Head to head
Later vs Metricool
Last updated 13 October 2026
Later prices scheduling in social sets: Starter is $25 monthly or $18.75 per month billed yearly for one set and one user. A separate limited Free plan exists. Growth adds collaboration; Story publishing and outside feedback have specific account and format limits.
- From
- Free
- Free scheduling
- Yes
Metricool combines publishing and reporting in Brands. Free allows one Brand and 20 actual publications per calendar month; Starter begins at $25 monthly for five Brands, while Advanced adds team members and client approvals from $67 monthly.
- From
- Free
- Free scheduling
- Yes
Bottom line
Later and Metricool go after a similar buyer, so it's a close call. Later leans toward Instagram-first creators and brands; Metricool toward analytics-led marketers who want organic and paid in one report.
Later has a free plan and paid plans from $18.75 per social set a month, billed yearly, and Metricool has a free plan and paid plans from $20 a month, billed yearly. They bill on different units, so the real gap depends on how much you run. Later brings social listening that Metricool skips, while Metricool has bulk upload Later doesn't.
Key differences
Where the two actually diverge, before the full tables.
- Paid plans start at $18.75 per social set a month, billed yearly on Later and $20 a month, billed yearly on Metricool.
- Later posts to 8 networks, Metricool to 10.
- Only Later reaches Snapchat.
- Only Metricool reaches X (Twitter).
- Later has social listening; Metricool doesn't.
- Metricool has bulk upload; Later doesn't.
- Metricool has ad management; Later doesn't.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Auto | Auto | |
| Auto | Auto | |
| X (Twitter) | No | Auto |
| Auto | Auto | |
| TikTok | Auto | Auto |
| Auto | Auto | |
| YouTube | Auto | Auto |
| Threads | Auto | Auto |
| Bluesky | Not assessed | Auto |
| Google Business | Not assessed | Auto |
| Snapchat | Auto | No |
| Twitch | Not assessed | No |
| WordPress | Not assessed | No |
Pricing
Prices use each tool’s billing unit. Annual equivalents are labeled as billed yearly; scaling rows show monthly costs and available annual rates.
Later
Starter
$18.75 per social set a month 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$37.50 per social set a month 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
$82.50 per social set a month 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.
- Free is documented separately with limited scheduling and a two-week past/future calendar window. The reviewed plan guide does not state its numerical post allowance.
- The live USD pricing page shows 25% off annual billing (three months free). The help guide mentions four months free, so the live priced tariff is used here. Legacy and promotional plan inclusions may differ.
- Starter AI add-ons are inconsistent across official pages: the priced tariff says unavailable while the help guide says they may be available. Check the subscription screen for an existing account.
What it really costs
Monthly cost by social set count. Per-unit tiers grow with usage; flat tiers keep their whole-plan price within the published allowance, with the 1-social set row marked as a realistic setup.
| social sets | Starter | Growth | Scale |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Typical | $25/mo | $50/mo | $110/mo |
| 3 | Exceeds plan capacity | $65/mo | $110/mo |
| 5 | Exceeds plan capacity | $95/mo | $110/mo |
| 10 | Exceeds plan capacity | $170/mo | $170/mo |
| 25 | Exceeds plan capacity | $395/mo | $395/mo |
| 50 | Exceeds plan capacity | $770/mo | $770/mo |
Monthly billing. Volume discounts lower the per-social set rate at higher counts. Annual billing takes about 3 months off.
Metricool
Free
- Scheduled posts
- 20
- 1 brand; 20 actually published posts per calendar month across the planner
- All networks except LinkedIn and X
- 5 competitor profiles, 30 days of analytics, AI assistant
Starter
Popular$20 a month 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
$53 a month billed annually
- Seats
- Unlimited
- 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 is a separately charged add-on on eligible paid plans. Free excludes X and LinkedIn; LinkedIn begins on Starter.
- Listed prices exclude VAT, which is added before checkout.
- Current public pricing exposes USD and EUR tariffs for monthly and annual brand bands. Confirm the selected configuration and billing term.
- The Free plan is genuine: 1 brand, 20 actual publications a month, 5 competitor profiles, and 30 days of analytics, but no LinkedIn or X.
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?
- Both Later and Metricool have a free entry plan. Compare their account allowances, publishing limits and any paid features you need.
- 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.