social was a side job. For a lot of teams, it isn’t a side job anymore.

If yours has grown into something leadership watches closely, give it tools picked for that work. A bundle chosen by the SEO team was never meant to carry it alone.

FAQs on Semrush Social alternatives

Does Semrush have a social media tool?

Yes. Semrush Social lets you publish to Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Google Business Profile and Pinterest, with basic analytics and simple competitor tracking.

Is Semrush Social included in Semrush plans?

It depends on your plan. Semrush reorganized its plans in 2026, so check your current plan or ask your account manager what's included.

Can I use Socialinsider alongside Semrush?

Yes. Many teams keep Semrush for SEO and publishing, and use Socialinsider for competitor benchmarking and in-depth social analytics. The two tools don't overlap.

What is the best Semrush alternative for social media analytics?

Socialinsider. It focuses entirely on social media analytics and competitor benchmarking, with past post data from day one and content analysis by theme.

What is a cheaper alternative to Semrush Social?

Metricool is one of the cheapest options, with a free plan for one brand and paid plans from $20 a month billed yearly.