It’s no secret by now that influencer marketing can be an extremely effective way to promote your brand and its products. Finding influencers to share your brand’s story on social media helps you connect with consumers in a more organic and trusting way. 

But as the industry grows and grows—to $21.1B in 2023—so do the challenges that come along with implementing the strategies. Finding, vetting, and managing influencers isn’t always a walk in the park. 

To get a great ROI from your influencer marketing campaigns, you might need a little bit of help. Enter the influencer marketing platform. These platforms (sometimes also called influencer marketing tools) are software solutions that help you streamline and optimize your influencer strategy so you stay on track with your goals. 

How an influencer marketing platform works

In general, influencer marketing platforms make influencer marketing easier for brands, agencies, and sometimes influencers, too. Some common features found in them are:

  • Influencer search engine 
  • Profile analytics
  • Contact 
  • CRM or IRM (influencer relationship management) feature
  • Media monitoring
  • Results tracking and reporting

Some platforms offer a complete package of these features. But not every platform will have all them; some platforms specialize in just one or two. 

Apart from those “core” features, influencer marketing tools may incorporate other features, too. For example, they might include a social listening tool to let you monitor your own social media accounts for mentions and hashtags. 

Or, they might have a creator marketplace where you can post your campaign and let influencers apply. This lets you do inbound influencer marketing in addition to searching for influencers. 

What to keep in mind when choosing an influencer marketing platform

When choosing the best platform for your brand or agency, there are some things you should keep in mind apart from just the features offered.

You’ll also want to look at:

  • Networks covered: Do you want to do influencer marketing on Instagram, TikTok, etc? Make sure the platform you choose includes that network. 
  • Pricing: Most platforms require subscriptions. Make sure the pricing fits with your budget.
  • Ease of subscription: If an influencer marketing tool doesn’t make its pricing visible on its website and requires you to book a demo to get pricing info, it’s probably designed for enterprise users. 
  • Minimum commitment: Do they charge monthly? Yearly? Understand the minimum commitment so you can decide if it’s right for you. 
  • Free versions: Having a free trial or free plan can help you validate the tool before you actually invest. 
  • Ease of setup: Some platforms are ready to use “out of the box,” meaning once you subscribe you’re ready to get started. Others require an onboarding with a customer success specialist because the platform is more complex and the user needs assistance getting started. Consider what’s right for you and choose accordingly. 

The best influencer marketing platforms in 2023

Below is a list of the best influencer marketing tools in 2023. For each, you have a brief description of how the platform works, plus notes about its pricing, networks, and ease of setup. 

1. Heepsy

Influencer marketing platform Heepsy
The Heepsy influencer marketing tool searching for lifestyle influencers

Heepsy is a powerful platform designed to assist brands and agencies in finding the perfect influencers for their campaigns. With its comprehensive set of features and user-friendly interface, Heepsy simplifies the influencer discovery process and provides valuable insights into influencers' reach, engagement, and audience demographics.

Heepsy offers a vast influencer database, allowing users to search and filter through millions of influencers based on various criteria such as location, category, follower count, and engagement rate. This enables brands to identify influencers who align with their target audience and campaign goals.

The platform also provides in-depth analytics, including engagement metrics, and audience demographics, so that brands can make data-driven decisions when selecting influencers. 

Heepsy also offers features such as contact information for influencers, lists to save your favorite influencers, and data exports. 

  • Networks covered: Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Twitch
  • Pricing: Monthly plans starting at $49/month
  • Free version: Free trial with no time limit, no credit card required
  • Setup: Out of box

2. BuzzSumo

BuzzSumo is a comprehensive content research and monitoring tool designed to enhance your digital marketing efforts. With its array of features, the platform streamlines the process of discovering trends, analyzing content performance, and identifying key influencers in your niche. It boasts an extensive influencer database that empowers users to locate and evaluate relevant influencers based on various criteria, including contact information, social media engagement, and website metrics.

A standout is its collaborative workspace, which fosters teamwork by enabling seamless communication, task delegation, and progress monitoring. This ensures that everyone on your team stays aligned and productive throughout the campaign lifecycle.

Moreover, BuzzSumo offers robust campaign management capabilities, allowing users to organize and track outreach efforts efficiently.

  • Networks covered: Primarily focuses on URLs rather than social networks
  • Pricing: Monthly plans starting at $24 per month
  • Free version: 14-day free trial, albeit with credit card information required.
  • Setup: Straightforward and depends on the chosen plan

3. Shopify Collabs

Shopify Collabs is an influencer marketing tool that facilitates brand-influencer connections. It provides a vast network of influencers spanning various niches and industries, allowing brands to discover the right creators for their campaigns. 

The platform simplifies collaboration and campaign management by offering communication tools and content-sharing capabilities. Brands can effectively communicate their campaign objectives, track progress, and review influencer-generated content. 

Since the platform is native to Shopify, it integrates well with their e-commerce features. But, it goes without saying that in order to use Shopify Collabs, you need to have a Shopify store. 

  • Networks covered: Instagram, TikTok, YouTube
  • Pricing: Free to install, unclear after that
  • Free version: Free to install the app
  • Setup: Need Shopify to connect

4. Buzzstream

The Buzzstream platform

BuzzStream is an end-to-end outreach platform that helps you stay organized and grow your digital PR and link-building results. The platform provides tools for efficient campaign management, allowing users to create personalized email templates, track email outreach progress, and manage follow-ups. 

Though not specifically an influencer marketing platform, it offers an extensive influencer database, enabling users to find and research relevant influencers based on contact details, social media profiles, and website metrics. This helps brands identify influential individuals to collaborate with for their campaigns.

Additionally, the collaborative workspace feature facilitates team collaboration, task assignment, and progress tracking.

  • Networks covered: Focused on URLs, not social networks
  • Pricing: Monthly plans starting at $24/month, but pricing is contacts-based
  • Free version: 14-day free trial, credit card info required
  • Setup: Depends on the plan you choose

5. Brandbassador

Brand ambassdor management tool Brandbassador

Brandbassador is a software platform that helps brands manage their brand ambassadors. There is a strong focus on nurturing relationships, while not such a heavy focus on discovering new influencers.

Another feature of Brandbassador is its “Missions.”  Missions gamify influencer marketing by allowing brands to set up special challenges for ambassadors to earn prizes, cash, points, or whatever incentive the brand defines. 

Overall, the platform provides a centralized space for brands to manage campaigns and tasks assigned to ambassadors, track the ROI coming from those, and optimize for the future. 

  • Networks covered: Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, Snapchat—but done via integration, not native connection
  • Pricing: Not provided
  • Free version: No
  • Setup: Unclear

6. Modash

Influencer marketing tool Modash

Modash lets you search for influencers using a wide array of filters: locations and languages, followers, engagement, hashtags, mentions, keywords, account type, and so on. 

It also lets you vet influencers before reaching out. Do a fake follower check, analyze their engagement rate and growth, and check out audience data.

With Modash, you can’t reach out directly via the platform. Instead, you have to export influencer email addresses and then reach out via a mail merge or your CRM tool. Also, Modash has several limits when it comes to how many results you can see, how many analytics reports you can view, and so on, so keep this in mind when evaluating plans. 

  • Networks covered: Instagram, TikTok, YouTube
  • Pricing: Monthly plans starting at $120/month
  • Free version: 14-day free trial, no credit card required
  • Setup: Out of box

7. GRIN

Influener marketing platform GRIN

GRIN touts itself as a creator management platform. GRIN’s platform focuses on three things: discovering and recruiting creators, nurturing relationships, and then analyzing results and refining your process. 

One of GRIN’s strong points is its integrations. For e-commerces, it integrates with Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento, and the SalesForce Commerce Cloud. GRIN also lets you create landing pages to use in your influencer recruitment. 

One limitation worth mentioning is that GRIN does not offer its core features for use with Instagram influencers. Given that Instagram is consistently the most-used network in influencer marketing, this is important to have in mind. 

  • Networks covered: TikTok, YouTube
  • Pricing: Not provided
  • Free version: No
  • Setup: Onboarding required

8. TrendHERO

TrendHero filters

TrendHERO specializes in influencer marketing within the Instagram ecosystem. Focused on providing accurate insights, it helps you identify fake Instagram influencers. They have a database of 100M+ Instagram influencers to choose from, and 19 filters to help you find the right ones. 

TrendHERO also lets you contact influencers right on the platform. You just have to find who you want to contact, prepare your template, and click “Send.”

In addition to finding influencers, TrendHERO lets you monitor your brand’s Instagram account. Users can gain valuable insights into their competitors' account growth, content performance, and timing of paid ad campaigns. By leveraging this information, brands can stay ahead of the competition and fine-tune their own strategies for optimal results.

  • Networks covered: Instagram
  • Pricing: Monthly plans starting at $15.99/month
  • Free version: 14-day free trial, no credit card required
  • Setup: Out of box

9. Meltwater

Meltwater's influencer search

With Meltwater, brands can leverage powerful social listening tools to discover influencers who align with their goals. These tools enable brands to assess crucial factors like influencer audience size, authenticity, and niche.

Furthermore, Meltwater's platform facilitates end-to-end management of the entire influencer marketing strategy. Brands can effortlessly handle content creation, campaign execution, and measurement. And automated reporting features enable brands to track the success of each piece of content and campaign.

  • Networks covered: For influencer marketing, unclear. For social listening, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Reddit, blogs, and more. 
  • Pricing: Not provided
  • Free version: No
  • Setup: Some training required

10. Shoutcart

Influencers as seen on Shoutcart

Shoutcart is an influencer marketplace that resembles an e-commerce website more than a standard platform. The idea here is to buy “shoutouts”—or content featuring your brand in some way—from influencers. 

Users can browse influencers using the search engine, place orders for desired exposure, and rely on Shoutcart to collect their payment and only release it once the influencer fulfills the request. 

Since Shoutcart's emphasis is on Instagram influencers, it may not provide the same level of versatility and reach as other platforms that cater to a wider range of brand requirements.

  • Networks covered: Instagram
  • Pricing: Monthly plans starting at $49/month
  • Free version: Free trial that lets you check out 3 influencers
  • Setup: Out of box

11. HypeAuditor

A sample HypeAuditor profile

HypeAuditor is an all-in-one solution that places a strong emphasis on fraud prevention. It''s a pretty standard influencer marketing tool, with features related to influencer discovery, account analytics, campaign management, and market research.

HypeAuditor offers 35 metrics to analyze so you can make sure you don’t end up working with fake influencers. They have a database with 74M+ influencers across five networks, so you have a lot to choose from. 

They’ve also recently rolled out some features for influencers to monitor and keep track of their own accounts and metrics. 

  • Networks covered: Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Twitch, Twitter
  • Pricing: Not provided
  • Free version: No
  • Setup: Out of box

12. Post for Rent

Influencer tool Post for Rent

Post for Rent provides the typical search and analytics features of an influencer marketing tool. They say they have a database of 1M+ influencers, which is a bit lower than the sizes claimed by other platforms. 

They also have an influencer marketplace, where you can post your campaign. Though you still have to search through influencers to staff your campaign. Unlike some other platforms on the list, the influencers don’t come to you. 

On top of discovery, PFR offers some other, more unique features. They offer bespoke campaign management and influencer management consulting, essentially functioning as an agency. There’s also a Metaverse integration and a feature for YouTube MCN ads. 

  • Networks covered: Instagram, YouTube, TikTok
  • Pricing: Not provided
  • Free version: No
  • Setup: Training required

13. Upfluence

Creator matching on Upfluence

Upfluence is a 360 influencer marketing platform, meaning it has tools for every step of your campaign. You can search, analyze, and contact influencers all through the platform. And after your campaign is up and running, you can track its progress and report on results. 

Upfluence offers you the ability to identify influential customers and convert them into influencers, too. It does this through integrations to your own CRM or e-commerce platform. Take note this feature is only available in the two highest plans. 

On top of that, you can pay influencers or run product seeding campaigns through the platform. You can also do affiliate marketing. Upfluence all in all is a pretty complete solution, but given all the bells and whistles, it might be best for large companies who want to run all their partner marketing in one place. 

  • Networks covered: Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Twitter, Snapchat, Twitch, Blogs, YouTube
  • Pricing: Not provided
  • Free version: No
  • Setup: Need Upfluence expert help

14. Klear

Klear's influencer search

Klear is a popular choice for brands seeking access to a vast network of 900 million influencers for collaboration. The platform offers not only influencer discovery but also advanced analytics and relationship management tools. With Klear, brands can track all correspondence, including contracts and payments, in one centralized location.

Klear offers CRM functionality to help brands maintain relationships with influencers. With this feature, brands can track conversations, content, timelines, and other important data from a single source. 

While these features are great, it should be clear that Klear has limits for each of its plans. You can activate 100, 300, and 2,500 influencers in its three plans respectively. Pricing is not displayed, which means these are probably enterprise subscriptions. 

  • Networks covered: Instagram TikTok, YouTube
  • Pricing: Not pricing
  • Free version: No
  • Setup: Meeting needed

15. Aspire

Aspire, formerly Aspire IQ, rebranded recently. They’re now described as a platform and marketplace. This means you can use all the features of a traditional platform, and also let influencers apply to your campaign via the marketplace. 

Various integrations let you connect your ecommerce, Gmail, Outlook, Slack, or Klaviyo. This way, you can have everything related to influencers in one place. 

Aspire also offers agency services. They’ll manage your entire campaign for you, though this isn’t included in the price of the platform. 

  • Networks covered: Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Pinterest
  • Pricing: Not provided
  • Free version: No
  • Setup: Some training required

16. IZEA

IZEA influencer search

IZEA’s primary claim is flexibility. They offer a range of options to suit different needs and preferences, allowing users to customize their level of involvement using the key features available on their platform. 

IZEA has two main products for brands: IZEA Flex, and the Creator Marketplace. With IZEA Flex, you get a standard influencer marketing platform. You can discover and connect with influencers, manage campaigns, track performance metrics, and communicate in real time with influencers. 

The Creator Marketplace on the other hand lets you “shop” influencers. If you’ve ever used Fiverr, the freelancer marketplace, the feel is very similar to that. You can review jobs or gigs posted by influencers (ex: “Quality Instagram Post by @influnamehere”) and buy the ones that interest you. At the same time, brands can post “Casting Calls” and let influencers apply.

  • Networks covered: Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Blogs, Pinterest
  • Pricing: Flex monthly plans starting at $165/month. 
  • Free version: For Flex, 10-day free trial, credit card required. For Marketplace, the free plan lets you do 3 casting calls per month. 
  • Setup

17. CreatorIQ

A Creator IQ influencer profile

To start, know that CreatorIQ is an enterprise-level platform, designed for brands with big budgets and who need a lot of influencer marketing support. Given that it’s an enterprise solution, CreatorIQ integrates with many platforms through APIs. 

With this tool, users can effortlessly discover influencers to engage with, measure the return on investment through comprehensive analytics, and strategize and implement effective campaigns.

CreatorIQ claims to be a platform for “creator-led marketing” and has features for repurposing influencer content for your owned, earned, and paid channels. Therefore, it could be a good solution for big budgets who want to consolidate various channels around influencer-created content. 

  • Networks covered: Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Twitch, Pinterest, blogs
  • Pricing: Not provided
  • Free version: No
  • Setup: Training required

18. Influencity

An example Influencity profile

Influencity claims to be a platform “that empowers collaboration.” Their star feature is their IRM, or influencer relationship management tool. 

Apart from the IRM, you get a pretty standard suite of influencer marketing tools: discovery, analysis, campaign management, and results monitoring. 

One of the biggest pains with this platform may be their various limits when it comes to plans and pricing. There are different limits for searches, results, analyses, storage, lists, users, and reports, which all change based on the plan. So if you’re going to use Influencity, it’s a good idea to have a rough idea of how many of each feature you may need.  

  • Networks covered: Instagram, TikTok, YouTube
  • Pricing: Monthly plans starting at $168/month
  • Free version: 7-day free trial, no credit card required
  • Setup: Out of box

19. Collabstr

The Collabstr interface

Collabstr is primarily an influencer marketplace. Similar to IZEA’s Marketplace, Collabstr has a Fiverr vibe. You “shop” influencers by reviewing the content offerings they’re selling and buying the ones that fit best with your objectives. 

To find the right influencers, there’s a limited search that lets you choose from 3 networks and categories, keywords, or locations.

Collabstr puts a big focus on UGC, user-generated content. UGC works wonders for brands, but if you want a pure influencer marketing tool, Collabstr might not be the best shout. 

  • Networks covered: Instagram, TikTok, YouTube
  • Pricing: No upfront cost. Collabstr does not have subscriptions, but takes a cut each time you pay an influencer.
  • Free version: Yes and no (use is free, payments are charged)
  • Setup: Out of box

20. Julius

Julius' reporting

Julius is an platform that provides a database of influencers for brand collaborations. It offers influencer analytics for audience insights and campaign performance measurement. 

One thing that sets Julius apart is that it claims that “the analysts at Julius build every profile to ensure you can get a full picture of influencers before you partner with them.” Influencers are opt-in, meaning they sign up. 

Given the fact that it’s impossible for a human team to manually manage millions of influencer profiles, Julius is bound to have a smaller database than other platforms. 

  • Networks covered: Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat, Pinterest, Twitter, Twitch
  • Pricing: Not provided
  • Free version: No
  • Setup: Unclear

21. Mavrck

An example Mavrck profile

With an extensive influencer database, Mavrck facilitates influencer discovery and management, along with campaign organization and measurement. The platform also offers features like relationship management, workflow automation, and campaign analytics, empowering brands to efficiently execute and track their influencer marketing initiatives.

Mavrck places a lot of emphasis on being a true all-in-one platform. They highlight some features most other platforms don’t have, like Influencer Brand Safety tracking, which uses natural language processing algorithms and Google Vision AI to detect if an influencer is or isn’t safe for your brand. 

  • Networks covered: TikTok, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube
  • Pricing: Not provided
  • Free version: No
  • Setup: Unclear

22. Traackr

A Traackr profile

Traackr is an influencer marketing tool that gives you all the classic features. It also facilitates affiliate influencer marketing programs, allowing brands to attribute sales to influencers. 

Further, the platform streamlines processes such as sending influencer gifts, paying commissions, and recommending fees for paid collaborations. With Traackr, brands can efficiently manage influencer relationships and track campaign outcomes.

Given the fact that it doesn’t have transparent info about pricing and its notable clients include major names, expect this platform to be an enterprise-level solution. 

  • Networks covered: Not stated
  • Pricing: Not provided
  • Free version: No
  • Setup: Training required

23. Onalytica

A graphic showing how Onalytica works

Onalytica, a pioneer in the influencer platform space, offers essential features for brands looking to optimize their influencer marketing strategies. 

The platform allows users to discover and connect with potential influencer partners, providing a dedicated influencer management platform to facilitate efficient relationship management. 

Additionally, Onalytica empowers marketers to measure the impact of their influencer campaigns, gaining valuable insights into brand awareness and engagement. This enables users to accurately assess the growth and effectiveness brought about by their influencers.

The fact that they’ve been around forever isn’t surprising, and the website can feel a bit out of touch for millennial and Gen Z users. This solution might be best for people who prefer a more traditional take on an influencer marketing tool. 

  • Networks covered: Unclear
  • Pricing: Not provided
  • Free version: No
  • Setup: Unclear

24. Creator.co

A sample profile from Creator.co

Creator.co is an influencer marketing tool where “brands and creators connect, collaborate, grow, & earn more money.” The brand places a special emphasis on micro-influencers.

Its influencer search and insights cover 300M profiles across 6 networks. You can choose from a wide variety of filters to narrow down your search.

Creator.co also has a marketplace. Here, they claim to have 175K registered influencers who can apply to your campaign. The idea is the same as other influencer marketplaces: you post your campaign, influencers apply, and you activate the ones you want. 

  • Networks covered: TikTok, Instagram, Youtube, Twitter, Twitch, Pinterest
  • Pricing: Monthly plans starting at $460/month (some additional charges may apply)
  • Free version: No
  • Setup: Depends on plan

25. #paid

Sample influencer content of #paid

#paid calls itself a platform, but it’s really a marketplace. It uses your campaign brief to match you to influencers that would be a good fit. Creators then pitch their campaign concepts to you, and you get to activate who you choose. 

The platform also offers centralized communications, automated reminders, and constant support from a designated Success Manager. Before posting content, influencers can upload it to #paid, where you provide feedback before publication. 

There’s also an ads manager that integrated with Facebook, so you can repurpose influencer content as Facebook ads. This feature allows for whitelisting, so that your ads come from the influencer’s handle and not your brand’s. 

  • Networks covered: Not stated
  • Pricing: Not provided
  • Free version: No
  • Setup: Out of box

Need help choosing the right platform for you?

If you’re still wondering which influencer marketing tool is right for you, let us help you out a bit. Book a free demo with our team to see how Heepsy might be the platform you’ve been looking for.