Your brand is on people’s tongues every day. They post on X, Reddit, LinkedIn, YouTube, and in blog comments. Actually, most of them will not tag you at all. Without listening, you will miss chances for praise, complaints, and sales. That’s where social listening tools come in handy. They monitor the web for your brand name, your competitors, and your subject areas. After that, they will provide you with the mentions in the same location.
In this guide, we will be looking at 12 free and paid social listening tools. You will be able to determine which one is right for your team and on your budget by the end.
What Is Social Listening?
Social listening involves tracking what people are saying online about your brand, about your products, about your competitors, and about your industry. You also learn about people’s feelings about them. Imagine a store owner who hears what the people who visit his or her shop say when they come in. That “door” is all the social sites, news sites, forums, and review pages online.
Social listening software has three primary functions:
- Find mentions: They search the Internet for your keywords.
- Read feelings: They indicate the sentiment of each mention (positive, negative or neutral), which is called ‘feelings’.
- Indicate trends: They indicate trends in the topics.
Social listening isn’t social monitoring. Monitoring provides information about what has been said in order to be able to respond quickly. Listening goes deeper – asking, ‘Why do people say it? What should be changed?
Best Social Listening Tools at a Glance (Quick Picks)
| Need | Best pick | Why |
| Budget | Brand24 | Plans start at $249/mo with easy setup |
| Agencies | Awario | White-label reports and low price |
| Enterprise | Brandwatch | 100M+ sources and deep data |
| Visual | YouScan | Finds logos inside photos |
| India / many languages | Talkwalker (Hootsuite) | 187 languages (test Hindi in a trial) |
| Free | Google Alerts | Costs nothing, covers web only |
How We Tested and Scored These Tools
- Platform coverage: Does the platform monitor conversations – not just X or Facebook?
- Price transparency: Is the price obvious on the site or do you have to arrange a sales call in order to find out the price?
- Noise control: Does it filter junk mentions, or dump everything on you?
- Data access: Do you have access to data via an API or are you limited to a dashboard?
- Value for money: Does it provide good value for the amount of money spent?
12 Best Social Listening Tools in 2027
1. Brand24
- Best for: Budget
- Platforms covered: Social media, news, blogs, forums, podcasts and review sites.
- Who should skip it: Teams needing developer sites like GitHub or Hacker News.
- Website: https://brand24.com
Brand24 is an easy to use, affordable solution for small companies and startups. It is clean, so you can pick it up in the afternoon. It monitors social networking, the news, blogs and forums. It also assigns each mention an influence score, allowing you to know which posts have the most influence. It has a rating of G2 out of 5 with approximately 355 reviews, with users sometimes raving about its support. Since Semrush’s acquisition in April 2026, Brand24 has become a part of Adobe. The limitations of mention, as well as not-so-thick history as compared with big tools, are the weak points. It’s a good beginning for a startup that’s looking for social listening without having to call someone.
Key Features
- Real-time mention alerts across the web
- Influence score ranks important mentions
- Simple sentiment analysis for every mention
Pros
- Low entry price for startups
- Clean screen, quick to learn
- Support is often praised
Cons
- Mention limits can feel tight
- No developer platform coverage
- Analytics are not very deep
Pricing
- Individual: $249/month
- Team: $349/month
- Pro: $499/month
- API: $149/month add-on (Pro plan and above; included in Enterprise)
- Free trial: 14 days
2. Awario
- Best for: Precision
- Platforms covered: Social media, news, blogs, forums and review sites.
- Who should skip it: Teams wanting a modern look and many integrations.
- Website: https://awario.com
Awario is best if you want perfect results. It has a Boolean search that allows you to search in great detail, like “include this word, but not that word. That’s a big reduction in the number of mentions of junk. It has a social selling option as well that will display people asking for products similar to yours. Agencies such as the white label reports that are branded to your name. The prices are now being displayed in euros on Awario. It has an average of about 50 reviews with a G2 score of 3.9 out of 5. The weakest link is the API, which is only included in the highest plan. The display is also somewhat dated looking, too. However, when it comes to budget social listening tools, it’s a strong value for the dollar.
Key Features
- Powerful Boolean search for exact queries
- Social selling finds buying-intent posts
- White-label reports for agencies
Pros
- Very low starting price
- Best query control for money
- Great for agency client reports
Cons
- API only on Enterprise plan
- Interface feels a bit dated
- Few outside integrations
Pricing
- Starter: €49/month (€29/month billed yearly)
- Pro: €149/month (€89/month billed yearly)
- Enterprise: €399/month (€249/month billed yearly)
- Free trial: 7 days
3. Sprout Social
- Best for: Marketers
- Platforms covered: X, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest and TikTok.
- Who should skip it: Solo founders and developer-focused brands.
- Website: https://sproutsocial.com
Sprout Social is a one-stop solution. Schedule posts, respond to messages, view reports and do social listening all in one place. Many marketing teams are fond of it due to the fact that the screen is one of the cleanest around. About 6,900 reviews have rated it G2 (a rating of 4.4/5), and G2 also ranked it as the leading social listening product in the Winter 2026 reports. The Smart Inbox gathers messages in a single list from all the channels. There is a catch: The price. It’s user-fee-based, and listening is available as an extra fee. It also relies on the traditional channels, meaning there’s not a ton of Reddit, Hacker News or GitHub. If you’re already a post writer with your team on Sprout, it’s logical that you’ll want to add listening.
Key Features
- Smart Inbox joins all channels
- Publishing and listening in one tool
- Strong reports and analytics
Pros
- Cleanest screen in category
- Generous 30-day free trial
- Great for busy social teams
Cons
- Per-user price grows fast
- Listening costs extra
- Weak Reddit and developer coverage
Pricing
- Professional: $299/user/month
- Listening: premium add-on (price not public)
- Free trial: 30 days
4. Brandwatch
- Best for: Enterprise
- Platforms covered: 100M+ sources including social, news, forums and reviews.
- Who should skip it: Small teams with limited time and budget.
- Website: https://www.brandwatch.com
Brandwatch is the heavy hitter when it comes to social listening. Looks through over 100,000 sources and retains years of information. It can detect your brand even if no one tags you in photos, with its image and logo recognition. The AI sentiment tool is quite good at dealing with sarcasm and most languages. About 730 reviews say that its G2 score is 4.4 out of 5 for Brandwatch Consumer Intelligence. It’s not public and requires discussion with sales. You can expect to be charged $1000.00 or more per month. Scatter is high and the set up will take weeks. It is appropriate for large brands that have data analysts. It’s too much for small groups.
Key Features
- Huge 100M+ source coverage
- Image and logo recognition
- Deep Boolean query builder
Pros
- Most complete data in category
- Handles sarcasm and languages
- Years of history available
Cons
- Price needs a sales call
- Setup takes weeks
- Too big for small teams
Pricing
- Custom (enterprise); expect $1,000+/month minimum
- API: enterprise tiers
- Free trial: none, demo only
5. Meltwater
- Best for: PR
- Platforms covered: Social, news, TV, radio, podcasts, print and blogs.
- Who should skip it: Teams that want a quick self-serve setup.
- Website: https://www.meltwater.com
Meltwater brings media monitoring and social listening together. It not only monitors social posts, but also TV, radio, podcasts, print, and online news. It’s an appropriate solution for PR and communication teams who need to have a keen eye on earned media. You can create custom dashboards and charts; the image recognition and sentiment are good. Its G2 score is 4.1 out of 5 from about 2,700 reviews. It has a learning curve and a hidden price. A few users report increases of 20 percent or more when renewing. If press matters as much as social posts, Meltwater provides a wide coverage of it in one tool.
Key Features
- Tracks TV, radio and print
- Custom dashboards with strong charts
- Image recognition and sentiment tools
Pros
- Widest media coverage here
- Great for PR teams
- Strong visual dashboards
Cons
- Price is not public
- Renewal prices often rise
- Slow setup, steep learning
Pricing
- Custom; expect $800+/month minimum
- API: enterprise
- Free trial: none, demo only
6. Talkwalker / Hootsuite Listening
- Best for: Languages
- Platforms covered: 150M+ sources in 187 languages through Talkwalker.
- Who should skip it: Teams that do not use Hootsuite already.
- Website: https://www.hootsuite.com
Talkwalker’s technology is embedded within the Hootsuite screen, in the form of Hootsuite Insights. No need to switch apps to add listening into your team’s existing post schedule in Hootsuite. Talkwalker is the broadest in languages with its more than 150 million sources in 187 languages. It is capable of reading sentiment in those languages with its Blue Silk AI. The Virality Map illustrates and displays the spreading of a post on the web. With approximately 7,400 reviews, Hootsuite has a 4.3/5 rating in the G2 Score board. Pricing is a little confusing: a base plan based on the number of users, plus an additional listening add-on. Access to API is restricted. It’s not worth purchasing Hootsuite for listening purposes alone.
Key Features
- 187 languages supported
- Virality Map tracks content spread
- Blue Silk AI reads sentiment
Pros
- Best language coverage available
- Works inside Hootsuite tools
- Accurate multi-language sentiment
Cons
- Pricing is hard to follow
- Limited API access
- Leans on mainstream social
Pricing
- Base: $99/user/month
- Listening add-on: contact sales (price not public)
- Free trial: 30 days (base product)
7. Mention
- Best for: Reviews
- Platforms covered: Social media, news, blogs, forums and 75+ review sites.
- Who should skip it: Small teams wanting public prices and self-serve plans.
- Website: https://mention.com
Mention is easy and fast. It’s quick to track, effective notifications, and the mobile app is rather solid. It has an excellent number of review sites, one of which is known to be 75. The company’s plans changed however. The old ‘self-service’ prices have been replaced. There is now one ‘Company’ plan, with custom pricing and you need to book a demo. Extra fees for access to API and historical data available. Publish and Respond were phased out and replaced with another product in the same company called Agorapulse. A few even reported that they saw no mention of other tools that did. It has an average rating of G2 (4.4/5) based on approximately 440 reviews. It is an appropriate solution for teams with a budget and wanting reviews.
Key Features
- Covers 75+ review sites
- Fast setup and instant alerts
- Handy mobile app for mentions
Pros
- Easy to start quickly
- Best review-site coverage
- Strong, simple mobile app
Cons
- No public prices anymore
- API and history cost extra
- Some mentions may be missed
Pricing
- Company plan: custom price, demo required
- API and historical data: paid add-ons
- Free trial: none, demo via sales
8. YouScan (Visual Listening)
- Best for: Visuals
- Platforms covered: Social media, news, blogs, forums and review sites.
- Who should skip it: Brands mostly discussed in text, not photos.
- Website: https://youscan.io
YouScan is designed to facilitate visual listening. Its AI can be used to identify logos, objects and scenes within social posts’ images. So that it can capture mentions of your brand that aren’t picked up by text-only tools. That’s crucial for food, fashion and consumer goods brands, who get tons of photos posted by their fans. The sentiment tool also is solid. It’s about 300 reviews of which its G2 score is 4.8 out of 5, which is among the best here. Expensive and only available on an annual basis. It can be a bit cumbersome for some users to use next to newer applications. This is one of the few social listening tools that will actually see your customers posting a ton of photos.
Key Features
- Finds logos inside user photos
- Detects objects, scenes and more
- Strong sentiment analysis
Pros
- Unique image-based listening
- Excellent G2 rating of 4.8
- Great for photo-heavy brands
Cons
- Expensive starting price
- Screen can feel clunky
- Demo only, no trial
Pricing
- From $499/month, billed annually only
- API: yes
- Free trial: none, demo only
9. BrandMentions
- Best for: Real-time
- Platforms covered: Social media, news, blogs, forums and review sites.
- Who should skip it: Teams that need an API or deep integrations.
- Website: https://brandmentions.com
BrandMentions received a 4.9/5 rating in G2 reviews, totaling approximately 240 reviews. Its real-time tracking and accuracy are highly appreciated by users. It monitors social media, news, blogs, forums and review websites, and has a good sentiment and emotion analysis. It’s an affordable price and it begins at $99 per month. However, the biggest disadvantage is that there is no API, meaning that your data is contained within your dashboard. It’s also a smaller company, compared to Brandwatch or Meltwater, with less integrations and less advanced reports. It is a solid choice for a small team with speedy alerting requirements and needs for straightforward feelings data for a low price.
Key Features
- Real-time web and social tracking
- Strong sentiment and emotion analysis
- Covers news, blogs and forums
Pros
- Top-rated 4.9 on G2
- Low $99 starting price
- Accurate real-time tracking
Cons
- No API at all
- Fewer integrations than rivals
- Light advanced analytics
Pricing
- From $99/month
- API: not available
- Free trial: 14 days
10. Mentionlytics
- Best for: SMBs
- Platforms covered: Social media, news, blogs and forums.
- Who should skip it: Large firms wanting deep enterprise coverage.
- Website: https://www.mentionlytics.com
Mentionlytics was created for small and medium enterprises. It has a special feature: Social Intelligence Advisor (SIA), which provides simple and clear recommendations based on your data, not simply mentions. It is available in several languages, and is competitively priced. It offers six plans, so choose the one that’s right for you. It scored 4.9 out of 5 in its 49 ratings, tied for the highest on this list, with G2.It earned about 112 ratings and its G2 rating is tied for the highest in this list. There are some extras that can cost you more: These include extras such as review monitoring, AI visibility and historical data. There is a Pro plan starting from API. It’s a lesser product that has fewer integrations. It’s a good and affordable social listening tool for expanding businesses.
Key Features
- Social Intelligence Advisor gives AI tips
- Good multi-language monitoring
- Six plans for every size
Pros
- Very affordable entry plan
- Tied for top G2 score
- AI advice, not just data
Cons
- Key extras cost more
- Fewer integrations than big tools
- Small number of reviews
Pricing
- Basic: $69/month
- Essential: $169/month
- Advanced: $299/month
- Pro: $499/month
- Business: $749/month
- Enterprise: from $1,299/month
- API: Pro plan and up
- Add-ons (review monitoring, AI visibility, historical data): extra cost
- Free trial: 14 days
11. Sprinklr (Enterprise)
- Best for: Enterprises
- Platforms covered: 30+ social and messaging channels.
- Who should skip it: Teams under 50 people.
- Website: https://www.sprinklr.com
Social listening is just one component of Sprinklr, a massive customer experience platform. Also includes publishing, engagement, ads and customer service. It monitors over 30 social and messaging platforms, and provides sophisticated AI. It’s ideal for large enterprises (over 500 employees) who desire to have all the products and services from one vendor. Its G2 score is 4.1 out of 5 from about 1,200 reviews. The screen is said by many users to be cluttered and is troublesome to learn. There is no self-serve and contract only (for enterprises) with long setup time. If you’re small, you don’t do it… It’s a system you’ll get if you’re big and need one.
Key Features
- Listening, ads and service together
- Covers 30+ messaging channels
- Advanced AI analysis tools
Pros
- True all-in-one CX platform
- Strong for large organizations
- Wide channel coverage
Cons
- Steep learning curve
- Long enterprise setup time
- No self-serve option
Pricing
- Custom only (enterprise contracts)
- API: enterprise
- Free trial: none, demo only
12. Google Alerts (Free)
- Best for: Free
- Platforms covered: Web pages that Google indexes, only.
- Who should skip it: Anyone needing social media or Reddit tracking.
- Website: https://www.google.com/alerts
Google Alerts is the simplest free choice. You enter a word and Google sends you an e-mail message when a new web page is created that contains that word. It is set up in about 30 seconds and has no limit of keywords. It is useful for news sites, blogs that have been indexed by Google. However, there is no social media so there is no X, Reddit, LinkedIn, YouTube or TikTok. Mentions may be a day late and a lot of the obvious mentions go missing. No sentiment, no filtering and no API. Don’t use it as a primary tool, use it as a complimentary tool alongside another paid tool.
Key Features
- Email alerts for any keyword
- Setup takes 30 seconds
- Unlimited keywords, no cost
Pros
- Completely free to use
- Zero learning curve
- Good extra for news mentions
Cons
- No social media coverage
- Alerts can arrive late
- Misses many obvious mentions
Pricing
- Free
- API: not available
- Free trial: not needed
Social Listening Tools Pricing Comparison
| Tool | Best for | Starting price (plan, term) | Price source + date | Free trial | Platforms |
| Brand24 | Budget | $249/mo (Individual, monthly) | Comparison article, Sep 2026 | 14 days | Social, news, blogs, forums, podcasts, reviews |
| Awario | Precision | €49/mo (Starter, monthly) or €29/mo yearly | Comparison article, Sep 2026 | 7 days | Social, news, blogs, forums, reviews |
| Sprout Social | Marketers | $299/user/mo (Professional) | Comparison article, Sep 2026 | 30 days | X, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, TikTok |
| Brandwatch | Enterprise | Custom (expect $1,000+/mo) | Comparison article, Sep 2026 | Demo only | 100M+ sources |
| Meltwater | PR | Custom (expect $800+/mo) | Comparison article, Sep 2026 | Demo only | Social, news, TV, radio, print, podcasts |
| Talkwalker / Hootsuite | Languages | $99/user/mo + listening add-on | Comparison article, Sep 2026 | 30 days (base) | 150M+ sources |
| Mention | Reviews | Custom (Company plan, demo) | Comparison article, Sep 2026 | None | Social, news, blogs, forums, 75+ review sites |
| YouScan | Visuals | $499/mo (annual only) | Comparison article, Sep 2026 | Demo only | Social, news, blogs, forums, reviews |
| BrandMentions | Real-time | $99/mo | Comparison article, Sep 2026 | 14 days | Social, news, blogs, forums, reviews |
| Mentionlytics | SMBs | $69/mo (Basic) | Comparison article, Sep 2026 | 14 days | Social, news, blogs, forums |
| Sprinklr | Enterprises | Custom (enterprise contract) | Comparison article, Sep 2026 | Demo only | 30+ social and messaging channels |
| Google Alerts | Free | Free | Comparison article, Sep 2026 | Not needed | Google-indexed web only |
Platform Coverage: What Each Tool Can and Cannot Listen To
You should always scout your audience’s talk before paying. Let’s go with this simple perspective.
- Mainstream social only: Sprout Social and Agorapulse style social tools include X, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest and TikTok. They aren’t known for their ability to work on Reddit or developer sites.
- Wide web coverage: Brandwatch (100M+ sources) and Talkwalker (150M+ sources) and Brand24 (Blogs, forums and podcasts).
- Media and PR: Meltwater provides social listening capabilities for TV, radio and print – most other social listening tools don’t.
- Reviews and images: You can review on 75+ review sites, Mention can read the logos in images.
- No social media: Google Alerts is lacking in social media. Most of the tools here also don’t include Hacker News, GitHub and Stack Overflow, so developer brands might need a different tool.
Social Listening in India: Hinglish, Regional Languages and Compliance
India is an exception to the rule. A mix of Hindi and English languages is used, Hindi is written in English letters and a large number of regional languages are used.
- Hinglish is difficult: Sentiment tools tend to be trained on clean English. The following kind of posts, “yeh product bekaar hai,” can be interpreted incorrectly. Test it with the actual Hinglish Post.
- Language support is checked: Talkwalker has 187 languages and Mentionlytics has multi-language support. Note that the source doesn’t confirm Hindi or regional languages for all the tools so inquire in a demo or trial.
- Consider platforms: Indians are also on platforms such as YouTube, forums like WhatsApp and local platforms. Make sure that your tool is able to cover them.
- Follow public posts only: Only follow public posts. Always abide by the rules of India’s data protection law and platform specific Terms of Use and do not store personal information for any reason.
- Have human review: Have a native speaker review a sample of the results monthly for Hindi and regional posts.
How to Set Up Social Listening in 7 Steps
- Establish an objective: make a decision on what you want, whether it be reduced complaining, increased leads, improved PR.
- Choose your keywords: Include your brand name, product names, typical misspellings, competitors and your CEO’s name.
- Include exceptions: block words that bring junk. A company called “Apple” would have to remove fruit talk from its stores.
- Select your platforms: Only activate the platforms that your audience is on, for example X, Reddit, YouTube or news.
- Set alerts: Get alerts when big spikes or angry posts occur, and daily or weekly summary in the remaining cases.
- Read and tag: Check on a daily basis. Label them with praise, complaint, question or lead.
- Act and report: Respond, correct issues and provide a brief monthly report to the team.
How to Choose: Decision Guide by Team Size and Budget
- Small to medium-sized companies (under $100/mo): Free trial of BrandMentions (99/mo), Mentionlytics (69/mo), or Google Alerts.
- Agency: Awario’s white-label reports and Brand24’s easy screen make the work of clients simple.
- Marketing team that also posts: Sprout Social or Hootsuite offer publishing and listening in a single team, but are more expensive per user.
- Enterprise or PR team: They need deep data, and they are available from Brandwatch, Meltwater or Sprinklr – typically for a price of more than $800/mo.
Tracking Brand Mentions in AI Answers
Customers are seeking product recommendations from ChatGPT and Perplexity. Those answers may include your brand’s name, or lack thereof.
- It is new: Most social listening tools focus on social posts, not AI answers.
- It’s hardly found in many tools: Source data hasn’t included it in their list of features, and Mentionlytics is a paid add-on.
- Doing a manual search: Ask questions to the Ai tools which you would ask your buyers and see if your brand is mentioned. Repeat monthly.
- Leverage the Web as your teacher: AI tools learn from the Web. Having threads, news, reviews and blog posts written about you on Reddit helps your odds.
- Inquire from vendors: When purchasing the tool, inquire whether it monitors AI responses and how frequently it updates.
Limits and Common Mistakes
- Not everything is seen by every tool: There are some tools and platforms that don’t see private groups and closed chats. Expect gaps.
- Sentiment is not perfect: Sarcasm and Hinglish can fool the AI. Read an example for yourself.
- Too many keywords: If there are too many, then they cause noise. Work up to it and tweak every week.
- Only watching, never acting: Alerts are only effective when someone responds, resolves the problem or shares the insight.
- Overlooking any associated costs: APIs, history, additional users and renewals can add up. Do NOT settle for anything but all the price.
Conclusion
Your choice of tool will vary based on where your audience communicates and how much you can afford. If budget is an issue consider Brand24 or Mentionlytics. If you’re an agency, check out Awario. In the case of large brands, Brandwatch, Meltwater or Sprinklr dig deep. Use YouScan for photos, and Google Alerts for free basics.
My suggestion is to sign up for a couple of the social listening tools and run a one-week trial to see the difference in the results they yield when you test them on the same keywords. This difference will be obvious. Find the right social listening tool and get listening today – because good social listening tools can help you to make sense of the noise out there.
FAQs
What is social listening?
Social listening is monitoring what people are saying online about your brand, competition, and industry, and taking advantage of it to make decisions. Includes social media, news, blogs, forums and reviews.
What is the difference between social listening and social monitoring?
Monitoring is not about watching and waiting; it’s about fast replies. Listening concentrates on the whole context, including feelings, trends and reasons behind the talk to make improvements to products and plans.
Which is the top free social listening tool?
Google Alerts is free and easy, but only alerts you on web pages Google has indexed. There’s no social media, no sentiment and no filters. Think of it as an “extra” value added!
What are the prices of social listening tools?
The monthly rates of budget plans begin at close to $69 to $249. For mid-range tools, you’ll need to pay $299 per user per month for Sprout Social. These enterprise-level tools, including Brandwatch and Meltwater, will cost $800 to $1,000+ each month and will have custom prices.
Which social listening tool is best for small business?
Small businesses will benefit from having the likes of Brand24, Mentionlytics and BrandMentions as they are straightforward to set up and come with a clear price tag and free trials.
Are there any social listening tools for TikTok and Reddit?
It depends. Sprout Social does a good job of supporting TikTok and not Reddit. Forums are part of a broader solution that encompasses wider tools such as Brandwatch and Brand24. Please pay attention to the precise platform listing prior to purchase.
Are these tools able to track mentions from ChatGPT and Perplexity?
Mostly no, that is, except that Mentionlytics says that AI visibility is a “paid add-on. Other vendors: ask the vendor, or check AI answers manually.
Will social listening work for Hindi?
Some offer a number of languages to choose from; Talkwalker has 187 languages. Hindi quality can vary, and so can Hinglish quality; test the quality of Hindi and Hinglish during a free trial or demo.
