The right replacement depends on whether benchmarking is your main job or one part of it. If you mostly compare accounts against competitors, choose an analytics-first tool. If you also schedule and reply to comments, an all-round management suite fits better, and if you track conversations about a brand, look at listening tools.
Benchmarking is the reason most people picked Quintly in the first place: it's a social media analytics and competitor benchmarking tool, and it's built for people who report on performance for a living. If you're shopping for something else, here are eight alternatives, alphabetically and in no particular order, followed by a comparison and the questions that decide which one fits.
Eight social analytics tools, listed alphabetically
A to Z, not ranked. Each line is based on how the vendor describes its own tool.
Agorapulse
Best for: Social teams that want inbox, publishing, reporting and monitoring together with collaboration tools; the vendor frames it around business results.
Brandwatch
Best for: Larger brands combining social management with consumer intelligence and influencer marketing; the vendor says it's now part of Cision.
Emplifi
Best for: Enterprise teams joining social media management up with commerce and customer care, which the vendor describes as AI-powered customer experience.
Hootsuite
Best for: Managers who want scheduling, content creation, analytics and social listening under one login; the vendor names a free trial.
Iconosquare
Best for: Analytics-led managers running several profiles who need scheduling, reports and listening across networks from one dashboard, per the vendor.
Keyhole
Best for: Teams focused on monitoring and listening; the vendor notes its social listening is also available through Muck Rack.
Metricool
Best for: Freelancers and small teams handling organic social and ad content together; the vendor names a free plan.
Rival IQ
Best for: Marketers whose main job is competitor benchmarking, with social reporting, SEO and content tools, and, the vendor says, no data scientist required.
How the eight compare
| Tool | Category | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Agorapulse | Social media management | Inbox, publishing and reporting for busy teams |
| Brandwatch | Consumer intelligence suite | Large brands mixing listening, insight and influencer work |
| Emplifi | Enterprise social platform | Enterprise teams linking social to commerce and care |
| Hootsuite | Social media management | Scheduling, analytics and listening in one tool |
| Iconosquare | Analytics-first social management | Managers running several profiles who report a lot |
| Keyhole | Social listening and monitoring | Tracking mentions and conversations around a brand |
| Metricool | Scheduling and analytics | Small teams and freelancers covering social and ads |
| Rival IQ | Competitive social analytics | Benchmarking your accounts against competitors |
Check networks and metrics before anything else
Social analytics tools look alike in screenshots. The difference shows up when you go looking for one particular network, metric or competitor view and find it isn't there. So the thing to test in any replacement is which networks and metrics it covers, and how benchmarking against competitors is presented.
Make a short list of the networks your clients care about and the five or six numbers you put in every report. Then check each tool against that list, network by network. A tool that covers Instagram brilliantly but treats LinkedIn as an afterthought won't help if half your clients are B2B.
Look closely at competitor views too. Some tools let you add any public account and compare it with yours over time. Others focus on your own accounts and treat competitors as an extra. It's also worth checking how far back the history goes when you first connect an account, because a benchmark with only a few weeks of data won't show a client much, and some reports need a full quarter before the comparison means anything. Tools in this category split by who they're built for and how much you set up yourself, so run the same real report through each before you decide.
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Benchmarking, day-to-day management or listening
Analytics and benchmarking first. Rival IQ and Iconosquare put analysis at the centre, which suits agencies and in-house analysts who live in reports.
All-round management. Hootsuite, Agorapulse and Metricool combine scheduling, inboxes and analytics. They suit teams who'd rather run everything from one login and don't need deep competitor work every week.
Listening and enterprise. Brandwatch, Keyhole and Emplifi lean towards listening, consumer insight or wider customer experience. These suit larger brands and teams who track conversations, not just their own posts.
Advice for agencies reporting to clients
Choose the tool that makes your monthly report fastest to build and easiest for a client to read, not the one with the most charts. If you spend hours each month exporting and tidying, a tool with good report templates will pay you back quickly. If clients mainly ask how they compare with rivals, put benchmarking at the top of your list.
Don't forget the people who'll use it every day. A suite that combines scheduling and analytics may save your team switching between apps, even if its benchmarking is lighter. For neighbouring lists, see the best social media reporting tools and the best social listening tools.
Rebuild one client report as a trial
- Pick a real monthly report you've sent a client, with its networks, metrics and competitor accounts.
- Connect the same accounts to two shortlisted tools during their free plan or trial.
- Rebuild the report in each tool, timing how long it takes from login to a finished file.
- Check that every metric matches what you reported before, or note why it differs.
- Show both versions to a colleague who hasn't seen them and ask which one is clearer.
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Frequently asked questions
What is social media benchmarking?
It's comparing your accounts with competitors or industry peers over the same period, usually on growth, engagement and posting activity, so you can see how you're doing relative to others.
Do social analytics tools cover every network?
No. Coverage varies a lot, especially for newer networks and some business pages. Check your must-have networks one by one before you switch.
Is social listening the same as social analytics?
Not quite. Analytics measures your own accounts and posts. Listening tracks conversations and mentions across the web, including posts that don't tag you.
Can I move my historic data to a new analytics tool?
Sometimes, but not always. Some tools pull history from the networks when you connect, while others start fresh. Export your old reports before you cancel.
Do I need a separate tool for scheduling?
Only if your analytics tool doesn't schedule. Many suites combine both, which is handy if you'd rather keep your team in one place.
