TweetDeck behind paywall now, are there any alternatives?

Access to X Pro (TweetDeck) is now fee-based. The subscription costs Rs 650 per month or Rs 6,800 per year after a discount, from today.

Unverified users can no longer access TweetDeck because it has changed from a free social media management tool to a subscription service under the new name X Pro. On August 16, X Pro unveiled its Blue subscription plan. Access to X Pro is now fee-based. The subscription costs Rs 650 per month or Rs 6,800 per year after a discount, from today.

Up until this change, TweetDeck was the most-liked option among journalists, marketers and other users because one could manage numerous customised feeds through columns.

As X Pro becomes a paid service platform, we examine some of the best TweetDeck alternatives currently available now.

Tweetdeck alternatives

There isn't yet a straight free alternative to TweetDeck that is widely accessible for free for unverified users. Alternatives exist but they might be advantageous and disadvantageous for users.

These alternatives, though not exact replicas of TweetDeck, offer free access for a very limited period of time, usually between 14 and 30 days through their trial editions.

Although none perfectly matches TweetDeck, a number of social media management platforms with names like Hootsuite, Sprout Social, Buffer, Fyre Reach and Agorapulse are well-known in this category. But, it depends on what needs a user has.

Hootsuite

Hootsuite is the most comparable alternative to TweetDeck in terms of creating customised feeds and tracking trends. However, like X Pro, it is primarily a paid service. Hootsuite allows users to publish content across various platforms and accounts, schedule posts in bulk, and assess ROIs.

Notably, one of its prominent features is that one can share social media posts across multiple networks seamlessly. It offers integrations for popular social networks such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, YouTube and more. Additional functionalities include listening streams, an inbox for private and public messaging, automated tagging, and more.

Recently, Hootsuite discontinued its free plan. Instead, it now offers a basic one-user plan that supports up to 10 social media accounts for Rs 1,915 per month. This plan can be tried out with a 30-day free trial period.

Sprout Social

With the help of Sprout Social, users can manage tasks like composing and scheduling posts. A free trial for its Standard subscription model, which covers 5 social profiles, is offered as part of its current deal. This subscription model costs $249 per month, plus an additional $99 per month for each additional user. Beyond content publication, Sprout Social allows users to assess performance metrics across prominent social media platforms.

Agorapulse

Agorapulse's Standard subscription plan, which costs $49/month when paid annually, is available on the free trial now for 30 days without requiring a credit card. Users can publish, schedule posts, listen to keyword phrases and analyse social media performance. Agorapulse supports well-known platforms like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube.

Buffer

Buffer's core features include composing and scheduling content for sharing across numerous social networks like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn and Pinterest. However, one can only join up to three social media networks with its extremely basic free edition, which is open to both individuals and businesses and schedules up to 10 posts per channel. Analytics for campaigns can also be monitored. It only provides a 14-day free trial for its Paid plans in superior feature-enabled subscription models.

Fyre Reach

Formerly known as Tweetastic, Fyre Reach provides users with the option to schedule tweets and gauge their effectiveness through the analytics page. The platform currently offers a 14-day trial for its free features. In this  trial feature, scheduled tweets will bear the Fyre Reach watermark, and users are restricted to text-only tweets without the option to attach media content.