Ranked list

Best Metricool alternatives in 2026

If you use Metricool to schedule and the posts are what you lack, Quetzal makes and publishes them for you. If you want deeper listening and a shared inbox for a larger team, Hootsuite and Sprout Social are the suites, priced per user. If you only need a free queue, Buffer or Publer.

· Reviewed by Sergio Verdugo, co-founder of Quetzal

If your team already makes all the content and the job is reporting across many brands, Metricool is still a strong pick at its price.

How we ranked

Each tool scores up to 100 points on these criteria, computed from each vendor's own site, checked on 30 September 2026. The list is in score order.

  1. Who makes the posts20 points

    Full marks if its AI plans and makes posts on its own, half if it helps you write when asked, none if you make every post.

  2. Inbox for comments and messages20 points

    Full marks if it has an inbox for comments and messages, none if not.

  3. Covers the six main networks15 points

    A sixth of the points for each of Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, X and YouTube it publishes to.

  4. Approval step before publishing15 points

    Full marks if posts can wait for approval, none if not.

  5. Makes video with AI10 points

    Full marks if it makes video with AI, none if it does not.

  6. Entry price10 points

    The cheapest paid plan per month, at face value in the currency the vendor lists: under 20 scores full marks, under 50 two thirds, under 100 one third, 100 or more none.

  7. Free start10 points

    Full marks for a free plan or a trial without a card, half for a trial that asks for a card, none without a trial.

If a fact is not listed on the vendor's site, or is more than 90 days old, that criterion scores half: we do not assume it either way. Scores are out of 100. When two tools tie, the one with the lower entry price goes first.

Quetzal is our product. It is scored on the same criteria from its own plans, and its position comes from the score, not from us.

  1. 1

    Buffer

    Score: 80 out of 100

    A simple scheduler for individuals and small teams, priced per connected channel, with an AI assistant for post text.

    Buffer charges per channel from $6 a month, with a free plan for up to three channels and a 14-day trial without a card. It has an inbox, approvals and an AI assistant for text, and refunds monthly plans within 7 days and annual plans within 30.

    • Simple, clean queue and calendar
    • A free plan for up to 3 channels
    • Low price for a few channels

    Best for

    A simple queue for a few channels

    Price

    Essentials: $6 a month per channel ($5 a month billed yearly)

    Trade-off

    Its web app is in English only

    Quetzal vs BufferVisit Buffer
  2. 2

    SocialBee

    Score: 79.2 out of 100

    A category-based scheduler with an AI copilot that drafts a content plan, captions and images for you to approve.

    SocialBee's copilot drafts a content plan, captions and images for your approval, and its evergreen queues recycle posts by category. It has an inbox, starts at $29 a month per workspace, runs a 14-day trial without a card and refunds a first purchase within 30 days.

    • Evergreen queues organised by content category
    • An AI copilot that drafts a plan, captions and images
    • A 30-day refund on the first purchase

    Best for

    AI-drafted plans you approve post by post

    Price

    Bootstrap: $29 a month per workspace ($24.17 a month billed yearly)

    Trade-off

    No AI video on its pricing page

    Quetzal vs SocialBeeVisit SocialBee
  3. 3

    Hootsuite

    Score: 70.8 out of 100

    One of the original social media management suites: scheduling, inbox, listening and reporting for teams, priced per user.

    Hootsuite adds social listening, an inbox several people work from, approval routing and reporting for managers, with broad integrations. Its trial runs 14 days without a card.

    • Mature scheduling and team workflow
    • Listening and reporting
    • Broad integrations

    Best for

    Teams that need listening and a shared inbox

    Price

    Standard: $99 a month per user, billed yearly only

    Trade-off

    Priced per user, from $99 a month, billed yearly, with no refund on cancelling

    Quetzal vs HootsuiteVisit Hootsuite
  4. 4

    Quetzal

    Our productScore: 68.3 out of 100

    You stop scheduling and start approving. Quetzal plans the week from your brand and website, writes and designs posts and carousels natively in Spanish or English, and publishes them to Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, X and YouTube after your approval or on autopilot. It measures each post and plans the next week from it. Unlimited posts on every plan; AI reels come on every plan.

    Best for

    Businesses that need the posts made, in Spanish or English

    Trade-off

    No free plan, and lighter reporting than Metricool

    $69/ mo

    Starter, per brand, billed yearly. $90 month to month.

    Try for free
    • Plans and makes the week from your website and brand
    • Publishes to Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, X and YouTube
    • Writes natively in English and Spanish
    • AI reels on every plan, from 10 AI credits a month (1 credit = 1 image or 1 second of AI video)
    See Quetzal's pricing
  5. 5

    Planable

    Score: 66.7 out of 100

    A collaboration and approval tool for planning social posts, with unlimited users and an AI writer for captions.

    Planable is built for collaboration and client approval, with unlimited users on every paid workspace from $39 a month per workspace and a free tier of 50 posts with no time limit. Its AI writer helps with captions.

    • Clear approval flows for clients and managers
    • Unlimited users on every paid workspace
    • A free start with no time limit and no card

    Best for

    Agencies whose slow step is client approval

    Price

    Basic: $39 a month per workspace ($33 a month billed yearly)

    Trade-off

    All sales are final: no refunds

    Quetzal vs PlanableVisit Planable
  6. 6

    Publer

    Score: 65 out of 100

    A social media scheduler priced per connected account, with a free plan and an AI assistant for post text and images.

    Publer charges per connected account, has a free plan and lets you try paid features for 7 days without a card. It publishes to 13 networks and has approvals and an AI assistant for text and images.

    • Low price per account and a free plan
    • Wide network coverage, including Bluesky, Mastodon and Telegram
    • Paid features can be tried without a card

    Best for

    Scheduling many accounts on a small budget

    Price

    Not listed on their pricing page

    Trade-off

    Prices were not listed on the page we read

    Quetzal vs PublerVisit Publer
  7. 7

    Sprout Social

    Score: 63.3 out of 100

    A social media management platform for teams, priced per seat, with publishing, a shared inbox, listening and reporting.

    Sprout Social offers publishing, a shared inbox, listening and reporting with permissions for large organisations. Its app is available in Spanish and its trial runs 30 days without a card.

    • A shared inbox, listening and reporting built for teams
    • Permissions and governance for large organisations
    • A 30-day trial with no card

    Best for

    Large teams that need governance and reporting

    Price

    Essentials: $99 a month per user ($79 a month billed yearly)

    Trade-off

    Priced per user, from $99 a month

    Quetzal vs Sprout SocialVisit Sprout Social

Why people look beyond Metricool.

The reasons

  • Metricool measures and schedules; its AI helps with text when you ask, and it does not plan or make the week's posts.
  • It lists no AI video on its pricing page.
  • It does not refund the current billing cycle; consumers have 15 days to withdraw from a first purchase only.
  • A business with no content team still has to make every post itself.

What Metricool does well

  • Detailed reporting, competitor analytics and ads reporting in one tool.
  • Pricing by the number of brands, from $25 a month per account, which agencies find easy to budget.
  • A free plan, an app in seven languages, Spanish among them, and an inbox with approvals.

Which tools are on the list.

The list covers the suites and schedulers people compare with Metricool and the tools that make the posts for you. Readers leaving Metricool still care about approvals and the inbox, so those criteria weigh more here; the order is the score, as set out in How we ranked. None of these scores measures reporting depth, where Metricool is strong.

At a glance.

1. Buffer

Best for
A simple queue for a few channels
From
Essentials: $6 a month per channel ($5 a month billed yearly)
Free plan or trial
Free plan and 14-day trial, no card
Main trade-off
Its web app is in English only

2. SocialBee

Best for
AI-drafted plans you approve post by post
From
Bootstrap: $29 a month per workspace ($24.17 a month billed yearly)
Free plan or trial
14-day trial, no card
Main trade-off
No AI video on its pricing page

3. Hootsuite

Best for
Teams that need listening and a shared inbox
From
Standard: $99 a month per user, billed yearly only
Free plan or trial
14-day trial, no card
Main trade-off
Priced per user, from $99 a month, billed yearly, with no refund on cancelling

4. Quetzal

Best for
Businesses that need the posts made, in Spanish or English
From
Starter: $90 a month per brand ($69 a month billed yearly), before tax
Free plan or trial
7-day trial, card required; no free plan
Main trade-off
No free plan, and lighter reporting than Metricool

5. Planable

Best for
Agencies whose slow step is client approval
From
Basic: $39 a month per workspace ($33 a month billed yearly)
Free plan or trial
Free plan, no card
Main trade-off
All sales are final: no refunds

6. Publer

Best for
Scheduling many accounts on a small budget
From
Not listed on their pricing page
Free plan or trial
Free plan and 7-day trial, no card
Main trade-off
Prices were not listed on the page we read

7. Sprout Social

Best for
Large teams that need governance and reporting
From
Essentials: $99 a month per user ($79 a month billed yearly)
Free plan or trial
30-day trial, no card
Main trade-off
Priced per user, from $99 a month

When another tool beats Quetzal.

  • Metricool itself, if you already make the content and the job is reporting across many brands.
  • Hootsuite or Sprout Social, if a larger team needs listening, a shared inbox and governance.
  • Buffer or Publer, if you only need a free queue for posts you make yourself.
  • Planable, if your agency writes the posts and the slow part is getting clients to approve them.

How to switch from Metricool

  1. 1Decide whether you replace Metricool or keep it for reporting: you can keep it for reports and add a tool that makes the posts.
  2. 2Start the new tool's trial and connect the same accounts.
  3. 3Move the posts still scheduled, or let the new tool plan the next week.
  4. 4Cancel before your next Metricool renewal, since the current cycle is not refunded.

Questions people ask.

What is the best alternative to Metricool?

It depends on the job. For a business that needs the posts made, Quetzal plans, writes, designs and publishes them. For a team that needs listening and a shared inbox, Hootsuite or Sprout Social. For a free queue, Buffer or Publer.

Is there a free alternative to Metricool?

Buffer and Publer have free plans, and Planable has a free tier of 50 posts. Metricool has its own free plan too. Quetzal has no free plan; it has a 7-day trial with a card.

Is there a cheaper alternative to Metricool?

For scheduling your own posts on a few channels, Buffer's free plan or Publer can cost less. For many brands, Metricool's brand-count pricing is hard to beat. Quetzal costs more because it plans and makes the week's posts as well as publishing them.

Which Metricool alternative makes the content for you?

Quetzal plans and makes the week's posts on its own, then publishes them after your approval or on autopilot. SocialBee's copilot drafts a plan, captions and images for you to approve. The others help with text when you ask.

Should I replace Metricool or add a tool to it?

If you rely on Metricool's reports, keep it and add a tool that makes the posts. If you only use it to schedule, you can replace it.

Is there a Metricool alternative in Spanish?

Sprout Social's app is available in Spanish, and Quetzal works in Spanish and English and writes the content natively in both. Buffer's web app is English only.

How do I switch from Metricool?

Start the new tool's trial, connect the same accounts, move the posts still scheduled and cancel before your next Metricool renewal, since the current cycle is not refunded.

Before you shortlist

Try it on your own brand.

The quickest way to compare is to see a week of posts made with your brand and put it next to what you use today.

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Best Metricool alternatives in 2026: 7 tools compared