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A look at the best Sprout Social alternatives, how much they cost, and some of their best features. 

What’s a struggle that marketers and creators have in common? Finding new and engaging social media content to post. And let's face it, creating every piece of content from scratch isn’t always doable, especially when you’re short on time and budget. Even if you had an all-seeing eye, easy access to a ton of great content exactly when you need it just isn’t the reality for most people.

That’s where content curation tools come in. They help you keep a steady stream of high-quality content flowing without the constant scramble. 

In this article, we’ll explore some of the best content curation tools available and why every creator and marketer should have them in their toolkit.

Whether you’re aiming to boost your social media engagement, improve your SEO, or just keep your audience in the loop with the latest trends, these tools can make a world of difference.

What are content curation tools?

A content curation tool is an application that helps you find and share relevant, authentic content.

Content curation is a smart solution to the constant demand for fresh content. But it’s more than just reposting great stuff. It's about finding, organizing, and sharing the best and most appropriate content in a way that adds value to your audience.

These tools help you sift through the noise to discover gems that resonate with your target audience. They save you time and effort while ensuring you consistently deliver high-quality, new content. In short, content curation tools are like your trusty sidekick in the quest to keep your audience hooked and your brand top-of-mind.

Why use content curation tools?

Content curation tools are game-changers for anyone looking to keep their content fresh and engaging. Here are a few reasons why you should consider using them:

1. Store new ideas: Ever come across an article or a post that sparks an idea for your next big project? Content curation tools help you store these gems in one place, so you can easily come back to them when you need a burst of inspiration. No more lost bookmarks or forgotten links!
2. Track interesting topics: Keeping up with your industry's latest trends and hot topics can be overwhelming. Content curation tools allow you to track and organize interesting topics effortlessly. Whether it's the latest in social media strategies or emerging trends in e-commerce, you’ll always be in the know.
3. Visual language: Images, infographics, and videos are essential for capturing your audience’s attention. Content curation tools help you find and save visual content that can complement your brand's voice. By integrating visuals, you make your curated content more engaging and appealing to your audience.
4. Enhance your content mix: Balancing original content with curated content can keep your feed interesting and diverse. Content curation tools help you easily mix in valuable third-party content with your own, ensuring your audience gets a well-rounded experience.
5. Save time and effort: Manually searching for content can be time-consuming. Content curation tools automate this process, saving you hours each week. They aggregate content from multiple sources, so you can quickly find what’s relevant without endless scrolling.
6. Improve engagement: Sharing high-quality, relevant content that resonates with your audience can significantly boost engagement. By using content curation tools, you ensure that you're consistently sharing content that sparks interest and conversation among your followers.
7. Strengthen your authority: You position your brand as a trusted authority by curating and sharing valuable content from industry leaders and reputable sources. This not only builds credibility but also fosters trust and loyalty among your audience.

In a nutshell, content curation tools streamline the process of finding and sharing top-notch content. They help you stay organized, keep your content pipeline full, and ensure that you're always ready to share something valuable with your audience.

Buffer

Surprised? Don’t be! Buffer isn’t just for scheduling posts – it’s also a great tool for content curation. I should know.

This functionality comes from Create, a content library where you can save and plan out all your ideas. It’s a solid addition to any content creation workflow. It has powerful organizational features, like tags and a board view, to help you keep track of your content.

Buffer allows you to use the Create space on the free plan, but if you want to scale to managing more than three social media accounts or need additional features like collaboration, analytics, and engagement tools, here’s a quick look at Buffer’s paid plans:

• Essentials: $6 per month per channel
• Team: $12 per month per channel
• Agency: $120 per month for 10 channels

If you’re not ready to commit, Buffer offers a 14-day free trial on all of its plans so you can try every feature first. 

Flipboard

Flipboard is a free content curation tool that turns your curated content into magazine-style layouts.

Flipboard allows you to create personalized magazines with articles, videos, and images based on your interests. It makes discovering and organizing the most relevant content easy, with seamless sharing to social media platforms.

Feedly

Feedly is a content curation platform that aggregates updates from your favorite websites, blogs, and publications into one convenient feed.

Feedly helps you stay organized by allowing you to save and categorize content into boards, add notes and highlights, and even prioritize content with its AI assistant. The browser extension makes it easy to save articles from anywhere on the web, and team collaboration features allow seamless sharing and discussion.

Feedly pricing: Free plan with basic features and paid plans starting at $8.25/month.

ContentGems

ContentGems is a content curation software that helps you find relevant web content across articles and blog posts.

ContentGems offers real-time content analysis and uses machine learning algorithms to recommend high-quality content based on your interests. It allows you to create custom workflows, integrate RSS feeds, and use advanced filters to curate content that resonates with your audience.

ContentGems pricing: Free plan with paid plans starting at $10 per month

BuzzSumo

BuzzSumo is a content discovery and analysis tool that helps you find the most popular content and influencers in your niche.

BuzzSumo allows you to discover trending content, analyze social engagement, and identify key influencers. Its features include content discovery, trend analysis, influencer outreach, and social media monitoring. With BuzzSumo, you can track competitors, set up content alerts, and use advanced search filters to refine your content strategy.

BuzzSumo pricing: Free plan with limited features, with paid plans starting at $199 per month.

Scoop.it

Scoop.it is a content curation tool designed to help you discover, curate, and publish content across multiple platforms.

Scoop.it automates the discovery of quality content from across the web, allowing you to curate, organize, and share it through social media, newsletters, and blogs. It also offers features like content hubs, team collaboration, and SEO optimization, making it a versatile tool for marketers and businesses.

Scoop.it pricing: Free plan available Pro plan: $14.99 per month (billed annually)

Quuu

Quuu is a content curation tool that helps you discover, collect, and share high-quality content tailored to your audience.

Quuu simplifies your social media strategy by curating relevant content based on your niche and scheduling it for optimal engagement times. It integrates with major social networks and scheduling tools (like Buffer!), making it easy to maintain a consistent online presence.

Quuu pricing: Free plan available with paid plan starting at $19.79 a month per social media profile

Pinterest

Pinterest is a free visual content curation tool that allows users to discover, save, and share images, videos, and GIFs through customizable boards.

Pinterest helps businesses and creators organize content into themed boards, making it easy to curate visually appealing collections that attract and engage users. By optimizing images with relevant descriptions, tags, and high-quality visuals, Pinterest can also enhance SEO and drive traffic to your website.

Pocket

Pocket is a content curation tool that allows users to save articles, videos, and web pages for later viewing.

Pocket helps you curate content by letting you save interesting finds with a simple browser extension or mobile app. You can organize your saved items with tags and highlights, making it easy to retrieve and reference them later. Additionally, Pocket provides personalized content recommendations based on your saved items, ensuring you always have fresh, relevant content at your fingertips.

Pocket pricing: Free plan available with paid plans starting at $4.99 per month.

Elink

Elink.io is a versatile content curation tool that helps users collect, curate, and publish web links as visually appealing content.

Elink.io allows you to save and organize links from across the web, turning them into beautiful newsletters, web pages, social bio links, and more. The platform offers features such as automation, collaboration, and integration with tools like Mailchimp and Zapier. With over 50 responsive templates, Elink.io makes it easy to create and share professional-looking content quickly.

Elink.io pricing: Free plan available; Pro plan: $15/month (billed annually)

UpContent

UpContent is a content discovery and curation tool designed to help users find, curate, and share high-quality, relevant content with their audience.

UpContent allows you to automatically set up customized topics to discover content from across the web. You can then organize the content into collections for easy sharing via social media, email newsletters, or directly on your website. The platform also integrates with tools like Buffer to streamline your content scheduling and posting process.

UpContent pricing: Free plan available with paid plans starting at  $15 per month

Curata

Curata is an enterprise-level content curation tool designed to help marketers discover, organize, and share high-quality content from around the web.

Curata uses AI to find relevant content and dynamically adapt to your preferences. It enables users to crowdsource content from their team, refine sources, and publish curated content across various channels such as social media, blogs, and email newsletters. Curata also integrates with popular CMS and marketing automation platforms, making it a comprehensive solution for your content marketing strategy.

Curata pricing: Free trial available, contact Curata for detailed pricing

Your audience is the most valuable content curation tools

Out of all the engaging and brand-relevant content swimming around the internet, none is as powerful as the voice of your audience. What are they engaging with? What do they want to know?

If you want to keep your marketing channels fed through a constant source of authentic content that also impacts your bottom line, authentic content powered by your users is the way forward.