Metricool, Publer, and Zoho Social all combine social scheduling with analytics and a usable free tier, but they differentiate on what surrounds that core.…
Freemium subscription with per-account and per-user paid tiers, plus custom Enterprise pricing · From Free plan available; paid plans start at $12/month (Professional, billed for 3 social accounts)
Best for: Budget-conscious freelancers and agencies who want AI-assisted captions, Canva integration, and strong user reviews at a low starting price.
freemium · From Free plan available; paid plans from approximately 15 dollars per month
Best for: Businesses already using Zoho CRM or Zoho Desk, or agencies that want a dedicated Agency tier with client portals and branded logins.
At a Glance
Metricool
Publer
Zoho Social
Primary category
Social Media
Social Media
Social Media
Rating
Not documented
Not documented
Not documented
Pricing model
Freemium
Freemium subscription with per-account and per-user paid tiers, plus custom Enterprise pricing
freemium
Starting price
Free; paid plans from EUR 16 per month (about $20 per month billed annually)
Free plan available; paid plans start at $12/month (Professional, billed for 3 social accounts)
Free plan available; paid plans from approximately 15 dollars per month
Free plan
Yes
Yes
Yes
Free trial
Not documented
Not documented
Not documented
Platforms
Android
iOS, Android
iOS, Android
Team collaboration
Not documented
Not documented
Not documented
AI features
Yes
Yes
Yes
Public API
Not documented
Not documented
Not documented
Standout Differences
Free tier limits differ meaningfully
Metricool's free plan allows one profile per social network, Publer's free plan covers 3 accounts excluding X, and Zoho Social's free plan covers 1 brand across 6 channels for 1 team member.
Metricool, Publer, Zoho Social
AI-assisted content creation
Publer's AI Assist drafts captions and suggests hashtags, and integrates directly with Canva for graphics, a workflow the provided data does not describe for Metricool or Zoho Social.
Publer
CRM and helpdesk integration
Zoho Social natively connects to Zoho CRM and Zoho Desk, letting social activity feed directly into sales and support workflows.
Zoho Social
Web and Google Business Profile analytics
Metricool pulls Google Analytics and Google Business Profile data into the same dashboard as social performance, going beyond pure social metrics.
Metricool
Agency-specific tooling
Zoho Social's Agency and Agency Plus plans add client portals and branded logins, while Metricool offers white-label reporting on its Advanced and Custom plans; Publer's agency scaling instead relies on per-account and per-seat pricing.
Zoho Social, Metricool, Publer
Feature-by-Feature
Publishing and scheduling
Feature
Metricool
Publer
Zoho Social
Multi-network scheduling
Available
Available
Available
Usable free plan
Available
Available
Available
AI caption or content assistance
Not documented
Available
Not documented
Analytics and monitoring
Feature
Metricool
Publer
Zoho Social
Social listening or brand monitoring
Not documented
Not documented
Available
Web or Google Business Profile analytics
Available
Not documented
Not documented
Team and agency tools
Feature
Metricool
Publer
Zoho Social
White-label or client-branded reporting
Available
Not documented
Available
CRM or helpdesk integration
Unavailable
Unavailable
Available
Pricing Compared
Starting price reflects the lowest paid tier, not the full cost for every team size or usage level.
Metricool
Free — $0 Forever free
Starter — From EUR 16/month (annual) or EUR 20/month (monthly) Monthly or annual
Advanced — Higher tier, priced by brands/seats Monthly or annual
Custom — Custom quote Annual contract
Publer
Free — $0/month Monthly
Professional — $12/month (3 accounts baseline) Monthly or annual (20% off annual)
Business — $21/month (3 accounts baseline) Monthly or annual (20% off annual)
Enterprise — Custom pricing Custom
Zoho Social
Free — 0 dollars n/a
Standard — Approximately 15 dollars per month (approximately 10 dollars per month billed annually) monthly or annual
Professional — Approximately 40 dollars per month monthly or annual
Premium — Approximately 65 dollars per month monthly or annual
Agency — Approximately 320 dollars per month monthly or annual
Agency Plus — Approximately 460 dollars per month monthly or annual
Pros & Cons
Metricool
Pros
Generous free plan usable indefinitely
Combines social scheduling with web and Google Business Profile analytics
Pricing is competitive compared to Hootsuite and Sprout Social
Strong feature set for agencies, including white-labeling
Supports a wide range of networks including TikTok and Threads
Cons
Free plan limited to one profile per network
Advanced reporting and API access require higher-tier plans
Interface can feel dense for first-time users given the breadth of features
Custom/agency plan pricing is not publicly listed
Some advanced integrations (like Zapier) are gated behind the Advanced tier
Publer
Pros
Generous, genuinely usable free plan
Strong price-to-feature ratio versus Buffer and Hootsuite
High user satisfaction on G2 and Capterra
Built-in AI caption and Canva design tools
Frequent feature updates and responsive support
Cons
Per-account and per-seat pricing adds up quickly for agencies
X/Twitter is handled separately from the 3 free accounts allotment
Deeper analytics still lag some enterprise competitors
Enterprise pricing is not published and requires a sales contact
Zoho Social
Pros
Free plan available for a single brand with basic features
Purpose-built Agency tier with client portals and branded logins
SmartQ predictive scheduling helps optimize post timing
Native integration with Zoho CRM and Zoho Desk
Broad channel coverage including newer platforms like TikTok, Threads, and Bluesky
Cons
Higher-tier features like SmartQ and CRM integration require Professional or Premium plans
Agency plans are priced significantly higher than most competitors' entry tiers
Additional brands and team members are paid add-ons on most plans
Some advanced channels (YouTube, WhatsApp) are limited to Premium and above
Use Cases
Choose Metricool: Teams that want social scheduling combined with Google Analytics and Google Business Profile reporting in one dashboard.
Choose Publer: Budget-conscious freelancers and agencies who want AI-assisted captions, Canva integration, and strong user reviews at a low starting price.
Choose Zoho Social: Businesses already using Zoho CRM or Zoho Desk, or agencies that want a dedicated Agency tier with client portals and branded logins.
Metricool
Solo creator managing multiple platforms — A solo content creator uses Metricool's free plan to schedule posts and track engagement across Instagram and TikTok without paying for a tool.
Agency reporting to clients — A social media agency uses the Advanced or Custom plan to manage dozens of client brands and generate white-labeled performance reports.
SMB tracking paid and organic performance together — A small business marketing team uses Metricool to monitor both organic social posts and Meta/Google ad campaigns in a single dashboard.
Publer
Small business social media management — Solo entrepreneurs and small business owners manage all of their social accounts and scheduling from one affordable dashboard.
Agency client account management — Social media agencies and freelancers use Publer to plan, schedule, and report on content across many client accounts.
Creator content recycling — Content creators and personal brands schedule and automatically recycle evergreen posts to stay consistently active.
Zoho Social
Small business social scheduling — A single brand schedules and publishes content across core channels using SmartQ for optimal timing.
Team content approval workflows — Marketing teams draft, review, and approve posts collaboratively before publishing.
Agency client social management — Agencies manage dozens of client brands from one dashboard, with client portals and scheduled reporting.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which of these three has the most generous free plan?
It depends on what matters most: Publer's free plan covers 3 accounts with unlimited drafts up to 25 saved, Metricool's free plan allows 1 profile per network indefinitely, and Zoho Social's free plan covers 1 brand across 6 channels for 1 team member.
Does Publer include AI writing tools on the free plan?
No. AI Assist for captions and hashtags is included starting on Publer's Professional plan at $12 per month, not on the free tier.
Is Zoho Social a good fit if a business already uses Zoho CRM?
Yes. Zoho Social integrates natively with Zoho CRM and Zoho Desk, letting social activity link directly to sales and support records, which is a differentiator over Metricool and Publer for existing Zoho customers.
Which tool is best for an agency managing many client accounts with branded reporting?
Zoho Social's Agency and Agency Plus plans add client portals and branded logins, and Metricool offers white-label PDF or Looker Studio reports on its Advanced and Custom plans. Publer supports multiple accounts but the provided data does not describe a white-label agency reporting feature.
Does Metricool track website analytics, not just social media performance?
Yes. Metricool integrates Google Analytics and Google Business Profile data into the same dashboard as social metrics, which is a core differentiator from Publer and Zoho Social based on the provided feature data.