Costs, 2026
What does a social media manager cost?
A freelance social media manager typically costs $500 to $1,500 a month in 2026, and an agency $1,000 to $5,000 or more, according to published pricing guides. The price follows how many networks you post to, how often, and whether video is included. aipost.social makes and publishes the posts from $15/month.
Freelancer, agency or aipost.social
| Compared on | Freelancer | Agency | aipost.social |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost | $500–$1,500 | $1,000–$5,000+ | from $15/month, billed annually ($19 billed monthly) |
| Getting started | Briefing calls | Weeks of strategy meetings | Paste a URL or describe your business |
| Video and voice-over | Often extra | Usually in bigger retainers | In every AI video post |
| Your time each week | Reviews and direction | Monthly meetings | A preview email per post |
| A year of it | $6,000 and up | $12,000 and up | Creator: $708 |
Freelancer and agency ranges as published in 2026 by eClincher, SocialBu and Martech Zone.
What drives the price
Networks
Each network has its own formats and audience. Most quotes are per network or per bundle of networks.
How often
Three posts a week and daily posting are different jobs. Quotes usually state a number of posts a month.
Video and voice-over
Short video takes the most time to make, so it is often priced separately or only in larger retainers.
Strategy and reporting
Calls, content plans and monthly reports are part of most agency retainers.
Replies and community
Answering comments and messages every day is ongoing work that some quotes include and some do not.
Paid ads
Running ads is usually a separate service with its own fee, on top of the ad spend.
What aipost.social does, and what it doesn’t
- Builds a brand brief from your website or a few sentences about your business
- Makes the posts: short video with voice-over, image posts, carousels and captions
- Schedules and publishes them to six networks
- Emails you each post about a day before it goes out, to edit, reschedule or skip
- It does not:
- Reply to comments or messages
- Run paid ads
- Hold strategy calls or shoot on location
If you need daily replies, paid ads or a strategy partner, a freelancer or agency is the better fit, and the two can work together: aipost.social makes and publishes the posts, they handle the rest.
Questions
Is a freelancer or an agency cheaper?
Usually a freelancer. Published 2026 ranges put freelancers at $500 to $1,500 a month and agencies at $1,000 to $5,000 or more, with agencies adding a team, strategy and reporting.
What does aipost.social cost?
Plans start at $15/month billed annually ($19 monthly). Plans differ by how many AI posts you get each month, from 3 on Lite to 75 on Agency.
Can I use aipost.social with a freelancer?
Yes. Pro includes 3 seats, so a freelancer can check and adjust posts in your account while aipost.social makes and publishes them.
See your brand brief before you choose a plan.
Build my brand briefFrom $15/month, billed annually ($19 billed monthly) · Cancel anytime from your billing settings