Buffer vs Metricool
Metricool scores 7.2 to Buffer's 5.6 among the AI social media management tools we rate, and is the better pick for 2 of the 4 kinds of buyer below.
Metricool wins, 7.2 to 5.6
Five profiles cost $20 a month on Metricool against $30 on Buffer, and only Metricool tracks competitor accounts, tracks mentions beyond your own and manages paid ads, none of which Buffer offers. Metricool also bulk schedules posts and re-queues evergreen ones (currently on X only), while Buffer does neither. Buffer's edge is in AI and reach: it can turn an existing link or article into a post and publish to Mastodon, both missing from Metricool. Both include a free plan and a browser extension.
Pick Buffer if you want Mastodon support or to turn articles and links into posts.
Pick Metricool if you want cheaper pricing, paid-ads management or competitor tracking.
Best for
Who each one suits, decided on the criteria that matter to that buyer and the checked facts where the two differ.
- Monthly cost for 5 social profiles: $20 against $30
- Turns links, articles or videos into posts: Buffer yes, Metricool no
- Networks it publishes to: Facebook, instagram, x, linkedin, tiktok, youtube, pinterest, threads, bluesky, mastodon, google_business against Facebook, instagram, x, linkedin, tiktok, youtube, pinterest, threads, bluesky, google_business
- Bulk scheduling: Metricool yes, Buffer no
- Tracks competitors' accounts: Metricool yes, Buffer no
- Tracks mentions beyond your own accounts: Metricool yes, Buffer no
- Manages or reports on paid ads: Metricool yes, Buffer no
How they score
Both are scored the same way, against the other AI social media management tools we rate, from facts on each vendor's own pages. Metricool leads on 4 of 6 criteria.
Where they differ
Every point where the two vendors' published facts disagree, with a link to where each fact was read. "Not published" means the vendor does not say either way.
Published by only one of them
Where they match (17)
Pricing, plan by plan
Every plan each vendor publishes, monthly and yearly where both are offered.
Buffer
Metricool
Pros and cons
From each tool's full review, written from the same checked facts.
Buffer
- Per-channel billing model means solo creators and small businesses only pay for the accounts they actually connect, not a bloated seat-based tier.
- Covers 11 social media networks, giving broad platform support for most small business and creator use cases.
- The free plan allows 10 scheduled posts per channel, which is genuinely functional for users just starting out.
- Content calendar offers week and month views with drag-and-drop rescheduling and clean queue management.
- Built-in AI assistant helps with content writing directly inside the tool.
- Includes a link-in-bio feature called Start Page, adding value beyond basic scheduling.
- Buffer has been operating since 2010, demonstrating long-term stability in a space where many competitors disappear quickly.
- Per-channel pricing becomes expensive and complicated for agencies managing 20 or more client accounts.
- No white-label option, making it unsuitable for agencies that need branded client-facing experiences.
- No competitor analysis tools, limiting its usefulness for users who need strategic social intelligence.
- No enterprise tier is publicly listed, so large organizations have no clear upgrade path.
- Deliberately un-enterprise design philosophy means the tool will not fit teams needing advanced features or scalability.
- Analytics are described as basic, which may fall short for users needing deeper performance insights.
Metricool
- Single dashboard covers scheduling, analytics, ads management, and link-in-bio without requiring multiple subscriptions.
- The free tier is genuinely usable, offering one brand, 20 posts per month, 30 days of analytics history, and five competitor profiles.
- Facebook Ads, Google Ads, and TikTok Ads all pull into the same dashboard, even on lower-tier paid plans.
- Competitor tracking supports up to 100 profiles on Starter and above, giving agencies meaningful benchmarking capability.
- Autolists feature enables bulk scheduling via recurring content queues with automatic rotation.
- Content calendar includes drag-and-drop functionality with per-platform post previews before publishing.
- Automated reporting supports PDF and PowerPoint exports, with a Looker Studio connector available on Advanced plans.
- Hashtag data freshness and reliability is unverified, with mixed signals reported from users across third-party sources.
- The Hashtag Tracker is a separate add-on rather than included in standard paid plans, adding potential extra cost.
- Looker Studio integration is locked behind the Advanced tier, limiting reporting flexibility for lower-plan users.
- The free plan caps analytics history at 30 days, which may be insufficient for meaningful trend analysis.
- Some features and limitations could not be fully verified without account access, leaving gaps in the assessment.
- Competitor tracking is restricted to just five profiles on the free plan, limiting usefulness for agencies at that tier.
Buffer vs Metricool: common questions
Which is better, Buffer or Metricool?
Metricool scores 7.2 and Buffer 5.6 out of 10 among the AI social media management tools we rate. Metricool is ahead on publishing, pricing, listening and competitors and privacy and support. Buffer is ahead on aI content.
Is Buffer or Metricool cheaper?
Buffer's cheapest paid plan is $6/mo (Essentials, per channel) and Metricool's is $20/mo (Starter). Compare what each plan includes below before going on price alone.
Do Buffer and Metricool have a free plan?
Yes, both do.
What can Buffer do that Metricool cannot?
On the facts both vendors publish: turns links, articles or videos into posts.
What can Metricool do that Buffer cannot?
On the facts both vendors publish: bulk scheduling, re-queues evergreen posts, tracks competitors' accounts, tracks mentions beyond your own accounts, manages or reports on paid ads and does not train AI on your content.
