Social media management pricing
How much does social media management cost?
About half of businesses spend $100 to $5,000 a month. Here is what sets the price, what freelancers and agencies charge, and what ours costs.
Our plans, published
- Starter$750a month
- GrowthOur pick$1,500a month
- Full service$3,000a month
Month to month. A free website redesign with Growth or Full service.
See what each plan includesOur plans: $750 to $3,000 a month
Three plans, priced by how much we run for you. Every plan is month to month, you approve every post, and your accounts stay in your name.
- Price a month
- $750
- $1,500
- $3,000
- Platforms
- Facebook or Instagram
- Facebook and Instagram
- Facebook, Instagram and TikTok
- Posts a month
- 12
- 20
- 30
- Short videos a month
- Not included
- 4
- 10
- Replies
- Comments, weekdays
- Comments and messages, weekdays
- Comments and messages, weekdays
- Google listing posts and review replies
- Not included
- Included
- Included
- Ads managed (ad spend paid to Meta or Google)
- Not included
- Not included
- Included
- A promo or launch every quarter
- Not included
- Not included
- Included
- Website
- Quoted separately
- Free redesign, up to 5 pages
- Free redesign, plus updates
- Reporting
- Monthly report
- Report and a 20 minute call
- Report and a call
- Contract
- Month to month
- Month to month
- Month to month
Free website redesign with Growth or Full service: up to 5 pages, built in your first month. Stay 3 months and it is yours to keep. Leave sooner and it is a one-time $1,500.
What a month costs, by who does it
In a survey of 620 marketers, 52% spend $100 to $5,000 a month on social media management. A freelancer costs less per hour, an agency billed by the hour costs more, and a full-time hire costs the most.
What one month costs, in US dollars
A freelancer$280 to $700
Estimate: 20 hours a month at Upwork median rates
Our plans$750 to $3,000
Published prices, month to month
What about half of businesses spend$100 to $5,000
52% of 620 marketers surveyed
A US agency, billed by the hour$2,000 to $2,980
Estimate: 20 hours a month at Clutch average rates
One full-time marketer$6,563 and up
Median salary, before taxes and benefits
On Clutch, the average monthly cost of the social media marketing projects reviewed there is $5,107.
Six things that set the price
Every quote, ours included, comes down to these. Here is how each one changes across our three plans.
Platforms
Each one has its own format, audience and inbox.
- Starter
- 1
- Growth
- 2
- Full service
- 3
Posts a month
More posts means more planning, design and writing.
- Starter
- 12
- Growth
- 20
- Full service
- 30
Short video
Video takes the most time to make, and it reaches people who do not follow you yet.
- Starter
- None
- Growth
- 4
- Full service
- 10
Replies
Answering comments and messages is where a question turns into a customer.
- Starter
- Comments
- Growth
- Comments and DMs
- Full service
- Comments and DMs
Google listing
Posts and review replies on the listing people check before they visit.
- Starter
- No
- Growth
- Yes
- Full service
- Yes
Ads
Managing ads is a fee. The ad spend itself goes to Meta or Google.
- Starter
- No
- Growth
- No
- Full service
- Yes
Do it yourself, a freelancer, or an agency
All three can work. What changes is who does the work, and how steady it stays.
Do it yourself
Free tools
plus your hours, every week
Meta Business Suite schedules Facebook and Instagram posts at no cost, and nobody knows your business better than you.
Watch for: Posting slips the week the business gets busy, and that is the week it matters most.
A freelancer
$14 to $35
an hour, Upwork median rates
The lowest hourly price for someone else to post and reply for you.
Watch for: One person covers strategy, design, video and replies. When they are busy or move on, it stops, and you manage the work.
An agency
$100 to $149
an hour, US average on Clutch; $5,107 a month on average
A team: strategy, design, video, ads and reporting under one roof.
Watch for: Ask what the monthly price includes, who does the work, and how long the contract runs.
Where we sit: a team, with the price on the page. $750 to $3,000 a month, month to month, and you approve everything before it posts.
Questions people ask
How much does social media management cost for a small business?
In a survey of 620 marketers, 52% said they spend $100 to $5,000 a month on social media management. Our plans are $750, $1,500 and $3,000 a month, month to month. The price moves with the number of platforms, how much gets posted, video, replies and ads.
Does the monthly price include ad spend?
No. Ad spend is paid to Meta or Google directly, so you see every dollar. Managing the ads is part of our Full service plan at $3,000 a month.
Is it cheaper to hire a freelancer?
Per hour, usually. Social media managers on Upwork charge a median $14 to $35 an hour. At about 20 hours a month that is roughly $280 to $700 (our estimate). The trade: one person covers posts, design, video and replies, and you manage the work.
Should I hire someone in house instead?
A full-time marketing specialist earns a median $78,760 a year in the US (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025), about $6,563 a month before taxes and benefits. That makes sense once you need someone every day. Before then, a monthly plan costs less and comes with a team.
Which plan should a local business start with?
Most local businesses start with Growth at $1,500 a month: Facebook and Instagram, 20 posts with 4 short videos, replies, the Google listing and a free website redesign. Starter at $750 keeps one page active and current.
Is there a contract?
No long contract. Every plan runs month to month, and you can move between plans as you grow.
Can I cite these numbers?
Yes. Please cite: Ames Create, "How much does social media management cost?", amescreate.com/social-media-management/cost, updated October 2026.
Where these numbers come from
- Our prices are the plans we sell today, the same ones on our business page.
- WebFX, How Much Does Social Media Marketing Cost? (August 2025). Survey of 620 US marketing professionals. WebFX sells social media services.
- Clutch, Social Media Marketing Pricing Guide (September 2026). From verified client reviews of agencies listed on Clutch.
- Upwork, How much does it cost to hire a social media manager? (checked October 2026). Median hourly rates of social media managers on Upwork.
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Market research analysts and marketing specialists (May 2025 wages). Median annual wage, before taxes and benefits.
- Monthly freelancer and agency figures are our estimates: 20 hours a month, about what 12 to 20 posts plus replies take, times the published hourly rates.
Cite this page
Ames Create, "How much does social media management cost?", amescreate.com/social-media-management/cost, updated October 2026.
Who made this. Ames Create runs social media for local businesses from Fishers, Indiana, with the team behind 1B+ organic views for creators and brands. See how we work or get a free plan for your business.
Where we work: Indianapolis · Fishers · Evansville
Last updated .