The Best Shield Alternatives in 2026
Tolodora Editorial Team
Independent software reviews for founders and small businesses.
Quick answer
The best Shield alternatives in 2026 are AuthoredUp, Taplio and Inlytics. AuthoredUp is our top overall pick, best for creators who want Shield-style analytics plus post formatting, safely. See the full ranked comparison below.
Shield — the long-running LinkedIn analytics app — announced its wind-down in 2026, and by September its app and website no longer loaded. Its founders pointed to LinkedIn and Google tightening the access the Chrome-extension model depended on. If you relied on Shield to track impressions, engagement rate, follower growth and per-post performance over time, you now need a new home for that data.
The replacements split into two camps. Pure-analytics tools rebuild the Shield experience most closely — dashboards, trends and post breakdowns. All-in-one LinkedIn suites add scheduling, AI-assisted writing and a lightweight CRM on top, which is handy if you want to consolidate your stack. One thing worth checking before you connect an account: how each tool accesses your data, since cookie-based browser extensions sit on the same axis that ended Shield.
We've scored each option on value, support, ease of use and features below. If you also manage other channels, it's worth seeing our Metricool alternatives and Buffer alternatives for multi-platform schedulers, and our Taplio alternatives if the growth-suite route appeals.
| Tool | Value | Support | Ease of use | Features | Overall | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AuthoredUp | 7.8 | 8.2 | 8.6 | 8.0 | 8.2 | Creators who want Shield-style analytics plus post formatting, safely |
| Supergrow | 8.4 | 7.6 | 8.2 | 8.0 | 8.1 | Budget-minded creators who want AI content, scheduling and analytics |
| Taplio | 6.4 | 8.0 | 8.2 | 9.0 | 7.9 | Founders and creators who want one tool for analytics, writing and growth |
| Metricool | 8.0 | 7.6 | 7.8 | 8.2 | 7.9 | Social media managers who track LinkedIn alongside other platforms |
| Buffer | 7.4 | 8.0 | 8.8 | 7.0 | 7.8 | Teams who want simple cross-channel scheduling with light analytics |
| Inlytics | 7.6 | 7.4 | 8.4 | 7.4 | 7.7 | People who just want pure LinkedIn analytics, nicely visualized |
| # | Tool | Best for | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | AuthoredUp | Creators who want Shield-style analytics plus post formatting, safely | 4.1/5 |
| 2 | Taplio | Founders and creators who want one tool for analytics, writing and growth | 4.0/5 |
| 3 | Inlytics | People who just want pure LinkedIn analytics, nicely visualized | 3.9/5 |
| 4 | Supergrow | Budget-minded creators who want AI content, scheduling and analytics | 4.0/5 |
| 5 | Metricool | Social media managers who track LinkedIn alongside other platforms | 4.0/5 |
| 6 | Buffer | Teams who want simple cross-channel scheduling with light analytics | 3.9/5 |
AuthoredUp
- Pricing
- 7.8/10
- Functionality
- 8.0/10
- Ease of use
- 8.6/10
- Support
- 8.2/10
What I like
It reads the analytics already on your screen rather than automating your account, which keeps it on the safer side of LinkedIn's rules — plus excellent post formatting and previews.
Best for
Creators who want Shield-style analytics plus post formatting, safely
AuthoredUp is one of the closest Shield replacements for people who live in LinkedIn posts. It gives you per-post and account analytics, historical performance, and a genuinely good writing experience: formatting, hooks, preview, snippets and drafts. Because it surfaces data already visible to you rather than driving your account through automation, it's lower-risk than cookie-based scrapers. It's content-and-analytics focused rather than a full scheduler-plus-CRM suite.
Taplio
- Pricing
- 6.4/10
- Functionality
- 9.0/10
- Ease of use
- 8.2/10
- Support
- 8.0/10
What I like
The most complete option — it tracks the same core metrics Shield did and adds AI writing, scheduling, a content inspiration feed and a lightweight CRM.
Best for
Founders and creators who want one tool for analytics, writing and growth
Taplio is the most feature-complete pick: it covers the impressions, engagement-rate, follower-growth and per-post metrics Shield users relied on, then layers on an AI post writer, a scheduler, a swipe file of top-performing content, and a basic CRM for the people engaging with you. It's the priciest of the group and more than you need if you only want charts, but if you want to replace Shield and consolidate your whole LinkedIn workflow, it's the strongest all-rounder.
Inlytics
- Pricing
- 7.6/10
- Functionality
- 7.4/10
- Ease of use
- 8.4/10
- Support
- 7.4/10
What I like
A clean, focused analytics dashboard — if all you want is Shield's charts and trends without a growth suite bolted on, this is the most direct match.
Best for
People who just want pure LinkedIn analytics, nicely visualized
Inlytics is a focused LinkedIn analytics dashboard that visualizes your post and profile performance over time — impressions, engagement, follower growth and content trends — without trying to also be your scheduler and CRM. For Shield users who valued the analytics and nothing else, it's the most direct, uncluttered replacement, with a tidy interface and a gentle learning curve.
Supergrow
- Pricing
- 8.4/10
- Functionality
- 8.0/10
- Ease of use
- 8.2/10
- Support
- 7.6/10
What I like
Affordable AI-assisted content plus analytics and scheduling, aimed at creators who want to grow without the top-tier price tag.
Best for
Budget-minded creators who want AI content, scheduling and analytics
Supergrow is a creator-focused LinkedIn tool that pairs AI-assisted post writing with scheduling, carousels and performance analytics at a more accessible price point than the premium suites. It's a good fit if you want to both measure and grow your LinkedIn presence without paying for a heavier platform. Analytics depth is solid rather than exhaustive, so pure data purists may still prefer a dedicated dashboard.
Metricool
- Pricing
- 8.0/10
- Functionality
- 8.2/10
- Ease of use
- 7.8/10
- Support
- 7.6/10
What I like
One dashboard for LinkedIn plus every other channel, with scheduling and reporting — ideal if LinkedIn is only part of your job.
Best for
Social media managers who track LinkedIn alongside other platforms
Metricool is a multi-platform social tool that handles scheduling, analytics and reporting across LinkedIn, Instagram, X, TikTok, Facebook and more from one place. It won't go as deep on LinkedIn-specific creator metrics as a dedicated tool, but if you manage several channels and want unified analytics and client-ready reports, consolidating into Metricool makes a lot of sense. There's a capable free plan to start on.
Buffer
- Pricing
- 7.4/10
- Functionality
- 7.0/10
- Ease of use
- 8.8/10
- Support
- 8.0/10
What I like
Dead-simple scheduling across channels with clean, approachable analytics and a long-standing free plan.
Best for
Teams who want simple cross-channel scheduling with light analytics
Buffer is the friendliest, most approachable scheduler here, with clean analytics across LinkedIn and other networks and a free plan that's been around for years. Its LinkedIn analytics are lighter than a dedicated tool's — it's built for straightforward publishing and reporting rather than deep creator metrics — but for teams who want to simply schedule and keep an eye on performance without a learning curve, it's a reliable choice.
The verdict
If you mainly want Shield's analytics back, AuthoredUp (safely, with great formatting) or Inlytics (pure dashboards) are the closest matches. Choose Taplio when you want to consolidate analytics, AI writing and growth into one tool, Supergrow for the budget-friendly all-rounder, and Metricool or Buffer if LinkedIn is just one of several channels you manage.
Whatever you shortlist, run your real work through it for a week before committing — the right tool is the one that quietly disappears and lets you get back to it. And if you build software like this yourself, you can list it on Tolodora free.
Frequently asked questions
What happened to Shield Analytics?
Shield announced it was winding down in 2026, and by September its app and website no longer loaded. Its founders said LinkedIn and Google had tightened the access its Chrome-extension model depended on, making it unviable to keep running as built. Because the app went offline, the window to export historical data has effectively closed.
What is the best Shield alternative for pure analytics?
AuthoredUp and Inlytics are the closest pure-analytics replacements. AuthoredUp pairs Shield-style post and account metrics with excellent writing and formatting tools, while Inlytics focuses purely on a clean analytics dashboard without a growth suite attached.
Are LinkedIn analytics tools safe to use?
Risk varies by how the tool accesses your data. Tools that read analytics already visible on your screen, or connect through official methods, are lower-risk than cookie-based browser extensions that automate your account — which is the same model that contributed to Shield's shutdown. Always check a tool's data-access method before connecting your LinkedIn account.
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