The Metricool Alternative for Developers and AI Agents

Metricool is a marketer’s dashboard for planning, analytics, and reports. Its API starts at $53 a month and X costs $10 per account on top. PostZen is a publishing API first, with the API, MCP server, and hosted account connections included on the free plan.

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// Simple API key authentication
fetch('https://api.postzen.dev/v1/posts', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {
    'Authorization': 'Bearer POSTZEN_API_KEY',
    'Content-Type': 'application/json'
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    platforms: ['instagram', 'twitter', 'linkedin'],
    content: 'Hello world!'
  })
})

Why Switch?

Why PostZen vs Metricool?

PostZen API

API on every plan, including Free
Create an API key on a free account and publish to 2 connected accounts. Metricool unlocks its API on Advanced at $53 a month billed yearly, or $67 monthly.
No X surcharge
An X account counts like any other connected account. Metricool charges $10 a month per X account on top of the plan, and Free cannot connect X at all.
Hosted OAuth for your users
Send users to /v1/connect/{platform} and they authorize their own accounts inside your product. Metricool has no equivalent; profiles are connected in the Metricool dashboard by someone with a Metricool login.
Published rate limits and SLA
60 to 2,000 requests per minute by plan, a 429 with Retry-After when exceeded, and a 99.97% uptime SLA. Metricool publishes neither rate limits nor an SLA.
One request shape for ten networks
POST /v1/posts with a platforms array covers Instagram, X, LinkedIn, Facebook, Threads, YouTube, TikTok, Pinterest, Bluesky, and Telegram, with per-platform options only where a network needs them.
Flat plans priced by account
Free includes 2 accounts and 20 posts. Starter is $19 for 5 accounts, Pro $49 for 20, and Scale $149 for 100, all with unlimited posts; extras are $3 each.

Metricool

Priced per brand
A brand holds one profile per network. Starter covers 5 brands for $20 a month and Advanced covers 15 for $53, billed yearly. Monthly billing is $25 and $67.
API requires Advanced
Free and Starter have no API token. Advanced starts at $53 a month billed yearly and bundles approvals, team roles, and the Looker Studio connector you may not need.
X is a $10-per-account add-on
Each connected X account adds $10 a month ($120 a year) on Starter or higher. The Free plan cannot connect X. LinkedIn is also excluded from Free.
The API automates a Metricool workspace
Requests carry an X-Mc-Auth token plus userId and blogId query parameters for one brand. The public Swagger file is the internal app API: 500-plus paths, many of them GET calls that change state. Metricool positions it for data export and Zapier, Make, and n8n automation.
Accounts are connected in the dashboard
There is no hosted connect flow for third-party products. Every social profile is linked by a Metricool user inside the Metricool app, so your customers would need Metricool logins.
No published rate limits or SLA
The API docs and help center list no request limits, and no uptime commitment is published. Unlimited scheduling on paid plans is subject to a fair use policy.
No Telegram
Metricool covers Instagram, Facebook, X, LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, Threads, Bluesky, Twitch, and Google Business Profile. Telegram channels and groups are not supported.

Feature Comparison

Side By Side

Feature comparison between PostZen and Metricool
	PostZen	Metricool
Primary fit	Publishing API for your product, agent, or automation	Planning, analytics, and reporting dashboard for marketers and agencies
Starting price	Free includes 2 connected accounts and 20 posts per month. Starter is $19 for 5 accounts, Pro is $49 for 20, and Scale is $149 for 100; paid-plan extras are $3 each.	Free for 1 brand; Starter $20/mo for 5 brands billed yearly ($25 monthly); Advanced $53/mo for 15 brands billed yearly ($67 monthly)
Free tier	2 connected accounts, 20 posts/month, API included	1 brand, 20 posts/month, 30 days of analytics history, no LinkedIn, no X, no API
API access	Included on every plan, including Free	Advanced and Custom plans only ($53/mo billed yearly, $67 monthly)
Pricing unit	Connected social account; paid-plan extras $3 each	Brand (one profile per network), plus $10/mo per connected X account
X (Twitter)	Counts as one connected account; official OAuth	$10/mo add-on per X account on Starter or higher; not available on Free
Account connection	Hosted OAuth at /v1/connect/{platform} for your users; Telegram via access code	Connected inside the Metricool dashboard by a Metricool user
Authentication	Bearer API key; scoped per profile	X-Mc-Auth token plus userId and blogId query parameters
Rate limits	60, 120, 600, or 2,000 requests/min by plan; 429 with Retry-After	Not published
Uptime SLA	99.97% (published)	Not published
MCP server	44 tools for posting, scheduling, accounts, analytics, and webhooks; included on every plan	20-plus tools for scheduling and analytics; works on any plan, including Free, within plan limits
Networks	Instagram, X, LinkedIn, Facebook, Threads, YouTube, TikTok, Pinterest, Bluesky, Telegram	Instagram, Facebook, X, LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, Threads, Bluesky, Twitch, Google Business Profile, plus Google, Facebook, and TikTok Ads
Analytics	Post and account analytics, daily metrics, follower stats, and best-time-to-post over the API and MCP	Deep dashboard analytics, competitor tracking, ads reporting, Looker Studio, PDF and PPT reports
Best for	SaaS, AI, and automation builders	Social media managers and agencies who live in the planner

Cost At Scale

Pricing

Pricing comparison between PostZen and Metricool
	PostZen	Metricool	Winner
1 brand, Instagram + Facebook, no API	Free (2 accounts, 20 posts/mo)	Free (1 brand, 20 posts/mo)	Even
1 brand, 5 networks including X, dashboard only	$19/mo (Starter)	$30/mo (Starter $20 + $10 X add-on, billed yearly)	PostZen
1 brand, 5 networks including X, with API	$19/mo (Starter)	$63/mo (Advanced $53 + $10 X add-on, billed yearly)	PostZen
5 client brands, 4 networks each, no X, no API	$49/mo (Pro, 20 accounts)	$20/mo (Starter, 5 brands, billed yearly)	Metricool, if nobody needs the API and no client uses X
5 client brands, 4 networks each including X, with API	$49/mo (Pro, 20 accounts)	$103/mo (Advanced $53 + 5 X add-ons, billed yearly)	PostZen
20 brands, 5 networks each, no X, with API	$149/mo (Scale, 100 accounts)	$85/mo (Advanced, 25 brands, billed yearly)	Metricool, if no brand uses X and the workflow lives in its dashboard
20 brands, 5 networks each including X, with API	$149/mo (Scale, 100 accounts)	$285/mo (Advanced $85 + 20 X add-ons, billed yearly)	PostZen

At a glance

Which one is right for you?

Pick PostZen When

You are embedding social publishing in a SaaS product, AI agent, or internal tool and need your users to connect their own accounts.
You need API access without paying for a $53-per-month Advanced dashboard plan.
You post to X and do not want a $10-per-account surcharge on every profile.
You want published rate limits, an uptime SLA, and a single request shape across ten networks.
Telegram channels or groups are part of your publishing mix.

Pick Metricool When

Your social team lives in a visual planner and wants analytics, competitor tracking, ads reporting, and PDF reports in one place.
You manage many client brands that rarely use X and never need an API; Metricool’s per-brand pricing is hard to beat there.
You need Google Business Profile or Twitch, Looker Studio connectors, or white-label reporting.
Post approvals, team roles, and client management inside a dashboard matter more than programmatic access.

FAQ

Common questions

Still have questions?

Does Metricool have an API?

Yes, on the Advanced and Custom plans. You copy a token from Account Settings, send it in an X-Mc-Auth header, and add userId and blogId query parameters to every request. Metricool publishes a Swagger file and a PDF guide, and positions the API for exporting metrics and automating a Metricool workspace through Zapier, Make, and n8n.

How much does Metricool cost with API access?

Advanced is $53 a month for 15 brands, $85 for 25, or $159 for 50 when billed yearly. Monthly billing is $67, $107, and $210. Each connected X account adds $10 a month. PostZen includes the API on Free and on the $19 Starter plan.

Why does Metricool charge extra for X?

Metricool passes X API costs through as a per-account add-on of $10 a month, or $120 a year, available on Starter or higher. Free plans cannot connect X. PostZen treats an X account as one connected account with no surcharge.

Can my users connect their own accounts through the Metricool API?

No. Social profiles are connected inside the Metricool dashboard by someone with a Metricool login, and the API works on brands that already exist there. PostZen’s hosted connect flow at /v1/connect/{platform} lets your users authorize their own accounts from inside your product.

Is PostZen cheaper than Metricool?

It depends on what you need. For API access on one brand, PostZen Starter is $19 against Metricool Advanced at $53 plus $10 per X account. For an agency with many brands that never touch X or the API, Metricool Starter at $20 for 5 brands is cheaper than PostZen Pro at $49. The scenario table above shows both cases.

What does Metricool offer that PostZen does not?

A full marketing dashboard: competitor analysis, hashtag tracking, ads reporting for Google, Facebook, and TikTok, an inbox, SmartLinks, DM automation flows, Looker Studio connectors, PDF and PPT reports, white label on Custom, and two extra networks (Twitch and Google Business Profile).

Does Metricool have an MCP server?

Yes. Metricool’s MCP works with Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT, and other clients on any plan, including Free, within that plan’s limits. PostZen’s MCP server exposes 44 tools for posting, scheduling, accounts, analytics, and webhooks and is included on every plan alongside the REST API.

Can I migrate from Metricool to PostZen?

For publishing, yes. Reconnect each profile through the PostZen hosted OAuth page, upload media through /v1/media/presign, and create posts with a platforms array. Bulk CSV import covers a backlog of scheduled posts. Metricool’s competitor tracking, ads reporting, and report templates have no PostZen equivalent, so keep Metricool if those are the reason you pay for it.

Need an API more than a planner?

Start with PostZen if publishing belongs inside your product or agent workflow and you want the API, MCP server, and hosted account connections from the first free request.

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