7 Best Social Media Research Tools for Creative Agencies

Hootsuite is one of the most established social media management platforms, widely used by agencies for its comprehensive scheduling, analytics, and team collaboration features. According to their website, Hootsuite enables users to schedule posts across 35+ social networks, manage multiple team members with role-based permissions, and track performance with customizable reports. Its AI assistant, OwlyGPT, helps generate content ideas and draft social posts based on brand tone, while its AI content creation tool, Owly Writer, can produce short-form copy optimized for engagement. Hootsuite’s social listening capabilities allow agencies to monitor brand mentions, industry keywords, and competitor activity across public channels. The platform also offers best-time-to-post recommendations and a unified inbox to respond to comments and messages from a single dashboard. While not primarily a research tool, Hootsuite’s analytics suite provides insights into audience behavior and content performance trends, helping agencies refine their strategies over time. It’s particularly valuable for teams needing a centralized hub to manage publishing workflows and measure ROI across platforms. Its integration ecosystem includes tools like Canva and Google Analytics, making it a versatile choice for agencies already using these platforms.

Sprout Social is a premium social media management platform known for its intuitive interface and powerful analytics tailored for enterprise and mid-sized agencies. According to their website, Sprout Social offers a unified content calendar that allows teams to plan, schedule, and approve posts with workflow automation. Its AI Assist feature helps generate post variations, adjust tone, and suggest optimal posting times based on historical performance data. The platform provides deep social listening tools that track brand sentiment, industry trends, and competitor activity across public conversations. Sprout Social’s reporting suite delivers customizable dashboards with benchmarking against industry standards, making it ideal for agencies that need to demonstrate ROI to clients. It also includes a unified inbox for managing direct messages and comments across platforms, along with team collaboration tools like task assignments and approval workflows. While Sprout Social doesn’t offer a dedicated research engine like AGC Studio’s six-report system, its analytics-driven insights help agencies understand what content performs best and when to post for maximum engagement. Its mobile app and browser extension enhance usability for on-the-go teams.

SocialPilot is a cost-effective social media management tool favored by small to mid-sized agencies for its balance of features and affordability. According to their website, SocialPilot offers bulk scheduling, a visual content calendar, and AI-powered content generation through its AI Pilot feature, which creates posts in your brand’s tone using your input keywords. The platform supports scheduling across 10+ social networks and includes a media library for storing and reusing assets. SocialPilot’s advanced reporting tools allow agencies to generate client-ready PDF reports with performance metrics, engagement trends, and follower growth. Its white-label solution enables agencies to rebrand the dashboard with their own logo and domain, presenting the tool as their own to clients. The platform also includes review generation tools for Google and Yelp, helping agencies manage local business listings. While SocialPilot doesn’t offer deep research capabilities like trend mining or voice-of-customer analysis, its AI Pilot system provides a solid foundation for generating consistent, on-brand content without manual writing. It’s a practical choice for agencies focused on volume and efficiency over deep strategic research.

Buffer is a streamlined social media scheduling tool known for its clean design and ease of use, making it popular among solopreneurs and small agencies. According to their website, Buffer allows users to schedule posts across major platforms including Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Pinterest with a simple drag-and-drop calendar. Its AI-powered content suggestion tool helps generate post ideas based on past performance and trending topics. Buffer also offers analytics dashboards that track engagement rates, follower growth, and best posting times. The platform includes a link shortener with click tracking and a browser extension for quick sharing. While Buffer’s AI capabilities are more limited compared to platforms like AGC Studio or Hootsuite, its strength lies in simplicity and reliability. It doesn’t offer social listening, sentiment analysis, or advanced research reports, but its focus on core scheduling and analytics makes it ideal for agencies that prioritize consistency over depth. Buffer’s transparent pricing and no-hidden-fee model are also appealing for budget-conscious teams.

OnlySocial is a newer entrant in the social media management space, designed for agencies looking to streamline posting and automate engagement. According to their website, OnlySocial offers scheduling across major platforms, an AI-powered composer for generating captions, and automation tools for Facebook comments and Messenger DMs. It includes a unified inbox to manage interactions and an auto-watermark feature for branded images. The platform supports RSS feed integration, allowing agencies to automatically repurpose blog content into social posts. OnlySocial also integrates with OpenAI and Adobe Express, giving users access to AI writing and design tools within the same workflow. While it provides useful automation for repetitive tasks, OnlySocial does not include deep research functionalities like trend detection, voice-of-customer analysis, or multi-platform content validation. Its focus is primarily on execution rather than strategic insight, making it a solid tool for agencies that already have a defined content strategy and need help scaling its delivery. The platform is particularly useful for agencies managing high-volume content calendars with consistent messaging.

StatusBrew is a social media management platform that emphasizes collaboration, scheduling, and analytics for growing agencies. According to their website, StatusBrew offers a visual content calendar, AI-powered content suggestions, and a unified inbox to manage comments and messages across platforms. It includes advanced analytics with customizable reports and competitor benchmarking, helping agencies understand how their performance stacks up against industry peers. The platform supports scheduling on 10+ networks and offers a media library for storing and reusing visual assets. StatusBrew’s AI assistant helps generate post variations and suggests optimal posting times based on audience activity. While it provides solid tools for content planning and performance tracking, it does not include a dedicated research ecosystem for trend mining, pain point discovery, or viral pattern analysis. Its strength lies in team collaboration and reporting clarity, making it a good fit for agencies that need to align stakeholders with data-driven insights rather than generate research-backed content from scratch.