Comparison
PublishBuddy vs Metricool
Metricool is the analytics pick, priced by brand. PublishBuddy is the AI pick, with an agent and AI Studio, priced by account with team members included.
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The short version
Metricool is built around analytics: unlimited history on paid plans, competitor tracking, ad reporting and a Looker Studio connector. It prices by brand, where a brand holds one account per network, and it has a free plan, an inbox with DMs and an MCP server on every plan.
PublishBuddy prices by account and includes 5 team members on Pro, where Metricool Starter has 1 user. It adds an AI agent inside the app and AI Studio for images and video, which Metricool doesn't have. For one business on many networks, Metricool can cost less. For many accounts or a team, PublishBuddy usually does.
PublishBuddy vs Metricool at a glance
| Feature | Metricool | PublishBuddy |
|---|---|---|
| Networks | Facebook Pages, Instagram, X (paid add-on), LinkedIn, Pinterest, TikTok, YouTube, Google Business Profile, Threads, Bluesky, Twitch. No Telegram | Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter), LinkedIn, Pinterest, TikTok, YouTube, Telegram, Threads, Bluesky |
| Free plan | Yes: 1 brand, 20 posts a month, 30 days of stats. No LinkedIn or X | Yes: 3 accounts, 10 scheduled posts per account, 7 days of post stats |
| Free trial | No public trial. The free plan instead | 14 days of Pro or Business, no credit card |
| Cheapest paid plan | Starter, $25/month: up to 5 brands, 1 user | Pro, $29/month: 10 accounts, 5 team members |
| 10 social accounts | $25/month for 1 brand on 10 networks, $45 for 10 brands | $29/month (Pro) |
| Team members | 1 on Free and Starter, unlimited on Advanced | 5 on Pro, 15 on Business, then $5/month each |
| AI writing help | AI assistant, 20 credits per brand a month on Starter | AI Assist writes captions and suggests hashtags (Pro and Business) |
| AI agent | No agent inside the app. Its MCP server lets Claude or ChatGPT schedule posts and read analytics | Answers questions about your accounts, and writes and schedules posts by chat. 500 AI credits a month on Pro, 2,500 on Business |
| AI images and video | None listed. An image and video editor, Canva and Adobe Express | AI Studio (Pro and Business, uses AI credits) |
| Analytics | Every plan. Competitors and PDF reports from Starter, Looker Studio on Advanced | Analytics page on Pro and Business. Best times, hashtags and demographics on Business |
| Post stats history | 30 days on Free, unlimited on paid plans (30 days for X) | 7 days (Free), 365 days (Pro), 2 years (Business) |
| Approval workflows | Advanced and up | Required approval on Business |
| Inbox | Every plan: comments, DMs on Facebook, Instagram and X, and Google reviews | Comments (Engage, Pro and Business). No DMs yet |
| Social listening | No. A hashtag tracker at $25 a day | No |
| Link-in-bio page | SmartLinks, on Starter and up | No |
| Public API | Advanced and up | Pro and Business |
| MCP server | Every plan, the free one included. Listed in Claude's connector directory | Pro and Business. Works with Claude Code, Cursor and other clients that use an API key |
Metricool facts come from Metricool's own website, checked October 25, 2026 (sources at the end of this page). PublishBuddy facts come from our pricing page.
Metricool pricing, checked October 25, 2026
| Plan | Monthly billing | Yearly billing | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 | 1 brand, 1 user, 20 posts a month, 30 days of stats, inbox and MCP. No LinkedIn or X. |
| Starter | $25 (5 brands) or $45 (10 brands) | $20 or $36 a month | 1 user, unlimited stats history, PDF reports, SmartLinks, 20 AI credits per brand. |
| Advanced | $67, $107 or $210 | $53, $85 or $159 a month | 15, 25 or 50 brands, unlimited team members, approvals, API, Looker Studio. |
| Custom | Contact sales | Contact sales | More than 50 brands, white label. |
| X add-on | $10 per X account | $120 a year | X publishing and stats, with 30 days of X history. |
Source: Metricool pricing page. Last checked: . Prices are in US dollars and change often, so check the source before you buy.
Metricool prices by brand. A brand holds one account per network: one Facebook Page, one Instagram, one TikTok and so on. One business on 10 networks fits in a single brand, so Starter at $25 a month covers it. 10 separate accounts, like 10 clients' Instagram profiles, need 10 brands: Starter 10 at $45.
Starter includes 1 user. Team members, approvals and the API start on Advanced, at $67 a month for 15 brands. PublishBuddy Pro includes 5 team members for $29, and Business adds approvals for $49.
X costs $10 a month per account on Metricool. There's no public free trial: the free plan is the way to test it.
PublishBuddy pricing
| Plan | Monthly billing | Yearly billing | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 | 3 accounts, 10 scheduled posts per account, 20 drafts, 7 days of post stats. No AI Assist or AI agent. |
| Pro | $29 | $278 a year | 10 accounts, 5 team members, AI agent and AI Assist (500 credits a month), AI Studio, Brand Kits, Engage, team roles, API and MCP, the Analytics page, 365 days of post stats. |
| Business | $49 | $470 a year | 20 accounts, 15 team members, 2,500 AI credits a month, required approval, best times, hashtag insights, demographics, PDF and scheduled reports, 2 years of post stats. |
Extra accounts are $5 a month each ($48 a year) on Pro and Business. Extra team members are $5 a month each. Pro and Business come with a 14-day free trial, no credit card required.
Where PublishBuddy is stronger
- AI Studio makes images and video. Metricool has no AI image or video maker.
- An AI agent inside the app that writes and schedules posts from a chat. Metricool's AI writes text, and scheduling by AI runs through outside assistants over MCP.
- Team members on the entry plan: 5 on Pro, against 1 user on Metricool Starter.
- Approvals for $49 on Business. Metricool's start on Advanced, at $67.
- X in every plan. Metricool charges $10 a month per X account.
- Telegram channels, which Metricool doesn't support.
Where Metricool is stronger
- Analytics depth: unlimited history on paid plans, up to 100 competitors, ad reporting for Meta, Google and TikTok, and Looker Studio on Advanced.
- An inbox with DMs on Facebook, Instagram and X, plus Google reviews, on every plan. PublishBuddy's Engage handles comments only.
- SmartLinks link-in-bio pages from Starter.
- An MCP server on every plan, the free one included, with a listing in Claude's connector directory and a ChatGPT app. PublishBuddy's needs an API key.
- One business on many networks fits in one brand, so Starter at $25 a month can cover it.
Who should pick Metricool
Reporting is the heart of your job, you want ad stats next to organic ones, or you run one business across many networks on a tight budget. Metricool covers that from $25 a month.
Who should pick PublishBuddy
You want AI to do more of the work, from writing and scheduling to images and video, and you work with a team. $29 a month covers 10 accounts and 5 team members, X included.
How to switch from Metricool to PublishBuddy
You can make the whole move yourself. Here are the steps.
- Start a free trial. Pro and Business come with 14 days free and no credit card.
- Connect your accounts through each network's own login. Facebook connects Pages, and Instagram needs a professional account.
- Export your scheduled posts from Metricool. In Planning, open the calendar's three-dot menu and choose Export CSV.
- Load those posts with a CSV bulk upload (Pro and up). Name the columns Date and Message, and add Link and Media URLs if you have them. One file holds up to 500 posts and goes to the accounts you pick, so make one file per set of accounts.
- Set your queue times so new posts drop into the next open slot.
- Invite your team. Roles are on Pro and Business; making approval required is on Business.
- Delete each post from Metricool once it's scheduled in PublishBuddy, so nothing goes out twice. Cancel Metricool when its queue is empty.
Frequently asked questions
Is PublishBuddy cheaper than Metricool?
It depends on how your accounts are spread. Metricool prices by brand, and a brand holds one account per network, so one business on 10 networks costs $25 a month on Starter. 10 separate accounts, like 10 clients, cost $45 a month with 1 user. PublishBuddy Pro covers 10 accounts and 5 team members for $29. Metricool prices were checked on its pricing page on October 25, 2026.
Is Metricool's analytics deeper than PublishBuddy's?
Yes. Metricool keeps unlimited history on paid plans, tracks up to 100 competitors and reports on ads. PublishBuddy has the Analytics page on Pro and adds best times, hashtag insights and demographics on Business. Its post stats go back 365 days on Pro and 2 years on Business.
Does Metricool make images or video with AI?
No. Its AI assistant writes text, and it links to Canva and Adobe Express for design. PublishBuddy's AI Studio makes images and video on Pro and Business.
Does Metricool have an AI agent?
Not inside the app. Metricool Studio answers reporting questions, and its MCP server lets Claude or ChatGPT schedule posts and read analytics on every plan. PublishBuddy's agent works inside the app and writes and schedules posts from a chat.
Does Metricool charge for X?
Yes, $10 a month per X account, and it keeps 30 days of X history. PublishBuddy includes X in every plan.
Which one has a free plan?
Both. Metricool's covers 1 brand, with 20 posts a month and no LinkedIn or X. PublishBuddy's covers 3 accounts, with 10 scheduled posts per account. PublishBuddy also has a 14-day trial of its paid plans with no card.
Can I move my Metricool posts to PublishBuddy?
Yes. Export your planned posts from Metricool's calendar as a CSV and rename the columns to Date and Message. Then load the file with PublishBuddy's bulk upload on Pro or Business.
The verdict
Metricool is the better pick when analytics and ad reporting are the job, or when one business on many networks needs the cheapest plan.
PublishBuddy is the better pick when you want AI to write, schedule and make images and video, and when a team shares the work. $29 covers 10 accounts and 5 team members.
Sources
- Metricool pricing page, checked
- Metricool help: free and paid plans, checked
- Metricool help: plans, add-ons and API, checked
- Metricool help: supported networks, checked
- Metricool help: inbox, checked
- Metricool help: MCP plans, checked
- Metricool help: calendar export, checked
Try PublishBuddy free
Scheduling, analytics, and an AI agent that writes and schedules for you. 10+ platforms. From $29/mo with 10 accounts included.
14-day free trial. No credit card required.
Already set on leaving Metricool? See Metricool alternatives for more options, or the buyer's guide to match a tool to how you work.