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Social media manager cost calculator

Enter how many hours you spend on Instagram each week and what an hour of your time is worth. See what doing it yourself costs a month, next to typical freelancer and agency rates for the same hours, a full-time salary and Season’s price. Every figure links to its source and the date we checked it.

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  • Runs in your browser

Count everything: ideas, photos, design, captions, posting and replies. 3 is our example, not a statistic.

What you'd earn doing paid work in that hour. The quick values are BLS medians for May 2025: all US jobs, and PR specialists.

Posts per week

Used for the cost per post. Three a week is a pace most owners can keep.

Doing it yourself costs you about $319 a month in time.

3 hours a week is about 13 hours a month. Freelancer and agency figures are typical hourly rates for those same hours, not quotes.

  • Your time$319 a month

    13 hours a month at $24.51 an hour.

    About $25 a post at 3 posts a week.

    It never shows up on a bill, which is why it's easy to ignore.

  • A freelancer, same hours$182 to $455 a month

    At $14 to $35 an hour, the typical range for social media managers on Upwork. At the median of $20: $260.

    Someone experienced may need fewer hours than you, or charge more.

    Upwork, no date shown, checked Oct 10, 2026

  • An agency, same hours$325 to $637 a month

    At $25 to $49 an hour, the average hourly range of social media marketing agencies on Clutch.

    Social media marketing projects reviewed on Clutch average $5,107 a month, and most cost under $10,000 in total.

    Clutch, updated Sep 21, 2026, checked Oct 10, 2026

  • Season$39 a month

    Or $33 a month on the Season plan, $99 every 3 months.

    Up to 5 Instagram posts a week, designed, written and posted in your brand's style. About $3 a post at 3 a week.

    You still spend about 2 minutes a week approving, and you answer comments and messages yourself.

    Prices at launch: Season opens soon.

For reference: a full-time hire

About $5,472 a month in base salary ($65,659 a year on average in the US). With benefits and other employer costs, closer to $7,060 a month: an estimate, since a salary (wages plus paid leave) is about 78% of what private employers pay per hour worked.

Indeed, updated Oct 4, 2026, checked Oct 10, 2026. BLS, June 2026 data, checked Oct 11, 2026.

How we calculate, and the sources
  • Hours a month = hours a week × 52 ÷ 12. Posts a month works the same way.
  • Your time = hours a month × what your hour is worth. Cost per post = that ÷ posts a month.
  • Freelancer and agency = the same hours × their published hourly ranges. Real quotes depend on experience, how many networks, how much has to be made, and whether replies and ads are included.
  • Full-time hire = average salary ÷ 12, then ÷ 0.775 for the employer's total cost (an estimate that applies an economy-wide average to one job).
  • Season = its list price. Nothing you type leaves your browser.

Read the full guide to social media manager costsSee Season’s pricing

How to use it

  1. 1

    Count your hours

    Everything Instagram takes in a normal week: ideas, photos, design, captions, posting and replies.

  2. 2

    Price your hour

    What you’d earn doing paid work in that hour. Not sure? Start from the US median wage.

  3. 3

    Set your pace

    How many posts you want each week. It gives you the cost of a single post.

  4. 4

    Compare like with like

    Check what each option includes before comparing prices: replies, video and other networks change the picture.

How to read the numbers before you hire anyone

  • Your time is a real cost

    3 hours a week is about 13 hours a month. At the US median wage of $24.51, that’s about $319 of your time every month, before you’ve answered a single message.

  • Hourly ranges are wide for a reason

    Upwork lists what moves a freelancer’s price: experience, how many channels, how much engagement to handle, paid ads or contests, and how much original content you need.

  • Agency averages include big projects

    Clutch’s average of about $5,107 a month covers social media marketing in general, including large contracts. Most projects reviewed there cost under $10,000 in total.

  • A salary is not the whole cost

    In private industry, a salary (wages plus paid leave) is about 78% of what employers pay per hour worked; insurance, retirement, bonuses and legally required benefits make up the rest. Budget for both when you compare a hire with a service.

  • Price the scope, not the person

    Ask for a fixed monthly scope: posts per week, which networks, who takes the photos, who replies to comments and messages, and how you approve posts.

  • Match the option to the job

    If you need Reels, Stories, replies and several networks, a person or an agency is the right comparison. If you need steady Instagram feed posts in your style, compare tools.

Questions

How much does a social media manager cost per month?

It depends on the hours and the scope. Freelancers on Upwork typically charge $14 to $35 an hour (median $20), agencies on Clutch average $25 to $49 an hour, and Clutch’s social media marketing projects average about $5,107 a month. A full-time social media manager earns $65,659 a year on average in the US, per Indeed.

How much should a small business pay for social media help?

Start from the hours the work takes, then multiply by a fair hourly rate. The calculator does exactly that with your own numbers, so you can judge any quote against them. A quote far above the hours times a typical rate should come with a bigger scope: video, ads, replies or more networks.

Where do the figures come from?

Freelance rates from Upwork’s hiring guide, agency rates and project averages from Clutch’s pricing guide, the salary from Indeed, and wages and employer costs from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Each figure shows its source and the date we checked it.

Does the calculator save or send my numbers?

No. It’s plain arithmetic in your browser. Your numbers stay in the page address so you can share or bookmark a result. Nothing you type is sent to us.

Does Season replace a social media manager?

For part of the job. Season plans, designs, writes and publishes Instagram feed posts and carousels in your brand’s style, and you approve each week. It doesn’t make Reels, Stories or video, post to other networks, or answer comments and messages. Those still need you or a person you hire.

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