27 Instagram Marketing Tools You Need To Check in 2021

Instagram Stories, posts, reels, influencer collabs, user-generated content. That’s a lot on the Instagram marketers’ plate, especially when you’re managing multiple accounts.

You’ve come to the right place looking for help, as I’ve compiled a list of the best Instagram marketing tools currently available. I’ll cover everything you need to manage your Instagram accounts effectively — from scheduling tools and analytics platforms to photo editing apps or working with influencers. Let’s get to it!

Instagram scheduling & publishing tools

Content sits at the core of your Instagram marketing strategy, but posting it manually can be pretty headache-inducing. You’ll need a solid Instagram tool to seamlessly plan and publish content, so here are my top picks:

1. Planable: schedule posts to multiple social media platforms

Planable is the ideal Instagram marketing tool if you value collaboration, pixel-perfect previews, and a neat presence across multiple channels. It allows you to work on any type of written content, whether it’s social media posts, ad copy, blogs, or newsletters. With Planable’s feedback features and multi-level approvals your content will always be on-brand and error free.

The platform also includes solid scheduling features. You can schedule posts across multiple social media platforms via a straightforward calendar. You can then rearrange upcoming content through the drag-and-drop interface and organize it via color-coded labels. Other notable scheduling features include the option to set up recurring posts and post content across multiple social media accounts simultaneously.

Planable includes the following Instagram-specific tools:

• Instagram grid planner: Plan your Instagram posts and preview content within the interface that looks just like the social media platform.
• Instagram scheduling tool: Schedule Instagram Stories, Reels, and first comment directly through Planable. You can publish or schedule content on the spot or choose to have posts automatically scheduled once they get all required approvals.
• Captions: Add captions directly in Planble’s post previews. You can add your location, tag accounts, and include hashtags.

Besides Instagram, Planable is also available for the following social media channels: X, Pinterest, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Google Business Profile, and TikTok.

Cons: Planable’s direct publishing tools are only available for social media.

Pricing: There’s a free plan that allows you to schedule up to 50 posts. Paid plans start at $11 per user per month (billed annually).

2. Meta Business Suite: schedule Instagram posts

Meta Business Suite is the native social media management tool for Facebook and Instagram. The platform covers all the features necessary to manage and grow your presence on these two social media channels — from bulk scheduling to monetization management and performance tracking.

Here are some of Meta Business Suite’s standouts:

• Cross-posting: Streamline content distribution by automatically sharing Facebook posts to your Instagram account and vice-versa.
• Content Hub: See what type of content is trending by checking what other creators within your niche are up to. Examine their posts and filter between reels and videos to get in-depth insights.
• Video insights: Track video watch time, earning potential, traffic sources, and more. Get personalized insights to optimize performance.

Cons: Meta Business Suite lacks collaboration and content approval tools. It’s strictly limited to Instagram and Facebook, and users report frequent changes in features and UI, which can make the platform confusing.

Pricing: Meta Business Suite is free.

3. Hootsuite: streamline Instagram content production

Hootsuite is an all-in-one social media management platform with powerful publishing, analytics, and content curation tools. You can also use it to track and manage ads across your Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, as well as improve organic post visibility via its post boosting functionality.

Other notable features include inbox management with auto-responders, team productivity reports, and competitive benchmarking. For Instagram, Hootsuite helps you streamline your content production efforts through the following tools:

• Composer: Create posts on the spot or schedule them for later via the straightforward interface. Use the platform’s AI-powered hashtag generator and Hootsuite’s Canva integration to create and edit visuals.
• Best time to publish recommendations: Hootsuite tracks each post’s performance and uses that information to determine the best time to publish content for maximized engagement, impressions, and click-throughs.
• Instagram analytics: Easily track Instagram follower growth, negative feedback rate, and impressions. Hootsuite’s analytics are compatible with Instagram posts, Stories, Reels, and advertisements.

Cons: Hootsuite’s collaboration tools are only available starting from the Team plan, which costs $249 per month (billed annually), while approval workflows are reserved for the Enterprise plan.

Pricing: Hootsuite starts at $99 per month (billed annually, for one user) with a 30-day free trial available.

Instagram stories tools

Stories are excellent for your Instagram marketing campaigns. They feel more personal than traditional posts, perfect for humanizing your brand and running more memorable advertisements.

4. Fastory

Fastory is a Facebook and Instagram marketing tool that helps boost fan engagement and increase brand awareness via interactive, mobile-first stories. You can use the platform to set up quizzes, polls, contests, and even mini-games.

The interactive stories are easy to set up. Simply choose a theme and personalize it with copy, buttons, and video backgrounds as well as animations. Fastory integrates with Giphy, Pixabay, and Canva, opening up endless customization options.

Besides story creation, Fastory includes the following features:

• Analytics: Measure story performance via its straightforward dashboard. Monitor metrics like shares, conversion rates, and traffic sources.
• Chatbots: Set up chatbots to collect information from story viewers. You can then seamlessly export those details into Salesforce Marketing Cloud.
• Collaboration: Invite team members and work on story designs in real-time.

Pricing: From $499 per month (billed annually), with a 7-day free trial available.

5. Unfold

Unfold is an iOS and Android app made by Squarespace. You can create stories for Instagram, TikTok, and more. Unlike Fastory, Unfold offers a free version, while paid plans are more affordable. Unfold includes 400+ templates specifically designed for reels, stories, and posts. You can then adjust background colors, customize fonts, and add numerous effects or filters to your photos.

Here are Unfold’s notable features:

• Instagram feed planner: Map out your Instagram grid before making it public — perfect for visualizing multiple photos that connect with each other to create a larger picture.
• AI editing tools: Quickly add filters and effects. Tweak brightness, saturation, contrast, and remove backgrounds via Unfold’s AI-powered background remover.
• Bio Site builder: Access a broad selection of templates to set up a Bio Site quickly. If you already have a website built with Squarespace, you can autofill its content to your Bio Site. Set up payment gateways with PayPal, Stripe, and more.

Pricing: There’s a free version available. Paid plans start at $12.00 per month, with a 7-day free trial available.

6. Storybeat

Storybeat is an all-in-one video and photo editing app for Instagram Threads, Reels, and Stories, as well as TikToks. Like Unfold, Storybeat is available for both iOS and Android. It also offers numerous templates, filters, and effects to create and customize content quickly.

Storybeat brings a few unique features to the table:

• Built-in music library: Access millions of tracks across numerous genres. Synchronize your videos with your selected track’s beats for a more engaging experience.
• AI captions and avatars: Turn selfies into personalized avatars and generate catchy captions.
• Sharing: Easily share your content on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Threads, Snapchat, and more directly within the platform.

Pricing: Storybeat is free, but it also includes in-app purchases.

Instagram analytics tools

Data is crucial for Instagram marketing. Story completion rates help you determine how engaging your Instagram stories are, while demographic reports reveal everything you need to know about your audience—a must for creating content that converts and resonates with followers. Having an Instagram analytics tool, allows you to track these vital metrics effectively, ensuring your content strategy aligns perfectly with your audience’s preferences and behaviors.

7. Planable Analytics

Planable Analyics is an analytics tool for Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn (with new platforms coming soon). You can use it to gather insights into the performance of your social media campaigns.

In terms of Instagram campaigns, Planable Analytics handles the following:

• Content performance metrics. Easily spot the posts that perform best and correlate them with any labels you assign from the planning stage (for example, a specific campaign or type of content).

• Create easy-to-read reports. When it’s time to show the impact of your content or support a strategy change with data, create custom reports and gain your clients’ and stakeholders’ trust.

And the best part, the analytics features is integrated in Planable’s complete social media management platform. This makes it the best solution for teams focused on Instagram marketing that place a high value on collaboration, as that’s Planable’s shining capability.

Pricing: Planabe Analytics comes as an add-on for any Planable paid plan (which start at $11/month). For analytics, you’ll pay $9/month/workspace, and you can test it through a 7-day free trial.

8. Storyheap

Storyheap is a social media marketing tool available for multiple social platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat. Although it covers a built-in social CRM and scheduling tool, Storyheap emphasizes its reporting capabilities.

More specifically, Storyheap handles the following:

• Instagram Stories analytics: Track story completion rates, unique views, and link taps.
• Performance reports: Generate personalized performance reports across various social media platforms. Analyze metrics like campaign reach and see who viewed your posts by gender.
• Social listening: Use the platform’s sentiment analysis tool to learn what people talk about your brand.

Pricing: Storyheap starts at $750 per month (billed annually).

Instagram photo editing & post creation

Although Instagram has built-in photo editing tools, they’re rather limited. They don’t offer much in terms of filters, while advanced features like object removers are non-existent. Since Instagram is all about visuals, you’d be much better off with third-party tools.

9. Adobe Photoshop Express

Think of Photoshop Express as Photoshop’s smaller brother. It’s a straightforward photo editing app specifically made for mobile devices. Photoshop Express offers all the features you need to make quick edits while you’re on the go, like adjusting saturation or adding filters and effects.

Although Photoshop Express is a simpler version of regular Photoshop, it still has a few note-worthy features, perfect for social media posts. More specifically:

• Collages: Merge multiple images and put them side-by-side to create share-worthy collages. Cut out specific photo sections and choose one of numerous background options. Add custom stickers and borders to personalize your collage.
• Advanced healing: Remove unwanted objects and automatically fill the space with the tool’s smart correction, which is ideal for polishing small imperfections or decluttering an image.
• File exporting: Easily share your photos on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr directly within the platform. Optimize images before publishing via the built-in quality scale.

Pricing: You can use Adobe Photoshop Express for free. There’s a Premium plan that costs $9.99 per month (billed monthly).

10. VSCO

VSCO is a photo and video editing tool for desktop and mobile. The platform stands out through its emphasis on collaboration. You can invite collaborators to store content in shared spaces and leave comments under each image—perfect for crafting visuals with your team or gathering inspiration by connecting with the VSCO community.

Other notable features include:

• Built-in video editor: Speed up a video or add slo-mo effects. Easily tweak exposure warmth and choose between 25 filter presets.
• Dodge & burn: Gain full control over your image’s lightning. Attract attention to a specific object by highlighting it, or darken a particular area to make it fall in the background.
• VSCO camera: Use the platform’s built-in camera to minimize editing time. Quickly create GIFs, or add filters and effects as you film or take photos.

Pricing: There’s a free version available. VSCO’s Plus plan costs $29.99 per year, while its Pro package will set you back $59.99 per year (for iOS only).

Instagram influencer tools

Influencers help humanize your brand and raise awareness. But how do you find them, and how can you know if they’re the right fit?

Besides, fake followers are sadly a little more common than we’d like to admit—and you wouldn’t want to pay just to reach a bunch of bots. That makes searching for influencers rather tricky. Luckily, the tools listed below have got your back.

11. HypeAuditor

HypeAuditor’s Influencer Discovery tool helps you search for relevant influencers within your niche on platforms like Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Twitch, and Twitter. You can also narrow down your search via the HypeAuditor’s broad set of filters. For instance, you can search for influencers by niche or follower counts.

If you already work with a specific brand ambassador, the platform allows you to look for other similar influencers through its Lookalike filter, which highlights social media personalities that share identical audiences and content topics.

Other note-worthy functionalities include:

• Influencer audience score: Use the audience score to see whether it’s worth collaborating with a specific influencer. Check its target audience engagement and determine its authenticity. HypeAuditor checks how much of an influencer’s audience is made out of verified and suspicious accounts.
• Audience demographics: Break down an influencer’s target audience by age, gender, and location to see if it matches yours.
• Advanced filters: Track up-and-coming influencers by specifying the desired follower growth within a given time period. Use brand mentions to spot personalities who already talk about your company or brands similar to you.

Pricing: You can use the Influencer Discovery tool for free to reveal the top three influencers according to your filters. You’ll need a paid account to view the full list. Pricing is upon request. HypeAuditor also offers marketing tools for campaign management, analytics, and market research.

12. Publicfast

Publicfast is an all-in-one influencer marketing tool. You can find influencers relevant to your niche, collaborate and approve content, as well as manage social media campaigns. Publicfast has a database of 20+ million influencers spread across YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Twitch, and LinkedIn—complete with contact details and average price per post.

Some of the platform’s standouts include:

• Content collaboration: Create content briefs describing the post’s objectives, set the deadline, and share it with the influencer. Review the drafted post, approve it, and then pay the collaborator directly within the platform. Keep in touch with influencers via the platform’s direct messaging feature.
• Influencer discovery: Identify relevant influencers through 30+ search filters, like follower counts or niche. Publicfast then lets you know the average pay per post, engagement rate, and how well you match with each influencer.
• Analytics: Track follower base growth, audience demographics, and engagement levels.

Pricing: Publicfast costs $99 per month (billed monthly), with a seven-day free trial available.

Instagram marketing tools FAQs

Which tool is best for Instagram?

Planable is one of the best Instagram marketing tools you can get. Its grid view lets you plan and preview your Instagram layout, while the feed view helps visualize how each post or story will look in your followers’ feeds. It also includes customizable multi-level approvals, which ensure your content rolls out error-free and in tip-top shape.

How do you grow your Instagram account in 2024?

In short, develop a unique brand personality to stand out from your competitors. Use relevant hashtags that align with your company and niche to boost visibility and attract qualified followers. Perform social media monitoring to see what people think about your brand and get involved in conversations to leave a positive impression.