For a typical Singapore SME publishing around 16 posts a month, the 2026 benchmark is roughly S$600–1,500/month for a freelancer, S$1,500–4,000+/month for a boutique agency, or from about US$99/month for content software — while doing it yourself costs little cash but 12–20 hours of your own time. The real cost driver isn’t the price tag; it’s who supplies the hours.
Here is the honest spread for an SME that wants a consistent month of content — roughly 12 to 20 posts across two or three platforms:
| Option | Typical monthly cost | Your time each month | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Do it yourself | S$0 cash | 12–20 hours | Owners with spare hours and design confidence |
| Freelancer | S$600–1,500 | 2–4 hours (briefing, reviewing, chasing) | SMEs that want a person without agency overhead |
| Boutique agency | S$1,500–4,000+ | 1–2 hours (approvals) | Businesses that want strategy and a hands-off month |
| Content software | From ~US$99 (≈S$135) | 2–3 hours (steering and approving) | SMEs with someone willing to drive the tool |
The quotable version: a month of social content costs a Singapore SME roughly S$600–4,000 a month depending on who supplies the hours — or your own evenings if nobody does.
DIY is the most popular option and the most mispriced one. Sixteen decent posts a month means planning a calendar, writing captions, making or sourcing visuals, and posting — realistically 12 to 20 hours once you count the starts and stops. Value an owner’s hour at even S$50 and the “free” option costs S$600–1,000 a month in time you could have spent on the business. It never shows up on a bill, which is exactly why it wins by default.
A freelancer at S$600–1,500 a month is the cheapest way to get a human on the job — but you become the manager: briefing, reviewing, chasing deadlines. A boutique agency at S$1,500–4,000+ takes that management off your plate and adds strategy, which is precisely what the premium pays for. Neither is wrong; the question is whether you are paying for production, or for not having to think about it.
On paper, always: from around US$99 a month, software is a tenth of an agency retainer. In practice, only sometimes. A tool nobody opens produces nothing, and a subscription that never gets driven is the most expensive kind of cheap. Software wins on cost when someone on your side spends two or three hours a month steering it — setting the brand up once, reviewing the month’s plan, approving what’s good. If genuinely nobody has those hours, a freelancer or agency is the honest answer, not a smaller invoice.
Skip “what’s the lowest price” and ask one question instead: do we have the hours, or do we have the money? If you have a few hours and want the production done for you, software is the value play. If you have budget and no hours at all, pay a freelancer or agency and buy the whole job. If you have neither — start smaller than 16 posts rather than starting and stopping.
To run your own numbers, use our free content cost calculator — no sign-up.
Pulse is a Singapore-built AI content engine made for exactly the middle path: it learns your brand once, plans the month around Singapore dates, generates the visuals and captions, and packages everything for Instagram, TikTok and Facebook. You approve before anything is posted — plan, generate, approve, post. From US$99/month.
Commonly S$600 to S$1,500 per month for roughly 12 to 16 posts, based on publicly advertised Singapore rates in 2026. Video-heavy briefs, strategy work or community management push the figure higher.
Boutique agencies commonly charge S$1,500 to S$4,000+ per month for content retainers, and larger agencies charge well beyond that. The premium buys strategy, account management and hands-off execution.
On cash outlay, content software is cheapest at roughly US$99 a month — but only if someone on your team actually drives it. Doing it yourself is cheapest on paper and usually the most expensive option in practice, because it consumes 12 to 20 hours of the owner’s time.
Most SMEs do well with 12 to 20 posts a month across two or three platforms. Consistency matters more than volume — a steady 3 to 4 posts a week outperforms a burst followed by silence.
It replaces most of the production cost, not the judgment. Software like Pulse plans and generates the month, but you still review, approve and post — an agency additionally supplies strategy and hands-off management, which is what its premium pays for.
Pulse starts at US$99 a month for a full month of on-brand posts, visuals and captions. There is a 14-day free trial with 100 credits and no card required. You approve everything before it goes anywhere: plan, generate, approve, post.