The tool you use to manage Twitter changed more than almost any category on this blog, starting with the name. Twitter is X now, renamed in 2023, and the same year X overhauled its developer pricing so that third-party tools have to pay for access to the platform. That one change reshaped the whole market: some free tools shut down, others raised prices, and TweetDeck, the free favorite from the original version of this page, is now X Pro and sits behind X’s most expensive subscription.
Managing a business presence on X is still real work, though, and the tools that survived are more capable than what existed a decade ago, usually handling every network you post to, not just one. Here are the best X, formerly Twitter, management tools for business in 2026, what they cost, and what happened to the old names you might remember.
Key takeaways
- Hootsuite is the all-in-one standard for managing X alongside every other network, from $99/user/month.
- Buffer is the simplest and cheapest way to schedule posts, with a real free plan and paid plans from $5/channel/month.
- Sprout Social is the premium choice for analytics and team engagement, from $199/seat/month.
- Agorapulse is the strong mid-market option, with a free plan and paid tiers from $79/user/month.
- X Pro (the old TweetDeck) still exists but now requires X Premium+, which costs $40/month.
What X’s API changes did to this market
Before you compare tools, it helps to know why the list looks so different. In 2023, X ended free access to its developer platform and introduced paid API tiers. Any third-party tool that posts to or reads from X now pays for that access, and passes the cost along. The result: fewer free options, higher prices across the board, and a handful of tools that dropped X support rather than pay. This is also why a simple, X-only utility is now rare, most tools justify their price by managing many networks at once.
The best X management tools in 2026
| Tool | Best for | Free plan? | Starting price (2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hootsuite | All-in-one across every network | No (free trial) | $99/user/mo (Standard) |
| Buffer | Simple, cheap scheduling | Yes (3 channels) | $5/channel/mo (Essentials) |
| Sprout Social | Analytics & team engagement | No (free trial) | $199/seat/mo (Standard) |
| Agorapulse | Mid-market inbox & reporting | Yes (3 profiles) | $79/user/mo (Standard) |
| X Pro (ex-TweetDeck) | Real-time monitoring, X only | No (needs Premium+) | $40/mo (X Premium+) |
Prices are US list rates as of July 2026. Most platforms discount annual billing and price by user or by connected channel, so your total depends on team size and how many networks you run.
Hootsuite: the all-in-one standard
Who it is for: Businesses that manage X alongside Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and more, and want one dashboard for all of it. Hootsuite was named in the original version of this page as the rising tool, and it grew into the category’s default.
What you get: Scheduling and publishing across networks, a unified inbox for messages and mentions, analytics, team roles and approvals, and social listening on higher tiers. It is a lot of tool, which is the point.
What it costs in 2026: Standard is $99/user/month, Professional $199, and Advanced $399, with enterprise pricing above that. There is no longer a free plan, only a trial.
Where it falls short: It is priced for businesses, not individuals, and the breadth can feel like more than a solo brand needs. If you only post to one or two accounts, it is overkill.
Buffer: the simple, affordable choice
Who it is for: Small businesses, creators, and anyone who mainly needs to schedule posts without a heavy dashboard. Buffer was on the original list and is still the friendliest way to keep a queue full.
What you get: Clean scheduling, a content calendar, basic analytics, and a genuinely useful free plan. It does one job, publishing on a schedule, and does it with the least friction here.
What it costs in 2026: The free plan covers three channels. The Essentials plan is $5/month per channel, with a Team plan above it, so your bill scales with how many accounts you connect rather than a flat fee.
Where it falls short: Engagement and listening features are light compared with Hootsuite or Sprout, and the per-channel pricing adds up if you run many accounts. For deep analytics or a big team, you will outgrow it.
Sprout Social: the premium analytics option
Who it is for: Marketing teams that treat social as a serious channel and want deep analytics, reporting, and engagement tools. Sprout appeared on the original list as SproutSocial and has moved firmly upmarket since.
What you get: A polished unified inbox, strong reporting you can hand to executives, social listening, and CRM-style contact history, all in one of the better-designed interfaces in the category.
What it costs in 2026: Standard starts at $199 per seat per month, with higher tiers above that. Because it is priced per seat, cost climbs quickly for a team.
Where it falls short: It is the most expensive option here by a wide margin, and the per-seat model makes it a hard sell for a small business or a single marketer.
Agorapulse: the mid-market sweet spot
Who it is for: Growing businesses and agencies that want most of what Sprout offers at a lower price. Agorapulse sits between Buffer’s simplicity and Sprout’s depth.
What you get: A shared social inbox, scheduling, solid reporting, and team collaboration features, with a free plan to try it and clear per-user pricing above that.
What it costs in 2026: A limited free plan covers three profiles, and paid plans start at $79 per user per month.
Where it falls short: Its social listening is not as deep as Sprout’s or Hootsuite’s top tiers, and very large teams may want the extra enterprise features those provide.
X Pro and the budget options
X Pro is what TweetDeck became. It keeps the customizable column view that made TweetDeck great for real-time monitoring of mentions, keywords, and lists, but it is X-only and now requires an X Premium+ subscription, which costs $40/month as of 2026. If you live inside X and want the classic multi-column dashboard, it is the native option, but it does nothing for your other networks.
On the budget end, tools like Zoho Social and SocialPilot handle scheduling and basic reporting across networks for well under $50/month, which makes them worth a look for cost-conscious small businesses. Creators focused specifically on X often add a writing-first tool such as Typefully or Hypefury for drafting threads and scheduling, alongside one of the broader platforms above.
What happened to the old tools on this list
The 2012 lineup aged in every possible direction. Buffer is still here and still good. SproutSocial is now Sprout Social and moved upmarket into premium territory. TweetDeck became X Pro and, as noted, sits behind X Premium+. Twitterfeed, the RSS-to-tweet tool, shut down years ago. And Shoutlet was acquired and folded into what is now Khoros, an enterprise platform aimed at large brands rather than the mid-level buyers this page was written for. The lesson holds for any social tool: the platform can change the rules underneath you, so favor tools that manage more than one network.
How to choose the right one
You manage several networks and have a team: Hootsuite. One dashboard for everything, with roles and approvals.
You mainly want to schedule posts affordably: Buffer. A free plan to start, then a few dollars per channel.
Analytics and reporting are the priority: Sprout Social if you have the budget, or Agorapulse for most of the value at a lower price.
You only care about X and want real-time columns: X Pro, if you are willing to pay for X Premium+.
Frequently asked questions
Is TweetDeck still free?
No. TweetDeck is now called X Pro and requires an X Premium+ subscription, which costs $40/month as of 2026. The free version that many businesses relied on is gone, which is a big reason people moved to cross-network tools like Buffer or Hootsuite.
What is the cheapest way to manage X for a small business?
Buffer’s free plan is the cheapest real starting point, covering three channels including X. If you need more, Buffer’s Essentials is $5/month per channel, and budget tools like Zoho Social and SocialPilot come in under $50/month with broader features.
Why did so many Twitter tools disappear?
X ended free API access in 2023 and now charges developers for it. Tools that could not or would not absorb that cost either shut down or dropped X support, which thinned out the free and single-purpose options that once filled this category.
Do these tools work with more than X?
Yes, and that is now the norm. Hootsuite, Buffer, Sprout Social, and Agorapulse all manage Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, and others alongside X. X Pro is the exception, since it only works with X.
Is Hootsuite or Buffer better?
It depends on scale. Buffer is simpler and cheaper and best if you mainly schedule posts. Hootsuite does far more, including a unified inbox, listening, and team workflows, and is better for a business managing many accounts, but it costs more and has a steeper learning curve.
The verdict
For a business managing X alongside other networks, Hootsuite is the safest all-in-one pick, and Sprout Social is the upgrade when analytics and team engagement justify the price. If you mostly need to schedule posts, start with Buffer, which still has a free plan, and step up to Agorapulse when you want a shared inbox and better reporting without Sprout’s cost.
Reach for X Pro only if you live inside X and will pay for Premium+. Whichever you choose, favor a tool that covers every network you use, because the one lesson of the past decade is that any single platform can change the rules overnight. Most of these offer a free plan or trial, so test two before you commit.