Tools

Social media analytics & listening

13 tools compared: how each is priced, where it runs, and what to consider instead.

Tool Pricing model Free tier Open source
Brand24 Mid-market social and web listening tool priced by keyword and monthly mention volume. Subscription No No
Brandwatch Enterprise consumer-intelligence and social-listening platform for large-scale brand and market research. Quote only No No
Buffer Simple, low-cost social media scheduler with lightweight analytics, popular with solo creators and small teams. Free tier + paid Yes No
Emplifi Enterprise social marketing, care, and commerce suite priced on outcomes rather than per seat. Subscription No No
Hootsuite Long-running social media scheduling platform with analytics, engagement, and ads management add-ons. Subscription No No
Later Visual-first social scheduler built around Instagram and link-in-bio tools, with growing analytics. Subscription No No
Meltwater Media and social intelligence suite combining PR monitoring, social listening, and consumer insights. Quote only No No
Mention Web and social mention-monitoring tool for tracking brand, competitor, and industry conversations. Subscription No No
Rival IQ Competitive social media analytics tool for benchmarking a brand's performance against named competitors. Subscription No No
Socialinsider Cross-network social analytics tool for benchmarking, reporting, and historical performance tracking. Subscription No No
Sprinklr Enterprise customer-experience management suite spanning social publishing, listening, and care. Quote only No No
Sprout Social Social media management suite combining publishing, engagement inboxes, and analytics reporting. Subscription No No
Talkwalker Social listening and consumer-intelligence platform (Lumen) offering large-scale, non-sampled mention data. Quote only No No

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