Review · Social media management tool · Updated July 2026
Metricool Review (2026): The Cheapest Way to Run Many Brands, With Two Catches
Best for
- Freelancers and agencies running many brands who want the lowest per-brand cost
- Data-driven marketers who want genuinely deep analytics and branded reports
- Anyone who also runs paid ads and wants scheduling + ad reporting in one place
Look elsewhere if
- X/Twitter-first workflows — connecting X is a paid $5/mo-per-account add-on, and impossible on Free
- People who want dead-simple scheduling (Buffer is easier to learn)
- Teams that need true social listening / web brand monitoring (Metricool has an inbox, not listening)
Is Metricool worth it? The short answer
Metricool scores 8.5/10. On price-per-brand it is hard to beat: roughly $3–4 per brand once you scale, a genuinely free-forever plan, and analytics and branded reporting that punch well above the price. Two things hold it back and both cost money: X/Twitter is a paid add-on (about $5 per connected account) on every paid tier — and can't be connected on the Free plan at all — and its auto-renewal is opaque, with refunds only within 15 days of the first purchase.
Metricool has quietly become the value pick among social media management tools. It bundles scheduling, analytics and ad reporting, and it prices by 'brand' rather than by channel or seat, which makes it unusually cheap for anyone juggling many accounts, freelancers and small agencies especially.
We looked at what the free plan actually includes, where the per-brand price stops being the real price, and the billing behavior people complain about. Here is the honest breakdown.
What is Metricool, and who is it for?
Metricool is an all-in-one social media management platform: schedule posts across most major networks, track native analytics, monitor competitors, and report on both organic and paid performance from one dashboard. A 'brand' is one set of connected profiles, and your plan is sized by how many brands you manage.
- Freelancers and small-to-mid agencies managing many brands on a tight budget
- Anyone who values deep native analytics and branded client reports
- Solo creators who want a real free plan to start on, not just a trial
It fits worst if X/Twitter is central to your workflow (it is a paid add-on on every paid plan and unavailable on Free) or if you need LinkedIn on the free plan (it is locked out).
How we rate Metricool
Six things decide whether a management tool earns its place. Here is how Metricool scores on each, with the one-line reason behind every mark. These are our editorial assessments, not lab measurements, and they blend to the overall 8.5.
Analytics & reporting
Deep native analytics, competitor tracking and branded PDF/PowerPoint reports — the clear standout and the reason to pick it.
Value per brand
Priced per brand, roughly $3–4 a brand at scale — one of the cheapest ways to run many accounts.
Features & breadth
Scheduling, analytics, ad reporting, SmartLinks, an inbox and AI in one dashboard — unusually broad for the price.
Network coverage
Ten networks including Bluesky and Threads, but X is a paid add-on and the Free plan locks out LinkedIn and X.
Ease of use
Feature-dense, so a steeper start than a simple scheduler, but well organised once you learn it.
Billing & transparency
The per-brand value is real, but the X add-on and an opaque auto-renewal (refunds only within 15 days, never on renewals) knock points off.
Metricool pricing in 2026 (per brand, plus two add-on costs)
Metricool prices by brand count, and the per-brand rate falls as you add brands. The advertised price is not the full cost, though, because two features are billed separately.
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 1 brand, most networks except LinkedIn and X/Twitter, ~20 scheduled posts/mo, 5 competitor profiles |
| Starter | $20/mo (annual, 5 brands); ~$25 monthly | Unlimited publishing, LinkedIn, 100 competitor profiles, branded reports (your logo + colours) |
| Advanced | $53/mo (annual, 15 brands); scales to 50 brands | Team/client management, role permissions, post approval, more AI credits |
| Custom | Contact sales | Custom brand count, full white-label, dedicated manager |
- The real per-brand cost is roughly $3–4/brand once you scale — the reason agencies pick it.
- X/Twitter is a paid add-on at roughly $5 per connected account per month on the paid tiers; the Free plan can't connect X at all.
- LinkedIn is locked out of the Free plan; you need Starter or higher.
Pricing verified against metricool.com in 2026 and may change; check the live pricing page before buying.
Metricool features, in depth
Metricool bundles a lot into one dashboard. Here is how the pieces that matter actually hold up, and where the price stops being the whole price.
Scheduling & the planning calendar
At the core is a planning calendar that schedules and auto-publishes across ten networks: Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn, YouTube, Pinterest, Google Business, Bluesky, Threads and X (Twitter). Best-time suggestions and bulk planning are built in.
The catch specific to Metricool: X (Twitter) needs a paid add-on to connect (see below) and is not available on the Free plan at all. Everything else publishes on any paid plan.
Analytics & reporting (the standout)
Analytics is why most people choose Metricool. You get deep native metrics — reach, engagement, follower growth, demographics — across every connected network, plus competitor analysis (5 profiles on Free, up to 100 on paid) and a Looker Studio connector on the paid plans.
For agencies, the report builder exports branded PDF and PowerPoint reports with your own logo and colours (Starter and up); full white-label is reserved for the Custom plan. Little else at this price reports this well.
Ads management & reporting
A genuine differentiator: Metricool connects Meta (Facebook/Instagram), Google and TikTok ad accounts, so you can report on — and even create — paid campaigns alongside your organic scheduling in the same dashboard. Most schedulers at this price don't touch ads at all.
The per-brand model, and the X (Twitter) add-on
Metricool prices by 'brand' — one set of connected profiles — not per channel or per seat, and the per-brand rate falls as you add brands (roughly $3–4 a brand at the higher tiers). For anyone running many accounts, that is one of the cheapest ways to do the math in the category.
Two costs sit outside the headline price. X (Twitter) is a paid add-on at about $5 per connected account per month, available only on the paid plans — the Free plan can't connect X at all. Budget for it if X matters to you.
The free plan in practice
The free plan is genuinely free-forever, not a trial: one brand, around 20 scheduled posts a month, 30 days of analytics history, five competitor profiles and a basic AI assistant.
Two things it locks out: LinkedIn and X (Twitter). If either is core to you, you will need a paid plan (and, for X, the add-on on top).
SmartLinks, the inbox & AI
Paid plans add SmartLinks, a customisable link-in-bio page with click tracking, and a unified inbox for comments and DMs — though the inbox covers Instagram, Facebook and Google Business only, so treat it as an inbox, not full social listening.
An AI assistant helps draft and polish captions, with usage credits that scale by plan. Useful, but not a headline reason to choose Metricool.
Billing & the renewal catch
The value is real, but billing is the recurring complaint. Auto-renewal is charged with little advance notice, refunds are limited to within 15 days of the first purchase and are not offered on renewals, and users also report a price increase around 2025.
None of that makes the tool worse — but set a calendar reminder before your renewal date, because the refund window is tight.
Metricool pros and cons
Pros
- Very low cost per brand (~$3–4) — one of the cheapest ways to manage many accounts
- A real free-forever plan, not just a trial
- Analytics and reporting are a genuine strength, including branded PDF/PPT client reports (your logo + colours)
- Bundles organic scheduling with paid-ad reporting in one dashboard
- Competitor tracking included from the free plan
Cons
- X/Twitter is a paid add-on (~$5 per connected account/month) on every paid tier, and can't be connected on Free at all — a common surprise charge
- LinkedIn is excluded from the Free plan entirely
- Opaque auto-renewal: the invoice and charge often hit the same day with little notice, and refunds are only within 15 days of the first purchase, never on renewals
- Some user reviews report being billed on inactive or forgotten accounts
Metricool vs. the alternatives
Metricool wins on per-brand economics. The other schedulers we review scale on different units, which changes the math:
| Tool | Free tier | Cheapest paid | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buffer | Yes — 3 channels, 10 posts | $5/mo per channel | Simple scheduling for a few accounts |
| Metricool | Yes — 1 brand (no X/LinkedIn) | $20/mo (5 brands) | Managing many brands on a budget |
| Publer | Yes — 3 accounts | ~$5/mo + per account | Deep features and AI at a low entry price |
| Later | None (14-day trial) | $18.75/mo (annual) | Visual Instagram planning |
| Hootsuite | None (trial only) | $99/user/mo | Agencies and large teams |
For the simplest single-brand setup, Buffer; for visual Instagram planning, Later; for enterprise approvals and listening, Hootsuite.
Is Metricool worth it?
If you manage several brands and care about analytics, Metricool is one of the best value-for-money tools on the market, and the free plan lets you prove that before paying. The two things to go in with your eyes open about are the X/Twitter add-on and the renewal policy: budget for the former if X matters to you, and set a calendar reminder before renewal because refunds are tightly limited.
- Start on Free to test scheduling and analytics on one brand (skip it if you need LinkedIn or X)
- Move to Starter once you need LinkedIn, unlimited publishing or more brands
- Note your renewal date — refunds are only within 15 days of the first purchase
For budget-conscious multi-brand management, the value is real; just price in the add-ons so the bill matches the headline.
Metricool FAQ
Yes, there is a genuine free-forever plan (not a trial). It covers one brand on most networks with about 20 scheduled posts a month, but it excludes LinkedIn and X/Twitter entirely — X can't be connected on the free tier even as a paid add-on.
Starter is $20/mo on annual billing for 5 brands (about $25 monthly), and Advanced is $53/mo for 15 brands, scaling up to 50. The effective cost works out to roughly $3–4 per brand, which is why agencies favor it.
Because of X's API pricing, Metricool bills X/Twitter as a separate add-on at roughly $5 per connected account per month on the paid plans; the Free plan can't connect X at all. If X is central to your workflow, factor that in.
Refunds are only offered within 15 days of your first purchase, and never on renewals. Because auto-renewal is charged with little advance notice, it is worth setting a reminder before your renewal date.
Content Marketing Expert · Founder, The Blogsmith
Content marketing expert with 16+ years in SEO, social media strategy, and digital content. Founder of The Blogsmith.