Key takeaways
- Metricool Free now covers 1 brand and 20 posts a month. A SocialPilot article says it allowed 50 posts until the end of 2025.
- Since July 2026, X on Metricool costs $10 a month per account. Buffer and SocialPilot include X in the plan price.
- Metricool is a reporting tool first. Pick Flekh only if client review of video, not reporting, slows your team.
How we chose: tools that do the same job as Metricool. We checked each price on the vendor's own page on Oct 28, 2026. Flekh is our product, and we list its weak points too.
Metricool alternatives compared
| Tool | Best for | Price from | Free plan | Video review | Publishes to social |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flekh · Our product | Small agencies that make client videos and post them after sign-off. | Essential $7 a seat a month, billed monthly. Yearly billing saves 40%. | No · 14-day Pro trial, no card | frame-accurate, with drawings | Yes |
| Buffer | Small businesses that want posting without a reporting suite. | Essentials $5 a channel a month, billed yearly | Yes · 3 channels, 10 scheduled posts a channel, 1 user | none | Yes |
| Publer | Solo marketers and small teams who want competitor data at a low price. | Professional $5 a month for 1 social account, billed monthly ($4 billed yearly). Business from $10 billed monthly ($8 billed yearly). | Yes · 3 accounts, 10 scheduled posts each, no X | none | Yes |
| Later (later.com) | Brands whose clients judge the Instagram grid. | Starter $18.75 a month for 1 social set, billed yearly | Yes, limited. Only its help center shows it. · 14-day trial | none | Yes |
| SocialPilot | Agencies that need client seats and branded reports. | Essentials $25.50 a month flat, billed yearly ($30 billed monthly), 7 accounts, 1 user | No · 14-day trial, no card | none | Yes |
| Zoho Social | Small businesses that already use Zoho CRM or other Zoho apps. | See zoho.com/social/pricing | Yes · 1 brand, 6 channels, 1 user | none | Yes |
FlekhOur product
Approval before the postIn short: Flekh covers the work before the post: video review, client approval links and tasks. Results then show next to each post.
| Best for | Small agencies that make client videos and post them after sign-off. |
|---|---|
| Price from | Essential $7 a seat a month, billed monthly. Yearly billing saves 40%. |
| Free plan | No · 14-day Pro trial, no card |
| Video review | frame-accurate, with drawings |
| Publishes to social | Yes · Instagram, Facebook Pages, YouTube, LinkedIn, X (TikTok, Threads, Pinterest coming) |
Pros
- One tag links a file, its tasks and its posts. Results filter by tag.
- Results sit next to the post and the approved file.
- A monthly client report is included.
- X publishing at no extra cost.
Cons
- No social inbox and no social listening.
- No free plan. Metricool has one.
- TikTok and Pinterest publishing are not live yet.
Choose it ifclient sign-off on video slows your team more than reporting does.
Skip it ifanalytics and competitor reports are your main deliverable.
Need TikTok or Pinterest publishing? Flekh does not have it yet. Tell Shashank, the founder, what you need →
Buffer
Simple per channelIn short: Buffer is a simple per-channel scheduler with a free plan, basic Insights and comment replies.
| Best for | Small businesses that want posting without a reporting suite. |
|---|---|
| Price from | Essentials $5 a channel a month, billed yearly |
| Free plan | Yes · 3 channels, 10 scheduled posts a channel, 1 user |
| Video review | none |
| Publishes to social | Yes · Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube (Shorts), LinkedIn, X, Pinterest, Threads, Bluesky, Google Business Profile, Mastodon |
Pros
- X is included, with no add-on fee.
- Free plan covers 3 channels and 1 user.
- API access on every plan, including Free.
Cons
- G2 reviewers find analytics limited; Meta blocks data on some channels.
- The price grows with each channel you add.
- Approvals are only on the Team plan.
Choose it ifyou want to post without paying for reports you do not read.
Skip it ifmonthly analytics reports are what your clients pay for.
Publer
Low cost per accountIn short: Publer prices each social account, has a free plan, and adds analytics, competitor analysis and approvals on Business.
| Best for | Solo marketers and small teams who want competitor data at a low price. |
|---|---|
| Price from | Professional $5 a month for 1 social account, billed monthly ($4 billed yearly). Business from $10 billed monthly ($8 billed yearly). |
| Free plan | Yes · 3 accounts, 10 scheduled posts each, no X |
| Video review | none |
| Publishes to social | Yes · Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X (paid plans), Threads, LinkedIn, Pinterest, YouTube, Google Business Profile, Bluesky, Mastodon, Telegram, WordPress |
Pros
- Business includes competitor analysis and best times to post.
- X is included on paid plans, without an add-on.
- Publishes to Mastodon, Telegram and WordPress.
Cons
- Capterra reviewers call its analytics basic.
- Capterra reviewers say cost rises with every account and member.
- We did not find a social inbox in its docs.
Choose it ifyou want some competitor data at a per-account price.
Skip it ifyou need an inbox for comments and messages.
Later (later.com)
Visual Instagram plannerIn short: Later (later.com) plans visual content for Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest, priced per social set of 8 profiles.
| Best for | Brands whose clients judge the Instagram grid. |
|---|---|
| Price from | Starter $18.75 a month for 1 social set, billed yearly |
| Free plan | Yes, limited. Only its help center shows it. · 14-day trial |
| Video review | none |
| Publishes to social | Yes · Instagram, Facebook, Threads, Pinterest, TikTok, LinkedIn, YouTube, Snapchat (no X) |
Pros
- Visual planning and a Link in Bio page.
- Growth adds internal and external approval workflows.
- Up to 2 years of analytics history on Scale.
Cons
- No X publishing since August 28, 2025.
- Starter allows 30 posts per profile a month.
- G2 reviewers find its reporting limited next to other tools.
Choose it ifyour clients care about how the Instagram grid looks.
Skip it ifyou need X, Bluesky or ads reports.
Zoho Social
Free, part of ZohoIn short: Zoho Social (by Zoho Corporation) schedules, monitors and reports, with a free plan and agency editions.
| Best for | Small businesses that already use Zoho CRM or other Zoho apps. |
|---|---|
| Price from | See zoho.com/social/pricing |
| Free plan | Yes · 1 brand, 6 channels, 1 user |
| Video review | none |
| Publishes to social | Yes · Facebook Pages, Instagram Business, X, LinkedIn, YouTube, Pinterest, TikTok, Threads, Bluesky, Google Business Profile, Mastodon, Snapchat |
Pros
- Free plan with 6 channels and no time limit.
- Agency editions include free client logins.
- 15-day trial with no card.
Cons
- Capterra reviewers say exports are basic, CSV only.
- Capterra reviewers note a big price jump to Agency plans.
- Capterra reviewers find Reels posting less smooth than native.
Choose it ifyour business already uses Zoho apps and wants one vendor.
Skip it ifyou need custom dashboards and advanced segments.
How to switch from Metricool to Flekh
- 1Day 1
Start the 14-day Pro trial and connect one brand's Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn accounts.
- 2Day 2
Keep Metricool for competitor and ads reports while you test Flekh.
- 3Day 3
Upload the next client video and send the client an approval link.
- 4Day 4
Move that brand's X posts to Flekh first, so you can drop the X add-on.
- 5Day 5
Compare the Flekh monthly client report with your Metricool report for the same brand.
Questions
- Buffer vs Metricool: which is better?
- Buffer is simpler, and Metricool reports more. Buffer costs $5 a channel a month, billed yearly, and includes X. Metricool Starter costs $20 a month for up to 5 brands, billed yearly, with competitor tracking and ads reports. On Metricool, X is an add-on at $10 a month per account.
- What do Metricool users complain about?
- We did not review Reddit threads for this page. On Capterra, some reviewers report renewal charges they did not expect and refused refunds on yearly renewals. Some find support slow, and others praise it. The Free plan is now 20 posts a month, and X costs $10 a month per account.
- What is a free Metricool alternative?
- Buffer, Publer and Zoho Social have free plans. Buffer Free covers 3 channels. Publer Free covers 3 accounts with 10 scheduled posts each, without X. Zoho Social Free covers 1 brand and 6 channels. Metricool also has its own free plan for 1 brand and 20 posts a month.
- Is there a cheaper alternative to Metricool?
- For one or two channels, yes. Buffer Essentials costs $5 a channel a month, and Publer Professional $4 an account a month, both billed yearly. For five brands with many channels each, Metricool Starter at $20 a month, billed yearly, often costs less.
- Who are the main Metricool competitors?
- Buffer, Publer, Later (later.com), SocialPilot and Zoho Social do the same job: schedule posts and show results. Each one is cheaper, simpler or more agency-focused in a different way. Flekh competes only on the step before posting: video review and client approval.
Sources
- https://metricool.com/pricing, checked Oct 28, 2026
- https://www.socialpilot.co/insights/metricool-pricing, checked Oct 28, 2026
- https://pricingsaas.com/companies/metricool, checked Oct 28, 2026
- https://www.capterra.com/p/203702/Metricool/reviews, checked Oct 28, 2026
- https://buffer.com/pricing, checked Oct 28, 2026
- https://www.g2.com/products/buffer/reviews, checked Oct 28, 2026
- https://publer.com/plans, checked Oct 28, 2026
- https://publer.com/help/en/article/what-are-publers-plans-and-pricing-15h4yqh/, checked Oct 28, 2026
- https://www.capterra.com/p/177145/Publer/reviews/, checked Oct 28, 2026
- https://later.com/pricing, checked Oct 28, 2026
- https://help.later.com/hc/en-us/articles/360059362253, checked Oct 28, 2026
- https://help.later.com/hc/en-us/articles/33709975610135-Ending-Support-for-X-formerly-Twitter, checked Oct 28, 2026
- https://g2.com/products/later-social/reviews, checked Oct 28, 2026
- https://www.socialpilot.co/plans, checked Oct 28, 2026
- https://www.capterra.com/p/144332/SocialPilot/reviews/, checked Oct 28, 2026
- https://www.zoho.com/social/pricing.html, checked Oct 28, 2026
- https://www.capterra.com/p/159351/Zoho-Social/pricing/, checked Oct 28, 2026
- https://www.capterra.com/p/159351/Zoho-Social/reviews/, checked Oct 28, 2026
Flekh is our product. Every other fact on this page comes from the vendor's own page or a named source, with the date we checked.
SocialPilot
Flat agency plansIn short: SocialPilot sells flat-price plans by number of accounts, with client approval and white-label reports from Premium.