Best Metricool alternatives in 2026
By Kumar Gaurav, founder of OctoqueUpdated Facts checked
If X is the problem, Buffer and Publer include X in per-account pricing, and Octoque includes 30 to 500 X posts a month on paid plans. If you need a teammate or approvals without buying 15 brands, Octoque Creator ($29, 2 seats and approvals), SocialPilot Standard ($50, 3 users) or Buffer Team work. If analytics are why you chose Metricool, few alternatives match it at its price.
Why people look for a Metricool alternative
These come up most in Metricool’s own documentation and in recent public reviews. Each links to where we saw it.
- X is an extra $10 a month per account on every plan, up from $5 in July 2026. (Metricool help: X add-on)
- Team members, approvals and the API need Advanced, which is sold from 15 brands even if you run one. (Metricool pricing)
- Some recent reviews report posts marked published that never appeared, or posted twice (its overall Trustpilot score is 4.0 from 682 reviews). (Trustpilot reviews of Metricool)
- No refund on automatic renewals. (Metricool refund policy)
“Posts scheduled, said published but never showed up on social media.”
Metricool also does things well, and it may still be the right tool for you: a free plan that includes auto-publishing, best times and an MCP server; deep analytics: up to 100 competitors, PDF reports, ad analytics for Meta, Google and TikTok.
At a glance
| Tool | Best for | Starts at | Free plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Octoque (ours) | One short video to many platforms, each at its own hour | $15/mo for 3 accounts | Reminders only (you post), 3 accounts, 10 posts a month |
| Buffer | Per-channel pricing with X included and a free plan | $6/mo per channel | 3 channels, 10 queued each |
| Publer | The lowest per-account price and many networks | From $5/mo per account | 3 accounts, 10 queued each |
| SocialPilot | Teams and client approvals at a mid price | $30/mo for 7 accounts | No |
| Later | Instagram-first planning and link in bio (no X) | $25/mo, 1 social set | Limited, not on pricing page |
| Hootsuite | Bigger teams that want inbox, listening and ads in one suite | $99/user/mo (yearly) | No |
| Planable | Approval workflows with unlimited users | $39/mo per workspace | 50 posts in total |
| Typefully | People whose main network is X, with a writing focus | $99/year | 10 posts a month |
| Metricool (for reference) | Analytics-minded creators and agencies who want reports, competitors and ads data with scheduling. | $25/mo for 5 brands | 1 brand, 20 posts a month |
The alternatives
Octoque (made by us)
Best for: Creators who post one short video to Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, LinkedIn, X and more, each at that platform’s own hour.
- Price
- Free: reminders only, you post (3 accounts, 10 posts a month); Starter $15 a month for 3 accounts, posting for you; Creator $29 for 8. Pricing
- Why pick it
- Golden hour on every plan: each platform at its own time, in your audience’s time zone.
- Accounts included in the plan, not billed one by one; approvals from Creator.
- 14-day trial with no card that posts for you (3 accounts, 30 posts), and a full refund within 14 days of any payment, renewals included.
- API and MCP server on every paid plan.
- Watch out for
- New, with no third-party reviews yet. Lighter listening than Brandwatch-class tools (Mentions, on Studio: no web, news or forums); boosts live posts but has no full ads manager; no X comments or DMs in the inbox, and no routing or assignment for teams. The Free plan doesn’t post for you, and there’s no native phone app.
Compared with Metricool: Octoque includes X posts in paid plans, gives Creator 2 seats without a 15-brand bundle, and refunds any payment within 14 days (Metricool refunds only your first purchase within 15 days). Metricool has much deeper analytics, fuller ads tools (Octoque only boosts live posts), an inbox even on Free, Twitch and phone apps. See the full table.
Buffer
Best for: Per-channel pricing with X included and a free plan
- Price
- Essentials $6 per channel a month ($5 paid yearly), 1 user, unlimited scheduled posts. Cheaper per channel above 10 channels. sourceFree plan: 3 channels, 10 queued each
- Why pick it
- A usable free plan with 3 channels, a community inbox and API access. source
- Networks Octoque doesn’t post to, including Mastodon and Substack. source
- Public API and an official MCP server on every plan, plus Zapier, Make and n8n. source
- Native iOS and Android apps, and unlimited users on Team. source
- Years of track record and many public reviews to read. source
- Watch out for
- Cost grows with every account you add, and approvals need Team at double the per-channel rate: 10 channels with approvals is $120 a month billed monthly. source
Publer
Best for: The lowest per-account price and many networks
- Price
- Professional $5 a month for 1 account ($4 paid yearly); per Publer’s calculator, each further account is about $4 and each extra member $2. sourceFree plan: 3 accounts, 10 queued each
- Why pick it
- A real free plan and a very low per-account starting price. source
- The widest network list here, including Facebook Groups, Google Business, Bluesky, Mastodon, Telegram and WordPress. source
- Link in bio, a feed preview, bulk scheduling and Canva on Professional. source
- A 14-day refund on every payment, and a strong Trustpilot score (4.9 from 1,046 reviews). source
- Watch out for
- Approvals, best-time scheduling, analytics, the API and MCP all need Business, at about 1.75 times the Professional price per account; no unified inbox. source
Later
Best for: Instagram-first planning and link in bio (no X)
- Price
- Starter $25 a month ($18.75 paid yearly): 1 user, 1 social set (one profile on each of 8 networks), 30 posts per profile a month. sourceFree plan: Limited, not on pricing page
- Why pick it
- A visual planner with an Instagram grid preview and a strong Instagram focus. source
- Built-in Link in Bio pages with analytics. source
- Personalised best times from your own data for Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. source
- Pinterest and Snapchat publishing, native phone apps, and a social inbox from Growth. source
- Watch out for
- A card is needed for the trial, it turns into a paid plan automatically, and plans are non-refundable. source
Hootsuite
Best for: Bigger teams that want inbox, listening and ads in one suite
- Price
- Standard $99 per user a month, billed yearly: 10 social accounts, inbox, ads publishing, recommended times. Monthly billing costs more; the monthly price isn’t published. sourceFree plan: No
- Why pick it
- Watch out for
- Per-user pricing from $99 a month billed yearly, approvals only from $399 per user, and no refund when you cancel. source
Planable
Best for: Approval workflows with unlimited users
- Price
- Basic $39 per workspace a month ($390 a year, shown as $33 a month): 60 posts a month, 4 social pages, unlimited users. sourceFree plan: 50 posts in total
- Why pick it
- The strongest approval and feedback workflow here, up to multi-level approvals on Enterprise. source
- Unlimited users in every workspace, even on Free. source
- Grouped posts with per-page edits, approved and scheduled together. source
- Phone apps for reviewing and approving, and an MCP connector on every plan. source
- Watch out for
- Tight post caps (60 a month on Basic, and a post to 4 networks counts as 4), with analytics and inbox as paid add-ons per workspace. source
Typefully
Best for: People whose main network is X, with a writing focus
- Price
- Creator $99 a year (yearly only): 1 social set, AI writing, X analytics. sourceFree plan: 10 posts a month
- Why pick it
- Watch out for
- Text networks only: no Instagram, TikTok, YouTube or Facebook. source
How to choose
- You post to X a lot: compare X costs. Metricool adds $10 per X account a month; Buffer and Publer charge per account; Octoque includes a monthly X allowance (30, 150 or 500 posts).
- You manage one brand with a helper: look for seats on a small plan: Octoque Creator, SocialPilot Standard, Buffer Team.
- Analytics and competitors matter most: Metricool may still be your best fit; Hootsuite or Sprout Social if budget allows.
- Reliability worries: whichever tool you pick, check how it tells you about failed posts. Octoque emails within minutes with a fix.
We read each tool’s own pricing page, help centre and terms on 14 October 2026, and linked every price and drawback to its source. Reasons for leaving come from Metricool’s own documentation and recent public reviews, which skew negative by nature. We did not run a long hands-on test of each tool, so this compares published plans and documentation, not day-to-day reliability. We picked tools that solve the problems above, not every scheduler on the market. Corrections to hello@octoque.com.
Questions people ask
Why does Metricool charge extra for X?
X charges apps for API access per post, and Metricool passes that on as a $10 a month add-on per X account (it was $5 before July 2026). Octoque handles the same cost with a monthly X allowance per plan.
Is there a free Metricool alternative?
Buffer, Publer and Typefully have free plans that post for you. Octoque’s Free plan doesn’t post: it reminds you to post yourself, for 3 accounts and 10 posts a month. Its 14-day trial (no card) posts for you.
Which alternative is best for analytics?
Hootsuite and Sprout Social go deeper on reporting and listening, at per-user prices. Octoque’s insights show every platform’s views, likes, comments and followers on one screen, but no competitor tracking or PDF reports.
Can I get a refund from Metricool?
Within 15 days of your first paid purchase only; not on automatic renewals or plan changes.
Keep reading
More comparisons
Octoque head to head
Alternatives to
Sources
All links checked on 14 October 2026.
- Metricool help: X add-on
- Metricool pricing
- Trustpilot reviews of Metricool
- Metricool refund policy
- Buffer pricing
- Buffer: source for “watch out for”
- Publer pricing
- Publer: source for “watch out for”
- Later pricing
- Later: source for “watch out for”
- Hootsuite pricing
- Planable pricing
- Planable: source for “watch out for”
- Typefully pricing
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SocialPilot
Best for: Teams and client approvals at a mid price