10 best Khoros alternatives for unified social media, marketing, and customer care

Social media isn’t just a channel anymore, it’s where brands build relationships, resolve issues, and drive revenue. Today’s social teams need more than scheduling and analytics; they need platforms that connect marketing, service, and commerce into a unified customer experience.

Khoros has long been recognized as a leader in social customer engagement, blending publishing, messaging, and community management into one platform. But as customer experience becomes more connected and as social networks evolve their APIs and data policies — many organizations are beginning to feel the limits of Khoros. Its pricing, complexity, and recent changes in platform connectivity have left teams searching for more flexible, future-ready alternatives.

In May 2025, Khoros was acquired by IgniteTech, and by late July 2025 the company announced deactivation of the X (formerly Twitter) API within Khoros Care and Social Media Management, fueling many teams’ reassessment of their stack and long-term platform strategy.

The good news? There’s a new generation of platforms that match or surpass Khoros in key areas, whether you’re looking for enterprise-grade social care, nimble publishing, or unified customer experience management.

If you’re rethinking your social tech stack, here are 10 of the best Khoros alternatives to consider in 2025.

1. Emplifi

Best for: Enterprises seeking a unified platform for social media, marketing, commerce, and customer care.

Emplifi is more than a social media management tool, it’s an AI-powered customer engagement platform that unites marketing, commerce, and care into one seamless ecosystem. From social listening and influencer marketing to customer support and post-purchase engagement, Emplifi offers a complete view of your brand’s activities across every channel.

Why it’s a top alternative: While Khoros offers strong engagement and care capabilities, Emplifi goes further, bridging the gap between marketing, commerce, and customer care to give brands a 360° view of their activities and performance across those functions. It’s also an official partner with X (formerly Twitter), ensuring uninterrupted connectivity and compliance even as other platforms face API deactivations and limitations.

Emplifi also takes a thoughtful approach to AI, knowing which functions to automate for scale and efficiency, and which to keep human to preserve authenticity. At a time when some vendors are leaning too heavily on automation and losing the personal touch, Emplifi stands out for its balance between technology and empathy.

Adding Emplifi Care to the mix empowers customer care teams to deliver real-time, omnichannel support through social, messaging, and sentiment analysis. And unlike other vendors moving too aggressively toward automation, Emplifi maintains a personal, human-centered approach, using AI only where it enhances efficiency without sacrificing empathy.

Downsides: Enterprise-grade platform that may exceed the needs of smaller teams.

Make the switch to Emplifi today and see how unified social care, commerce, and marketing can accelerate ROI and elevate every interaction.

2. Sprinklr

Best for: Global enterprises managing high-volume, cross-channel social operations.

Sprinklr is an AI-driven CX management suite that spans publishing, engagement, advertising, and customer care at massive scale. With advanced governance, workflows, and compliance controls, it’s ideal for highly regulated or complex global teams.

Why it’s a top alternative: Sprinklr outperforms Khoros in scalability and governance. For large enterprises needing deep integrations with CRM and contact centers, it’s a robust and configurable option that ensures brand consistency across every market.

Downsides: Expensive and can require significant onboarding.

3. Brandwatch

Best for: Teams seeking advanced social listening, analytics, and unified campaign management.

Brandwatch (formerly Falcon.io) combines social media management, audience intelligence, and analytics into a single platform. With powerful social listening, content publishing, and reporting capabilities, it helps teams uncover insights and act on them quickly.

Why it’s a top alternative: Brandwatch stands out for its deep listening and AI-powered analytics, giving marketers a data-rich understanding of audience behavior and sentiment. Compared to Khoros, it offers a more intuitive user experience and flexible licensing, making it easier for global teams to collaborate on campaigns. Its integration of listening and publishing tools makes it ideal for brands looking to blend strategy, execution, and analysis in one place.

Downsides: Customer care features are more limited than full CX suites like Emplifi or Sprinklr.

4. Sprout Social

Best for: Teams seeking intuitive publishing and engagement tools with strong analytics.

Sprout Social offers a clean, user-friendly interface with deep functionality across publishing, engagement, analytics, and listening. It’s particularly strong for mid-sized teams looking to centralize their workflows without the complexity of enterprise tools.

Why it’s a top alternative: Sprout delivers much of Khoros’s functionality in a simpler package. It’s easier to learn and ideal for marketing-driven teams that don’t require extensive service or community modules.

Downsides: User-based pricing can make scaling expensive.

5. Hootsuite

Best for: Teams managing multiple social accounts and high content volumes.

Hootsuite remains a go-to for social publishing, monitoring, and analytics. Its extensive integrations and customizable dashboards make it well-suited for large marketing operations or agencies managing multiple brands.

Why it’s a top alternative: Hootsuite has strengthened its analytics and listening capabilities since acquiring Talkwalker, bringing in AI-powered insights and predictive social intelligence. It also includes OwlyWriter AI, which helps generate captions, content ideas, and hashtag suggestions directly in the platform, giving teams smart, AI-aided content support.

Downsides: Dated UI relative to newer competitors, and its customer care features are less robust compared to dedicated CX suites.

6. Meltwater

Best for: Brands prioritizing social listening, media intelligence, and unified publishing.

Meltwater combines social media management with advanced media monitoring, giving brands visibility across social, news, blogs, and forums. Its platform unites publishing, engagement, and analytics with powerful listening and trend insights to help teams understand and influence brand perception.

Why it’s a top alternative: Meltwater excels in media intelligence and analytics, offering a broader listening scope than Khoros and deeper insights into earned and owned media. It’s ideal for PR, marketing, and communications teams that want to track sentiment, coverage, and social performance from one place.

Downsides: Limited customer care capabilities and automation compared to full CX suites like Emplifi or Sprinklr. Pricing is tailored for enterprise needs, which may be out of reach for smaller teams.

7. Zendesk

Best for: Businesses prioritizing customer support and social messaging integration.

Zendesk integrates social messaging directly into its customer service workflows, helping support teams manage conversations across X, Facebook, WhatsApp, and more.

Why it’s a top alternative: For brands using social primarily as a service channel rather than a marketing tool, Zendesk provides a smoother, purpose-built experience with robust ticketing, automation, and reporting.

Downsides: Limited publishing and analytics capabilities.

8. Agorapulse

Best for: Small to mid-sized teams seeking simplicity and cost-efficiency.

Agorapulse combines publishing, engagement, monitoring, and analytics in a clean, affordable package. It’s easy to use, scales transparently, and includes collaboration tools for content approvals and reporting.

Why it’s a top alternative: Khoros can be overkill for smaller teams. Agorapulse delivers most of what marketing teams need with simpler workflows and predictable pricing.

Downsides: Lacks enterprise-level automation and integrations.

9. Later

Best for: Visual-first brands and influencer-led teams focused on content performance and social commerce.

Later helps brands plan, preview, and measure visual content with built-in creator management and affiliate tracking tools. It’s particularly strong for lifestyle and retail brands leveraging influencer-driven sales.

Why it’s a top alternative: Later is doubling down on influencer commerce, with the platform acquiring Mavely in 2025 to expand its creator network and unlock better attribution for influencer-driven sales.  This acquisition helps Later  bridge content, commerce, and creator analytics more deeply than Khoros currently can.

Downsides: More narrow use case for brands not focused on influencer/visual strategies. Its customer care functionality and enterprise automation are lighter than in full CX platforms.

10. Zoho Social

Best for: Small businesses looking for strong value and CRM connectivity.

Zoho Social offers publishing, monitoring, and analytics at an unbeatable price point. Integrated directly with Zoho CRM, it gives teams visibility into social interactions and campaign performance without enterprise overhead.

Why it’s a top alternative: Zoho provides a unified view of engagement and activity across platforms at a fraction of the cost of Khoros, making it ideal for startups and growing SMBs.

Downsides: Dated UI and lacks advanced enterprise capabilities.

Conclusion: Time to move beyond Khoros

Social media has evolved into the backbone of the customer journey, not just a marketing tool. While Khoros remains a capable platform, its recent direction and API limitations suggest it may no longer be the most agile or connected solution for modern brands.

Platforms like Emplifi are redefining what’s possible, uniting marketing, commerce, and care in one AI-powered ecosystem. By providing a 360° view of your brand’s activities across every function, Emplifi helps bridge the gaps that siloed tools leave behind. With official X partnership status, unified insights, and a balanced approach to AI, Emplifi empowers teams to deliver connected, measurable, and meaningful experiences.