The order is a price order for that one scenario, not a quality score, and every entry says where it falls short. All prices are in US dollars, as recorded from each vendor's own pricing and feature pages on 16 October 2026. A scheduler only posts; it does not show whether customers can find you. To see how your business appears on Google, in Maps and in seven AI engines, get a free visibility check.
Key takeaways
- The price to beat: Metricool Starter is $25 a month for one brand on five accounts. PostWharf ($15), Publer ($20) and Later ($25) are the three that cost the same or less. The other five cost $29 to $35.
- PostWharf is the pick for one brand that runs many accounts and posts from an AI assistant: $15 a month covers a workspace with unlimited channels, and the REST API, MCP server and CLI are on every plan. Its pages do not describe analytics reports or a reply inbox, so it suits a business that already reports elsewhere.
- Other picks by need: Buffer for a free plan and analytics on its paid plan, Publer for paying only for the accounts you connect, Postiz for self-hosting, SocialBee for category-based schedules, SocialPilot for client approvals, Sendible for unlimited users, Later for visual Instagram and TikTok planning.
- Stay on Metricool if you run up to five brands and can do without X: $25 a month covers up to five brands, each with one profile per network.
- Left out: Agorapulse, Hootsuite and Sprout Social. Their cheapest published prices are $79 to $99 per user a month.
The eight at a glance
Cost is the cheapest published plan that covers the scenario: one brand, five accounts, one user, monthly billing.
| Rank | Tool | Cost per month | Billed by | Free plan or trial | Analytics on that plan | Google Business Profile | API and MCP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baseline | Metricool Starter | $25 | Brand (up to 5 brands) | Free plan (no LinkedIn or X) | Yes | Yes | MCP on every plan; API from Advanced |
| 1 | PostWharf Starter | $15 | Workspace (one brand), unlimited channels | 7-day trial | Not described | Not in its network list | Both on every plan, plus a CLI |
| 2 | Publer Professional | $20 | Social account, plus extra members | Free plan (3 accounts) and 7-day trial | No (Business plan, $35 for 5 accounts) | Yes | Both on Business |
| 3 | Later Starter | $25 | Social set (8 profiles, 1 user) | 14-day trial | Yes, 3 months | No | Not published |
| 4 | Postiz Standard | $29 | Connected channel (5 on Standard) | 7-day trial, card required; free to self-host | Listed as a feature | Not named | Both on every plan, plus a CLI |
| 5 | SocialBee Bootstrap | $29 | Social profile (5 on Bootstrap) | 14-day trial, no card | Yes, 3 months | Yes | Not described |
| 6 | Buffer Essentials | $30 | Connected channel | Free plan (3 channels) and 14-day trial | Yes | Yes | Both on every plan |
| 7 | SocialPilot Essentials | $30 | Social accounts and users (7 accounts, 1 user) | 14-day trial, no card | No (Standard, $50) | Yes | MCP on every plan; API on Enterprise only |
| 8 | Sendible Core | $35 | Workspace (6 profiles), unlimited users | 14-day trial, no card | Yes, standard reports | Yes | API limited to SSO; no MCP mentioned |
How this list works
Source. Each vendor's own pricing and feature pages, as recorded on 16 October 2026. Nothing here comes from a review site, and we have not rated any tool.
The scenario. One brand with five accounts (Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok and YouTube), one user, monthly billing, and the cheapest published plan that covers all five. That is the size of business this page is written for: a small UAE company, or the person who runs its marketing. We left X out because Metricool charges $10 a month for each connected X account and Later does not support X. Metricool's free plan leaves out LinkedIn, so its cheapest plan for this scenario is Starter at $25.
Minimum bar. A tool is on the list when it meets all three tests: it publishes to Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and TikTok; its cheapest published price is $50 a month or less on the billing period that shows the lowest figure; and it has a free plan or a free trial. We checked eleven tools. Eight passed.
Ranking. Scenario cost, cheapest first. Ties go to the lower price on yearly billing: Postiz ($23) ahead of SocialBee ($24), and Buffer ($25) ahead of SocialPilot ($25.50). The ranking does not measure how pleasant a tool is to use, so each entry names its limits, and the table shows what the entry plan includes beyond posting.
What Metricool costs, and why people look past it
Metricool prices by brand, and each brand holds one profile per network. The Free plan covers one brand on every network except LinkedIn and X, with 20 scheduled posts a month, 5 competitor profiles and 30 days of analytics. Starter is $25 a month ($20 billed annually) for up to 5 brands, or $45 ($36 annually) for 10; it adds LinkedIn, unlimited publishing under fair use and up to 100 competitor profiles. Advanced starts at $67 a month ($53 annually) for 15 brands and adds team and client management, post approvals and the API. Metricool's prices exclude VAT.
Four things send people to other tools. X costs $10 a month ($120 a year) per connected account on Starter and above. Approvals, team roles and the API need Advanced. The Free plan caps scheduling at 20 posts a month. The Advanced Analytics add-on costs from $12 a month on Starter.
Brand pricing helps most when you run several brands. For three brands, Metricool Starter at $25 undercuts PostWharf Startup, which covers three workspaces for $29. The tools below win when you have one brand with many accounts, when you need something Metricool puts behind a higher plan, or when you want a different way to pay.
1. PostWharf (best for one brand with many accounts)
High Street has a financial interest in PostWharf (how we handle that).
What it is. A publishing tool where you connect every account a brand runs, write a post once, adjust the wording for each network and publish now or on a schedule. It posts to Instagram, TikTok, X, LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook, Threads, Pinterest, Bluesky and Telegram. Each brand gets its own workspace with its own channels, drafts, queue and history.
What it costs. Starter is $15 a month ($10 billed yearly): one workspace, unlimited channels, 200 scheduled posts a month, and the REST API, MCP server, CLI and webhooks. Startup is $29 ($23 yearly) for three workspaces and 400 scheduled posts a month; Plus is $67 ($54) for ten workspaces and 1,000 posts; Pro is $99 ($79) for unlimited workspaces and 2,500 posts. There is no free plan, and Starter has a 7-day free trial that charges your card when it ends. For the scenario, Starter covers all five accounts at $15.
Strength. The price does not change when you add accounts to a brand, because it bills by workspace and not by channel. Every post is re-checked after publishing, with one row per network, and failed deliveries retry automatically and show the reason in a status feed. Posts drafted through an AI assistant wait for your approval before they go out.
Limit. Its pages do not describe analytics reports or an inbox for replies, both of which Metricool has. Scheduled posts are capped each month, from 200 on Starter to 2,500 on Pro. Google Business Profile is not in its network list, and Reddit, Discord, Snapchat and WordPress are available on request only and cannot be connected yet.
Pick it if you run one brand across many accounts, or several brands without paying per channel, and you post from Claude, ChatGPT, a script, Zapier, Make or n8n. If you would like help choosing which accounts and posts to start with, ask for a free visibility check and we will go through it with you.
Source: postwharf.com/pricing and postwharf.com, read 16 October 2026.
2. Publer (best for paying only for the accounts you connect)
What it is. A scheduler for Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, Threads, LinkedIn, Pinterest, YouTube, Google Business Profile, Bluesky, Mastodon, Telegram and WordPress, with a calendar, bulk scheduling of up to 500 posts from a CSV file, recurring posts and evergreen recycling.
What it costs. Professional is $5 a month ($4 billed yearly) for one social account, $12 for three and $20 for five; each extra team member is $2 a month, and every tenth account is free. For the scenario that is $20. Business starts at $10 a month ($8 yearly) for one account, $21 for three and $35 for five, with extra members at $3. There is a Free plan (one user, one workspace, three accounts, no X, 10 scheduled posts per account, 25 saved drafts and a 24-hour post history), a 7-day trial of Professional and a 14-day trial of Business. Publer's prices do not include VAT.
Strength. You pay for exactly the accounts you connect, which suits a business with a small, stable set. The Free plan is a real way to test it on three accounts, and Professional includes X, first comments, threads and unlimited workspaces.
Limit. Cost grows with every profile and every extra member. Analytics, unlimited AI prompts, the API and MCP are on Business, so the five-account setup that includes analytics is $35, above Metricool's $25. Daily posting limits apply per profile; unlimited daily posting is an Enterprise feature.
Pick it if you have one to five accounts, want a free starting point, and can live without analytics on the cheapest plan.
Source: publer.com/plans, read 16 October 2026.
3. Later (best for Instagram and TikTok planned visually)
What it is. A scheduler built around a visual drag-and-drop calendar, publishing to Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Threads, YouTube, Pinterest, LinkedIn and Snapchat. It adds best times to post for Instagram, Facebook and TikTok, a Link in Bio page and analytics.
What it costs. Starter is $25 a month ($18.75 billed yearly): one social set (eight profiles, one per network), one user, 30 posts per profile a month, 5 AI credits a month and 3 months of analytics, with no add-ons. Growth is $50 ($37.50 yearly) for two social sets, two users, 180 posts per profile a month, approvals and a social inbox; an extra social set is $15 a month and an extra user $5. Scale is $110 ($82.50 yearly) for six social sets, four users and unlimited posts. There is a 14-day free trial and no free plan. For the scenario, Starter is $25, the same as Metricool.
Strength. One flat price covers a profile on each of its eight networks, and analytics are on the entry plan.
Limit. Starter allows 30 posts per profile per month, one user and no add-ons, so a second brand means Growth at $50. X, Bluesky and Google Business Profile are not supported, so a local business that posts to its Google listing needs another tool.
Pick it if your marketing is mostly Instagram and TikTok, you plan content on a calendar, and one person does the posting.
Source: later.com/pricing, read 16 October 2026.
4. Postiz (best for self-hosting or posting through AI agents)
What it is. An open-source scheduler that publishes to 34 platforms, including X, LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Reddit, Discord and Bluesky. AI agents can drive it through its MCP server, CLI and public API. The AGPL-3.0 code can be self-hosted for free.
What it costs. Hosted plans are priced by connected channels, with unlimited posts. Standard is $29 a month ($23 billed yearly) for 5 channels and no team members; Team is $39 ($31) for 10 channels and unlimited team members; Pro is $49 ($39) for 30 channels; Ultimate is $99 ($79) for 100. Every hosted plan has a 7-day free trial, and a card is required. For the scenario, Standard at $29 covers exactly five channels for one user; a second person means Team at $39.
Strength. The API, MCP server and CLI are on every plan, the self-hosted version has unlimited channels, posts and team members, and it publishes to community channels such as Reddit, Discord and Mastodon. Its feature list names analytics for impressions, likes, comments and shares across connected platforms.
Limit. There is no free hosted plan, and clipping and some AI video generators unlock only after the trial converts. Self-hosting means registering your own developer app with most networks, which can take weeks for Meta, YouTube and TikTok. Annual plans are not refundable, and it is a web product with no mobile app described.
Pick it if you have someone technical who wants to host the tool, or you want an AI assistant to schedule posts for you through MCP or the CLI.
Source: postiz.com/pricing and docs.postiz.com/cloud/plans, read 16 October 2026.
5. SocialBee (best for recycling evergreen posts by category)
What it is. A scheduler that organises posts into content categories and posts on a category-based schedule, to ten networks including Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok and Bluesky. Its Universal Posting sends mobile reminders for networks it cannot post to directly, such as Facebook Groups, WhatsApp, Telegram, Mastodon and Quora. It also has AI content generation, analytics and an engagement inbox.
What it costs. Bootstrap is $29 a month ($290 billed yearly, about $24 a month) for 5 social profiles, 1 user, 1 workspace, 10 content categories, unlimited AI content and 3 months of analytics. Accelerate is $49 ($490 a year) for 10 profiles with advanced analytics, a bulk editor, CSV uploads and post approval. Pro is $99 ($990 a year) for 25 profiles, 3 users per workspace and 5 workspaces. Extra users and workspaces cost $10 a month each, and 5 more profiles cost $15. The trial is 14 days with no card, and posting stops when it ends. For the scenario, Bootstrap at $29 covers exactly five profiles.
Strength. Content categories drive the posting schedule, posts can be recycled or set to expire, and Universal Posting reminders extend to WhatsApp and Telegram. Google Business Profile is supported, and Bootstrap includes analytics.
Limit. There is no free plan. Bootstrap lacks advanced analytics, the bulk editor, CSV uploads and post approval. Its pages do not describe a public API or an MCP server; automation runs through Zapier, Make or Pabbly.
Pick it if you have a handful of profiles, a library of evergreen content to cycle, and want reminders for WhatsApp or Telegram posts.
Source: socialbee.com/pricing and socialbee.com/features, read 16 October 2026.
6. Buffer (best for a few channels with a free plan)
What it is. A scheduler for publishing, analytics and comment replies across Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn, X, YouTube, Threads, Pinterest, Bluesky, Mastodon, Google Business Profile and Substack. It bills per connected channel.
What it costs. Free covers up to 3 channels, 1 user, 10 scheduled posts per channel at a time, 100 ideas and 30 days of insights. Essentials is $6 per channel a month ($5 billed yearly) with unlimited scheduled posts, advanced analytics and reports, a hashtag manager and first-comment scheduling, for one user. Team is $12 per channel ($10 yearly) and adds unlimited team members, approval workflows, access levels and branded reports. Both paid plans have a 14-day free trial. For the scenario, five channels on Essentials are $30 a month ($25 billed yearly), and $60 on Team. We also compared ten Buffer alternatives priced at 10, 30 and 60 channels if your count is higher.
Strength. A free plan for three channels, an API key and an MCP server on every plan, and analytics on Essentials at $6 a channel.
Limit. The bill grows with every channel, and once you upgrade, the three channels that were free are billed too. Essentials has one user, and approvals need Team. Instagram personal profiles and Facebook groups get reminder notifications only, not automatic publishing.
Pick it if you have three channels or fewer and want to start free, or you want analytics and an API at a few dollars a channel.
Source: buffer.com/pricing, read 16 October 2026.
7. SocialPilot (best for client approvals on a small-agency budget)
What it is. A scheduler for agencies and small businesses covering ten networks, including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn and Bluesky. Higher plans add a social inbox, analytics, client approvals and white-label reports.
What it costs. Essentials is $30 a month ($25.50 billed annually) for 7 social accounts and 1 user, with 500 AI credits and a content library. Standard is $50 ($42.50) for 15 accounts, 3 users, a social inbox, analytics and manager approval. Premium is $100 ($85) for 25 accounts, 6 users, unlimited client seats, bulk scheduling, client approval and white-label reports. Extra accounts cost $4 a month each, and the trial is 14 days with no card. For the scenario, Essentials at $30 covers five accounts; the plan with analytics is Standard at $50.
Strength. Client approval and white-label reports arrive on Premium at $100 a month, with 6 users and unlimited client seats. The MCP server for Claude, ChatGPT and other AI tools is on every plan.
Limit. There is no free plan. Essentials has no analytics, social inbox or approvals, bulk scheduling and CSV upload start on Premium, and API access is on Enterprise only.
Pick it if you manage accounts for a few clients and need approvals and branded reports without per-user fees.
Source: socialpilot.co/plans, read 16 October 2026.
8. Sendible (best for agencies with many users)
What it is. A scheduler for agencies and multi-location brands, posting to Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, X, YouTube, Threads, Bluesky and Google Business Profile, with a shared inbox, client approvals and reports. Each workspace holds six social profiles, and every plan includes unlimited users.
What it costs. Core is $35 a month ($30 billed yearly) for one workspace, six profiles, unlimited users, unlimited scheduling and AI credits, bulk scheduling, an inbox and standard reports. Each extra workspace on Core adds $35. Plus is $99 ($84) for three workspaces and 18 profiles and adds assignment and approval workflows. Premium is $199 ($169) for seven workspaces. The trial is 14 days with no card, and there is no free plan. For the scenario, Core covers five of its six profiles for $35.
Strength. Every plan includes unlimited users. Client Connect lets clients link their own social profiles without sharing passwords, and workspaces keep each brand's calendar, inbox and reports separate. Our comparison of ten schedulers for agencies covers it alongside the tools built for client work.
Limit. Core is the most expensive entry here for the scenario, and approval workflows start on Plus at $99. Core publishes up to 100 posts a day per workspace. Pinterest is not supported, the API currently supports only SSO integration and no MCP server is mentioned. It is a web product with no mobile app described.
Pick it if several people touch the same accounts, or you run an agency or multi-location business and want to avoid paying per seat.
Source: sendible.com/pricing, read 16 October 2026.
Left out: Agorapulse, Hootsuite and Sprout Social
All three publish to the networks above and have trials, but none passes the price bar. Agorapulse's Standard plan is $99 per user a month ($79 billed annually) with 10 profiles shared across users. Hootsuite's Standard plan is $99 per user a month billed annually, covering up to 10 social accounts. Sprout Social's Essentials plan is $99 per seat a month ($79 billed annually) with 5 social profiles. Each added user pays the full rate, so a team of three on Hootsuite Standard pays 3 x $99 = $297 a month on annual billing. If you are weighing Hootsuite in particular, our guide to Hootsuite alternatives priced for teams goes into it.
What to set up first
- Count your units before you read any price. Buffer bills per channel, Publer per account, Later per social set, SocialBee per profile, Postiz per channel, PostWharf and Sendible per workspace, and SocialPilot per bundle of accounts and users. One brand with five accounts and five brands with one account each give very different bills on the same tools.
- Connect the accounts that bring enquiries first. If you post to a Google Business Profile, PostWharf and Later are out, because neither lists it, and Postiz does not name it.
- Check each account is a business profile. Buffer, for example, sends only reminder notifications for Instagram personal profiles instead of publishing automatically.
- Hold the entry plan's caps against a normal month. PostWharf Starter allows 200 scheduled posts a month, Later Starter 30 posts per profile, and Publer's Free plan 10 scheduled posts per account.
- Use the trial on a real week of posts. Trials run 7 days (PostWharf, Postiz, Publer Professional) or 14 days (Later, SocialBee, Buffer, SocialPilot, Sendible). SocialBee, SocialPilot and Sendible need no card, and SocialBee stops posting when the trial ends.
- Ask what the final invoice will be. Prices here are in US dollars, and Metricool and Publer list theirs without VAT, so check the currency and tax at checkout.
Questions people ask
Is there a free alternative to Metricool?
Yes, three. Buffer's Free plan covers 3 channels, and Publer's covers 3 social accounts with no X. Postiz's code is free to self-host, but you must register your own developer app with most networks. Metricool itself has a Free plan for one brand, with no LinkedIn or X and 20 scheduled posts a month, so a free alternative only helps if one of those limits is what is stopping you.
Which Metricool alternative is cheapest for one brand?
For one brand with five accounts, PostWharf at $15 a month, then Publer at $20. Publer's $5 for one account and Buffer's $6 per channel are lower sticker prices, but they grow with each account, while PostWharf's does not. Neither cheapest plan lists analytics, which Metricool includes: PostWharf's pages describe none, and Publer puts analytics on Business at $35 for five accounts.
Which alternatives post to Google Business Profile?
Buffer, Publer, SocialBee, SocialPilot and Sendible do, and so does Metricool. PostWharf and Later do not list it, and Postiz does not name it among the platforms we recorded.
Which alternatives let an AI assistant schedule posts?
PostWharf, Postiz and Buffer include an MCP server and an API on every plan, and SocialPilot includes its MCP server on every plan. Publer's API and MCP are on Business. Metricool's MCP server is on every plan, including Free.
Sources
Vendor pricing and feature pages as recorded on 16 October 2026: metricool.com/pricing and help.metricool.com; postwharf.com/pricing and postwharf.com; publer.com/plans; later.com/pricing; postiz.com/pricing and docs.postiz.com/cloud/plans; socialbee.com/pricing and socialbee.com/features; buffer.com/pricing; socialpilot.co/plans; sendible.com/pricing; agorapulse.com/pricing; hootsuite.com/plans; sproutsocial.com/pricing.
Get a free visibility check
If you would rather have the posting handled for you, that is our social media automation service. Whichever tool you choose, get a free visibility check and we will show where your business is named on Google, in Maps and in seven AI engines.
Get a free visibility check