Is Metricool or PaintTool SAI better?

Neither clearly leads. Metricool starts at Free and PaintTool SAI at 5500/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, Metricool or PaintTool SAI?

Metricool has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Metricool and 5500/month for PaintTool SAI.

Does Metricool or PaintTool SAI run on more platforms?

Metricool runs on web, ios, android, api. PaintTool SAI runs on windows.

Can I use Metricool for free?

Yes. Metricool has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. PaintTool SAI starts at 5500/month.

What is Metricool best used for?

Metricool is most often used for scheduling posts across multiple social networks, tracking competitor social performance, automating client and team reports, managing paid social ad campaigns. Of those, scheduling posts across multiple social networks and tracking competitor social performance are not what PaintTool SAI is typically brought in for.

What can Metricool do that PaintTool SAI cannot?

Metricool covers Content Planner, Analytics & Competitor Analysis, Automated Reporting, Unified Inbox. PaintTool SAI covers Pressure-Sensitive Tablet Support, Anti-Aliased Brushes, 16-bit ARGB Color Channels, Lightweight Performance.

Social Media & Content · head to head

Metricool vs PaintTool SAI

Metricool

Social Media & Content

All-in-one platform to plan, publish, and analyze social media content

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

PaintTool SAI

Design Tools

Lightweight digital painting and illustration software for Windows

From: 5500/month
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Only Metricool has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
Each has a real cost: Metricool full Twitter/X analytics and post approval workflows are locked behind the Advanced plan.; PaintTool SAI windows-only software with no native Mac or Linux version.
They diverge on capability: Metricool covers Content Planner, PaintTool SAI covers Pressure-Sensitive Tablet Support.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Metricool and PaintTool SAI actually diverge.

Attributes where Metricool and PaintTool SAI differ
Attribute	Metricool	PaintTool SAI
Starting price	Free	5500/month
Pricing model	freemium	one-time
Free tier	Yes	No
Platforms	web, ios, android, api	windows
Category	Social Media & Content	Design Tools

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

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 Metricool

Content Planner
Analytics & Competitor Analysis
Automated Reporting
Unified Inbox
Ads Management
SmartLinks
AI Assistant

Only in PaintTool SAI

Pressure-Sensitive Tablet Support
Anti-Aliased Brushes
16-bit ARGB Color Channels
Lightweight Performance
Crash Data Protection

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Metricool

Scheduling posts across multiple social networksnot PaintTool SAI
Tracking competitor social performancenot PaintTool SAI
Automating client and team reportsnot PaintTool SAI
Managing paid social ad campaignsnot PaintTool SAI
Building a link-in-bio landing pagenot PaintTool SAI

PaintTool SAI

Digital illustration and manga artnot Metricool
Line art and inking with pressure-sensitive pensnot Metricool
Lightweight painting on lower-spec computersnot Metricool
Character and concept art sketchingnot Metricool

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

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.

PaintTool SAI

Windows-only software with no native Mac or Linux version.
Only supports 32-bit operation, lacking modern 64-bit performance benefits.
Lacks the advanced brush engine customization and layer effects found in tools like Photoshop or Clip Studio Paint.
No cloud sync or mobile app, unlike many modern illustration tools.

Pricing, plan by plan

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

PaintTool SAI

5500/month

Standard License$5500/month
- Perpetual license
- All 1.x.x minor updates
- Free upgrade path to version 2

Which should you pick?

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.

Metricool review

Choose PaintTool SAI if

You need pressure-sensitive tablet support.
You work on windows.
You also want anti-aliased brushes.

PaintTool SAI review

Questions people ask

Is Metricool or PaintTool SAI better?: Neither clearly leads. Metricool starts at Free and PaintTool SAI at 5500/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Metricool or PaintTool SAI?: Metricool has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Metricool and 5500/month for PaintTool SAI.
Does Metricool or PaintTool SAI run on more platforms?: Metricool runs on web, ios, android, api. PaintTool SAI runs on windows.
Can I use Metricool for free?: Yes. Metricool has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. PaintTool SAI starts at 5500/month.
What is Metricool best used for?: Metricool is most often used for scheduling posts across multiple social networks, tracking competitor social performance, automating client and team reports, managing paid social ad campaigns. Of those, scheduling posts across multiple social networks and tracking competitor social performance are not what PaintTool SAI is typically brought in for.
What can Metricool do that PaintTool SAI cannot?: Metricool covers Content Planner, Analytics & Competitor Analysis, Automated Reporting, Unified Inbox. PaintTool SAI covers Pressure-Sensitive Tablet Support, Anti-Aliased Brushes, 16-bit ARGB Color Channels, Lightweight Performance.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Metricool: 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.

Source

PaintTool SAI: Is there a free trial for PaintTool SAI?

Yes, PaintTool SAI offers a 31-day free trial with full functionality before requiring purchase of a license.

Source

Metricool: 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.

Source

PaintTool SAI: What does the license cover?

The one-time 5,500 JPY purchase provides a perpetual license covering all minor updates within version 1.x.x; a major version 2 upgrade is offered for free.

Source

Metricool: 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.

Source

PaintTool SAI: What operating systems are supported?

PaintTool SAI runs on Windows XP through Windows 11, but only in 32-bit mode, requiring at least a 450MHz Pentium processor and 256MB of RAM.

Source

Metricool vs PaintTool SAI

Metricool

PaintTool SAI

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in Metricool

Only in PaintTool SAI

What people use each for

Metricool

PaintTool SAI

Where each one falls short

Metricool

PaintTool SAI

Pricing, plan by plan

Metricool

PaintTool SAI

Which should you pick?

Choose Metricool if

Choose PaintTool SAI if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on Metricool

More on PaintTool SAI

Keep looking

Other head to heads