Head-to-head · AI social media management tools · facts checked 16 Sept 2026
Metricool vs Sprout Social
Metricool scores 7.2 to Sprout Social's 5.2 among the AI social media management tools we rate, and is the better pick for 3 of the 4 kinds of buyer below.
From
$20/mo (Starter)
Free plan
Yes — 1 brand
From
$99/mo (Essentials, per seat)
Free plan
No — no permanent free tier
The verdict
Metricool wins, 7.2 to 5.2
Metricool uniquely has 2 features.
Best for
Who each one suits, decided on the criteria that matter to that buyer and the checked facts where the two differ.
Agencies managing clients
Metricool
Metricool 8.0 · Sprout Social 7.0 on agencies and teams
- Reports in your own or your client's branding: Metricool yes, Sprout Social no
- But Sprout Social leads on single sign-on: Sprout Social yes, Metricool no
Solo creators on a budget
Metricool
Metricool 9.4 · Sprout Social 3.5 on pricing
- Free plan: Metricool yes, Sprout Social no
- Monthly cost for 5 social profiles: $20 against $99
Brands posting across networks
Metricool
Metricool 5.3 · Sprout Social 4.5 on publishing and ai content
- Bulk scheduling: Metricool yes, Sprout Social no
- Re-queues evergreen posts: Metricool yes, Sprout Social no
- Schedules a first comment: Metricool yes, Sprout Social no
- But Sprout Social leads on an AI agent that plans or publishes for you: Sprout Social yes, Metricool no
Listening and competitor tracking
Sprout Social
Metricool 9.0 · Sprout Social 10.0 on listening and competitors
- Finds or manages influencers: Sprout Social yes, Metricool no
Section 01
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.
Publishing25% of the score
Metricool9.5
Sprout Social6.5
Pricing25% of the score
Metricool9.4
Sprout Social3.5
AI content20% of the score
Metricool0.0
Sprout Social2.0
Agencies and teams15% of the score
Metricool8.0
Sprout Social7.0
Listening and competitors10% of the score
Metricool9.0
Sprout Social10.0
Privacy and support5% of the score
Metricool6.5
Sprout Social5.8
Section 02
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.
Networks it publishes to
Sprout Social
Published by only one of them
Free trial
Metricool
Does not apply
Where they match (14)
Section 03
Pricing, plan by plan
Every plan each vendor publishes, monthly and yearly where both are offered.
Metricool
Free
$0/mo · $0/yr
1 brand, 20 posts/month, 30-day analytics, 5 competitor profiles, AI assistant (5 credits/brand/month)
Starter — Up to 5 brands
$25/mo · $20/mo
Up to 5 brands, unlimited publishing, 100 competitors, LinkedIn, PDF/PPT reports, unlimited analytics history
Starter — Up to 10 brands
$45/mo · $36/mo
Up to 10 brands, all Starter features, unlimited publishing, Google Drive & Canva integration
Advanced — Up to 15 brands
$67/mo · $53/mo
Up to 15 brands, team & client management, role management, post approval, Looker Studio, API access
Advanced — Up to 25 brands
$107/mo · $85/mo
Up to 25 brands, all Advanced features, customizable report templates, Zapier/Make integration
Advanced — Up to 50 brands
$210/mo · $159/mo
Up to 50 brands, full Advanced feature set including complete Twitter/X analytics
Custom
Contact sales
Custom brand count, white label, dedicated account manager, custom AI assistant credits, Metricool integration
Sprout Social
Essentials
$79/seat/mo (annual); $99/seat/mo monthly
Up to 5 social profiles; optimal send times; profile and post-level reporting
Standard
$199/seat/mo
5 social profiles; consolidated inbox; keyword and location monitoring; unlimited AI-generated alt text; review management
Professional
$299/seat/mo
Unlimited social profiles; message tagging; competitor/tag/paid insights; Enhance Post by AI Assist
Advanced
$399/seat/mo
Enhance Reply by AI Assist; sentiment in Smart Inbox; Sprout API; helpdesk integrations; message spike alerts; team productivity reports
Enterprise
Custom
White-glove onboarding; dedicated SSO setup; priority support; plan tailored to enterprise needs
Section 04
Pros and cons
From each tool's full review, written from the same checked facts.
Metricool
Pros
- 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.
Cons
- 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.
Sprout Social
Pros
- The Smart Inbox consolidates messages across all connected social networks into one view.
- Unlimited scheduling is available from the Essentials plan, including optimal send times and bulk publishing support.
- The shared content calendar gives teams clear visibility into what is scheduled and when, with strong execution reported by most users.
- Sprout covers a wide range of use cases in a single platform, including publishing, engagement, listening, reporting, influencer marketing, and employee advocacy.
- An AI agent called Trellis and a Newswhip integration for media monitoring signal meaningful investment in real-time social intelligence capabilities.
- Deep integrations with Salesforce, Helpdesk platforms, and Slack make it well-suited for mid-market teams with existing tech stacks.
- Enterprise-tier features include SSO and custom pricing for larger organizations.
Cons
- Pricing is firmly mid-market and upward, making it a poor fit for solo creators, small teams, or anyone on a tight budget.
- The platform has expanded so aggressively into new feature territory that it risks spreading thin across publishing, listening, influencer marketing, and advocacy simultaneously.
- Enterprise and custom-tier features create a fragmented experience where key capabilities may be locked behind higher pricing tiers.
- The shift in positioning from a straightforward scheduling tool to a 'social intelligence platform' may confuse buyers who just need reliable publishing and reporting.
- Small teams who get excited by the demo risk committing before understanding how steep the entry cost actually is.
Section 05
Metricool vs Sprout Social: common questions
Which is better, Metricool or Sprout Social?
Metricool scores 7.2 and Sprout Social 5.2 out of 10 among the AI social media management tools we rate. Metricool is ahead on publishing, pricing, agencies and teams and privacy and support. Sprout Social is ahead on aI content and listening and competitors.
Is Metricool or Sprout Social cheaper?
Metricool's cheapest paid plan is $20/mo (Starter) and Sprout Social's is $99/mo (Essentials, per seat). Compare what each plan includes below before going on price alone.
Do Metricool and Sprout Social have a free plan?
Metricool does and Sprout Social does not.
What can Metricool do that Sprout Social cannot?
On the facts both vendors publish: bulk scheduling, re-queues evergreen posts, schedules a first comment, free plan, reports in your own or your client's branding and does not train AI on your content.
What can Sprout Social do that Metricool cannot?
On the facts both vendors publish: an AI agent that plans or publishes for you, single sign-on, finds or manages influencers and sOC 2.
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