Metricool vs Buffer, read from the source
Metricool vs Buffer for a small business
Buffer bills per channel and leads with the queue; Metricool bills per brand and leads with the dashboard. Every figure below was read from buffer.com/pricing and metricool.com/pricing on 18 September 2026.
The two vendors are priced in different units, so every figure below carries its billing mode, and each one links back to the page it was read from.
Buffer is the pick when the captions already exist and the job is a reliable queue: its free plan covers three channels forever, and paid plans add channels one at a time.
Metricool is the pick when the job is watching the numbers as much as posting them: its free plan measures one brand with five competitor profiles, and paid plans price by brand.
Neither one writes the caption, the image or the video from your business, which is the part a one to three person shop keeps running out of time for.
Where every number came from
Metricool
- The pricing page carried an Annual/Monthly toggle reading "Annual (save up to 24%)" with USD as the default currency. Billed monthly it listed Free at $0 a month, Starter from $25 a month with "Up to 5 brands for $25/month" and "Up to 10 brands for $45/month", and Advanced from $67 a month with "Up to 15 brands for $67/month", "Up to 25 brands for $107/month" and "Manage up to 50 brands for $210/month". Billed annually Starter read from $20 a month for 5 brands or $36 a month for 10, and Advanced from $53 a month for 15 brands, $85 a month for 25 or $159 a month for 50. A footnote read "The prices indicated do not include any applicable VAT." metricool.com/pricing, read 18 September 2026
- The Free plan was listed at $0 a month and described as managing 1 brand, managing social networks except LinkedIn and Twitter, scheduling up to 20 posts a month, analyzing 5 competitor profiles and keeping 30 days of analytics, with an AI social media assistant and Metricool MCP. The FAQ read "Yes! You can use Metricool for free, forever." metricool.com/pricing, read 18 September 2026
- The feature comparison listed the "AI Social Media Assistant" at 5 credits per brand a month on Free, 20 on Starter and 35 on Advanced, with recurring scheduling marked "Included in your plan (no credits needed)". No plan listed image or video generation. metricool.com/pricing, read 18 September 2026
- The Advanced plan listed a "Post approval system" alongside "Team and client management" and "Role management", and the Custom plan listed a "Dedicated account manager". Analytics kept 30 days of metrics storage on Free and unlimited history on paid plans, with competitor analysis at 5 profiles on Free and up to 100 on paid plans. metricool.com/pricing, read 18 September 2026
Buffer
- The pricing page opened on the Yearly toggle under the heading "Flexible pricing for everyone" with a saving labelled "save 2 months". Billed monthly it listed Free at $0 a month, Essentials at $6 a month per channel and Team at $12 a month per channel. Billed yearly the same two plans read $5 and $10 a month per channel, which is $60 and $120 a year per channel. buffer.com/pricing, read 18 September 2026
- The Free plan was described as "Free forever" for up to 3 channels, with 10 scheduled posts per channel that "refill anytime", 100 ideas, 1 user account, the AI Assistant and Insights, and those caps did not move when the billing toggle did. buffer.com/pricing, read 18 September 2026
- The pricing page listed the AI Assistant on all three plans, Free included, described as "Refine and repurpose your content using AI" with "Unlimited credits". The only video feature was "Custom video covers", which picks a frame from a video you supply. buffer.com/pricing, read 18 September 2026
- The feature table put "Approval workflows" and "Custom access and permissions" on the Team plan only. Analytics ran 30-day history on Free and unlimited on paid plans, with advanced analytics and reports on Essentials and Team, and email support plus a self-service knowledge base was listed on every plan. buffer.com/pricing, read 18 September 2026
Metricool vs Buffer, side by side
Every cell above was read on 18 September 2026 from metricool.com/pricing and buffer.com/pricing, and the full quotations with links sit in the section above. Metricool prices per brand in two modes and prints the annual figures first; Buffer prices per channel in two modes and opens on the yearly one.
| What to compare | Metricool | Buffer |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price | Starter is $25 a month for up to 5 brands billed monthly, or $20 a month billed annually; the 10-brand card is $45 a month. | Essentials is $6 a month per channel billed monthly, or $5 a month per channel billed yearly; Team is $12 a month or $10 a month per channel. |
| Social accounts | 1 brand free, then 5 or 10 brands on Starter and up to 50 on Advanced, one profile per network. | 3 channels free, then channels added one at a time at a per-channel rate. |
| Scheduling limits | 20 posts a month on Free, unlimited on paid plans under a fair-use note. | 10 scheduled posts per channel on Free, unlimited on paid plans. |
| AI writing | An AI assistant at 5, 20 and 35 credits per brand a month by tier. | AI Assistant with unlimited credits on every plan, Free included. |
| Approval flow | Post approval system on the Advanced plan only. | Approval workflows on the Team plan only. |
| Analytics | 30 days on Free, unlimited history on paid, 5 competitor profiles on Free. | 30-day history on Free, advanced analytics and reports on paid. |
| Support | No named tier on the pricing page; a dedicated account manager on Custom. | Email support and a self-service knowledge base on every plan. |
| Free tier | Free forever, one brand, 20 posts a month. | Free forever, 3 channels, 10 scheduled posts each. |
Source: metricool.com/pricing and buffer.com/pricing, read 18 September 2026
What actually decides the purchase
Price: per channel versus per brand
Buffer prices each channel separately. On 18 September 2026 Essentials was $6 a month per channel billed monthly, or $5 a month per channel billed yearly, and Team was $12 a month or $10 a month per channel. Metricool prices each brand: Starter was $25 a month for 5 brands billed monthly, or $20 a month billed annually, and the 10-brand card was $45 a month. The cheaper menu depends on whether you count channels or brands.
The free tier: a queue versus a dashboard
Both publish a permanent free plan, which sets them apart from the trial-only schedulers. Buffer's covers up to 3 channels with 10 scheduled posts per channel and the AI Assistant. Metricool's covers one brand with 20 posts a month, 5 competitor profiles and 30 days of analytics. The difference is what the free plan is for: a queue on one side, a measuring dashboard on the other.
What the AI writes
Buffer's AI Assistant refines and repurposes words you supply, with unlimited credits on all three plans, Free included. Metricool meters its AI assistant at 5, 20 and 35 credits per brand a month by tier. Neither pricing page claimed its AI generates the image or the video.
Approvals and team features
Buffer puts approval workflows and custom permissions on its Team plan only, so a solo owner on Free or Essentials has none. Metricool lists a post approval system on its Advanced plan, which starts at $67 a month billed monthly. On the entry plans neither gives you a formal approval queue.
Scheduling caps
Buffer caps the free plan at 10 scheduled posts per channel and lifts the cap on paid plans. Metricool caps its free plan at 20 posts a month and lists unlimited publishing on paid plans under a fair-use note. For a single-location shop the caps are close; the gap opens the moment you run a second or third channel.
Analytics and support
Buffer keeps 30 days of Insights on Free and unlocks advanced analytics and reports on paid plans, with email support on every plan. Metricool keeps 30 days of analytics on Free and unlimited history on paid plans, with 5 competitor profiles on Free and up to 100 on paid, but names no support tier on the pricing page beyond a dedicated account manager on Custom.
What changed recently
On 18 September 2026 this page re-read metricool.com/pricing and buffer.com/pricing from scratch. The figures matched the reads already on this site: Metricool still lists Starter from $25 a month billed monthly or $20 a month billed annually, and Buffer still lists Essentials at $6 a month per channel billed monthly or $5 a month per channel billed yearly.
Both vendors reprice and reshuffle plan contents without notice. Treat the figures on this page as correct for the date printed, and open the two linked pricing pages before any number decides a purchase.
When neither one makes the posts
Buffer is right when finished posts already exist and all you need is a cheap queue that sends them on schedule. Metricool is right when you want competitor tracking and multi-brand reporting alongside the posting. Neither is the obvious fit for the owner with no drafts and no time to make them.
That gap is where SpeedRun Social sits. It reads your website into a brand kit and generates the caption, image and short video for each post, then publishes after you approve. The free plan is 300 credits a month refilled forever, one free campaign a week (3 posts, 1 video, 1 cross-post), no card, watermarked media on free. Paid plans are $49.99, $99.99 and $199.99 a month, flat per workspace and not per user, per brand or per channel, with image and video generation included on every tier.
We are new and have very few customers, so treat this as a pricing and feature comparison, not a recommendation backed by a large installed base. The links above exist so you can check both vendors, and the signup link exists so you can check ours.
Metricool vs Buffer, answered
metricool vs buffer: which should a small local business pick?
It depends on who makes the posts. On 18 September 2026 Buffer's Essentials was $6 a month per channel billed monthly, or $5 a month per channel billed yearly, and Metricool's Starter was $25 a month for 5 brands billed monthly, or $20 a month billed annually. If the posts already exist and you want the cheapest queue, pick Buffer. If you want competitor tracking and a dashboard, pick Metricool. If neither description fits, neither tool makes the posts for you.
Which is cheaper, Metricool or Buffer?
Buffer, at a small roster. Its Essentials plan was $6 a month per channel billed monthly, or $5 a month per channel billed yearly, and its free plan covers 3 channels. Metricool's Starter was $25 a month for 5 brands billed monthly, or $20 a month billed annually. The two prices buy different units: Buffer's channel price is a queue for content that already exists, Metricool's brand price is a dashboard for content you still measure.
Does Metricool have a free plan?
Yes. On 18 September 2026 Metricool's Free plan was $0 a month for one brand, with 20 scheduled posts a month, 5 competitor profiles and 30 days of analytics, and its FAQ read "Yes! You can use Metricool for free, forever."
Does Buffer have a free plan?
Yes. On 18 September 2026 Buffer's Free plan was listed as "Free forever" for up to 3 channels, with 10 scheduled posts per channel, 1 user account and the AI Assistant included.
Can Metricool or Buffer write my posts for me?
Neither writes the post from your business. Buffer's AI Assistant refines and repurposes words you supply, on every plan with unlimited credits. Metricool meters its AI assistant at 5, 20 and 35 credits per brand a month by tier. Neither pricing page claimed it generates the image or the video, which is the part of the job both leave to you.
How many social accounts do I get with each?
Buffer's free plan covers up to 3 channels, and paid plans add channels one at a time at a per-channel rate, so the roster sets the bill. Metricool's free plan manages 1 brand, its Starter covers up to 5 brands or 10 on the higher card, and its Advanced plan reaches up to 50 brands, with one profile per network under each brand.
How current are the figures on this page?
Every number was read on 18 September 2026 from metricool.com/pricing or buffer.com/pricing, and each claim links back to the page it came from. The two vendors reprice on their own schedules, so recheck both pricing pages before a figure here settles your decision.
Which should I try first?
Start with whichever free plan matches the work you are skipping. If the posts are already written and only need a schedule, start with Buffer's free plan. If you want to watch competitors and your own numbers, start with Metricool's free plan. If the posts themselves are the missing part, the free plan to test is ours, since neither of the two generates the caption, the image or the video.
Check the numbers on your own roster
Count your channels and your profiles, then open both pricing pages. Buffer bills per channel, Metricool bills per brand, and the two links above are there so you can re-read both before deciding.
Every figure on this page was read on 18 September 2026 from buffer.com/pricing and metricool.com/pricing. Prices move; the links exist so you can check theirs and ours.