Side-by-side comparison · Marketing & Ads

Buffer vs Metricool

Everything that matters when choosing between them, in one place: our rating, what each can do, what they cost, and the trade-offs.

Buffer

4.2

From $6/channel/mo

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Metricool

4.2

From $0

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At a glance

Buffer4.2

Easiest to use

Pick it if: Small businesses, solo founders and creators who want to post regularly across several social networks without paying for an enterprise suite.

Metricool4.2

Pick it if: Small businesses, freelancers and agencies who post across several networks and need clear reports on what's working, including ads.

Overview

Attribute	Buffer	Metricool
In one line	Schedules posts to every social network from one queue, with an AI writing helper.	Schedule posts and track results across every social network and ad account in one place.
Pricing model	Freemium	Freemium
Starting price	$6/channel/mo	$0
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Works with Claude Code	Yes	Yes

Rating breakdown

Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.

Attribute	Buffer	Metricool
Overall rating	4.2	4.2
Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it.	5.0	4.0
FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together.	3.5	4.5
Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them.	4.0	4.0
Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan.	4.5	4.5
Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over.	4.0	4.0

Feature comparison

A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.

Attribute	Buffer	Metricool
Access & platform
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Mobile app	Yes	Yes
Desktop app	No	–
Browser extension	Yes	–
API access	Yes	Yes
Teams & business
Team workspace	Yes	Yes
Enterprise plan or SSO	–	–
Connects to other apps	Yes	Yes
Open source or self-hosted	No	No
AI abilities
Works with your files	Yes	Yes
Understands images	–	–
Makes images	No	No
Makes video	No	No
Writes code	No	No
Runs agents or automations	No	No
Learns your brand or style	–	–
Works in many languages	Yes	Yes
Capabilities score	8/ 17	7/ 17

Pricing

Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.

Attribute	Buffer	Metricool
Plans	Free Free A sole trader posting a few times a week.	Free $0 One small business testing it.
	EssentialsOur pick $6/channel/mo, or $5/channel/mo billed yearly One person running a business's social accounts.	StarterOur pick From $25/mo, or $20/mo billed yearly A business or freelancer managing a few brands.
	Team $12/channel/mo, or $10/channel/mo billed yearly Small teams who need approvals.	Advanced From $67/mo, or $53/mo billed yearly Agencies with a team and clients.
		Custom Custom Large agencies.
Which plan to pick	Start on Free to see if you will actually post regularly. Move to Essentials once you need more than 10 posts queued per channel; Team is only worth it when someone else needs to approve posts.	Test on Free with one brand. Starter is the right plan for most small businesses and freelancers, and yearly billing saves about 20%. Agencies that need client approvals and their own report templates should go to Advanced. Add the X add-on only if you post there.

Key features

Attribute	Buffer	Metricool
Standout features	Publishing queue AI Assistant Ideas board Comments inbox Analytics Start Page	Planner Analytics Ads reporting Competitor tracking Reports AI assistant and MCP

Pros and cons

Attribute	Buffer	Metricool
Pros	Very easy to learn, with a clean interface Real free plan, and low per-channel prices Covers almost every network, including Threads, Bluesky and Google Business Profile AI Assistant is included on every plan Public API and official MCP server	Much stronger analytics than most schedulers at this price Ads and organic results in one place Client-ready PDF and PowerPoint reports MCP server for Claude, even on the free plan
Cons	Analytics are basic next to Hootsuite or Sprout Social Per-channel pricing climbs quickly once you manage many accounts Some users report posts occasionally failing to publish or duplicating No social listening, and the inbox is lighter than a full social suite	Free plan leaves out LinkedIn and X X needs a paid add-on on every plan AI captions run on monthly credits More to learn than Buffer

Who each one is for

Attribute	Buffer	Metricool
Best for	Scheduling posts across many networks Small teams on a tight budget Turning one post into versions for each network Keeping a regular posting rhythm	Scheduling across many social networks Monthly social media reports for clients Seeing organic and paid results together Keeping an eye on competitors
You'll find it used by	Small business owners Solo founders Creators Small marketing teams Non-profits	Small business owners Freelancers Agencies Social media managers Creators

Questions people ask

Which is better, Buffer or Metricool?

They tie on our overall rating (Buffer 4.2/5 and Metricool 4.2/5). Buffer is best for scheduling posts across many networks and small teams on a tight budget. Metricool is best for scheduling across many social networks and monthly social media reports for clients.

Which is cheaper, Buffer or Metricool?

Buffer: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $6/channel/mo. Metricool: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $0.

Which is easier to use, Buffer or Metricool?

Buffer rates highest for ease of use in our scores. Small businesses, solo founders and creators who want to post regularly across several social networks without paying for an enterprise suite.

Ratings are our own, from using each tool, across ease of use, features, output quality, value for money, speed & reliability.

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