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Most buyers should pick Metricool.
Choose Later if influencer discovery, campaign management and creator partnerships matter as much as social scheduling. Its Starter plan is $18.75 per month when billed yearly, with one user and 30 scheduled posts per profile monthly. Choose Metricool for a free entry tier or a wider social-management dashboard: its free plan covers one brand and 20 posts monthly, while paid plans add more brands and reporting. Check add-on costs: Metricool charges extra for some features, and Later lists paid add-ons for users and social sets.
01Side by side
| Later | Metricool | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $18.75/month, billed yearly | Free; paid from $20/month yearly |
| Free plan | No free plan; 14-day trial | Free plan: 1 brand, 20 posts/month |
| Best for | Influencer campaigns and creator partnerships | Managing social channels across brands |
| Core strength | Influencer tools plus scheduling and Link in Bio | Scheduling, analytics, reporting, inbox and ads |
| Learning curve | Ease-of-use review score: 7.5/10 | Ease-of-use review score: 7/10 |
| Integrations/data | Creator behavior, trends and purchase data | Zapier, Make and Data Studio connector |
| Team/seat costs | Extra users: $3.75/month on Growth and Scale | Brand limits vary; seat pricing not published |
| Support | Review score: 4.5/10 | Review score: 6/10 |
Later Choose Later if
- Choose Later if influencer discovery and campaign management are priorities.
- Choose Later if you want creator-focused Link in Bio tools.
- Choose Later if your team fits its social-set and user limits.
Metricool Choose Metricool if
- Choose Metricool if you want a free plan for one brand.
- Choose Metricool if analytics, reporting and inbox tools belong in one dashboard.
- Choose Metricool if you need its listed Zapier, Make or Data Studio connections.
02Pricing compared
Metricool is cheaper to try: its free plan covers one brand, 20 scheduled posts a month, five competitor profiles and 30 days of analytics. Paid Starter starts at $20/month billed annually ($25 monthly) at the entry tier, which includes five brands; higher Starter pricing covers up to 10 brands, but exact step-up prices are not listed. Later has no free plan, but offers a 14-day trial. Its yearly-billed Starter is $18.75/month for one user, one social set (eight profiles) and 30 posts per profile monthly; the monthly price is not published. Later Growth is $37.50/month and Scale is $82.50/month, billed yearly. Add-ons matter: Metricool’s Flows add-on is $12/month for 2,500 executions, with extra executions charged separately. Later charges $11.25 per extra social set and $3.75 per extra user on Growth and Scale.
03Features and depth
Later is the stronger fit when creator campaigns are part of the job, not just social publishing. Its influencer software is described as handling creator discovery, rate setting, brand-fit checks, sales and ROI tracking; Later also offers full-service campaign planning and management. Later EdgeAI uses creator behavior, trends and purchase data for campaign planning. Its social scheduler and shoppable, trackable Link in Bio serve the publishing side too. The published Later plans list social profiles, post caps, analytics history and AI credits, but do not list influencer discovery or full-service campaign work as plan inclusions.
Metricool is broader as a day-to-day social dashboard. It combines scheduling, analytics, competitor tracking, reports, inbox, ad management, Smartlinks and DM automation through Flows. Starter includes unlimited scheduling subject to fair use, PDF and PPT reports, and unlimited analytics history. Advanced adds roles, approvals, API access and a Data Studio connector. Some capabilities cost extra: Twitter/X analytics and Flows, for example, have add-on fees.
04Ease of use and learning curve
Metricool has more tools to learn: its dashboard combines a planner, analytics, reports, inbox, ads, Smartlinks and Flows. The product details describe drag-and-drop scheduling and suggested best times to post. That breadth may reduce tab-switching, but it also means checking which tools sit on your selected plan or require an add-on.
Later’s scheduling and Link in Bio tools are easier to scope, while its influencer discovery and campaign-management products add more workflows. The published review scores rate Later slightly higher for ease of use, at 7.5 versus Metricool’s 7. Those scores are one input, not a substitute for checking your team’s needs.
Questions people ask
Which is cheaper, Later or Metricool?
Metricool is cheaper to try because it has a free plan for one brand and 20 scheduled posts a month. Later’s lowest listed price is $18.75/month billed yearly. Metricool’s paid Starter begins at $20/month billed yearly, or $25 monthly, at the entry tier.
Does Later include influencer marketing?
Later’s product description includes influencer discovery, rate setting, brand-fit checks, sales and ROI tracking, plus full-service campaign management. But those capabilities are not listed as inclusions in the published Starter, Growth or Scale plan details, so confirm what access and pricing apply before buying.
Can I use Metricool for free?
Yes. Metricool’s Free plan covers one brand, up to 20 scheduled posts per month, five competitor profiles and 30 days of analytics history. It also includes five AI assistant credits per brand each month. Later does not list a free plan, but offers a 14-day trial.
What extra costs should I check before switching?
Metricool lists Flows at $12/month for 2,500 executions, plus $0.01 per extra execution; its Twitter/X add-on is $10/month per connected account. Later Growth and Scale charge $11.25 per extra social set and $3.75 per extra user. Metricool’s Canva add-on price is not published.