The best AI social media management tool is the one whose AI does the job you are short of time for, on a plan you can afford. That sounds obvious, but "AI" on a pricing page can mean anything from a caption rewriter to an assistant that plans a week of posts. This page compares nine tools on what each company says its AI does and which plan includes it, as published in October 2026.
We have not scored or ranked the quality of anyone's AI writing. That depends on your business and your voice, and the only fair test is your own trial. What can be compared fairly is what is included and what it costs.
A note on who is writing. WyreIt is our own product, so read our view of it with that in mind. Where another tool is the better choice, this page says so.
The short answer
- AI at no cost: Buffer. Its AI Assistant is on every plan, including the free one.
- Unlimited AI writing on a low-priced plan: SocialBee, from $29 a month.
- AI that plans and drafts a week for you to review, priced in pounds: WyreIt Pro, at £49 a month.
- AI text and images without a credit limit: Publer's Business plan.
- A marketing team: Hootsuite or Sprout Social, priced per user.
AI features and price, side by side
| Tool | AI, as published | Entry paid price | Free plan or trial |
|---|---|---|---|
| WyreIt (our product) | Caption and reply drafting on every paid plan. WyreIt AI and Autopilot on Pro and Creator, with 1,000 or 3,000 AI credits a month. AI images on Creator | £19 a month (Standard), £49 (Pro), £79 (Creator) | No free plan. 14-day trial, no card |
| Buffer | AI Assistant on every plan, including the free one | From $5 a month per channel on yearly billing ($60 a year per channel) | Free plan: up to 3 channels, 10 scheduled posts per channel |
| Hootsuite | AI post and image generation, and an AI assistant in every plan | $99 per user a month, billed annually (Standard) | No free plan. 14-day trial |
| Later | 5 AI credits a month on Starter, 50 on Growth, 100 on Scale | $18.75 a month, billed yearly (Starter) | No free plan. 14-day trial |
| Metricool | AI assistant credits per brand each month: 5 on Free, 20 on Starter, 35 on Advanced | Starter from $20 a month on annual billing ($25 monthly) | Free plan: 1 brand, 20 scheduled posts a month, no LinkedIn or X |
| Publer | Unlimited AI prompts for text and images on the Business plan | Paid price depends on how many accounts you add; see Publer's page | Free plan: 3 social accounts (not X), 10 scheduled posts per account |
| SocialBee | Unlimited AI content generation and an AI Copilot on its standard plans | $29 a month, or $24 on annual billing (Bootstrap) | No free plan. 14-day trial, no card |
| Sendible | AI Assist on all plans for captions and rephrasing | Published in USD, GBP and EUR; see Sendible's page for the current figure | No free plan. 14-day trial |
| Sprout Social | AI Assist for posts from the Professional plan; 100 AI agent credits per seat | $79 per seat a month on annual billing, $99 billed monthly (Essentials) | No free plan. 30-day trial, no card |
Competitor prices and plan details are as published by each company on its own pricing page, October 2026: Buffer, Hootsuite, Later, Metricool, Publer, SocialBee, Sendible, Sprout Social. Dollar prices are shown as each company lists them and may exclude VAT. Prices change, so check the page before you buy. WyreIt is our own product, and its prices are on our pricing page.
What "AI" means in these tools
Four different jobs hide behind the same two letters. Work out which you need before you compare prices.
- Caption help. You give a rough idea and get a draft caption, or you paste a caption and get it shortened, reworded or adapted for another platform. Nearly every tool here does this.
- Reply drafting. A suggested reply to a comment or message that you edit and send.
- Planning. An assistant that proposes what to post this week, based on what you have told it about your business.
- Images. Pictures generated from a description.
Then check how it is metered. Some tools, such as Buffer, SocialBee, Publer Business and Sendible, include AI without a published limit. Others give a monthly allowance of credits (Later, Metricool, WyreIt), where larger jobs use more of the allowance.
The nine tools
WyreIt (our product)
WyreIt has four plans. Standard is £19 a month for any 3 platforms, with 3 extra profiles, the inbox, analytics, and AI caption and reply drafting. Pro is £49 a month for all 7 platforms (Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok, LinkedIn, YouTube and Bluesky), with 4 extra profiles, WyreIt AI, Autopilot and 1,000 AI credits a month. Creator is £79 a month with 3,000 AI credits and AI images. Agency is priced by conversation. The price is for the account, not per user or per channel. There is a 14-day free trial with no card needed. The trial does not include any AI.
WyreIt AI drafts post ideas, captions from rough notes and versions adapted for each platform, based on what you tell it about your business. Autopilot plans and drafts a week of posts for you to review; you edit them, then schedule or send them. Nothing goes out until you have read it. What it does not do: it does not learn from how your past posts performed, and WyreIt's analytics does not make recommendations. If you want AI included free or without a monthly allowance, Buffer or SocialBee is the better choice.
Buffer
Buffer's AI Assistant is included on every plan, including the free plan for up to 3 channels. Paid plans start from $5 a month per channel. For someone who wants caption help and no bill, this is the place to start.
Hootsuite
Hootsuite's plans page lists AI post and image generation and an AI assistant in every plan. Standard is $99 per user a month, billed annually. The AI comes as part of a tool built and priced for marketing teams.
Later
Later meters AI by credits: 5 a month on Starter ($18.75 a month, billed yearly), 50 on Growth and 100 on Scale. Extra credits are sold as an add-on on Growth and Scale.
Metricool
Metricool's AI assistant has a monthly allowance per brand: 5 credits on the free plan, 20 on Starter and 35 on Advanced. Starter is from $20 a month on annual billing.
Publer
Publer's Business plan includes unlimited AI prompts for both text and images. Its paid prices depend on the number of accounts, so check Publer's page for your own figure.
SocialBee
SocialBee lists unlimited AI content generation and an AI Copilot, which builds a posting plan with ready-to-use posts, on its standard plans. Bootstrap is $29 a month, or $24 on annual billing, for 5 social profiles.
Sendible
Sendible's AI Assist is on all plans. It generates content and captions, rephrases copy and checks spelling. We could not confirm Sendible's current prices from its page, so they are left out here.
Sprout Social
Sprout Social lists AI Assist for enhancing posts from its Professional plan ($299 per seat a month) and 100 AI agent credits per seat each month. Essentials starts at $79 per seat a month on annual billing.
How to choose
- Name the job. Captions, replies, a weekly plan or images. Buy for the one you will use every week.
- Check which plan includes it. The headline price is often for a plan without the AI you wanted.
- Check the meter. Unlimited, or a monthly allowance? If an allowance, what does a typical week use?
- Check who presses publish. For a small business, AI that drafts for your review is safer than AI that posts on its own.
- Try it on your own business. Give each tool the same three post ideas and compare the drafts. Note that WyreIt's free trial does not include AI, so judging its AI means a paid month.
For what to hand to AI and what to keep, read what to automate on social media with AI and how to use AI without losing your voice.
Frequently asked questions
Which social media tool has free AI?
As published in October 2026, Buffer includes its AI Assistant on its free plan, and Metricool's free plan includes 5 AI credits per brand a month.
Can AI run my social media for me?
It can draft and plan. It should not publish without you. In WyreIt, Autopilot drafts a week of posts and waits for your review; drafted replies stay in the reply box until you send them.
Which WyreIt plan includes AI?
Standard (£19 a month) includes caption and reply drafting. Pro (£49) adds WyreIt AI, Autopilot and 1,000 AI credits a month. Creator (£79) has 3,000 AI credits and AI images. The 14-day free trial does not include any AI.
Is AI-written content obvious to customers?
It can be if you post the first draft. Edit every draft so it sounds like you, and add the detail only you know: the job you finished, the name of the dish, the street you are on.
Compare the WyreIt plans on pricing, or see the wider comparison of nine social media tools for small businesses.
WyreIt is a social media management tool for small business owners and sole traders. Post to Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok, and more from one dashboard — at a fraction of the price of Hootsuite.