Analytics & reporting

The tool reports how published content performs, such as reach, engagement and clicks, in charts or exportable reports that you can review over time.
On this pageWhat it is

What it is

Analytics and reporting show what happened after something was published. Typical measures are reach, likes, comments, link clicks and follower growth, usually by post, by channel and by period. Better tools let you compare periods, find the best performing posts and export a report for a client or manager. Many content tools list it, including Buffer, Hootsuite, Later, Metricool, Publer, SocialPilot and Sprout Social.

Why it matters

Without numbers, content planning is guesswork, and it is hard to justify the time spent. Reports show which topics and posting times are worth repeating. They matter when you have a budget to defend or a client to report to. The numbers stay shallow, though: they rarely connect a post to a sale, so website analytics is still needed.

What to check

  • Check which networks and which measures are included, and how far back the history goes.
  • Ask whether reports can be exported or sent on a schedule, and whether they can carry your logo.
  • Test whether you can compare posts and periods without spreadsheets.
  • Find out whether the figures come directly from the networks or are estimated.

Tools with Analytics & reporting

  • Metricool logo
    Metricool
    From €16/mo yearly
    Schedule social posts, analyse engagement, and manage paid campaigns across multiple platforms in one place.

    Organic socialFree plan

    Sign up on Metricool
  • Hootsuite logo
    Hootsuite
    From $99/mo yearly
    Schedules posts, monitors conversations and reports on performance across multiple social media networks.

    Organic social

    Sign up on Hootsuite
  • Sprout Social logo
    Sprout Social
    From $79/mo yearly
    Manage publishing, engagement, analytics, and social listening across brands from one dashboard.

    Organic social

    Sign up on Sprout Social
  • Later logo
    Later
    From $18.75/mo yearly
    Schedules and publishes visual content across Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn and more.

    Organic socialAffiliate link

    Sign up on Later
  • Publer logo
    Publer
    From $5/mo
    Schedules, publishes and analyses social media content across multiple platforms from one calendar.

    Organic socialFree plan

    Sign up on Publer
  • Buffer logo
    Buffer
    From $5/mo yearly
    Schedules and publishes social media posts across multiple platforms from one dashboard with team approval workflows.

    Organic socialFree plan

    Sign up on Buffer
  • SocialPilot logo
    SocialPilot
    From €16.15/mo yearly
    Schedule, publish and manage social media across multiple channels and analyse performance from one dashboard.

    Organic social

    Sign up on SocialPilot

In Organic social ranking order; the number is each tool's place. Some of this is collected from public sources and not yet checked by us.

Also in other categories

Tools filed under other categories that have Analytics & reporting.