Smash Balloon has been a go-to social media aggregator, especially for businesses with WordPress websites. However, its high costs, limitations, and occasional glitches often push users to seek alternatives that better suit their unique needs.
In this article, we dive into the top five Smash Balloon alternatives, examining their best features and pricing to help you make an informed decision.
Smash Balloon Alternatives at a Glance
Here’s a quick look at the social media aggregators we will discuss in this article.
| Best For | Top Features | Pricing | |
| Juicer.io | All-in-one social embedding | – Social media aggregator plugins – GDPR-compliant plugins – Social analytics dashboard |
From $25 per month |
| EmbedSocial | E-commerce UGC aggregation | – Customizable social media wall templates – Shoppable social feeds – Fees moderation and analytics |
From $29 per month |
| Walls.io | Event social walls | – Live polls, reactions, and direct posting for real-time engagement – Social media wall APIs – Sponsored content aggregation |
From $250 per month |
| Taggbox | AI-powered content curation | – Digital signage for live events – Hashtag aggregator – Social feed analytics |
From $249 per month |
| Flockler | Simple social embedding | – Shoppable feeds with call-to-action buttons – Customer review forms – Feed design templates |
From $60 per month |
What is Smash Balloon?
Smash Balloon provides social media aggregator plugins for WordPress websites. These plugins enable you to pull content from social channels like TikTok and Facebook, and display them on your WordPress site to engage website visitors.
It also offers search optimization tools that make it easy for search engine bots to crawl and index embedded content for improved organic search performance.
Top Features
- GDPR-compliant social feeds
- Multilingual support for social media walls
- Free customization options, including templates and live previews
Why Smash Balloon Users Look for an Alternative
Despite its decent features, Smash Balloon users often look for an alternative for the following reasons:
1. High Price Point
Smash Balloon is very expensive compared to other social media aggregation platforms. It charges per social channel — meaning the higher the number of channels, the more you pay. This cost quickly racks up for businesses aggregating content from multiple social channels at the same time.
2. Limited to WordPress
Smash Balloon only embeds social content on WordPress websites. If, for some reason, you migrate your website from WordPress to another platform, you won’t be able to embed and display social walls with Smash Balloon.
On the other hand, social aggregators like Juicer support multiple content management systems, including Wix and Shopify — giving you the ultimate flexibility to embed social media content wherever you want.
3. Buggy
Smash Ballon is sometimes buggy, leading to feed disruptions. Some users struggle with aggregating content from new sources and displaying social posts correctly.
The Top 5 Smash Balloon Alternatives
If you’re looking for a Smash Balloon alternative, here are the top social media aggregators to consider.
1. Juicer.io: All-in-One Social Embedding Tool
Juicer is a comprehensive social media aggregator solution for businesses of all sizes, especially e-commerce stores, non-profits, and educational institutions. It lets you embed content from more than 16 platforms — including Instagram, LinkedIn, and Yelp review sites — on a customizable website social wall.
Juicer also provides advanced feed moderation features for controlling which posts appear on your social wall. For example, you can automatically filter out content that includes certain words or hashtags.
Top Features
- Social media aggregator plugins for WordPress, Wix, Shopify, and other content management systems
- GDPR-compliant plugins for maximum data security and privacy
- A central analytics dashboard for tracking social post performance
Pricing
Juicer has a free plan and three paid plans. You get 10% off paid plans if you do an annual subscription. Here’s the full pricing breakdown:
- Starter: $25 per month
- Pro: $99 per month
- Enterprise: Custom pricing
2. EmbedSocial: E-Commerce UGC Aggregator
EmbedSocial is a user-generated content platform primarily designed for e-commerce businesses. It lets you aggregate social content and share it on your website as part of your UGC or other marketing campaigns.
While EmbedSocial offers a decent suite of features, it is too expensive for smaller businesses with tight budgets. Its steep learning curve can also be a challenge for teams lacking technical expertise.
Top Features
- Customizable social media wall templates
- Shoppable social feeds
- Fees moderation and analytics
Pricing
EmbedSocial has three plans for its social media aggregator tool:
- Pro: $29 per month
- Pro Plus: $49 per month
- Premium: $99 per month
Related: The best EmbedSocial alternatives for businesses
3. Walls.io: Social Wall for Events
Walls.io lets you create beautiful social media walls for event marketing. These walls can serve as digital signages, keeping attendees informed about the latest activities. Alternatively, they can serve as interactive selfie walls, displaying photos shared by attendees throughout the event.
However, one drawback of Walls.io is its inadequate filtering options. If you want to filter posts by a specific keyword or phrase, you must include it when setting up the source or social channel. Adding or adjusting the keyword or filter later won’t work. Instead, you’ll need to remove the source and set it up again with the desired keyword or filter.
Top Features
- Live polls, reactions, and direct posting for real-time engagement
- Social media wall APIs
- Sponsored content aggregation
Pricing
Walls.io offers separate pricing options for its different packages:
- 30-day event pass: from $500
- Subscription: from $250 per month
- Enterprise: custom pricing
Learn more: Walls.io vs. Curator.io: which one should you choose?
4. Taggbox: AI-Powered Content Curation Tool
Taggbox provides embeddable social feed widgets for Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and other social media platforms. These widgets let you display aggregated content on your website during events or as part of your internal communications efforts.
However, Taggbox has a significant learning curve due to its numerous features. Here’s how this user describes their experience with the tool.
“It takes a minute to figure out the navigation if you are trying to change a particular feature. I had to click around to figure out where some settings were located.”
Top Features
- Digital signage for live events
- Hashtag aggregator
- Social feed analytics
Pricing
Taggbox has two pricing plans for Event and Enterprise:
- Event: $249 for 30 days
- Enterprise: Contact sales
Related: Taggbox vs. Tagembed: which one should you choose?
5. Flockler: Simple Social Embedding Tool
Flockler is a simple social media aggregation platform that allows businesses to collect, curate, and display user-generated content (UGC) from various social media networks on their websites. It enables you to create social media feeds by gathering posts from platforms like Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and others.
However, a major drawback for users is Flockler’s limited support options. The only way to contact the support team is via a website form and wait several hours for a response. This can be frustrating if you’re struggling with an issue that requires immediate assistance.
Top Features
- Shoppable feeds with call-to-action buttons
- Customer review forms
- Feed design templates
Pricing
Flockler has five pricing plans:
- Lite: $60 per month
- Basic: $129 per month
- Business: $229 per month
- Pro: $325 per month
- Premium: $635 per month
Learn more: EmbedSocial vs. Flockler: which one is better?
What to Consider When Choosing a Smash Balloon Alternative
Here are the top three things to look for when choosing a Smash Balloon alternative.
1. Customization and Design Flexibility
Look for alternatives that offer high levels of customization, allowing you to control the look, feel, and layout of the social feed. Some tools offer ready-made templates that can be a quick solution, while others might allow deeper customization through CSS or design interfaces.
Another critical feature is responsiveness; make sure the tool optimizes the feed for various screen sizes so it looks good on mobile devices, tablets, and desktops.
2. Pricing and Affordability
Pricing structures vary widely between alternatives. Some may charge based on the number of social media platforms connected, while others may base pricing on page views, feed volume, or customization features.
Evaluate your budget and the tool’s pricing model to ensure you’re not overpaying for features you don’t need. Many alternatives offer free versions with basic features or limited trial periods, allowing you to test the functionality before committing.
3. Ease of Use and Setup
Ease of setup and use is an important factor for non-technical users. Some tools are built with drag-and-drop builders or offer simple widgets that can be added with minimal effort. If you’re not proficient in coding, prioritize tools that provide no-code or low-code integration options.
Many Smash Balloon alternatives like Juicer offer plugins specifically designed for platforms like WordPress or Shopify, meaning you can set things up without writing a single line of code.
Juicer: The Best Smash Balloon Alternative
Juicer is the top choice for businesses seeking a versatile, user-friendly, and cost-effective alternative to Smash Balloon for their social media aggregation needs.
You can connect Juicer to more than 16 social media platforms, easily filter the posts you want to show on your social walls, and tweak their look and feel to match your brand’s design.
Additionally, Juicer offers a free plan, making it accessible to businesses just starting out or those with limited budgets. For those needing more robust features, there are three paid plans, starting at $25 monthly, and a 10% discount available for annual subscriptions. Try out Juicer — the best Smash Ballooon alternative — for free.
