Agorapulse and Zoho Social sit in the same product category but rarely compete for the same buyer. Agorapulse is built for agencies and mid-to-large marketing teams that need a powerful unified inbox, social CRM tagging, and social listening across 11 platforms. Zoho Social is built for businesses that already live inside the Zoho ecosystem — companies that want their social media activity flowing directly into Zoho CRM deals and Zoho Desk support tickets without third-party connectors.
Choosing between them usually comes down to whether you need a dedicated social engagement hub or a tightly integrated piece of a broader business suite. The pricing models are also fundamentally different — Agorapulse charges per user while Zoho Social charges per brand — which means the total cost varies wildly depending on your team size and number of brands.
In this comparison, we cover pricing, features, real user reviews, and ideal use cases for each tool. If you are evaluating more options beyond these two, check out our full list of social media management alternatives.
Agorapulse vs Zoho Social at a Glance
| Category | Agorapulse | Zoho Social |
|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | $99/user/mo | $0 (Free plan) |
| Paid Plans From | $99/user/mo | $15/mo |
| Pricing Model | Per user | Per brand |
| Social Profiles | 10–20+ | 1 brand (7–11 channels) |
| Platforms Supported | 11 | 9 |
| AI Writing Assistant | Yes | Basic captions |
| AI Image Generation | No | No |
| Unified Inbox | Yes, with assignment | Yes |
| Social CRM | Yes (labels, tags, notes) | Via Zoho CRM integration |
| Social Listening | Yes (Professional+) | No |
| Competitor Analysis | Yes | No |
| Review Management | No | No |
| Best For | Agencies, large teams | Zoho ecosystem users |
| Free Plan | No | Yes (limited) |
| G2 Rating | 4.5/5 (922 reviews) | 4.6/5 (2,870 reviews) |
| Trustpilot Rating | 4.5/5 (197 reviews) | 4.0/5 (~5,778 reviews) |
Agorapulse Overview
Agorapulse positions itself as the social media management platform for agencies and teams that spend significant time in their inbox. Its unified inbox pulls comments, DMs, mentions, and ad comments from all connected platforms into a single feed, and you can assign conversations to team members, label users with CRM-style tags, and build saved reply libraries. Starting with the Professional plan, you also get social listening — monitoring brand mentions, keywords, and hashtags beyond your own profiles.
The scheduling side is competent but not the headline feature. You get a shared calendar, bulk publishing, queuing, and an AI writing assistant for caption generation. Where Agorapulse genuinely stands out is the engagement layer: the social CRM lets you build audience profiles over time, and the Power Reports on the Advanced plan give you custom, client-ready analytics. If your workflow revolves around responding to high volumes of social interactions and reporting on that activity, Agorapulse is purpose-built for it.
Agorapulse also offers competitor analysis so you can benchmark your performance against rival brands, and its shared content calendar makes it straightforward for agency teams to coordinate posting schedules across multiple client accounts. The platform supports 11 social networks, covering everything from Facebook and Instagram to TikTok, YouTube, and Mastodon. Read more in our Agorapulse review.
Zoho Social Overview
Zoho Social is the social media arm of the Zoho business suite, and its biggest selling point is exactly that — native integration with Zoho CRM, Zoho Desk, Zoho Analytics, and the rest of the 50+ Zoho apps. When a lead engages with your social content, you can push them directly into a CRM pipeline. When a customer complaint surfaces on social, it can become a Zoho Desk ticket without leaving the interface.
As a standalone social media tool, Zoho Social offers solid scheduling with SmartQ (their optimal time prediction), a content calendar, the zShare browser extension for quick sharing, and basic AI caption assistance. It covers 9 platforms and provides decent analytics for organic performance. Where it falls short compared to dedicated tools is in social listening (not available), competitor analysis (not available), and advanced engagement features.
Zoho Social is not trying to be the most powerful social tool on the market — it is trying to be the best social tool for Zoho customers. Its Premium plan adds live streaming capabilities and Zoho Desk integration, making it particularly useful for brands that handle customer support through social channels. The per-brand pricing model also means that adding team members does not increase costs as dramatically as per-user tools. For a deeper look, see our Zoho Social review.
Pricing Comparison
Agorapulse Pricing
Agorapulse uses per-user pricing, which scales quickly for teams. See our full Agorapulse pricing breakdown for details.
| Plan | Monthly Price | Profiles | Key Additions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | $99/user/mo | 10 | Inbox, scheduling, reporting, AI assistant |
| Professional | $149/user/mo | 15 | Social listening, Power Reports, team workflows |
| Advanced | $199/user/mo | 20 | ROI tracking, custom reports, advanced permissions |
| Custom | Contact sales | Custom | Dedicated account manager, custom onboarding |
Example cost: A 5-person agency on the Standard plan pays $495/mo. Moving to Professional for social listening jumps to $745/mo. For a 10-person team, Standard alone costs $990/mo. Annual billing offers discounts, but monthly pricing reflects the true cost if you want flexibility to cancel or switch.
Zoho Social Pricing
Zoho Social uses per-brand pricing with member limits on higher tiers. See our full Zoho Social pricing breakdown.
| Plan | Monthly Price | Brands | Members | Key Features |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 1 | 1 | Basic scheduling, 7 channels |
| Standard | $15/mo | 1 | 1 | SmartQ, zShare, content calendar |
| Professional | $40/mo | 1 | 1 | Bulk scheduling, repeat posts, Zoho CRM integration |
| Premium | $65/mo | 1 | 3 | Live streaming, Zoho Desk integration, advanced reports |
Example cost: A team of 3 managing 1 brand on the Premium plan pays $65/mo total. Managing 3 brands on Premium costs $195/mo. The per-brand model keeps costs predictable regardless of team size within limits.
Price Verdict
These two tools use fundamentally different pricing models. Agorapulse charges per user, so a solo marketer pays $99/mo while a 5-person team pays $495/mo. Zoho Social charges per brand, so that same 5-person team managing one brand pays $65/mo on Premium.
For small teams managing a few brands, Zoho Social is dramatically less expensive. For solo users or very small teams that need advanced engagement features, Agorapulse's per-user cost is more justifiable because you are paying for a deeper feature set. The real question is not which costs less — it is whether you need what the extra spend gets you. If your team would use the social CRM and listening features daily, Agorapulse's cost reflects genuine value. If those features would sit unused, Zoho Social gives you the basics without the overhead.
Feature Comparison
Scheduling & Publishing
| Feature | Agorapulse | Zoho Social |
|---|---|---|
| Content Calendar | Shared calendar | Calendar view |
| Bulk Scheduling | Yes | Yes (Professional+) |
| Queue Categories | Yes | No |
| Optimal Timing | Yes | SmartQ |
| First Comment | Yes | No |
| Post Approval Workflow | Yes | Yes |
| RSS Feeds | No | No |
| Canva Integration | No | No |
Winner: Tie. Both handle day-to-day scheduling well. Agorapulse has queue categories and first comment scheduling, which are useful for agencies managing content queues across multiple clients. Zoho Social has SmartQ for timing optimization, which analyzes your audience activity to suggest the best posting times. Neither has a clear edge here — the right choice depends on whether you value queue management or smart timing more.
AI Tools
| Feature | Agorapulse | Zoho Social |
|---|---|---|
| AI Caption Generation | Yes | Basic |
| AI Image Generation | No | No |
| AI Hashtag Suggestions | Yes | No |
| AI Content Repurposing | No | No |
Winner: Agorapulse. Its AI writing assistant is more developed, offering caption generation and hashtag suggestions that can speed up content creation. Zoho Social's AI capabilities are minimal — limited to basic caption assistance without the refinement or customization options that Agorapulse provides. That said, neither tool offers AI image generation, which is increasingly expected in modern social media workflows.
Analytics & Reporting
| Feature | Agorapulse | Zoho Social |
|---|---|---|
| Standard Reports | Yes | Yes |
| Custom Reports | Yes (Advanced) | Limited |
| Power Reports | Yes (Advanced) | No |
| ROI Tracking | Yes (Advanced) | No |
| Competitor Analysis | Yes | No |
| Export Options | PDF, CSV | PDF, CSV |
| White-Label Reports | Yes (Advanced) | No |
Winner: Agorapulse. The Power Reports and ROI tracking on the Advanced plan make Agorapulse the clear choice for teams that need to prove social media value to clients or stakeholders. White-label reports are especially valuable for agencies delivering monthly client reporting. Zoho Social's analytics are functional for tracking basic post performance and audience growth, but custom reporting and competitor benchmarking are not its focus.
Team Collaboration
| Feature | Agorapulse | Zoho Social |
|---|---|---|
| Unified Inbox | Yes | Yes |
| Conversation Assignment | Yes | Yes |
| User Labels/Tags | Yes (CRM) | Via Zoho CRM |
| Internal Notes | Yes | Yes |
| Approval Workflows | Yes | Yes |
| Saved Replies | Yes | No |
| Role Permissions | Advanced | Basic |
Winner: Agorapulse. The built-in social CRM, saved replies, and advanced role permissions give Agorapulse more depth for teams handling high engagement volumes. The ability to label individual users and track interaction history within the platform — without needing a separate CRM — is a workflow advantage for community managers. Zoho Social's collaboration features are solid but lean on Zoho CRM for the heavier lifting, which means the engagement depth depends on having and paying for another Zoho product.
Platform Support
| Platform | Agorapulse | Zoho Social |
|---|---|---|
| Yes | Yes | |
| Yes | Yes | |
| X (Twitter) | Yes | Yes |
| Yes | Yes | |
| TikTok | Yes | Yes |
| YouTube | Yes | Yes |
| Yes | Yes | |
| Google Business | Yes | Yes |
| Threads | Yes | Yes |
| Mastodon | Yes | No |
| No | No | |
| Total Platforms | 11 | 9 |
Winner: Agorapulse. It covers 11 platforms compared to Zoho Social's 9, including Mastodon support that Zoho Social lacks. For teams managing presence across many networks, the broader platform coverage means fewer gaps in your social strategy.
What Real Users Say
Agorapulse Reviews
G2: 4.5/5 (922 reviews) — Users consistently praise the unified inbox and social CRM. Common complaints include the per-user pricing adding up quickly and the learning curve for new team members.
Trustpilot: 4.5/5 (197 reviews) — Trustpilot reviewers highlight responsive customer support and reliable scheduling. Some note that reporting could be more customizable on lower plans.
Zoho Social Reviews
G2: 4.6/5 (2,870 reviews) — Zoho Social earns high marks for value and CRM integration. Negative reviews tend to mention limited features compared to dedicated social tools and occasional interface lag.
Trustpilot: 4.0/5 (~5,778 reviews for Zoho) — Trustpilot scores reflect the broader Zoho brand. Social-specific feedback praises the ecosystem integration but notes that standalone social features lag behind competitors.
Review Verdict
Both tools have strong user satisfaction, but the praise differs in kind. Agorapulse users love the engagement and inbox features — the social CRM and unified inbox appear in nearly every positive review. Zoho Social users love the ecosystem integration and value — the ability to connect social data to CRM pipelines is the most cited benefit. If you prioritize social-specific depth, Agorapulse reviews will resonate more. If you want a well-integrated business tool, Zoho Social reviews tell the story you are looking for.
Worth noting: Zoho Social has significantly more reviews (2,870 on G2) than Agorapulse (922), which gives its 4.6 rating more statistical weight. On Trustpilot, Agorapulse's score is higher (4.5 vs 4.0), though the Zoho Trustpilot rating covers the entire Zoho brand, not just Social.
Who Should Use Agorapulse?
If you are considering alternatives, check out our Agorapulse alternatives page or see how it compares in other matchups like Agorapulse vs Iconosquare and Agorapulse vs Vista Social.
- Agencies managing multiple clients who need inbox assignment, saved replies, and client-ready Power Reports
- Teams with high engagement volumes where the social CRM (labeling, tagging, audience profiles) pays for itself in efficiency
- Brands that need social listening to monitor mentions, keywords, and sentiment beyond their own profiles
- Marketing teams reporting ROI that need to tie social activity to business outcomes with built-in tracking
- Organizations on 11+ platforms that want a single inbox covering everything from Facebook to Mastodon
- Teams that need competitor analysis to benchmark social performance against rival brands and adjust strategy
Who Should Use Zoho Social?
If you are exploring alternatives, visit our Zoho Social alternatives page for more options.
- Businesses already using Zoho CRM that want social leads to flow directly into existing pipelines without third-party connectors
- Companies using Zoho Desk that need social customer complaints to become support tickets automatically
- Small teams on a tight budget that need a capable scheduler with analytics for $15–65/mo instead of $99+/user
- Solo marketers or small businesses that want a free plan to get started with basic social scheduling
- Organizations invested in the Zoho ecosystem where the value of Social multiplies because it connects to everything else they use
- Teams that need live streaming integration as part of their social strategy (available on Zoho Social Premium)
A Simpler Alternative Built for Scheduling and Content Creation
If you find Agorapulse's per-user pricing too steep for your team size, or Zoho Social too dependent on the broader Zoho ecosystem, PostPlanify offers a different approach. Instead of charging per user or locking key features behind high tiers, PostPlanify gives every plan unlimited scheduling, unlimited AI captions, and AI image generation across 7 models.
| Feature | Agorapulse (Standard) | Zoho Social (Premium) | PostPlanify (Growth) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly Price | $99/user/mo | $65/mo | $39/mo |
| Social Profiles | 10 | 1 brand | 6 |
| AI Caption Generation | Yes | Basic | Unlimited |
| AI Image Generation | No | No | Yes (7 models) |
| Canva Integration | No | No | Yes |
| Team Members | 1 (per user pricing) | 3 | Unlimited (Premium) |
| Scheduling Limits | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Approval Workflows | Yes | Yes | Yes (Premium) |
PostPlanify is not a replacement for Agorapulse's social CRM or Zoho Social's ecosystem integrations. It is built for teams whose primary workflow is creating, scheduling, and publishing content with AI assistance. The platform also includes a link-in-bio builder and Google Drive integration for pulling assets directly into your content workflow.
If you spend more time creating posts than managing inbox conversations, PostPlanify covers the content side at a fraction of the cost — with AI image generation and Canva integration that neither Agorapulse nor Zoho Social offers. The Premium plan at $99/mo includes unlimited team members and approval workflows. Check out PostPlanify pricing or sign up for free.
FAQ
Is Agorapulse worth the price compared to Zoho Social?
It depends on what you need. Agorapulse's unified inbox, social CRM, and social listening are genuinely powerful features that justify the per-user cost for agencies handling high engagement volumes. If your work revolves around responding to comments, tracking audience relationships, and producing client reports, the investment pays off in time saved and client satisfaction.
If you mostly need scheduling and basic analytics, Zoho Social covers that for a fraction of the cost. The gap is widest for teams of 3+ people, where Agorapulse's per-user pricing multiplies quickly while Zoho Social's per-brand pricing stays flat.
Can Zoho Social replace Agorapulse for agency work?
For most agency workflows, no. Zoho Social lacks social listening, competitor analysis, advanced saved replies, and the depth of inbox management that agencies rely on. It also does not offer white-label reporting, which many agencies need for client deliverables. Where it can work for agencies is when the agency is already embedded in the Zoho ecosystem and values CRM pipeline integration over social-specific engagement features.
Does Zoho Social work well without other Zoho products?
It works, but you lose its main differentiator. Without Zoho CRM and Zoho Desk, Zoho Social is a decent but unremarkable social scheduler. The SmartQ feature and content calendar are useful, but standalone tools like Agorapulse, PostPlanify, or others offer more for the same or lower cost when you do not get the ecosystem benefits.
If you are evaluating Zoho Social purely as a standalone social media tool without the rest of the Zoho suite, consider whether a dedicated platform better fits your needs. Check our alternatives page for a broader comparison.
Which tool has better analytics?
Agorapulse, especially on the Advanced plan. Its Power Reports allow custom report building, ROI tracking, and competitor benchmarking. Zoho Social's analytics are adequate for basic performance tracking but lack the depth and customization that data-driven teams need. If analytics are a priority, also consider Iconosquare, which specializes in this area.
Do either offer AI image generation?
Neither Agorapulse nor Zoho Social offers AI image generation. Agorapulse has an AI writing assistant for captions and hashtags, while Zoho Social has basic AI caption help. If AI-generated images are important to your content workflow, PostPlanify includes AI image generation across 7 models on all plans.
Can I use Agorapulse for social listening on a Standard plan?
No. Social listening is only available on the Professional plan ($149/user/mo) and above. The Standard plan ($99/user/mo) includes the unified inbox and social CRM but not listening. This is a common point of frustration in user reviews — the feature most associated with Agorapulse requires the second-tier plan. If social listening is your primary reason for considering Agorapulse, make sure you budget for Professional pricing from the start.
Which tool is better for a team of 1-2 people?
For 1-2 people, Zoho Social is the more practical choice unless you specifically need inbox management depth. A solo user on Agorapulse Standard pays $99/mo for features that a small operation may not fully use. Zoho Social's Premium plan at $65/mo covers up to 3 members with solid scheduling and analytics. Alternatively, PostPlanify's Growth plan at $39/mo includes unlimited AI and 6 social accounts.
How do Agorapulse and Zoho Social compare for customer support response?
Agorapulse has a stronger reputation for customer support, with a 4.5 Trustpilot rating and frequent praise for responsiveness. Their support team specializes exclusively in social media management, which means faster resolution for platform-specific issues. Zoho's support is tied to the broader Zoho ecosystem, where experiences vary depending on which product and plan you are on. For social-specific support questions, Agorapulse's dedicated team tends to resolve issues faster, though Zoho offers comprehensive documentation and community forums across its product suite.
