SocialBee
SocialBee retires category sequencing and Next Posts in its first product change in months.
Comparison · Marketing
Metricool vs phpList
A side-by-side editorial comparison of Metricool and phpList — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
Metricool vs phpList: at a glance
What is Metricool?
Metricool's October update adds campaign goals, Instagram collab reporting and X support in Flows.
After weeks of blog-only entries, Metricool published its October product update. It adds goal-setting to Campaign Dashboards, collab content in the Instagram report, X support in Flows through the X add-on, more review and publish controls in the Planner, and more per-brand settings. The rest of the feed is still SEO content on paid ads and platform how-tos.
What is phpList?
phpList shows renewed 3.7.0 release-candidate activity after a long dormant stretch.
The feed is GitHub release tags, but the entries carry almost no detail — recent ones are just 'Release Candidate N for version 3.7.0.' After a gap stretching back to 2024, two 3.7.0 RCs landed in June 2026, signaling the project is moving toward a 3.7.0 release.
Metricool vs phpList: editorial side-by-side
Metricool
5.0MARKETING
Metricool's October update adds campaign goals, Instagram collab reporting and X support in Flows.
◆ Current state
After weeks of blog-only entries, Metricool published its October product update. It adds goal-setting to Campaign Dashboards, collab content in the Instagram report, X support in Flows through the X add-on, more review and publish controls in the Planner, and more per-brand settings. The rest of the feed is still SEO content on paid ads and platform how-tos.
◆ Where it's heading
The shipped work leans toward agencies and teams running campaigns across many brands: goals per campaign, per-brand settings and review steps before posts go out. Creator collabs getting their own reporting suggests influencer work is becoming a tracked line item rather than a side activity.
◆ Prediction
Expect more approval and multi-brand workflow controls in the Planner and Flows, released in monthly roundups. The blog will keep carrying paid-ads comparisons between those roundups.
phpList
5.0MARKETING
phpList shows renewed 3.7.0 release-candidate activity after a long dormant stretch.
◆ Current state
The feed is GitHub release tags, but the entries carry almost no detail — recent ones are just 'Release Candidate N for version 3.7.0.' After a gap stretching back to 2024, two 3.7.0 RCs landed in June 2026, signaling the project is moving toward a 3.7.0 release.
◆ Where it's heading
Development cadence is slow and bursty: a long quiet period followed by RC3 and RC4 within days. The crawl source yields contentless tags, so the substance of 3.7.0 isn't visible here — only that it's progressing through release candidates.
◆ Prediction
Expect a stable 3.7.0 release to follow the RC sequence, though the feed gives no detail on what it contains.
Alternatives to Metricool and phpList
Other Marketing products tracked by Sparkpulse, ranked by recent ship velocity. Each card links to a full editorial trajectory and lets you pivot into a head-to-head comparison with either Metricool or phpList.
Swello
Swello's comment and DM inbox is in beta as content marketing fills the feed.
Statusbrew
Statusbrew reworks Compose and approvals around its new Post Groups.
Saleshandy
Saleshandy adds 7.7M people in October's Lead Finder refresh and reports on recent web flaws.
Clay
Clay adds SCIM and signal-triggered workflows as its GTM platform targets enterprise buyers.
HeyForm
HeyForm's v3 has been in release candidates for months, now moving mostly on community fixes.
See all Metricool alternatives → · See all phpList alternatives →
Recent activity from Metricool and phpList
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 1d agoMetricoolProduct Updates October 2026
- 1d agoMetricoolMeta Ads vs. TikTok Ads 2026: Where Should You Put Your Budget?
- 2d agoMetricoolInstagram Is Testing 90-Minute Long-Form Videos: What Does This Mean?
- 2d agoMetricoolHuman in the Loop AI: Why 83% Don’t Publish AI Content As Is
- 2d agoMetricoolSocial Media Bots: The Good and The Bad
- 3d agoMetricoolHow the YouTube Partner Program Works: Requirements, Earnings, and How to Join
- 4mo agophpListv3.7.0-RC4
- 4mo agophpListv3.7.0-RC3
- 1y agophpListphpList 3.7.0-RC1
- 2y agophpListphpList version 3.6.15
- 2y agophpListv3.6.15-RC3
- 2y agophpListphpList version 3.6.15 RC1
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Metricool and phpList?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. Metricool and phpList are shipping at a similar cadence (velocity 5.0 vs 5.0, both within Sparkpulse's "active" band). See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.
Is Metricool better than phpList?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Metricool and phpList are shipping at a similar cadence (velocity 5.0 vs 5.0, both within Sparkpulse's "active" band). For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other Marketing products to evaluate alongside.
What are the best alternatives to Metricool?
Top Metricool alternatives in Marketing are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Metricool alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/metricool for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to phpList?
Top phpList alternatives in Marketing are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "phpList alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/phplist for the full list with editorial commentary on each.