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Most buyers should pick Metricool.
Choose Metricool if you need one workspace for planning, competitor analytics, reports, an inbox, and ad management; its entry plan is $20/month billed annually or $25 monthly for five brands. Choose Buffer for straightforward publishing at $5 per channel monthly, or free scheduling across three channels. Buffer is cheaper for one channel, while Metricool bundles broader management. Neither has a clear support edge in the published reviews.
01Side by side
| Metricool | Buffer | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $20/month annually; $25 monthly | $5 per channel/month |
| Free plan | 1 brand; 20 posts/month | 3 channels; 10 posts/channel |
| Best for | Teams managing multiple brands | Solo creators or channel-based teams |
| Core strength | Analytics, reports, inbox, and ads | Publishing and community replies |
| Learning curve | Not published | Not published |
| Integrations and data | Data Studio; Zapier and Make on Advanced | 12 platforms; Claude and ChatGPT via MCP |
| Team and seat costs | Team controls on Advanced; brand limits apply | Unlimited seats on Team; charged per channel |
| Support | Review score: 6/10 | Review score: 6/10 |
Metricool Choose Metricool if
- Choose Metricool if you manage multiple brands from one dashboard.
- Choose Metricool if competitor analytics and automated reports matter.
- Choose Metricool if you want inbox, ads, and planning together.
Buffer Choose Buffer if
- Choose Buffer if low per-channel pricing is your priority.
- Choose Buffer if you need unlimited team seats on Team.
- Choose Buffer if three free channels cover your posting needs.
02Pricing compared
Metricool’s Free plan covers one brand, 20 scheduled posts a month, five competitor profiles and 30 days of analytics. Starter begins at $20 per month with annual billing or $25 monthly; that entry tier covers five brands, while higher Starter tiers can manage up to 10. Advanced starts at $53 annually billed monthly or $67 month to month, with 15 brands at the entry tier. The pricing page says annual billing saves up to 24%.
Buffer is cheaper for a single channel: Essentials costs $5 per channel per month, or $60 per channel billed yearly. Team is $10 per channel monthly, or $120 per channel yearly. Its Free plan supports three channels and 10 scheduled posts per channel. Buffer’s per-channel pricing adds up across client accounts; Metricool bundles more brands, but some features cost extra.
03Features and depth
Metricool covers more of the social workflow in one product: scheduling, competitor analytics, automated reports, a shared inbox, ad management and Smartlinks. Its Flows feature automates DMs, but it is a paid add-on: $12 monthly for 2,500 executions, then $0.01 per extra execution. The Twitter/X add-on is $10 per connected account. Advanced Analytics costs from $12 monthly on Starter or $36 on Advanced and Custom. Check those extras before comparing headline prices.
Buffer focuses on creating, scheduling and analyzing posts across 12 platforms, with an AI assistant, team approvals and a community inbox on Team. Essentials includes advanced analytics, but collaboration workflows and the community inbox are listed with Team at $10 per channel monthly. Buffer also lists connections to Claude and ChatGPT through MCP. Choose it for publishing and collaboration; choose Metricool if competitor tracking, reports and ad management matter more than keeping the toolset narrow.
04Ease of use and learning curve
Both products put publishing and planning in a central workspace. Buffer’s narrower focus may be easier to scope if your main task is scheduling posts; Metricool’s analytics, reporting, inbox, ads and automation mean more capabilities—and more plan details to check. That is a product-scope comparison, not a claim that we tested either interface.
The published reviews rate ease of use at 7/10 for both. Neither has a clear support advantage in those reviews. Before switching, map your channels and workflow to the plan: Buffer charges per channel, while Metricool’s brand limits vary by tier and several functions are add-ons.
Questions people ask
Which is cheaper, Metricool or Buffer?
Buffer is cheaper for one channel: Essentials is $5 per channel monthly. Metricool Starter starts at $20 monthly with annual billing or $25 month to month, covering five brands at the entry tier. Buffer’s price scales with each connected channel; Metricool bundles more brands but charges extra for some features.
Does Metricool or Buffer have a free plan?
Both do. Metricool Free includes one brand, 20 scheduled posts per month, five competitor profiles and 30 days of analytics. Buffer Free includes up to three channels, 10 scheduled posts per channel, one user and 30 days of analytics history.
Which is better for managing multiple clients?
Metricool is the closer fit if you need competitor analytics, automated reports, ad management and brand limits designed for teams or agencies. Its Advanced plan starts at 15 brands for the entry price tier. Buffer Team supports unlimited team members, but charges $10 per channel monthly.
Does Buffer include analytics and an inbox?
Buffer lists advanced analytics with Essentials and a community inbox with Team. Team costs $10 per channel per month. Metricool includes an inbox in its broader workspace, while Advanced Analytics is a paid add-on starting at $12 monthly on Starter.