Metricool vs. Later, which one should you pick?

If you have already read our review of Metricool, and our review of Later, but are still wondering who would be the winner in a Metricool vs Later fight, this post will clear your doubts once and for all.

Availability

Both platforms, Metricool and Later, are accessible from your web browser.

This has the advantage of making them available for any operating system, but you will not have them as an application unless you use a solution such as WebCatalog.

The only place from where you can use these platforms as a standalone application is from your smartphone.

You can download:

• Metricool for iPhone or Android 100% free of charge.
• And Later for iPhone or Android also 100% free.

This has an explanation and is that the smartphone is necessary to perform some tasks in these services, such as posting a story on Instagram, since this is an action that Facebook only allows to run from a mobile device.

Metricool vs Later availability winner? Tie. both services are available at the same locations.

Metricool and Later main features

Although it may seem that these applications are the same, and that is probably why you ended up looking for this comparison, they really are not.

I can already tell you that  Metricool is a bit more powerful.

Although in both you can schedule different publications for your social networks, there are some features that are only available in Metricool.

Metricool only available features

These are:

• The ability to connect your website, to see a Google Analytics style analytics (Later only allows you to connect social networks.
• The ability to connect your Facebook, Google, and TikTok Ads accounts, not only to analyze your campaigns, but also to create them.
• A social media aggregator (Twitter or Instagram hashtag Tracker, including social media wall).
• Competitor analysis.
• Or the ability to connect your blog feed to automatically schedule and publish new content.

We can’t explain all these features here (for that better read the Metricool review) but as you can probably guess, there is a clear winner in this battle.

Available Social Networks

What platforms are available for these services when planning content on them?

On both platforms you are covered with the basics:

• Twitter,
• Instagram,
• TikTok,
• Pinterest
• And LinkedIN

BUT:

• Metricool allows you to connect to a Facebook Group or Page (Later is limited to only pages).
• Metricool allows you to connect to your YouTube channel, Later doesn’t.
• In addition to the web, and the Ad platforms, Metricool also allows you to connect Twitch (though only to analyze their metrics) Google My Business, and Data Studio (to bring Metricool content to the latter).

Metricool vs Later Integrations winner? Metricool is clearly the winner here, as it lets you integrate more platforms on their service.

Schedule capabilities

One thing is the platforms you can connect to, and quite another, what you can do on them.

For example:

• On both platforms you can connect Twitter, but only Metricool allows you for example to schedule the publication of Twitter threads or tag people, Later doesn’t.
  • Note: Later has a Hashtags suggester, but it is a paid feature.
• As Metricool is the only tool that allows you to connect YouTube, it is the only one where you can schedule both videos and shorts.
• Regarding Instagram, both tools allow you to schedule posts in the feed (single posts, image carousels, or short videos) automatically. You can also schedule Stories, but in both cases you will have to finalize this publication from the smartphone.
  • Important notes:
    • In both, you can tag people and locations, but in Later you will need a paid plan to do this.
    • Later does not allow you to schedule Reels, Metricool does, but with the same limitation as Stories (end the publication from the smartphone).
    • Both platforms will offer you hashtags suggestions, but again, in Later this is a paid feature.

As you can see, Metricool not only offers you more, but it offers it for free.

Another example of this is the “best time to publish”.

While Later reserves this feature for paid plans, Metricool offers it to you for free, and not only for Instagram but also for Twitter.

The only extra functionality of Later that Metricool lacks is the ability to automate the publication of the first comment on your post.

And again, this is a paid feature.

Metricool vs Later schedule capabilities winner? Metricool is the champion here, gives you more, and for free.

Best Free Plan?

If you’re not yet willing to pay for any of these apps, you’re lucky.

Both offer a free plan with which you can work unlimitedly.

But which is more generous?

As you’ve been seeing, Metricool offers many free features that you would have to pay for in Later (better time to post, Instagram Carousel scheduling, Hashtags suggestion, tagging users and adding locations on Instagram.

But on top of that, on the free plan, Metricool allows you to schedule up to 50 posts, while on Later posts are limited to 30 per month.

Engagement & Inbox

In addition to this limitation in the number of publications, an indispensable tool to manage all your comments and private messages from the platform (called Engagement in Later, and Inbox in Metricool) is also available in the latter for free.

While in Later this tool is only available in the $40/month plan!

Metricool vs Later free plan winner? Again this comparison is proving to be very simple, the free Metricool plan offers many more advantages.

Metricool and Later pricing comparison

If you would like to upgrade to a paid plan, for example to connect more social networks, which platform offers the best prices?

At Metricool, plans start at $12 per month, which would allow you to use up to 5 groups of accounts (brands), and schedule up to 2,000 publications.

While in Later, plans start at $12.5 per month, but this only allows you to connect to 1 social set, and you would still only be able to schedule 30 posts!

If you wanted to connect to at least 3 social sets, you would have to upgrade to the $33/month plan and add $15 more for each set (and posts would be limited to 150).

That means that to match the conditions of number of accounts connected with Metricool, you would have to pay $33+$15+$15 = $63, when in Metricool you would only be paying $12.5.

The only situation where Metricool comes close to Later’s price is if you want to add members to your team (and even then the price is still lower).

Metricool vs Later paid plans winner? The math doesn’t lie, Metricool is much cheaper in all circumstances.

Metricool vs Later, who’s the winner?

If you have paid attention to this comparison you probably already have this answer clear.

Metricool is MUCH SUPERIOR when compared to Later.

And to top it off, it is much cheaper!

If you want something moderately decent, in Later you are practically forced to use one of the more expensive paid plans, while in Metricool you can enjoy almost all the most powerful features from the free plan.

There are a few different details between these two platforms.

For example:

• The “link in bio” type pages offered by both are slightly different, although the basic operation is the same.
• The way the content is organized is different
• And the analytics are different (although Metricool has the extra feature of being able to automate the automatic sending of reports on a monthly basis).

If you want to read more in detail about these platforms, I recommend you to read the independent guides:

• Metricool independent Review
• Review of Later

If you trust my criteria, you will really see that Metricool is the best option.

Although, as both services have a free plan, there’s nothing stopping you from signing up for both and checking them out by yourself!