SMALL BUSINESS · COST
What social media management costs
a small business.
Social media management for a small business costs about $500–$2,500 a month from a freelancer, $500–$5,000 or more from an agency, and $65,584–$71,263 a year in salary for a US hire. PaperFlight, an AI CMO with its own team, plans, writes, designs and publishes a post every day for $199 a month.
THE SHORT ANSWER
Pay a person if…
You need someone to reply to comments and messages in your voice, film you, run community or influencer work, or sit in your meetings.
Choose PaperFlight if…
What you need is the posts themselves, planned, written, designed in your look and published every day on every channel, then measured and improved, for a fraction of a salary.
The four options, priced
Typical cost
- Freelancer
- $500–$2,500 a month
- Agency
- $500–$5,000+ a month
- In-house (US)
- $65,584–$71,263 a year salary
- PaperFlight
- $199 a month, or $166 a month billed yearly
Posts
- Freelancer
- Agreed in the contract
- Agency
- Agreed in the contract
- In-house (US)
- Full-time
- PaperFlight
- One every day
Designs in your brand
- Freelancer
- Usually
- Agency
- In-house (US)
- PaperFlight
Short videos with voiceover
- Freelancer
- Extra
- Agency
- Extra
- In-house (US)
- If they can
- PaperFlight
Measures and changes the plan
- Freelancer
- Sometimes
- Agency
- Monthly report
- In-house (US)
- PaperFlight
- Yes, weekly
Replies to comments and messages
- Freelancer
- Often
- Agency
- Often
- In-house (US)
- PaperFlight
Notice to stop
- Freelancer
- Contract
- Agency
- Contract, often a minimum term
- In-house (US)
- Employment
- PaperFlight
- Cancel any time
Freelance and agency ranges: eClincher and WebFX 2026 pricing guides. Salaries: Indeed and Glassdoor US averages. Employer costs on top of salary are not included.
Freelancer: $500–$2,500 a month
Freelance social media managers charge about $35–$150 an hour, or $500–$2,500 a month on retainer for a small business. The price follows the number of channels and posts, and whether design, video and reporting are included.
Agency: $500–$5,000+ a month
WebFX reports average agency pricing of $500–$5,000 a month. An agency brings a team (strategist, writer, designer) and a process, at a higher price and usually a minimum term.
In-house: about $65,000–$71,000 a year
In the US, Indeed lists an average social media manager salary of $65,584 and Glassdoor an average of $71,263. Add benefits, tools and the time it takes to hire and manage someone.
AI CMO: $199 a month
PaperFlight is an AI CMO with its own team: a CMO that plans the week toward your goal, a Researcher, a Writer, a Designer that makes every post in your colours, fonts and logo, a Publisher that posts to LinkedIn, X, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, Threads and Bluesky, and an Analyst that reads the results and tells the CMO what to change. You choose how it runs: approve each post before it goes out, or let it publish on its own inside a daily cap and quiet hours. You can switch at any time.
Where a person is better
- Replying to comments and messages in your own voice, as they come in.
- Filming on location, events, behind the scenes.
- Influencer outreach, community building, partnerships.
WHAT IT MAKES · EXAMPLE
Posts in your look, every morning.
Three posts PaperFlight's Designer made for PaperFlight's own brand. The same team makes yours, in your colours, fonts and logo.
What people ask.
How much should a small business pay for social media management?
Most small businesses pay a freelancer $500–$2,500 a month or an agency $500–$5,000. An AI CMO costs $199 a month and does the daily posting and measuring.
What do you get for that price?
Planning, writing, design, posting and a report; the scope depends on the contract. PaperFlight does all of it every day, on eight channels.
Is there a contract?
No. Pay monthly or yearly and cancel any time.
How do I start?
Get your first post free on the home page, made from your website. Then your first 7 days are $19, taken off your first month.
Hire the team. Keep your mornings.
Outside figures as their sources showed on 5 October 2026; they change often, so check before you buy.