Best Metricool Alternatives in 2026
A sourced shortlist of the top Metricool competitors: Buffer, Later, SocialPilot and Zoho Social. Each is compared with Metricool on pricing, free plan, features and fit, using dated vendor and independent sources. No rankings and no paid placement.
- Updated 10 Nov 2026Profiles verified 10 Nov 2026
- 4 alternativesEach with a full sourced profile
- Not a rankingFit depends on your priorities
- Not tested by Stack18Editorial summary of documented facts
What are the best alternatives to Metricool?
The main alternatives to Metricool covered here are Buffer, Later, SocialPilot and Zoho Social. Buffer may suit creators and small businesses wanting simple, low-cost scheduling, while Later may suit creators and brands focused on Instagram, TikTok and visual content. None is best for everyone: the right social media management tool depends on team size, budget and which Metricool limitation you are trying to solve.
Teams usually start looking beyond Metricool for documented reasons: x requires a $10 per account add-on; free plan excludes LinkedIn and X. Metricool remains a reasonable fit for creators, freelancers and agencies wanting analytics-rich scheduling by brand, so an alternative is not automatically better, only different.
Below, every option is compared with Metricool in one table, then described with its strengths, trade-offs and pricing, each taken from its own sourced profile. Anything the sources do not document is marked as unknown.
Why teams look for Metricool alternatives.
Each reason is a limitation documented on the Metricool profile, with its source cited there.
Cost and pricing
X requires a $10 per account add-on.
Free plan limits
Free plan excludes LinkedIn and X.
Seat and user limits
No team seats on Starter.
According to its profile, Metricool may be less suited to: enterprises needing listening and SSO; heavy X (Twitter) users on a budget.
Metricool vs its top alternatives at a glance.
Metricool is shown first for reference. Summaries come from each sourced profile; suitability depends on company size, budget, use case and technical requirements.
| Product | Best for | Pricing model | Starting price | Free plan | Users included | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Metricool (current tool) | Creators, freelancers and agencies wanting analytics-rich scheduling by brand | By brands | $20/mo (annual) | Yes (1 brand) | Unlimited on Advanced | Creators and agencies |
 Buffer | Creators and small businesses wanting simple, low-cost scheduling | Per channel | $5/channel/mo (annual) | Yes (3 channels) | 1 (Essentials); unlimited (Team) | Creators and small businesses |
 Later | Creators and brands focused on Instagram, TikTok and visual content | By social sets | $18.75/mo (annual) | Yes (limited) | 1 to 4 by plan | Visual creators |
 SocialPilot | Budget-conscious agencies and SMBs managing several brands | Monthly plans | $25.50/mo (annual) | No; trial | 1 to unlimited | Agencies and SMBs |
 Zoho Social | Small businesses and Zoho users wanting affordable social management | Monthly plans | $10/mo (annual) | Yes (no scheduling) | 1 to 5 by plan | Small businesses and Zoho users |
Each Metricool alternative described.
Pricing, strengths and trade-offs are taken from each product's profile, where every point is linked to a dated source.
Buffer
Buffer · Social media scheduling tool
Buffer is a social media scheduling and analytics tool priced per connected channel, with a free plan and Essentials and Team plans.
- Pricing
- Free (3 channels); Essentials $5 and Team $10 per channel a month billed annually.
- Free plan
- Yes
- Team size
- Small teams, Mid-size teams
- Free plan for up to 3 channels.
- Unlimited users on Team.
- Free plan limits queued posts to 10 per channel.
- Costs grow with every channel.
Later
Later · Visual social media scheduler
Later is a social media scheduling and planning tool with a visual calendar, link-in-bio and analytics, priced by social sets (one profile per platform) in Starter, Growth and Scale plans.
- Pricing
- Starter $25, Growth $50, Scale $110 a month ($18.75, $37.50, $82.50 annually).
- Free plan
- Yes
- Team size
- Small teams, Mid-size teams
- Visual calendar suited to Instagram and TikTok.
- Annual billing saves 25%.
- Starter allows only 30 posts per profile a month.
- Starter cannot buy add-ons.
SocialPilot
SocialPilot · Social media management tool
SocialPilot is a social media scheduling, analytics and client management tool for small businesses and agencies, sold in Essentials, Standard, Premium, Ultimate and Enterprise plans.
- Pricing
- Essentials $25.50, Standard $42.50, Premium $85, Ultimate $170 a month billed annually.
- Free plan
- No
- Team size
- Small teams, Mid-size teams
- Low price for multi-user plans.
- White-label reports from Premium.
- Essentials lacks analytics and inbox.
- API and SSO only on Enterprise.
Zoho Social
Zoho Corporation · Social media management tool
Zoho Social is a social media management tool from Zoho with scheduling, monitoring, analytics and Zoho CRM integration, sold in Free, Standard, Professional, Premium and Agency plans.
- Pricing
- Free; Standard $10, Professional $30, Premium $40 a month (annual); Agency from $230.
- Free plan
- Yes
- Team size
- Small teams, Mid-size teams
- Low entry price from $10 a month.
- Agency plans priced by client count.
- Free plan cannot schedule posts.
- Standard and Free cannot buy add-ons.
Which Metricool alternative should you choose?
No single alternative is best for everyone. Match the scenario to your own requirements, then test two or three options against a real process.
Consider Buffer if you are…
- Creators and small businesses wanting simple, low-cost scheduling
- Teams that want unlimited users cheaply
- Brands with few channels
Consider Later if you are…
- Creators and brands focused on Instagram, TikTok and visual content
- Ecommerce brands
- Small teams planning content visually
Consider SocialPilot if you are…
- Budget-conscious agencies and SMBs managing several brands
- Indian businesses wanting INR pricing
- Freelancers
Consider Zoho Social if you are…
- Small businesses and Zoho users wanting affordable social management
- Small agencies
- Teams capturing leads into Zoho CRM
Stay with Metricool if you are…
- Creators, freelancers and agencies wanting analytics-rich scheduling by brand
- Agencies needing Looker Studio reports
- Budget-conscious teams
How to switch from Metricool.
Moving off Metricool means reconnecting every social profile, re-creating scheduled posts and content libraries, rebuilding approval workflows, user roles and report templates, and exporting historical analytics you want to keep. Overlap both tools for one publishing cycle. Schedule one real week of posts and run one client or management report in each shortlisted tool.
- Export a sample of your Metricool data and test an import into the new product.
- List the automations, integrations and permissions you would need to rebuild.
- Compare total cost for your real seat count, including add-ons and onboarding fees.
- Pilot with one team before a full cut-over.
- Check contract terms, renewal dates and notice periods with Metricool.
General guidance, not specific to any vendor. Confirm migration options with the vendors.
Metricool alternatives: questions and answers
What is the best alternative to Metricool?
No single alternative is best for everyone. The alternatives covered here are Buffer, Later, SocialPilot and Zoho Social. Buffer may suit creators and small businesses wanting simple, low-cost scheduling. Later may suit creators and brands focused on Instagram, TikTok and visual content. SocialPilot may suit budget-conscious agencies and SMBs managing several brands. Test two or three against your own process before deciding.
Is there a free alternative to Metricool?
Yes. Buffer, Later and Zoho Social list a free plan or free tier in their sourced profiles. Free plans usually cap users, records or usage, so check the limits on each profile before relying on one.
Which Metricool alternative is best for small teams?
Buffer, Later, SocialPilot and Zoho Social are documented for small teams. Buffer may suit creators and small businesses wanting simple, low-cost scheduling. Later may suit creators and brands focused on Instagram, TikTok and visual content. SocialPilot may suit budget-conscious agencies and SMBs managing several brands.
Why do teams switch from Metricool?
The limitations documented on the Metricool profile are: X requires a $10 per account add-on. Free plan excludes LinkedIn and X. No team seats on Starter. Whether they matter depends on your team and budget.
Who should stay with Metricool?
Metricool may still suit creators, freelancers and agencies wanting analytics-rich scheduling by brand; agencies needing Looker Studio reports; budget-conscious teams.
Where can I compare Metricool with a competitor side by side?
Stack18 has head-to-head comparisons for Metricool vs Buffer, each with a feature table and pricing summary.
How were these Metricool alternatives chosen?
They are the products listed as alternatives on the Metricool profile and other products in the Social Media Management Software category with overlapping use cases. They are listed in the order shown, not ranked, and no vendor paid for placement. Each profile was verified on 10 Nov 2026.
Where this shortlist comes from.
- Metricool Pricing in 2026 SocialPilot (competing vendor) Third-party Accessed 10 Nov 2026
- Social Media Management Software Pricing 2026 CostBench Third-party Accessed 10 Nov 2026
- Buffer Pricing: What Per-Channel Billing Actually Costs NapoleonCat (competing vendor) Third-party Accessed 10 Nov 2026
- Later Pricing 2026, Social Sets and What You Actually Pay SocialPilot (competing vendor) Third-party Accessed 10 Nov 2026
- SocialPilot pricing SocialPilot Official Accessed 10 Nov 2026
- Zoho Social Pricing 2026 SocialPilot (competing vendor) Third-party Accessed 10 Nov 2026
Alternatives are summarised from the linked profiles and their sources: all sources for Metricool and the main sources for each alternative. Confirm current details with each vendor. Stack18 has not tested these products.
Evaluating Metricool alternatives?
Compare your shortlist side by side, read the full profiles, or talk to Stack18 if off-the-shelf software is not the answer.
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