Is Later or Metricool cheaper?

Later is cheaper to start, from $18.75 against $20 for Metricool. The unit each one charges by differs, so the real bill depends on how many channels or seats you run.

Does Later or Metricool have a free plan?

Both have a free plan, so you can try either one before paying.

Which is better, Later or Metricool?

Later is the stronger pick for Instagram-first creators and brands, while Metricool is the better fit for analytics-led marketers who want organic and paid in one report. We don't score them; the right call comes down to how you post.

Head to head

Later vs Metricool

Last updated 4 June 2026

Later

Later is the visual-first scheduler, built around an Instagram feed planner and a strong Link in Bio, and it sells access in social sets (one profile of each network) rather than per channel. The cheapest paid plan is $25 a month, or $18.75 on annual billing, for one social set and one user.

From: $18.75 per social set / mo
Free plan

Visit Later

Metricool

Metricool started as an analytics tool and it still leads with reporting, pulling paid ads in next to organic and going deeper than the price suggests. Pricing is set by how many brands you connect, the free plan is one of the most generous around, and a few networks sit behind a paywall.

From: $20 per month
Free plan

Visit Metricool

Bottom line

Later and Metricool both cover the basics; the right one comes down to how you post. Later is the stronger pick for Instagram-first creators and brands; choose Metricool for Analytics-led marketers who want organic and paid in one report.

Features compared

Feature	Later	Metricool
AI captions	Yes	Yes
Basic analytics	Yes	Yes
Advanced reports	Yes	Yes
Bulk upload	No	Yes
Evergreen recycling	No	Partial
Team roles	Yes	Yes
Approvals	Yes	Yes
Link in bio	Yes	Yes

Platforms compared

Network	Later	Metricool
Instagram	Auto	Auto
Facebook	Auto	Auto
X (Twitter)	No	Auto
LinkedIn	Auto	Auto
TikTok	Auto	Auto
Pinterest	Auto	Auto
YouTube	Auto	Auto
Threads	Auto	Auto
Bluesky	No	Auto
Google Business	No	Auto
Snapchat	Auto	No
Twitch	No	Analytics
WordPress	No	Auto

Pricing

Later

Starter

$25 per social set / mo

$18.75/mo billed annually

Seats: 1
Accounts: 8
Scheduled posts: 30

$25/mo, $18.75 on annual
1 social set (8 profiles, one per network)
1 user, 30 posts per profile / month
Link in Bio, best-time-to-post, AI captions
Capped at one social set; no extra sets, users, or AI credits

Growth

Popular

$50 per social set / mo

$37.5/mo billed annually

Seats: 2
Accounts: 16
Scheduled posts: 180

$50/mo, $37.50 on annual
2 social sets (16 profiles), 2 users
180 posts per profile / month
Social inbox, approvals, and collaboration
Extra social sets $15/mo each ($11.25 on annual)

Scale

$110 per social set / mo

$82.5/mo billed annually

Seats: 4
Accounts: 48
Scheduled posts: Unlimited

$110/mo, $82.50 on annual
6 social sets (48 profiles), 4 users
Unlimited posts
Custom analytics, competitive benchmarking, brand listening
Extra social sets $15/mo each ($11.25 on annual)

Priced per social set. A social set is one profile on each of the eight networks Later supports, so the headline price covers a whole brand across networks rather than a single channel.
Starter is capped at one social set and one user with no add-ons, so its column in the cost table stays flat. Only Growth and Scale let you add social sets, at $15 each per month ($11.25 on annual).
Extra users are $5 a month each on Growth and Scale ($3.75 on annual). Growth's two included sets and Scale's six converge in price once you pass six sets, since both add extra sets at the same $15 rate; above that you pay Scale only for its deeper features.
Annual billing gives three months free (about 25% off): Starter $18.75 vs $25, Growth $37.50 vs $50, Scale $82.50 vs $110 per month.
Later still has a limited free plan (Link in Bio plus a small posting allowance, aimed at creators joining brand campaigns), but it's off the main pricing page, which now leads with a 14-day trial.
Prices are USD list, read off the live pricing page, which bills in USD worldwide. The monthly and annual figures were confirmed by toggling the page's billing switch and cross-checked against current third-party listings.

Metricool

Free

Scheduled posts: 20

1 brand, 20 scheduled posts a month
All networks except LinkedIn and X
5 competitor profiles, 30 days of analytics, AI assistant

Starter

Popular

$25 per month

$20/mo billed annually

Scheduled posts: Unlimited

From $25/mo ($20 annual) for up to 5 brands
Up to 10 brands for $45/mo ($36 annual)
Unlimited publishing, LinkedIn, 100 competitor analyses
Reporting tools, PDF and PPT exports, SmartLinks, Canva and Drive
X is a +$5 per-account add-on

Advanced

$67 per month

$53/mo billed annually

Scheduled posts: Unlimited

From $67/mo ($53 annual) for up to 15 brands
25 brands $107/mo ($85 annual); 50 brands $210/mo ($159 annual)
Team and client management, role management, post approvals
Full X analytics, custom report templates, Looker Studio connector, API

Custom

Quote-only for more than 50 brands
White label, dedicated account manager, custom AI credits
Business integration

Plans are chosen by how many 'brands' you connect rather than multiplied per brand: you land in a brand-count band and pay that band's price. A brand is a group of profiles, roughly one account per network.
Starter covers up to 10 brands ($25 a month for 5, $45 for 10; $20 / $36 on annual). Advanced covers up to 50 ($67 / $107 / $210 a month for 15 / 25 / 50 brands; $53 / $85 / $159 on annual). Past 50 brands it's the quote-only Custom plan.
Annual billing saves up to 24% depending on the band.
X (Twitter) is a paid add-on at $5 per connected account on every plan. LinkedIn is included from Starter up but not on the Free plan.
Listed prices exclude VAT, which is added before checkout.
The Free plan is genuine: 1 brand, 20 scheduled posts a month, 5 competitor profiles, and 30 days of analytics, but no LinkedIn or X.
Prices are USD read off the live pricing page, which has a EUR/USD switch and a brand slider and renders client-side. Figures were read with the USD toggle selected, across both billing periods and the brand bands, and cross-checked against current third-party 2026 listings.

Pros and cons

Later

Strong visual planner and Link in Bio, the features it's known for
Clean, Instagram-first workflow
Auto-publishing across all eight supported networks
Social-set pricing is fair if you run a single brand
No X support since 2025
No reorderable evergreen queue and no CSV bulk upload
Listening and competitor benchmarking are locked to the top Scale plan
Starter caps at one social set, so growing past it pushes you up a plan fast

Metricool

Deepest analytics for the price, with paid ads alongside organic
Unusually generous free plan
Wide network list, including Twitch analytics and Google Business
Strong agency value with brand-band pricing and white-label reports
Brand-band pricing takes a minute to work out
X is a paid add-on and LinkedIn is paid-only
Listed prices exclude VAT
No category-based evergreen recycling and no broad listening

Later vs Metricool: FAQ

Is Later or Metricool cheaper?: Later is cheaper to start, from $18.75 against $20 for Metricool. The unit each one charges by differs, so the real bill depends on how many channels or seats you run.
Does Later or Metricool have a free plan?: Both have a free plan, so you can try either one before paying.
Which is better, Later or Metricool?: Later is the stronger pick for Instagram-first creators and brands, while Metricool is the better fit for analytics-led marketers who want organic and paid in one report. We don't score them; the right call comes down to how you post.