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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 feed is still all blog: short-video benchmarks follow Facebook feed news.
Metricool's changelog feed is almost entirely blog content: 2026 short-video engagement benchmarks, Facebook's Your Algorithm feed controls, a 2026 social ads guide, Instagram giveaways and Meta Ads Manager versus Business Suite. The last real product change visible was September's batch of YouTube and Instagram metrics with approval workflows on the Advanced plan. Nothing in the latest six entries changes what the product does.
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 feed is still all blog: short-video benchmarks follow Facebook feed news.
◆ Current state
Metricool's changelog feed is almost entirely blog content: 2026 short-video engagement benchmarks, Facebook's Your Algorithm feed controls, a 2026 social ads guide, Instagram giveaways and Meta Ads Manager versus Business Suite. The last real product change visible was September's batch of YouTube and Instagram metrics with approval workflows on the Advanced plan. Nothing in the latest six entries changes what the product does.
◆ Where it's heading
The content circles two themes: paid advertising across Meta and Google, and benchmark data that invites users to compare their own numbers inside Metricool's analytics. The emphasis shows where the company wants new users to arrive, not what it is shipping.
◆ Prediction
The entries give no sign of an upcoming release. If one comes, the content mix points to ads or short-video reporting, but that is a reading of marketing emphasis, not a shipped signal.
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.
Privy
Privy adds a Preference Center and turns Shopify order events into Flow triggers.
Statusbrew
Statusbrew lets guests join project Updates threads, extending its client-review push.
Swello
Swello's comment and DM inbox is in beta as content marketing fills the feed.
WP Tasty
WP Tasty ships a five-plugin maintenance wave built around license self-service.
Clay
Clay consolidates its Audiences and Ads plumbing after a month of launches.
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 agoMetricoolShort Video Social Media Engagement Benchmarks 2026
- 1d agoMetricoolFacebook Rolls Out Your Algorithm to Let Users Shape Feeds
- 1d agoMetricool2026 Social Media Ads Guide: Platforms, Pricing & Examples
- 2d agoMetricoolTop 10 Instagram Giveaway Ideas to Increase Your Follower Count
- 2d agoMetricoolMeta Ads Manager vs Meta Business Suite: Which One Do You Really Need?
- 3d agoMetricoolGoogle Ads Metrics With Metricool
- 3mo 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.