How Much Does a Social Media Manager Cost in the UK? (2026 Guide)

A freelance social media manager in the UK typically costs £150 to £800 per month, or £15 to £50 per hour.

Agencies usually charge £500 to £1,500+ per month depending on how many platforms and posts you need. Hiring in-house costs far more, with salaries starting around £24,000 a year.

Here's what those numbers actually get you, so you can work out which route fits your business.

What affects the price?

Four things move the number up or down:

Platforms. Instagram only is cheaper than Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn together. Each platform means more content, more formatting, more replying.

Posting frequency. Three posts a week costs less than daily posting. More posts means more planning, filming and editing time.

Content creation. Some managers only schedule content you give them. Others plan, write, design and edit everything. Full creation costs more but takes the whole job off your plate.

Strategy. Posting is one thing. Knowing what to post, and why, is another. Managers who bring a plan charge more than those who just press publish.

Freelancer vs agency vs employee

A freelancer suits you if you need one platform handled and you're happy to stay involved. An agency suits you if you want strategy, content and posting fully managed, with cover when someone's on holiday. An employee only makes sense once social media is a full-time job in your business. For most small firms it isn't, and the £40,000 true cost of a hire buys years of agency support instead.

Is it worth the money?

Do the maths on your own time first. If you spend five hours a week on posts, that's over 20 hours a month. What's an hour of your time worth? For most business owners, paying a manager costs less than doing it themselves, and the content is better.

The bigger cost is usually the invisible one: the leads you don't get because posting keeps slipping down the list.

What does Storm Socials+ charge?

We keep it simple with two options.

Our Active packages start at £250 per month. We plan and create the content, you post it.

Our Interactive packages start at £550 per month. We handle everything from strategy to posting, so nothing lands back on your plate.

See our packages here. Our Active tier stays affordable because you handle the posting. The strategy and content are the same standard as our full packages.

FAQ

Can I pay a social media manager hourly? Some freelancers charge £15–£50 per hour, but most work on monthly retainers because social media needs consistency, not one-off bursts.

Do cheap packages work? It depends what's inside them. Packages with no strategy behind the posts can fill your feed but rarely fill your pipeline. That's why our lowest-priced tier still includes full strategy and content creation. You only save money by doing the posting yourself.