Buying guideMetricool alternatives for analytics, reports and publishing
Metricool groups accounts by brand. Agorapulse and Sprout Social offer reporting and customer care; Buffer and Influence suit publishing-focused work.
Facts checked:
Metricool: The short answer
Metricool is worth keeping when you rely on its brand reports, historical analytics or advertising data. Agorapulse and Sprout Social are alternatives when reporting also needs a shared customer inbox. Buffer and Influence are options for businesses mainly writing and scheduling posts.
Reasons to keep your current tool
Keep Metricool when its reporting history, brand organization or connected advertising data answers decisions you make regularly. A cheaper scheduler does not automatically preserve those answers.
Our recommendations
Monthly reports are the main deliverable
Metricool is a strong reason to stay when its report history is useful. Sprout Social is an alternative for more extensive reporting and customer care.
Compare reporting requirementsPreparing and publishing posts is the main job
Buffer suits a small publishing queue. Influence is an option for assistant-led drafting and scheduling across a business’s accounts.
Compare publishing costsSeveral people answer messages as well
Agorapulse combines a shared customer inbox with publishing and reports.
Compare inbox operationsOne brand with five accounts is still one brand
One business with an Instagram account, Facebook Page, LinkedIn account, TikTok account and another supported destination has five accounts within one brand.
Metricool Starter includes five brand slots for $25 a month at the checked US price, even if you only need one. Two accounts on the same network can require separate brand slots, so the network mix matters as well as the total number of accounts.
Reports and X connections can change the plan price
Historical comparisons, advertising results, competitor trends and client exports can require different reporting features. Metricool’s Free plan keeps thirty days of analytics; Starter includes reports and unlimited analytics history.
X and other paid add-ons increase the base subscription price. A platform may also support analytics without every publishing format. The relevant comparison is the post format you need, such as a carousel or video, alongside the reports you use.
Metricool: Which tool suits you?
| Tool | Best suited to | What to keep in mind |
|---|---|---|
| Metricool | Brand analytics and recurring client reports. | Free excludes LinkedIn and X; paid X connections add a separate charge, and team approval is tier-specific. |
| Agorapulse | Reporting alongside a shared customer inbox. | The people and included profile slots use different pricing units. |
| Sprout Social | Customer service, detailed reports and integrations. | Use the relevant tier; Premium Analytics and Listening are separately priced additions. |
| Buffer | A smaller publishing queue with account insights. | Free history and queue limits differ from paid plans; verify the report you need. |
| Influence | One business preparing and publishing content. | Existing Metricool reports and paid-media history stay with their original tools. |
Publishing prices for your accounts
One account means one profile or Page. Posting an announcement to five accounts counts as five publications.
These plans cover publishing. Inbox, reporting and approval features differ by plan.
Some plans charge per account, person, brand or social set. A social set can limit how many accounts you can connect on each network. Posts are split evenly across accounts in these examples. Posting more often to one account may require a higher plan.
Standard US prices, excluding taxes, promotions and optional extras. Required extras are included where their prices are available.
Amounts use your selected currency, fixed comparison exchange rates and rounded local prices. Annual totals are the full-year bill.
Publishing price comparison: 5 connected accounts · 60 publications each month · Monthly billing
- MetricoolPrice unavailable
- Agorapulse$99Standard
- Sprout Social$99Essentials
- Buffer$30Essentials
- Influence$39Growth
The table shows priced plans with enough publishing capacity for these accounts and posts. Features such as team approvals may require a higher tier. Free plans are covered below.
This estimate puts all of the month’s posts in the queue at once. Refilling slots after posts go live can fit more posts on a smaller plan.
| Matching plan | Total for the billing period | What the plan includes |
|---|---|---|
| Metricool | Price unavailable | Public pricing does not cover this combination of accounts, people and posts. A provider quote is needed.Plan source |
| AgorapulseStandard | $99billed each month | Accounts in base plan: 10 · People in base plan: 1 US price calculation: $99 × 1 = $99 Plan source |
| Sprout SocialEssentials | $99billed each month | Accounts in base plan: 5 · People in base plan: 1 · 10,000 posts waiting in the queue at one time US price calculation: $99 × 1 = $99 Plan source |
| BufferEssentials | $30billed each month | People in base plan: 1 US price calculation: 5 × $6 = $30 Plan source |
| InfluenceGrowth | $39billed each month | Monthly publications included: 150Plan source |
Prices for three common setups
US monthly prices. Each column uses the same accounts, people and number of posts for every tool.
Example 1
- Connected accounts
- 5
- Publications each month
- 60
- People using the tool
- 1
- Businesses or brands
- 1
- Most accounts on one network
- 1
- X accounts within that total
- 0
Example 2
- Connected accounts
- 5
- Publications each month
- 60
- People using the tool
- 1
- Businesses or brands
- 1
- Most accounts on one network
- 1
- X accounts within that total
- 1
Example 3
- Connected accounts
- 5
- Publications each month
- 60
- People using the tool
- 3
- Businesses or brands
- 1
- Most accounts on one network
- 1
- X accounts within that total
- 0
| Matching plan | Example 1 · USD | Example 2 · USD | Example 3 · USD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Metricool | Price unavailable | Price unavailable | Price unavailable |
| Agorapulse | $99Standard | $99Standard | $297Standard |
| Sprout Social | $99Essentials | $99Essentials | $297Essentials |
| Buffer | $30Essentials | $30Essentials | $60Team |
| Influence | $39Growth | $39Growth | Price unavailable |
Metricool / Influence: The differences that matter
| What you need to do | Metricool | Influence |
|---|---|---|
| Brand structure | A brand groups a business’s network accounts; it is not the same unit as a person or an individual account. | The examples cover the accounts of one business. |
| Free publishing | Free is limited to one brand and twenty monthly posts, and excludes LinkedIn and X. | Paid plans with a seven-day trial; a card is required. |
| Paid entry plan | Starter begins at five brand slots; unused brand capacity is not a reason to count more value automatically. | Starter includes 50 monthly publications; Growth includes 150. |
| X costs | The pricing page lists X at an additional $10 per connected account per month. | Available posting formats depend on the connected X account. |
| Reports and history | Free has thirty days of analytics; Starter lists reports and unlimited analytics history. | Account and post metrics depend on the connected provider. |
| Team and integrations | Advanced lists team/client management, approvals and API access; MCP is also listed on Free. | Assistant and API publishing require review and confirmation. |
Prices and plan details were checked on the date above. The linked sources list each provider’s current terms. Sources and pricing
Example: publish a customer case-study announcement
The case-study announcement uses the customer’s approved wording and photo, plus the published article link.
- 1
Confirm the source
Use only approved customer wording and a published case-study URL. Retain any restrictions on names or images.
North Studio approves its name and photo for a case study about organizing a content calendar. The article is public on 22 October. No performance figures or customer quote are supplied.
- 2
Prepare destination versions
Adapt the useful result and link to each account without inventing a customer quote or measurement.
LinkedIn
Our new case study follows North Studio’s content-planning process, from organizing ideas to arranging the calendar.
Facebook
How does North Studio organize its content calendar? Our new case study walks through the process.
- 3
Review claims and formats
Check the numbers against the source and confirm the actual image, video or link format.
Check customer permission, the public article and photo. Preserve the separate reporting workflow; do not add a result or testimonial.
- 4
Save the schedule
Inspect the account, date and time zone for each draft. Keep one active scheduler per future item.
Scheduled for 22 October 2026, 09:00 Asia/Bangkok (02:00 UTC), with one post for each selected account.
- 5
Check delivery and report data
Inspect the later result. Separately verify that the analytics source you rely on still records the required information.
At 09:05, the first account shows Published and the second shows Needs review. Check the second account’s existing result before sending again to avoid a duplicate.
See the steps in Influence
Screenshots from an example workspace with fictional data. The interface is shown in English.
1. Edit the text and check the preview
Edit the text beside the selected account’s preview. Saving a draft leaves it available for more changes.
Open full-size screenshot (new tab)
2. Review before approving
The review brings the account, post, date, time and time zone together. Confirm schedule saves this version for the chosen time.
Open full-size screenshot (new tab)
3. Find the scheduled post
The calendar shows when each post is due. Its status changes as publishing progresses; Activity shows the later delivery result.
Open full-size screenshot (new tab)
What carries over when you switch?
Export the reports and history you need before moving your publishing calendar.
- Export reports and identify the history you must keep.
- List brands, individual accounts and any X add-ons.
- Recreate one approved draft on a permitted account.
- Check its format and time zone, then assign it to one scheduler.
- Validate delivery and the reporting requirement before retiring a tool.
Historical analytics, paid-media connections, report templates and competitor tracking do not automatically transfer.
See the publishing workflow
The current signup requires a card before the seven-day trial. Charging starts after the trial under the selected plan's terms.
Questions before you switch
Does one brand mean one account?
No. A brand groups a business’s accounts across networks. Two accounts on the same network can require separate brand slots.
Is X included in the base Metricool price?
No. X costs an additional $10 per connected account each month at the checked US price.
Does a connected platform support every post format?
No. Some connections support analytics or only particular publishing formats. Verify the exact account type and post format.
Metricool: Sources and pricing
Prices and plan details were checked on the date above. The linked sources list each provider’s current terms.
- Metricool: Pricing and plan details ·
- Agorapulse: Pricing and plan details ·
- Sprout Social: Pricing and plan details ·
- Buffer: Pricing and plan details ·
Compare other tools
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