What is the difference between Publer and Metricool?

Publer is best for Small businesses wanting multi-platform social scheduling, while Metricool is best for Marketers wanting social analytics and scheduling in one. Publer starts at Free and Metricool starts at Free.

Is Publer or Metricool cheaper?

Publer starts at Free with a free tier. Metricool starts at Free with a free tier.

Is there a free alternative to Metricool?

Both Publer and Metricool offer free tiers.

Publer vs Metricool

Publer is social media scheduling platform with AI, analytics, and team collaboration, while Metricool is all-in-one social media management with analytics, scheduling, and competitor analysis. Publer is built for small businesses wanting multi-platform social scheduling, whereas Metricool targets marketers wanting social analytics and scheduling in one.

At a glance

	Publer	Metricool
Best for	Small businesses wanting multi-platform social scheduling	Marketers wanting social analytics and scheduling in one
Starting price	Free	Free
Free tier	✓	✓
Open source	—	—
Free tier available	✓	✓
Open source	—	—
AI Assist	✓	—
Ad Manager	—	✓
Analytics	✓	✓
Competitor Analysis	—	✓
Multi-Platform	✓	—
Scheduling	—	✓
Watermark	✓	—

Publer

Strengths

Includes Multi-Platform as a core feature, purpose-built for social media management workflows
Includes AI Assist as a core feature, purpose-built for social media management workflows
Free for 3 accounts — generous enough for most small teams to get real work done
Includes analytics alongside the core feature set — fewer separate tools needed

Weaknesses

Free plan exists but key features are locked behind the paid upgrade
Fewer built-in features means you may need additional tools to cover gaps
Ecosystem of third-party integrations is smaller than the market leaders in social media management
Limited team/admin features if your organization eventually scales up

Try Publer → Full review

Metricool

Strengths

Built-in analytics show open rates, click rates, and conversion data in real time
Includes Scheduling as a core feature, purpose-built for social media management workflows
Free for 1 brand — generous enough for most small teams to get real work done
Includes competitor analysis alongside the core feature set — fewer separate tools needed

Weaknesses

Free plan exists but key features are locked behind the paid upgrade
Fewer built-in features means you may need additional tools to cover gaps
Ecosystem of third-party integrations is smaller than the market leaders in social media management
Limited team/admin features if your organization eventually scales up

Try Metricool → Full review

The bottom line

Pricing: Both tools offer free tiers, so you can test each before committing. Publer's free plan: Free for 3 accounts. Metricool's free plan: Free for 1 brand.

Feature gaps: Publer offers AI Assist, Multi-Platform and Watermark that Metricool lacks. Metricool brings Ad Manager, Competitor Analysis and Scheduling that Publer does not have. Both share Analytics.

Team fit: Both tools target small teams teams, so the decision hinges on features and workflow fit rather than scale.

Where each tool shines: Publer's biggest strengths are: includes multi-platform as a core feature, purpose-built for social media management workflows. includes ai assist as a core feature, purpose-built for social media management workflows. Metricool's biggest strengths are: built-in analytics show open rates, click rates, and conversion data in real time. includes scheduling as a core feature, purpose-built for social media management workflows.

Watch out for: With Publer, users commonly note that free plan exists but key features are locked behind the paid upgrade. With Metricool, the main complaint is that free plan exists but key features are locked behind the paid upgrade.

Choose Publer if...

You need a tool built for small businesses wanting multi-platform social scheduling
You specifically need AI Assist and Multi-Platform
You care about includes ai assist as a core feature, purpose-built for social media management workflows
The free tier works for you: free for 3 accounts

Choose Metricool if...

You need a tool built for marketers wanting social analytics and scheduling in one
You specifically need Ad Manager and Competitor Analysis
You care about includes scheduling as a core feature, purpose-built for social media management workflows
The free tier works for you: free for 1 brand