Home/Free alternatives/Metricool
Metricool metricool.com

Free alternatives to Metricool

Metricool costs $25/mo on the Starter (5 brands) plan, or $300 a year. Here are 5 free and open-source options, what each one does, and what you give up compared with paying.

Prices checked Aug 14, 2026Can AI replace it? Half-bot

01At a glance

AlternativeTypeWhere it runsWorks on
BrightBean StudioOpen sourceHosted or self-hostedWeb, Your server, Command line
Buffer FreeFreeHosted for youWeb, iPhone, Android, Browser extension
Mixpost LiteOpen sourceYou host itWeb, Your server
PostizOpen sourceHosted or self-hostedWeb, Your server, Command line
Social Champ FreeFreeHosted for youWeb, iPhone, Android

02Each alternative, in detail

BrightBean StudioOpen source

Publishing plus cross-account analytics, with an inbox for good measure; public competitor research is not included.

Versus paying: BrightBean does not match Metricool's mature competitor tracking, advertising analytics and client-ready reporting.

Setup: Hosted signup, or clone the repository and deploy with Docker Compose or a supported PaaS.

Watch for: Connecting social networks requires first-party platform developer/OAuth credentials; self-hosting also requires Docker or a PaaS.

2,100 GitHub stars (checked Aug 6, 2026)

brightbean.xyz →
Buffer FreeFree

Three profiles, ten queued posts each and basic analytics; eight lifetime channel connections is the hidden ceiling.

Versus paying: Buffer's free analytics are lightweight and omit Metricool's competitor, ad and consolidated reporting depth.

Setup: Hosted signup, with optional desktop browser extension and mobile apps.

buffer.com →
Mixpost LiteOpen source

Single-user scheduling with basic account analytics and queues; the free edition stays deliberately small.

Versus paying: Mixpost Lite supplies only basic account analytics, not Metricool's cross-network reporting and competitor analysis.

Setup: Docker Compose is recommended; a manual Laravel/Composer installation is also documented.

Watch for: Requires a server with Docker plus social-platform app credentials; the manual path also needs PHP, Composer, Supervisor, cron, Redis and FFmpeg.

3,500 GitHub stars (checked Aug 6, 2026)

mixpost.app →
PostizOpen source

Multi-network scheduling and account analytics; self-hosting replaces the bill with infrastructure.

Versus paying: Postiz's analytics are less mature than Metricool's and come with a substantial self-hosted operations burden.

Setup: Hosted signup, or Docker Compose for self-hosting.

Watch for: Hosted use is straightforward; self-hosting requires Docker, social OAuth apps, and a PostgreSQL, Redis and Temporal stack.

34,300 GitHub stars (checked Aug 6, 2026)

postiz.com →
Social Champ FreeFree

Three non-X accounts with scheduling, analytics and an inbox; the missing X connection is not subtle.

Versus paying: Social Champ Free excludes X and offers much shallower reporting than Metricool's paid analytics workspace.

Setup: Hosted signup and OAuth connection to each social profile.

socialchamp.com →

03What you give up by leaving Metricool

  • many social APIs, reporting, ad integrations, inbox, and creator workflow
  • many maintained network APIs
  • inbox and moderation
  • deep analytics
  • team approvals and asset libraries

People still pay for Metricool because the scheduler is easy; staying approved and correct across constantly changing social APIs is the subscription. The recurring cost buys OAuth review, API policy changes, media limits, queues, retries, rate limits, webhooks, tokens, and moderation workflows, not just the visible interface.

04Questions

Is there a free alternative to Metricool?

Yes. This page compares 5: BrightBean Studio, Buffer Free, Mixpost Lite, Postiz and Social Champ Free. 3 of them are open source, so you can run them yourself.

How much does Metricool cost?

$25/mo on the Starter (5 brands) plan (monthly), which is $300 a year. Prices checked Aug 14, 2026.

What do you give up with a free alternative to Metricool?

Most often: many social APIs, reporting, ad integrations, inbox, and creator workflow, many maintained network APIs, inbox and moderation and deep analytics. Each alternative on this page lists its own gap under “Versus paying.”

Can AI build me my own version of Metricool?

Half-bot. The core loop is buildable, but a dependable replacement becomes a real weekend or multi-day project. For Metricool, schedule posts and consolidate basic account analytics for a few profiles. The hard boundary is many social apis, reporting, ad integrations, inbox, and creator workflow, plus api access, connector upkeep, and collaboration.

Prices change; confirm on the vendor's site before you decide.