Social Media · head to head
Later vs Metricool
Later
Social Media
Visual social media scheduling and analytics
- From
- $18.75/month
- Rated
- -
Metricool
Social Media
All-in-one platform to plan, publish, and analyze social media content
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Metricool has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Later every published price is the yearly rate; there is no free plan, only a 14 day trial; Metricool full Twitter/X analytics and post approval workflows are locked behind the Advanced plan.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 29 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Later and Metricool actually diverge.
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Social Media).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Later
Nothing recorded that Metricool does not also cover.
Only in Metricool
- Content Planner
- Analytics & Competitor Analysis
- Automated Reporting
- Unified Inbox
- Ads Management
- SmartLinks
- AI Assistant
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Later
- Scheduling social posts across up to 8 profiles on the entry plannot Metricool
- Running social for multiple brands using separate social setsnot Metricool
- Reviewing up to two years of social analytics on the Scale plannot Metricool
Metricool
- Scheduling posts across multiple social networksnot Later
- Tracking competitor social performancenot Later
- Automating client and team reportsnot Later
- Managing paid social ad campaignsnot Later
- Building a link-in-bio landing pagenot Later
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Later
- Every published price is the yearly rate; there is no free plan, only a 14 day trial
- The Starter plan caps posting at 30 posts per profile per month, which is roughly one a day
- Analytics history is tiered: 3 months on Starter, 1 year on Growth, 2 years on Scale
- Extra users cost $3.75 per month each on top of the plan's included seats
Metricool
- Full Twitter/X analytics and post approval workflows are locked behind the Advanced plan.
- Unlimited scheduling on paid plans is still capped by an undisclosed fair use policy.
- Free plan is limited to a single brand and 20 posts per month.
- API access is only available on the top Advanced tier.
Pricing, plan by plan
Later
$18.75/month- Starter$18.75/month
- Billed yearly
- 1 social set of 8 profiles
- 1 user
- Growth$37.5/month
- Billed yearly
- 2 social sets of 16 profiles
- 2 users
- Scale$82.5/month
- Billed yearly
- 6 social sets of 48 profiles
- 4 users
Metricool
Free- FreeFree
- 1 brand
- 20 posts/month
- 5 competitor profiles
- Starter$20/month
- Up to 10 brands
- Unlimited publishing (fair use)
- 100 competitor profiles
- Advanced$53/month
- Up to 50 brands
- Team management and post approval
- Full Twitter/X analytics
Which should you pick?
Choose Later if
Nothing in the data separates Later from Metricool on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.
Choose Metricool if
- You need content planner.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on web, ios, android, api.
- You also want analytics & competitor analysis.
Questions people ask
- Is Later or Metricool better?
- Neither clearly leads. Later starts at $18.75/month and Metricool at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Later or Metricool?
- Metricool has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $18.75/month for Later and Free for Metricool.
- Does Later or Metricool run on more platforms?
- Later runs on Web. Metricool runs on web, ios, android, api.
- Can I use Metricool for free?
- Yes. Metricool has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Later starts at $18.75/month.
- What is Later best used for?
- Later is most often used for scheduling social posts across up to 8 profiles on the entry plan, running social for multiple brands using separate social sets, reviewing up to two years of social analytics on the scale plan. Of those, scheduling social posts across up to 8 profiles on the entry plan and running social for multiple brands using separate social sets are not what Metricool is typically brought in for.
- What can Later do that Metricool cannot?
- Metricool covers Content Planner, Analytics & Competitor Analysis, Automated Reporting, Unified Inbox.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Later: How much does Later cost?
Later publishes three plans, all priced billed yearly: Starter at $18.75 per month, Growth at $37.50 and Scale at $82.50. Annual billing is advertised as 25% off, described as 3 months free.
SourceMetricool: Is there a free plan, and what are its limits?
Metricool's Free plan supports 1 brand, up to 20 posts per month, 5 competitor profiles, and 30 days of analytics history.
SourceLater: Does Later have a free plan?
No. Later offers a 14 day free trial on all plans, but there is no permanently free tier. The trial is the only entry point below the $18.75 per month Starter plan.
SourceMetricool: What does Metricool cost?
Starter runs from about $20/month and Advanced from about $53/month (billed annually, with monthly billing also available); a Custom tier is available on request.
SourceLater: How many social profiles does Later include?
Starter includes 1 social set covering 8 profiles, Growth includes 2 sets covering 16, and Scale includes 6 sets covering 48. Extra social sets are $11.25 per month each.
SourceMetricool: How is usage metered?
Plans limit the number of connected brands and competitor profiles; scheduling is unlimited on paid plans but subject to a fair use policy.
SourceRelated pages
Other head to heads
- Later vs Planoly
- Later vs Loomly
- Later vs Instagram
- Later vs Agorapulse
- Later vs SocialPilot
- Later vs Snapchat
- Later vs Pinterest
- Later vs Sked Social
- Later vs Tailwind
- Later vs Brandwatch
- Later vs Talkwalker
- Later vs Determ
- Later vs Khoros
- Later vs Opus Clip
- Later vs Rival IQ
- Later vs Shapr
- Later vs SocialBee
- Later vs Sendible
- Later vs Statusbrew
- Later vs Sprinklr
- Later vs Tumblr
- Later vs X
- Later vs BeReal
- Metricool vs Planoly
- Metricool vs Loomly
- Metricool vs Instagram
- Metricool vs Agorapulse
- Metricool vs SocialPilot
- Metricool vs Snapchat
- Metricool vs Pinterest
- Metricool vs Sked Social
- Metricool vs Tailwind
- Metricool vs Brandwatch
- Metricool vs Talkwalker
- Metricool vs Determ
- Metricool vs Khoros
- Metricool vs Opus Clip
- Metricool vs Rival IQ
- Metricool vs Shapr
- Metricool vs SocialBee
- Metricool vs Sendible
- Metricool vs Statusbrew
- Metricool vs Sprinklr
- Metricool vs Tumblr
- Metricool vs X
- Metricool vs BeReal