For a typical SME posting about 16 times a month across two or three platforms, the honest cost depends entirely on who does the work: roughly 12–20 hours of your own time if you do it yourself, about S$600–S$1,500 a month for a freelancer, and S$1,500–S$4,000+ a month for a boutique agency. Software such as Pulse starts at US$99 per month if you have someone to drive it. Use the calculator below to compare the four routes for your own numbers.
Estimates use typical Singapore market ranges, not quotes. DIY assumes ~0.4–0.7 hrs per post including planning, writing and design, scaled by platforms. Pulse shown at the US$99 Grow plan (about S$135/mo); done-for-you is quoted per business.
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The number that moves your cost the most is not the tool — it is who supplies the hours. Every route produces roughly the same output (a planned, on-brand month). What differs is whether you are paying with your own time, a freelancer's, an agency's, or a smaller software fee plus a little of your own judgement.
| Route | What you pay | Best when |
|---|---|---|
| Do it yourself | 12–20 hrs/month of your time | You genuinely have the hours and enjoy it |
| Freelancer | ~S$600–S$1,500/month | You can brief and manage one person |
| Boutique agency | ~S$1,500–S$4,000+/month | You want it fully handled and have the budget |
| Software (Pulse) | From US$99/month + a few of your hours | You have someone to drive it |
| Done-for-you (Pulse Managed) | Quoted per business | Nobody on your side will run the tool |
Pulse is an AI content engine: you set your brand up once and it plans and generates a full month of captions and visuals for Instagram, TikTok and Facebook. You approve every post and you publish — it does not auto-post and it does not take your logins. If you have someone to drive it, the self-serve plan from US$99 per month is the cheapest way to a consistent month. If you do not, Pulse Managed is the same engine run by our team, quoted per business.
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For a typical SME posting around 16 times a month across two or three platforms, the real cost ranges widely by route. Doing it yourself is roughly 12 to 20 hours of your own time. A freelancer commonly runs S$600 to S$1,500 a month. A boutique agency commonly runs S$1,500 to S$4,000 a month or more. Software such as Pulse starts at US$99 per month for the self-serve plan; a done-for-you managed service is quoted per business. These are typical Singapore market ranges, not quotes.
Software is almost always the cheaper line item, but only if you have someone to drive it. A tool like Pulse needs a person to set the brand up, steer the month and pick what is good, so the honest comparison is software plus a few hours of your time versus a freelancer or agency who supplies both the tool and the hours. If nobody on your side will run it, a managed or done-for-you route usually gives a better real-world result even though it costs more.
Most Singapore SMEs do well with about 12 to 20 posts a month across the platforms that matter to them, mixing static posts, carousels and short video. Consistency matters more than volume: a steady 12 posts a month beats 30 posts one month and nothing the next.
No. Pulse plans and generates the month and you approve and post. It does not auto-publish and it does not take your account logins. The approval step is deliberate, especially for regulated businesses where a qualified person should sign off before anything goes out.
No. The figures are typical Singapore market ranges to help you compare routes, not a quote. Freelancer and agency prices vary by scope and seniority; Pulse self-serve plans are published on the site, and a done-for-you managed engagement is scoped and quoted per business.