Scheduler and analytics tool with competitor tracking for creators and small teams.
Alternatives
Metricool alternatives (free and paid) (2026)
Schedules and publishes posts to multiple social channels with basic analytics.
Low-cost per-account scheduler with bulk posting and recycling.
Visual-first social scheduler with link-in-bio, Instagram planning and trending Reels audio.
Open-source social scheduler available as cloud or self-hosted under AGPL.
Self-hosted social scheduler sold as a one-time purchase, with free Lite edition.
Short answer: if Metricool's free plan is too tight, Buffer Free (3 channels, 10 scheduled posts each, TikTok and YouTube included) and Publer Free (3 accounts, 10 scheduled posts each) are the free swaps. If you pay, Buffer at $5 per channel per month is cheaper for one or two accounts. If you have many channels and want unlimited posts, Postiz starts at $23/mo billed yearly. For a one-time payment you host yourself, look at Mixpost Pro.
What Metricool's free plan gives you
Metricool Free covers 1 brand, up to 20 scheduled posts a month, 5 competitor profiles and 30 days of analytics. It excludes LinkedIn and X. Paid plans are priced per number of brands: Starter from $20/mo billed yearly ($25 monthly) for up to 5 brands, and Advanced from $53/mo billed yearly ($67 monthly) for up to 15. Paid plans store metrics without the 30-day cap (X stays at 30 days). Metricool's strength is analytics and reporting; its pricing is built for agencies with several brands.
The best Metricool alternatives
Buffer: simplest, priced per channel
Free: up to 3 channels, 10 scheduled posts per channel, 30 days of insights. Essentials is $5/mo per channel and Team is $10/mo per channel. Buffer auto-publishes to TikTok business profiles and to YouTube, plus Instagram, Threads, LinkedIn, X, Pinterest, Bluesky and others. Analytics are lighter than Metricool's.
Publer: another real free plan
Per Publer's help center, Free is free forever with up to 3 social accounts (not X) and up to 10 scheduled posts per account at a time. Professional starts at $5/mo for one account, with unlimited posts within daily limits.
Postiz: open source, unlimited posts
Hosted plans: Standard $29/mo ($23 billed yearly) for 5 channels, Team $39/mo for 10, Pro $49/mo for 30, Ultimate $99/mo for 100. Every plan has unlimited posts and a 7-day trial. The code is on GitHub under AGPL-3.0, so you can self-host it.
Mixpost: pay once, self-host
Lite is free and open source but only posts to Facebook Pages, X and Mastodon. Pro is $299 one time (one year of updates included) and adds Instagram, TikTok, YouTube including Shorts, LinkedIn and more. Needs your own server.
Later app: visual planning
No free plan, 14-day trial. Starter is $18.75/mo billed yearly for one social set (8 profiles) and 30 posts per profile a month. Better for Instagram-led visual planning than for reporting.
Bigger suites
Hootsuite and SocialBee cover teams. See our Hootsuite alternatives page for their pricing.
Comparison table
| Tool | Starts at | Free plan | Watermark on free | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metricool | $20/mo yearly | 1 brand, 20 posts/mo | Not applicable (scheduler) | Analytics and competitor tracking |
| Buffer | $5/channel/mo | 3 channels, 10 queued each | Not applicable | 1 to 3 channels, TikTok and YouTube |
| Publer | $5/mo | 3 accounts (not X), 10 queued each | Not applicable | A second free queue |
| Postiz | $23/mo yearly | Self-host free; 7-day cloud trial | Not applicable | Many channels, unlimited posts |
| Mixpost | $299 once | Lite (3 networks) | Not applicable | Buying once, self-hosting |
| Later app | $18.75/mo yearly | 14-day trial | Not applicable | Visual Instagram planning |
Which to pick
- Pick Buffer if you run 1 to 3 channels and want TikTok and YouTube auto-publishing for free.
- Pick Publer if you want another free queue; every 10th paid account or member is free as you grow.
- Pick Postiz if you post to many channels and want unlimited posts, hosted or self-hosted.
- Stay on Metricool if reporting and competitor tracking matter more than queue size.
Related: free social media schedulers, schedule TikTok posts and TikTok analytics tools.
Questions
Is there a better free alternative to Metricool?
Buffer Free if you want TikTok and YouTube auto-publishing across 3 channels. Metricool Free is still better for analytics and competitor tracking.
Metricool vs Buffer: which is cheaper?
For 1 to 3 channels, Buffer ($5 per channel a month). For many channels across up to 5 brands, Metricool Starter can work out cheaper.
Is there an open-source Metricool alternative?
Postiz (AGPL-3.0, self-hostable) and Mixpost Lite (free, limited networks). Mixpost Pro is source-available, not open source.
Does Metricool's free plan include LinkedIn?
No. Free excludes LinkedIn and X.
Sources: Metricool pricing; Buffer pricing; Publer Free plan (help center); Publer plans and pricing (help center); Postiz pricing; Postiz GitHub; Mixpost pricing; Later pricing. Publer details are from its help center. Checked on 13 October 2026. Based on published plans, not a hands-on test.