The following is a list of (mostly) free social tools, software and apps available online. It is by no means exhaustive! I will add to it as I come across new things (or at least things that are new to me). And I’ll try to delete anything that gets out of date.
Links, prices and features last checked August 2026.
I want to…
Quick Picks
| I want to… | Quick pick |
|---|---|
| Find free stock photographs and video | Pexels |
| Find photographs, video, music and sound effects | Pixabay |
| Find polished lifestyle photography | Unsplash |
| Edit photographs on my phone | Lightroom Mobile |
| Design social-media graphics | Canva |
| Design and schedule posts in one place | Adobe Express |
| Create short videos in a browser | FlexClip |
| Manage Facebook and Instagram | Meta Business Suite |
| Schedule a few social accounts | Buffer |
| Schedule and analyse one brand | Metricool |
| Plan an Instagram feed | Planoly |
| Concentrate on Pinterest | Tailwind |
| Monitor a name or topic on the web | Google Alerts |
| Check what people are searching for | Google Trends |
| Discover questions people ask | AnswerThePublic |
| Find music for a YouTube video | YouTube Audio Library |
| Create one link for a social-media biography | Linktree |
| Shorten and track a social-media link | Bitly |
Stock Images
Pixabay
High quality stock images and videos. Free for commercial use and no attribution required.
Best for: Free photographs, illustrations, videos, music and sound effects
Cost: Free
Works on: Web browsers
Worth knowing: Attribution is not normally required, but you cannot sell or redistribute files on their own. Logos, recognisable people and other third-party rights may require additional permission.
Pexels
Free stock photos you can use everywhere. Free for commercial use and no attribution required.
Best for: Free stock photographs and short video clips
Cost: Free
Works on: Web browsers, iOS and Android
Worth knowing: Attribution is not required. You cannot sell unaltered copies or suggest that a person or brand shown in an image endorses your product.
Unsplash
Free images and photos that you can download and use for any project.
Best for: High-quality lifestyle, business and editorial-style photography
Cost: Free
Works on: Web browsers and iOS
Worth knowing: Images can be used commercially, but they cannot be sold unchanged or collected to create a competing image service. Check for trademarks and recognisable people.
Royalty-free and Licensed Music
Melody Loops
Melody Loops provides production music for videos, podcasts and other creative projects. Selected tracks can be downloaded through a free account, but the supplied credit must be included when you use them. Monetised, commercial and client projects require an appropriate paid licence, so check the conditions displayed for each track before publishing.
Best for: Finding simple background music for personal online projects
Cost: Selected tracks are free with attribution; paid licences are available
Works on: Web browsers
Worth knowing: The free licence is not suitable for every commercial or monetised project. Use the credit supplied with the download and retain a copy of the licence.
PremiumBeat
PremiumBeat is Shutterstock’s curated production-music library. Music is available through individual licences or a paid subscription; “royalty-free” does not mean that the tracks themselves are free. Different licences cover different types of distribution, so select the licence that matches your project.
Best for: Polished music for professional or commercial productions
Cost: Paid licences and subscriptions
Works on: Web browsers
Worth knowing: Each track must be properly licensed. The permitted audience, distribution and advertising uses depend on the licence purchased.
Bensound
Bensound offers stock music for videos, websites, presentations and other projects. Some eligible tracks may be used in online videos and livestreams under its free licence, provided that the supplied attribution and licence code are included. Paid licences cover wider uses and normally remove the attribution requirement.
Best for: Background music for online videos where attribution is acceptable
Cost: Selected tracks are free with attribution; paid licences are available
Works on: Web browsers
Worth knowing: The free licence has specific conditions and is not suitable for every business, client or offline project.
Epidemic Sound
Epidemic Sound provides a large library of music and sound effects for online video and social media. It is a paid service rather than a source of free music, although a trial may be available. Connect or “safelist” the channels on which you publish so that covered content can be recognised correctly.
Best for: Regular creators who need straightforward music clearance across social platforms
Cost: Paid subscription or individual track licence; trial available
Works on: Web browsers and mobile apps
Worth knowing: Content published and correctly cleared during an active subscription remains covered, but new work requires an active subscription or separate licence.
Pixabay
Pixabay also has a substantial collection of free music and sound effects. Tracks can be used under the Pixabay Content Licence, including in many commercial projects, although individual tracks should still be checked before use.
Best for: Free background music and sound effects
Cost: Free
Works on: Web browsers
Worth knowing: Some contributors register their music with Content ID. Keep the download record or licence certificate in case an automated claim is made.
YouTube Audio Library
YouTube Audio Library provides music and sound effects that YouTube identifies as copyright-safe for use in videos. Tracks can be searched by genre, mood, duration and attribution requirement and downloaded from YouTube Studio.
Best for: Finding free music and sound effects for YouTube videos
Cost: Free
Works on: Web browsers through YouTube Studio
Worth knowing: Some Creative Commons tracks require attribution. YouTube only guarantees the copyright-safe status of its library within the YouTube environment.
Design and Video
Lightroom Mobile
Adobe Lightroom Mobile provides straightforward tools for improving photographs, applying presets and adjusting colour, light and detail. The mobile app includes useful editing features for free, while Premium adds tools such as Generative Remove, Lens Blur, additional presets, cloud storage and synchronisation. The desktop and web versions normally require a paid Lightroom plan.
Best for: Improving photographs and applying professional-looking presets on a phone or tablet
Cost: Free mobile version; optional Premium subscription
Works on: iOS and Android
Worth knowing: Some advanced tools, cloud storage and cross-device synchronisation require Premium.
Visit Lightroom from Google Play
Canva
Canva is a beginner-friendly design tool for social-media graphics, short videos, presentations, posters and many other projects. Its free plan includes a large selection of templates and design assets. Canva Pro adds premium content, Brand Kits, background removal, Magic Resize and additional publishing and collaboration features.
Best for: Creating attractive social-media graphics quickly
Cost: Free plan; paid Pro, Business and team plans available
Works on: Web browsers, Windows, macOS, iOS and Android
Worth knowing: Templates and assets marked with a crown require a paid plan. Always check the licence before using stock content in products intended for resale.
GoDaddy Content Creator (formerly GoDaddy Studio)
GoDaddy Studio has become GoDaddy Content Creator and is available through the GoDaddy app and on the web. It provides templates, photographs, graphics, fonts and simple editing tools for creating social posts, advertisements and other branded content. A free version is available, with Content Creator Pro adding premium assets and higher usage limits.
Best for: Producing quick branded posts from templates
Cost: Free version; optional Content Creator Pro subscription
Works on: Web browsers, iOS and Android
Worth knowing: Older links and instructions may still refer to GoDaddy Studio or to the even earlier name, Over.
FlexClip
FlexClip is a browser-based video maker with templates, stock content, text, transitions and simple editing tools. Its free plan now supports downloads at up to 720p and videos up to ten minutes long. It includes one stock video and one stock audio track per project and can store up to twelve projects online.
Best for: Making short social-media and promotional videos in a browser
Cost: Free plan; paid Plus and Business plans available
Works on: Web browsers
Worth knowing: Paid plans provide higher-resolution exports, more stock content and storage, and remove the FlexClip watermark.
Finding Content, Monitoring Mentions and Researching Keywords
Google Trends
Google Trends shows how search interest in a subject changes over time and varies between locations. It can compare different terms, reveal seasonal patterns and show topics that are currently attracting attention. This makes it useful when deciding what to write or post about.
Best for: Checking whether a topic is becoming more or less popular
Cost: Free
Works on: Web browsers
Worth knowing: Its figures represent relative search interest rather than exact numbers of searches.
BuzzSumo
BuzzSumo is a professional research platform for finding widely shared content, monitoring topics and brands, analysing competitors and identifying influential writers and creators. It is now a paid service with a trial rather than a continuing free plan.
Best for: Detailed content and competitor research
Cost: Paid subscription; free trial available
Works on: Web browsers
Worth knowing: The old allowance of ten free searches each month no longer applies. It may be too expensive for occasional or beginner use.
Google Alerts
Google Alerts is a free tool from Google (obviously…) that allows you to input a search term. You will then be emailed when Google Alerts finds new results—such as web pages, newspaper articles, blogs etc that match your search term.
Best for: Receiving email notifications when a name or topic appears in new Google results
Cost: Free
Works on: Web browsers and email
Worth knowing: It monitors content indexed by Google rather than every social-media conversation. Use quotation marks around a name or phrase to reduce irrelevant results.
Hootsuite
Hootsuite combines social-media scheduling, monitoring, engagement, analytics and team collaboration in one dashboard. It supports multiple major social networks but is now a paid professional service. The old free package for two social accounts and five scheduled posts has been discontinued.
Best for: Businesses and teams managing several social channels
Cost: Paid subscription; trial may be available
Works on: Web browsers, iOS and Android
Worth knowing: There is no permanent free plan.
Mention
Mention monitors websites and social platforms for references to a brand, person, product or topic. It includes alerts, analysis and reporting tools intended primarily for organisations and marketing teams. The old free Starter plan is sadly no longer available.
Best for: Professional brand and media monitoring
Cost: Paid subscription; free trial available
Works on: Web browsers, iOS and Android
Worth knowing: This is considerably more sophisticated—and more expensive—than Google Alerts.
Followerwonk by Fedica
Followerwonk’s X/Twitter research tools are now part of Fedica. They can search profile biographies, compare audiences, analyse followers and identify influential or relevant accounts. Fedica also adds scheduling, listening and analytics for a wider range of social platforms.
Best for: Researching and understanding an audience on X
Cost: Free plan; paid research and growth plans available
Works on: Web browsers and a browser extension
Worth knowing: Clicking Followerwonk tools now takes users into the Fedica dashboard.
X Pro (formerly TweetDeck)
TweetDeck is now called X Pro. It retains the familiar multi-column layout for following searches, lists, notifications and several X timelines at once. However, it is no longer a separate free tool and access is included with the paid X Premium+ subscription.
Best for: Monitoring several X searches, lists and conversations simultaneously
Cost: Included with X Premium+
Works on: Web browsers
Worth knowing: It is no longer free, and users searching for “TweetDeck” will be redirected to X Pro.
AnswerThePublic
AnswerThePublic turns search suggestions into visual collections of questions, comparisons and related phrases. It can be useful for planning posts, articles, videos and frequently asked questions. Registered free users currently receive three searches a day, while paid plans provide additional searches and research features.
Best for: Discovering questions that people ask about a subject
Cost: Three free searches a day; paid plans available
Works on: Web browsers
Worth knowing: Results are useful sources of ideas, but they do not prove that a phrase has a large search audience.
Ubersuggest
Ubersuggest provides keyword suggestions, estimated search volumes, competitor research, backlink information and website audits. A limited collection of tools can be used free, while paid monthly and lifetime plans increase the number of searches, projects and reports.
Best for: Beginner-friendly keyword and competitor research
Cost: Limited free use; paid plans available
Works on: Web browsers and a Chrome extension
Worth knowing: Search volumes and traffic figures are estimates rather than exact measurements.
Google Keyword Planner
Google Keyword Planner helps advertisers discover keywords and view estimates for searches, competition and advertising costs. It sits inside Google Ads rather than operating as a standalone public tool. Users must complete Google Ads account setup, including entering billing information, before accessing its basic features.
Best for: Researching keywords for Google advertising campaigns
Cost: No separate charge, but a fully configured Google Ads account is required
Works on: Web browsers
Worth knowing: You do not have to launch a campaign simply to explore the tool, but it is designed for advertisers and the setup can be confusing for beginners.
Content Scheduling
Meta Business Suite
Meta Business Suite is Meta’s free dashboard for managing Facebook, Instagram and Messenger. It can create and schedule posts and stories, manage messages and comments, view insights and organise advertising activity. It is often all a small organisation needs if it mainly uses Facebook and Instagram.
Best for: Managing Facebook and Instagram without paying for a separate scheduler
Cost: Free
Works on: Web browsers, iOS and Android
Worth knowing: It only manages Meta services, so another tool is needed for LinkedIn, TikTok, Pinterest or other platforms.
Adobe Express Content Scheduler
Adobe Express combines social-media design tools with a free content calendar and scheduler. Users can create, preview and schedule content for TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, X, Pinterest and LinkedIn. The free plan currently permits up to 1,000 scheduled posts each month.
Best for: Designing and scheduling posts without moving between two services
Cost: Free plan; Premium subscription available
Works on: Web browsers, iOS and Android
Worth knowing: The free plan connects one account from each supported social channel. Premium allows multiple accounts and provides additional design assets and brand tools.
Visit Adobe Express Content Scheduler
Later
Later provides visual content planning, scheduling, analytics, collaboration and a link-in-bio service. It supports Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Threads, Pinterest, LinkedIn, YouTube and Snapchat. Later no longer has a permanent free social-media management plan.
Best for: Visual planning and scheduling across several social platforms
Cost: Paid subscription; 14-day trial available
Works on: Web browsers, iOS and Android
Worth knowing: The old free plan with 30 posts per profile has been discontinued.
Buffer
Buffer offers straightforward scheduling, content planning, basic analytics and community-management tools. Its free plan connects up to three social channels and holds ten scheduled posts per channel at a time. Paid plans are now priced per channel and add unlimited scheduling and more advanced features.
Best for: Simple scheduling for an individual or small organisation
Cost: Free for up to three channels; paid plans available
Works on: Web browsers, iOS and Android
Worth knowing: The ten-post allowance is a queue limit rather than a monthly limit. Each space becomes available again when a post is published.
Metricool
Metricool combines planning, automatic publishing, analytics and message management. Its free plan supports one brand, with one profile from each available social network, making it particularly useful for individuals and small organisations that want more information than a simple scheduler provides.
Best for: Scheduling and analysing one brand
Cost: Free plan; paid plans available
Works on: Web browsers, iOS and Android
Worth knowing: Advanced reports, collaboration, integrations and additional brands require a paid plan.
Planoly
Planoly provides a visual calendar, media library, Instagram grid preview, scheduling and link-in-bio tools. It has expanded beyond Instagram and Pinterest to support a wider selection of social networks. Its free plan is now available through the mobile app and includes ten uploads each month.
Best for: Visually planning an Instagram feed
Cost: Free mobile plan with ten monthly uploads; paid plans available
Works on: iOS, Android and web browsers
Worth knowing: The free plan is centred on the mobile app.
Agorapulse
Agorapulse combines publishing, a shared social inbox, monitoring, reporting and team collaboration. It is aimed at businesses and agencies managing several profiles rather than occasional users. The previous permanent free plan has been replaced by paid plans and a free trial.
Best for: Teams that need scheduling, engagement and reporting in one place
Cost: Paid subscription; free trial available
Works on: Web browsers, iOS and Android
Worth knowing: There is no longer a continuing free plan for three social profiles.
Tailwind
Tailwind is primarily a Pinterest-focused creation, scheduling, keyword and analytics service, although it also supports Instagram and Facebook. Its free plan is now much smaller, allowing five posts, five designs and five Tailwind credits each month.
Best for: Creating and scheduling Pinterest content
Cost: Limited free plan; paid plans available
Works on: Web browsers and a browser extension
Worth knowing: The current free allowance is five posts per month, not twenty. It is most valuable when Pinterest is an important part of your strategy.
Linktree
Linktree creates a simple mobile-friendly page containing several links, allowing users to direct followers to websites, shops, booking pages, newsletters and other social profiles from a single biography link.
Best for: Sharing several destinations from one social-media biography link
Cost: Free plan; paid plans available
Works on: Web browsers, iOS and Android
Worth knowing: The free plan includes unlimited basic links. More detailed analytics, customisation, social scheduling and removal of Linktree branding require paid plans.
Publer
Publer is a modern scheduling alternative to some of the older tools currently on the page. Its free plan supports one user, three social accounts and ten queued posts per account, along with drafts and a basic link-in-bio tool.
Best for: Free scheduling across a small selection of social accounts
Cost: Free plan; paid plans available
Works on: Web browsers, iOS and Android
Worth knowing: X accounts are not supported by the free plan, and free accounts retain published-post history for only 24 hours.
Links, URL Shorteners and Link-in-Bio Tools
Bitly
Bitly creates shortened links, QR codes and simple landing pages. It can also record clicks and scans, making it useful for comparing links shared through different social networks or campaigns. Its free plan is adequate for occasional use, while the paid plans provide substantially higher allowances and more advanced branding and reporting.
Best for: Creating recognisable short links, QR codes and basic campaign tracking
Cost: Limited free plan; paid plans available
Works on: Web browsers, iOS, Android and browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox and Microsoft Edge
Worth knowing: The free plan currently permits five shortened links and two QR codes each month. Branded domains, redirects and more detailed analytics require a paid plan.
Tiny.cc
Tiny.cc is a straightforward link shortener that can create a customised address, QR code and basic click statistics. Links can be made without registering, but a free account provides more control and allows links to be stored, organised and edited later.
Best for: Quickly creating customised short links with simple statistics
Cost: Free service and free account; paid plans available
Works on: Web browsers and a browser bookmarklet
Worth knowing: Links created anonymously cannot be edited and may eventually expire. Register for a free account before shortening any link that you expect to use for a long time.
Cuttly
Cuttly combines URL shortening with QR codes, click statistics, link-in-bio pages and other campaign tools. Its dashboard is useful for organising several links and seeing which devices, locations and sources are sending visitors to them.
Best for: Organising and monitoring links used in social-media campaigns
Cost: Free plan; paid plans available
Works on: Web browsers
Worth knowing: The free plan includes basic analytics and currently allows three customised link endings each month. Branded domains, longer reporting histories and more advanced campaign features require a paid plan.
Linktree
Linktree creates a mobile-friendly page containing several links, allowing followers to reach websites, shops, booking pages, newsletters and other social profiles from a single biography link.
Best for: Sharing several destinations through one social-media biography link
Cost: Free plan; paid plans available
Works on: Web browsers, iOS and Android
Worth knowing: The free plan includes unlimited basic links. More detailed analytics, additional customisation and removal of Linktree branding require a paid plan.
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