Later
Metricool
| Feature | Later | Metricool |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | From $25/mo | Free / from $22/mo |
| Free Plan | ✗ No | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.3 / 5 | 4.4 / 5 |
| Best For | instagram-creators, social-media-managers, brands, agencies | marketing-agencies, social-media-managers, small-businesses, digital-marketers |
| Founded | 2014 | 2016 |
| Visual Scheduler | ✓ | ✗ |
| Linkin Bio | ✓ | ✗ |
| Analytics | ✓ | ✓ |
| Hashtag Suggestions | ✓ | ✗ |
| Best Time To Post | ✓ | ✗ |
| User Generated Content | ✓ | ✗ |
| Ai Captions | ✓ | ✗ |
| Scheduling | ✗ | ✓ |
| Inbox | ✗ | ✓ |
| Smartlinks | ✗ | ✓ |
| Competitor Analysis | ✗ | ✓ |
| Ad Tracking | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Later Pros
- Best visual content calendar in the industry
- Linkin.bio drives traffic from Instagram
- Auto-publish to Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest
- Hashtag suggestions and best-time-to-post
✗ Later Cons
- No free tier anymore
- Limited engagement and inbox features
- Analytics less detailed than Sprout Social
✓ Metricool Pros
- Comprehensive analytics across platforms
- Ad campaign tracking (Meta, Google)
- SmartLinks for bio pages
- Competitor analysis built in
✗ Metricool Cons
- Interface can feel busy
- Limited reporting customization
- Some features only in higher plans
The Verdict
Later is built for instagram creators and social media managers, with a focus on visual-scheduler and linkin-bio. Metricool targets marketing agencies and social media managers and leads with scheduling and analytics.
Pricing is close: Metricool starts at $22/mo versus $25/mo for Later — not a deciding factor on its own.
Metricool has a free plan, which gives it a meaningful edge for individuals and small teams exploring their options. Later requires a paid subscription from day one.
Feature-wise, Later offers broader built-in capabilities (7 features vs 6), while Metricool takes a more focused approach — which can mean a simpler, faster onboarding experience.
Both tools are a solid fit for social media managers — in those cases, the decision often comes down to workflow style and how your team prefers to organize work.
This is a genuinely close comparison. If you can, sign up for both free trials (where available) and run a one-week test with your actual team tasks before deciding.