7 Best Social CRM Software Options

Aug 21, 2024
20 minute read

The best social customer relationship management (CRM) platforms connect social media channels, allowing you to track engagement, monitor audience behavior, and generate leads. Integrating a CRM system and a social media channel provides richer contact data and lets you respond to customer comments quickly. We evaluated dozens of social CRM software solutions to identify the best options for small businesses.

  • HubSpot CRM: Best overall for free social media ad management
  • Freshsales: Best for multichannel social media messaging
  • Zoho CRM: Best for social listening and brand monitoring
  • Nimble CRM: Best for simplified outreach and lead capture
  • Pipedrive: Best for social media lead management
  • EngageBay: Best free omnichannel social CRM
  • Agorapulse: Best all-in-one social media management software

Best Social CRM Software Compared

ProviderFree Plan?Starting Monthly Price Our Rating out of 5
Hubspot logo.
5 users
$15 per user4.48
Visit HubSpot CRM
Freshsales logo.
3 users
$9 per user4.42
Visit Freshsales
Zoho CRM logo.
3 users
$14 per user4.33
Visit Zoho CRM
Nimble logo.x$24.90 per user4.30
Visit Nimble CRM
Pipedrive logo.x$14 per user4.25
Visit Pipedrive
EngageBay logo.
15 users
$11.95 per user4.23
Visit EngageBay
Agorapulse logo.
1 user
$49 per user4.10
Visit Agorapulse

HubSpot CRM: Best Overall for Free Social Media Ads Management

When to Use HubSpot CRM

  • You need a social media CRM with free ad management tools: HubSpot CRM offers a feature-packed free plan for five users that allows you to manage Facebook ads, LinkedIn ads, and TikTok ads. You can target your customers with highly relevant ads and run ROI (return on investment) reports on your social media ad campaigns. Plus, you can turn ad tracking and lead syncing on and off.
  • You want to engage with customers via Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp: HubSpot CRM users can manage Facebook Messenger interactions, book meetings using chatbots, and report on chat volume. You can also assign chats to reps and create support tickets. HubSpot integrates with apps that can connect to WhatsApp to automate bulk messaging.
  • You’re seeking an AI-powered CRM for content creation: All of HubSpot CRM’s plans come with AI tools for generating blog topics, keywords, and outlines. When you upgrade to the Starter Customer Platform ($15 per user monthly), you get access to its AI assistant, which automatically generates blog content, meta descriptions, website copy, and even images.

When to Use an Alternative

  • You want to manage multiple social media platforms from your CRM: HubSpot CRM’s Sales Hub does not offer tools for managing social media accounts from within the platform. You’ll have to subscribe to its Marketing Hub Professional plan ($800 per month for three users) or another provider to manage Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube, and LinkedIn accounts.
    • Alternative: EngageBay’s free plan has a social suite feature that integrates your Facebook, Instagram, and X accounts with the CRM. Nimble CRM’s Prospector tool ($24.90 per user monthly), on the other hand, enables you to access and manage all your contacts—including those from social media—from a single dashboard.
  • You need a CRM with social media content management features: While you can access Facebook Messenger via HubSpot CRM, the Sales Hub does not offer content publishing features.
    • Alternatives: Zoho CRM enables you to post status updates on social media from its Social Tab, which is available with its Standard plan ($14 per user monthly). Agorapulse is another excellent option that offers all-in-one social media management capabilities for free.
  • You’re looking for more affordable Messenger AI tools: HubSpot CRM’s AI tools for automating Messenger conversation and chat assignments are locked in with the Sales Hub Professional plan ($90 per user monthly). This is relatively costly compared with other providers that offer these tools at a much lower price.
    • Alternative: Freshsales allows you to automate messaging workflows under its Growth plan ($9 per user monthly). It also offers intelligent chat assignments and canned replies.
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HubSpot CRM Pricing Plans*

Cost:

  • $0 for five users

Key Features:

  • Direct integration with Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp for Sales
  • Access to Marketplace integrations, including Zapier, Facebook ads, and TikTok ads
  • Ad management with list segmentation
  • Shared inbox, AI conversational chatbots, chat widget, and canned snippets
  • Contact, company, and deal pipeline management
  • Built-in appointment scheduler
  • Email integrations for direct and mass email, email tracking, and deployment automation
  • Reporting dashboard for sales, marketing, and service tickets
  • AI-optimized content for blog posts, websites, and landing pages
  • Commerce Hub

*Pricing is based on annual billing on a per-month breakdown of the HubSpot Sales Hub plans. Monthly billing and enterprise-level options are available for a higher cost. While we update pricing information regularly, we encourage our readers to check current pricing.
**Customer Platform plans offer starter-level tools for sales, marketing, service, content, operations, and commerce management bundled in one package. These modules can also be purchased separately.

Our Expert Opinion

HubSpot CRM is our top recommended pick for the best social media CRM software because of its robust integrations with social media platforms, even with its freemium option. You can manage Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTok ads from the platform and compare campaign performance and leads generated from each platform. In addition, it allows you to engage leads and customers on Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp directly from the CRM.

Freshsales: Best Social Media CRM for Multichannel Messaging

When to Use Freshsales

  • You need a social media CRM that integrates with multiple messaging channels: Freshsales is our top pick for multichannel social messaging since it integrates with Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, LINE, and even Google Business Messages. On top of that, you can engage with leads and customers via live chat, email, text, and phone directly from your CRM.
  • You want to autogenerate accounts from Facebook lead ad submissions: Freshsales offers a dedicated account management module for subscription-based businesses. When you integrate it with Facebook via Zapier, the CRM automatically creates contacts, leads, and account records based on Facebook lead ad submissions.

When to Use an Alternative

  • You need social media marketing functionality in your CRM: Since Freshsales is a sales-focused CRM, its features are primarily for lead generation and deal management. While it integrates with Facebook for automated lead generation, you cannot access marketing features like ads management or social posting without using its native Freshmarketer app.
    • Alternative: Zoho CRM offers features not only for lead and deal management, but also for managing social media campaigns. These features are available starting with its Standard plan at $14 per user monthly. If you want a more comprehensive solution with a unified inbox and social posting capabilities, try Agorapulse, which offers these features with its free plan.
  • You want a free CRM that integrates with social media platforms: Freshsales’ social media integrations are only available under a paid plan subscription (starting at $9 per user monthly). While this is not necessarily expensive, subscription costs can add up, considering social media capabilities can only be accessed via native Freshworks apps or third-party app connectors like Zapier.
    • Alternative: HubSpot CRM and EngageBay are our top picks for CRMs that offer social media integrations for free. HubSpot CRM is best for social messaging and ad management, while EngageBay is great for monitoring social media feeds.
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Freshsales Pricing Plans*

Cost:

  • $0 for three users

Key Features:

  • Contact, account, deal, and visual pipeline management
  • Chat widget and chatbot builder with intent detection and chatbot analytics
  • Built-in phone with inbound caller ID
  • Tasks, appointments, and notes
  • Activity home dashboard
  • Custom fields
  • Two-way email sync plus email templates
  • Website tracking

*Pricing is based on annual billing on a per-month plan breakdown, though monthly billing is available at a higher cost. It comes with a 21-day free trial for the paid plans. While we update pricing information regularly, we encourage our readers to check current pricing.

Our Expert Opinion

We consider Freshsales the top option for multichannel social messaging since users can engage leads and customers on various social messaging apps from a unified team inbox. It integrates with Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, LINE, Apple Business Chat, and Google Business Messages. Aside from that, its integration with Facebook automatically creates lead and account records in the CRM from Facebook lead ad submissions.

Zoho CRM: Best for Social Listening & Brand Monitoring

When to Use Zoho CRM

  • You need a CRM with social listening tools: From Zoho CRM’s social dashboard, you can access the Monitor tab to track social media conversations among your prospects and competitors. Leverage its keyword tracking capabilities to find out what they are saying about your brand on social media.
  • You’re seeking a CRM that offers a wide range of social media capabilities: Zoho CRM is one of the few providers on this list that offers a wide range of social media features through its Social Tab. Manage posts, monitor lead activities, engage prospects, and generate leads from content—all from one window. It also offers tools for tracking social ad campaigns and evaluating ROI and conversions.

When to Use an Alternative

  • You’re looking for a simpler social media CRM tool: Zoho’s numerous modules and customization options make it hard to navigate and operate for those with little to no technical experience with the platform. It takes some time for users to become familiar with its interface and advanced features.
    • Alternative: Pipedrive and Capsule CRM are among the easiest CRMs to use because of their simple and intuitive interfaces. Their neat layout and drag-and-drop functionality make it easy for users of all levels to learn and navigate.
  • You want free social media tools with your CRM: Although Zoho CRM has a freemium option for three users, this does not include access to integrations with social media apps.
    • Alternative: HubSpot CRM has a free plan for five users that allows you to engage with leads via social messaging apps and manage social media ad campaigns. EngageBay is another excellent alternative that enables you to manage multiple social media accounts and platforms from a single dashboard.
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Zoho CRM Pricing Plans*

Cost:

  • $0 for three users

Key Features:

  • Lead, account, and contact management with activity tracking
  • Document storage in the CRM
  • Deal tracking for up to one sales pipeline
  • Custom email template storage
  • Workflow automation
  • Standard CRM reporting

*Pricing is based on annual billing on a per-month plan breakdown, though monthly billing is available at a higher cost. It comes with a 15-day free trial for the paid plans. While we update pricing information regularly, we encourage our readers to check current pricing.

Zoho CRM's Social Tab with brand monitoring dashboard for X and Facebook accounts.
Zoho CRM Social Tab with brand monitoring dashboard (Source: Zoho CRM)

Our Expert Opinion

Zoho CRM has a dedicated Social Tab where users can monitor brand mentions and engagement on social media. It also offers tools for social messaging, automatically converting activities into new leads, and publishing unlimited posts on all social network sites from your CRM. Moreover, it enriches your CRM data with information from your Twitter and Facebook profiles, such as lead interest and behavior based on social activities.

Nimble CRM: Best Social Media CRM for Simplified Outreach and Lead Capture

When to Use Nimble CRM

  • You want to use a CRM to simplify social media lead capture: Using the Nimble Prospector browser extension, you can automatically create and enrich contact records with details like emails, phone numbers, company names, job titles, and locations. There’s no need to set up several app integrations. Access all your social media accounts from the Prospector and capture leads using web forms.
  • You need a CRM with robust social media integrations: Nimble CRM is one of the few providers on this list that lets you access all major social media platforms from its Prospector tool. You can sync contact data and business insights from AngelList, Facebook, Foursquare, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and X. You can sort your customers and prioritize contacts based on the enriched contact details.

When to Use an Alternative

  • You are a small business looking for a cost-scalable CRM: Nimble offers many great features and integrations but has only one pricing option. Scaling up entails additional costs for more contacts (starting at $15 per month for 10,000 contacts) and data storage (starting at $10 per month for an additional 10GB).
    • Alternative: Zoho CRM has a freemium option for three users and four paid plans that range from $14 to $52 per user monthly. Pipedrive is another option that offers five scalable plans ranging from $14 to $99 per user monthly.
  • Your sales team needs a CRM with a robust in-app phone: Nimble doesn’t have an in-app phone feature. This could be a drawback for salespeople who conduct numerous calls daily to follow up with warm leads or reach out to new ones.
    • Alternative: Consider Freshsales or HubSpot CRM if you need a free CRM with an in-app phone. EngageBay also offers calling credits with its paid plans (starting at $11.95 per user monthly).
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Nimble CRM Pricing Plan*

Cost:

  • $24.90 per user

Key Features:

  • Contact, lead, and deal management with tagging feature
  • Nimble Prospector browser extension for access to LinkedIn, X, and Facebook leads
  • Contact autoenrichment with social profile matching and business insights
  • Customizable workflows and automations
  • Tasks, notes, and reminders
  • Customizable dashboard and reports
  • Lead qualification
  • Web forms and email sequences
  • Customizable sales pipelines
  • Zapier integration

*Pricing is based on annual billing on a per-month plan breakdown. Monthly billing is available for a higher cost. It comes with a 14-day free trial. While we update pricing information regularly, we encourage our readers to check current pricing.

Nimble CRM's Prospector extension performing social profile matching in LinkedIn.
Nimble Prospector social profile matching on LinkedIn (Source: Nimble)

Our Expert Opinion

Nimble CRM does well as a social sales and marketing CRM as it offers a browser extension called the Nimble Prospector that helps you find and connect more leads from social sites. These include Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and X. Plus, it provides users with actionable business insights, customer interaction history, and follow-up reminders to help them tailor their engagement at various touchpoints.

Pipedrive: Best Social CRM Software for Lead Management

When to Use Pipedrive

  • You need a CRM with end-to-end lead management features: As a social CRM, Pipedrive can generate, qualify, and track leads. You can integrate it with a social platform like Facebook via Zapier to autocreate leads, activities, notes, or field updates in the CRM from Facebook lead ad submissions. Then, interactions with each lead are automatically linked to a Pipedrive open deal.
  • You want to manage social messaging app engagement from your CRM: Pipedrive integrates with Wazzup to let you access WhatsApp, Instagram, and Telegram from a shared inbox in the CRM. Reps can engage and nurture leads via chat apps and even send documents, images, and voice messages. Team managers can also leverage Wazzup analytics to monitor the quality of all chats.

When to Use an Alternative

  • You’re looking for free social media CRM platforms: Pipedrive is not necessarily expensive and offers scalable plans from $14 to $99 per user monthly. However, some solo users and small sales teams may prefer a CRM with a free option so that they can leverage baseline CRM features at no cost while they’re still not ready to scale up to paid software.
    • Alternatives: HubSpot CRM and EngageBay are excellent options if you want a CRM for social media that offers a free plan with robust feature inclusions.
  • You need broader social media management capabilities: Since Pipedrive is a sales-focused CRM, most of its social media integration features are limited to lead sync, engagement, and activity tracking. It lacks advanced marketing features like social media ads and content management.
    • Alternatives: Agorapulse is our ultimate choice for an all-in-one social media management solution. It offers a social inbox for all major social media platforms, post-scheduling capabilities, campaign ROI reports, and the ability to manage multiple social profiles from a single dashboard.
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Pipedrive Pricing Plans*

Cost:

  • $14 per user

Key Features:

  • Third-party integrations like Zapier for automated workflows based on lead submissions
  • Lead and contact management with activity tracking
  • Document storage in the CRM and individual records
  • Product catalog
  • Deal management with rotting indicator tools and deal reporting
  • Duplicate detection and merge
  • Collaborative comments and user mentions on CRM records
  • Custom data fields and pipeline stages
  • Activity reporting with company and user sales goals management
  • AI sales assistant for task updates, reminders, and forecast assistance

*Pricing is based on annual billing on a per-month plan breakdown, though monthly billing is available for a higher cost. It comes with a 14-day free trial for the paid plans. While we update pricing information regularly, we encourage our readers to check current pricing.

Zapier workflow templates for automating Freshsales lead creation from Facebook Lead Ads submissions.
Zapier workflow templates for Pipedrive’s integration with Facebook lead ads (Source: Zapier)

Our Expert Opinion

Pipedrive is an excellent end-to-end solution for managing social media leads and converting prospects into customers. While it does not offer direct social media connections, you can still integrate it with social platforms via app connectors like Zapier to autocreate leads, nurture and engage them, and track all interactions. A bonus is its simple and intuitive interface, which makes it easy to integrate with social media apps and automate lead management.

EngageBay: Best Free Omnichannel Social CRM

When to Use EngageBay

  • You need a free and scalable CRM for managing social content: EngageBay’s free tier includes a social suite that allows you to manage multiple social media accounts from a unified dashboard. You can also create and schedule posts using either a preset or custom scheduling system. This platform offers direct integration with Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and X.
  • You want to monitor brand mentions on social media: With EngageBay’s social listening and keyword streams, you can monitor what people are saying about you or your competitors on social media. You can also engage with your audience, convert leads into prospects, capture leads, and find new prospects as they search for products or services similar to yours.

When to Use an Alternative

  • You need access to social media marketing tools: EngageBay’s CRM & Sales Bay plans do not offer features for social media marketing. You’ll have to subscribe to EngageBay Marketing (free or starting at $11.95 per user monthly) or EngageBay All-in-One (free or starting at $13.79 per user monthly) to access these features. Alternatively, you may opt for another provider that offers marketing features.
    • Alternatives: HubSpot CRM offers social media ad management tools with its free plan. Agorapulse’s free plan also offers post-scheduling capabilities with basic social media ROI reporting. Paid plans (starting at $49 per user monthly) include a unified calendar, a content library for images and videos, draft post storage, and an advanced social inbox.
  • You’re looking for more affordable workflow automation tools: EngageBay’s workflow automation tools are locked in with its Growth plan ($45.99 per user monthly). There are other providers that offer these tools for free or at a lower cost.
    • Alternatives: Zoho CRM offers workflow automation with its free plan for three users. Freshsales’s Growth plan ($9 per user monthly) also includes automated messaging workflows and web forms.

EngageBay Pricing Plans*

Cost:

  • $0 for 15 users

Key Features:

  • Social suite for X (Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn account management
  • Live chat engagement
  • Contact segmentation
  • 250 contacts and companies with user activity tracking
  • Deal management
  • Tasks and appointment scheduling
  • Predictive lead scoring
  • Web forms and landing pages
  • Reports dashboard
  • File repository

*Pricing is based on annual billing on a per-month breakdown of EngageBay’s CRM & Sales Bay plans. Monthly billing is available for a higher cost. While we update pricing information regularly, we encourage our readers to check current pricing.

EngageBay's Social Suite tab with options to view and schedule posts for Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
EngageBay’s Social Suite interface (Source: EngageBay)

Our Expert Opinion

EngageBay is our best pick for a free omnichannel social CRM because it offers a free plan for 15 users with a social suite for managing social media accounts, posts, and engagement. There’s a unified dashboard where you can schedule posts and link your Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and X accounts. It is also equipped with tools for social listening, keyword monitoring, social media lead capture, and prospecting.

Agorapulse: Best All-in-One Social Media Management Software

When to Use Agorapulse

  • You need a CRM with comprehensive social media management features: Agorapulse offers a social inbox, content publishing, social listening, and campaign ROI reports. It works seamlessly with all major social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X, TikTok, and YouTube.
  • You want to monitor social media campaign ROI from your CRM: Agorapulse has a built-in ROI tracker that helps uncover which social media campaigns drive the most traffic, leads, and sales for a given time frame. You can leverage its Google Analytics integration to automate ROI tracking and reporting. Plus, you can export these reports and share them with your stakeholders with just one click.

When to Use an Alternative

  • You’re seeking a more affordable solution for social comment monitoring: With Agorapulse, you need to subscribe to its Professional plan ($79 per user monthly) to access ad comment monitoring. Scheduling posts for Instagram and X are also locked in with the same plan.
    • Alternative: Zoho CRM’s Standard plan ($14 per user monthly) includes a Social Tab to monitor brand mentions, manage posts, and engage prospects on social media.
  • You need a traditional CRM that integrates with social media platforms: However, some users may prefer to use a general CRM with sales automation features and connect it to social media apps. You can integrate it with a CRM system, but this feature is locked in with the Enterprise plan, which is custom-priced and can be expensive for small teams and businesses.
    • Alternatives: HubSpot CRM is our top pick since it offers robust CRM features, even with its free plan, which allows you to manage social media ads and conversations. If you want a feature-packed CRM that’s simple to use and lets you capture leads from various social media platforms easily, subscribe to Nimble CRM.

Agorapulse Pricing Plans*

Cost:

  • $0 for one user

Key Features:

  • Integration with Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X (Twitter), TikTok, Pinterest, YouTube, and Google My Business (GMB)
  • 3 social profiles
  • 10 scheduled posts
  • X publishing capabilities
  • Basic social inbox
  • Basic reporting
  • Social media ROI report
  • Mobile app
  • Google Analytics integration

*Pricing is based on annual billing on a per-month plan breakdown. Monthly billing and a custom plan are both available for a higher cost. It comes with a 30-day free trial for the paid plans. While we update pricing information regularly, we encourage our readers to check current pricing.

Our Expert Opinion

Agorapulse may not be a traditional CRM, but it’s a great option for small teams needing a comprehensive solution for social media management. Among all providers on this list, this platform offers the widest social media integrations. It also offers built-in tools for content publishing, social listening, ROI monitoring, and lead engagement from a social inbox.

How We Evaluated the Best CRM With Social Media Integration

To discover the best social media-friendly CRM platforms, we compared factors like pricing, general and specialized features, customer experience and support, and expert scores. We also closely examined the social integration tools you can access through each provider, including social monitoring, social posting, and campaign reporting.Review our criteria for insights into our evaluation process for choosing the best CRM platforms with social media integrations.
Methodology weights
Pricing 15%
General Features 25%
Advanced Features 15%
Ease of Use 15%
Support 15%
Expert Score 15%
CRM providers must offer a range of pricing and subscription options to meet the diverse needs of businesses. Since most social media platforms are free, we looked for social CRM tools that offer free and affordable plans that can scale with business growth. We also considered the availability of a free trial, annual discounts, and monthly billing options for businesses with a budget that suits a pay-as-you-go pricing model.
We primarily looked at the overall features crucial to any CRM system, such as lead management, reporting tools with dashboards, and customizable pipelines. We also checked if the provider offers social media capabilities like social listening, AI tools, and multichannel social integration. Moreover, we wanted to see a broad range of third-party integration options and mobility app functionality on iOS or Android devices.
We examined the availability and quality of advanced or niche features in every provider to determine the best option. One of the top parameters here is social media management, which covers strategies for maintaining a brand presence on social media through content and interaction. Other important niche features include a unified inbox, customer sentiment analysis, and social selling.
We checked if the provider has built-in templates or workflow automations to assess the ease of use. We also searched reputable review sites to gauge general user sentiment regarding its learning curve and ease of setup. In addition, we considered its plan options to see if it was easily scalable.
We evaluated the provider’s ability to support users and enable the best possible user experience. This considered channel availability via phone, email, and live chat as well as the hours of support operations such as 24/7 service lines. We also wanted to see self-service resources such as a knowledge base, a community forum, and product tutorials that users could access independently.
In addition to firsthand experience with these CRM solutions, we evaluated what actual users say about each product according to online reviews. This helped us better understand the perceived value of the price paid by actual customers and whether or not the features were useful for personal contact management. It also enabled us to better look at the product based on ease of use when setting up, navigating, and operating the CRM interface.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the difference between CRM and social CRM software?

A traditional CRM primarily focuses on tracking communication with your leads, prospects, and customers via phone calls, emails, or marketing campaigns they have interacted with. Social CRM software, on the other hand, expands those boundaries to include tracking customer interactions on social platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter. It also allows you to create social media posts and monitor what your customers say about your brand.

What is the impact of social CRM?

Using a CRM designed for social tools streamlines your customers’ social interactions with your brand into one location, making it easy for you to monitor all conversations. This helps you understand and engage with your customers on social media channels. It also allows you to gain impactful marketing insights, cultivate stronger relationships, and improve customer service.

Bottom Line

The best social CRM software solutions typically have unified social notifications, integrations with communication tools like live chat and phone, customer database, and social listening and sentiment analysis. They also offer free or affordable social media integrations. HubSpot CRM is our top choice because of the combination of its robust social integrations and marketing tools. Even with its free plan, you can access Facebook Messenger, Facebook ads, and TikTok ads.

Bianca Caballero

Bianca Caballero

Sales & Marketing Analyst

Bianca Caballero is a sales and customer experience writer with a background in B2B and B2C growth across the health, pharmaceutical, and insurance space. She brings a practical perspective on how go-to-market teams are adopting AI tools and automation to improve prospecting and pipeline development. Her work explores how emerging technologies are reshaping sales and marketing workflows

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