Social Media
Metricool vs Buffer for Small Business: Cost Compared
Buffer charges per channel and Metricool charges per brand, so the cheaper tool depends on how many accounts you connect. On their pricing pages, checked on 2026-10-24, Buffer Essentials is $5 a month per channel and Metricool Starter is $20 a month on annual billing for up to 5 brands. Both have free plans, and the limits differ more than the prices.
The pages also carry oddities, which are flagged below. Where a figure could not be confirmed, the article says so.
3→
Buffer free channels
Buffer pricing, checked 2026-10-24
10→
Buffer free scheduled posts per channel
Buffer pricing, checked 2026-10-24
1→
Metricool free brand
Metricool pricing, checked 2026-10-24
20→
Metricool free posts per month
Metricool pricing, checked 2026-10-24
Estimates for illustration; actual numbers vary.
How Does Each Tool Charge?
Buffer prices per channel. Its page lists Free at $0 with up to 3 channels, Essentials at $5 a month per channel ($60 per channel billed yearly) and Team at $10 a month per channel ($120 billed yearly). The FAQ says channels 1 to 10 are at the standard rate and any above 10 cost less, without giving the lower rate.
Metricool prices per brand, in bands. A brand is a business or account set you manage, and the page lists plans by the number of brands included. The page mixes two price sets under annual and monthly tabs, and the matching below follows tab order.
What Do the Plans Cost?
| Buffer | Metricool | |
|---|---|---|
| Free | 3 channels, 10 scheduled posts per channel, 1 user, 30 days of insights | 1 brand, 20 posts a month, 30 days of analytics |
| Entry paid | Essentials: $5 a month per channel; unlimited scheduled posts; 1 user | Starter, up to 5 brands: $20 a month annual, $25 monthly |
| Next band | Team: $10 a month per channel; unlimited users | Starter, up to 10 brands: $36 annual, $45 monthly |
| Larger | Volume discount above 10 channels; rate not shown | Advanced, up to 15 brands: $53 annual, $67 monthly |
| Post cap | Fair use cap of 5,000 posts per channel | Unlimited posts on paid plans, subject to a fair use policy |
| Currency | USD | USD and EUR; prices exclude VAT |
One discrepancy on Buffer's page: its yearly prices equal 12 times the monthly prices, yet its FAQ describes a 20% annual saving and the plan carries a "save 2 months" label. Confirm the real price at checkout.
What Do You Get for Free?
Buffer's free plan is generous for a single shop. Three channels, 10 scheduled posts per channel at a time, a refill whenever a post goes out, and 100 saved ideas. It leaves out first-comment scheduling, channel groups, a hashtag manager, reports and approval workflows.
Metricool's free plan caps scheduling at 20 posts a month for one brand, with 5 competitor profiles to analyse and 30 days of analytics. It suits a business that posts about five times a week across all networks. A busier shop will hit the cap, while Buffer's per-channel limit refills as posts publish.
The Math: One Shop, Three Channels
All inputs below are assumptions. A pet groomer schedules to 3 channels, one user, 15 posts a month per channel.
- Buffer Free: 3 channels fits, with 10 queued posts per channel. If posts are scheduled a week ahead, this can work at no cost. Cost: $0.
- Buffer Essentials: 3 x $5 = $15 a month, or $180 a year.
- Metricool Free: 1 brand, 3 channels x 15 = 45 posts a month, which exceeds the 20-post cap. Whether one brand can hold three networks was not confirmed from the part of the page read.
- Metricool Starter: $20 a month on annual billing, $240 a year, covering up to 5 brands, which is more than one shop needs.
At one shop, Buffer Essentials at $180 a year undercuts Metricool Starter at $240 on annual billing. Metricool becomes competitive when you manage several brands, for example a salon group or a freelancer with clients, because Buffer would charge for every channel.
Do This Today
List every channel you post to and how many posts a month each needs. Multiply channels by $5 for Buffer. If that total passes $20, price Metricool's Starter band for your number of brands.
What Should You Check Before Paying?
Three things are worth confirming on the live pages. First, what Metricool counts as a brand and how many networks fit inside one. Second, how Buffer defines a channel, since each connected network may count separately. Third, whether the annual price you see at checkout matches the page, because Buffer's page and FAQ disagree on the yearly discount.
Also remember that the free plans are real products, not teasers. A shop with three channels and a weekly posting rhythm can run on Buffer's free plan for months. Upgrade when you hit a limit you can name, such as the 10-post queue or the missing reports, not before.
Who Should Pick Which?
- Start on Buffer Free if you have up to 3 channels and can live with 10 queued posts per channel.
- Pick Buffer Essentials if you want unlimited scheduling for a few channels and a single user.
- Pick Buffer Team if several people need access, since its page lists unlimited users.
- Pick Metricool if you run more than one business or manage client accounts and want a per-brand price.
- Pick Metricool Free only if 20 posts a month is enough and you value the competitor analysis.
If your goal is to post consistently rather than pick a tool, start with our guide to a social media content calendar. For a worked setup, see Buffer for coffee shops, and for the wider field read Hootsuite vs Buffer vs Later and our AI social media tools roundup.
FAQ
Is Buffer free?
Yes. The free plan covers up to 3 channels with 10 scheduled posts per channel and one user.
How much is Metricool a month?
Starter for up to 5 brands is $20 a month on annual billing and $25 monthly, per the pricing page. Prices exclude VAT.
Which is cheaper for three channels?
On the assumptions above, Buffer Essentials at $15 a month. Metricool's Starter band is $20 a month on annual billing.
Does Buffer offer an annual discount?
Its FAQ describes one, but the plan prices read as 12 times the monthly rate. Check at checkout.
What did not get verified?
How many networks fit inside one Metricool brand, and Buffer's discounted rate above 10 channels. The last 35,598 characters of Metricool's page were not read.
Sources
- Buffer: Pricing (plans, free limits, fair use; checked 2026-10-24)
- Metricool: Pricing (plans, brands, free plan; first 100,000 characters read; checked 2026-10-24)
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Nataliia
Local marketing strategist with 10+ years at global agencies — OMD, Dentsu, GroupM, and BBDO. Now helping small businesses get the same data-driven edge. Based in Europe, working with clients in the US, UK, Australia, and beyond.
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