The short version
You don't need to pay to see how your posts are doing. Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, TikTok and Threads all have free analytics built in, and Instagram now includes public personal accounts, not only business ones.
What free tools don't give you is one view across all of them. The free plans that try (Metricool, Buffer) keep 30 days of history and leave some networks out.
Each network's own free analytics
These come straight from the platform, so the numbers are the real ones. Checked on each platform's help pages on October 5, 2026.
| Network | Who gets it | Where to find it |
|---|---|---|
| Any public account, personal or professional (not private accounts) | In the app under your dashboard or Insights, or on instagram.com. Covers up to the last 90 days | |
| Facebook Page | Pages (Community Pages excluded) | Meta Business Suite, or the Page's Business Dashboard or Creator Dashboard. Up to 2 years of data |
| YouTube | Every channel | YouTube Studio, then Analytics |
| All members (post, creator and profile analytics); all Page admins | Under each post, and on your profile; the Analytics tab for Pages | |
| TikTok | Any account with at least one public post | Open TikTok Studio and pick the Analytics tab (full guide) |
| Threads | Shown in the app and on the web | Insights in the Threads app, or as a column on threads.com |
| X (Twitter) | Post activity is free with an ads account or at analytics.x.com | The newer account analytics page is marketed to Premium subscribers |
| Business accounts only | Pinterest Analytics, after switching to a business account | |
| Bluesky | No built-in analytics dashboard | Likes, reposts and replies show on each post |
Free Instagram analytics: three ways to see them
Two catches: private accounts get no insights at all, and age, gender and location only appear once at least 100 people have viewed your content. For what each number means, see Instagram insights explained.
- In the Instagram app. On a personal account, open your profile and look under Your dashboard. On a Business or Creator account, tap your professional dashboard. Either way you get reach, views, interactions and follower changes.
- On instagram.com. Instagram now shows account and content insights overviews in the browser, handy for checking on a computer.
- In Meta Business Suite. If your Instagram is linked to a Facebook Page, Business Suite shows both side by side, free, on the web or in its app.
Free all-in-one tools, and their catches
These put several networks in one place. Each free plan has a limit worth knowing before you connect anything. Checked on each vendor's pricing page on October 5, 2026.
| Tool | Free plan | The catch |
|---|---|---|
| Metricool | Yes: 1 brand, 30 days of analytics | LinkedIn and X (Twitter) aren't included on the free plan |
| Buffer | Yes: up to 3 channels, insights with 30-day history | No reports or custom analytics on the free plan |
| Zoho Social | Yes, after a 15-day trial: 1 brand, 6 channels | No reports at all on the free plan |
| Hootsuite | No, a 14-day trial | Paid after the trial |
| Later | No, a 14-day trial | Paid after the trial |
| Sprout Social | No, a 30-day trial | Paid per seat after the trial |
Google Analytics: what social media sends to your website
Network analytics stop at the edge of the app. If you have a website, Google Analytics is free and shows how many visitors came from each network and what they did next. Add UTM tags to the links you post (for example ?utm_source=instagram) so each post shows up on its own.
The five numbers worth tracking each month
Write them in one note or spreadsheet at the start of each month. Five minutes a month beats a dashboard you never open.
- Follower change: gained minus lost, per network. The trend matters more than the total.
- Reach: how many different people saw your posts. It tells you whether you're getting in front of new people.
- Engagement rate: likes, comments, shares and saves divided by reach (or views), times 100. The engagement rate calculator does the sum.
- Your best post: the one with the most shares or saves. Make more like it.
- Best time to post: when your own followers are online, from the audience or followers tab of each network.
Where PersonaXpand fits
Disclosure: PersonaXpand is our product. Its analytics shows Instagram, Facebook, X, LinkedIn, YouTube, Threads and Bluesky on one screen, read from each platform's official API, with follower growth, engagement and your own best posting times. It does not include TikTok's numbers; those stay in TikTok Studio.