How we make this list: we compare pricing pages, product documentation and public user reviews. Ratings come from G2, Capterra or Trustpilot, with the date we checked them.
Key takeaways
- Social listening splits into two camps: dedicated listening platforms like Brandwatch and Brand24, and management suites like Sprout Social and Hootsuite that add listening to publishing.
- Entry prices run from $29 per month at Awario to custom enterprise contracts at Brandwatch, Meltwater and Talkwalker, with most mid-market tools clustered around $199 per month.
- Sentiment accuracy and source coverage matter more than dashboard polish, so test with your own brand terms before buying.
- Listening only pays off when someone acts on it, so pick a tool whose alerts and reports reach the team that can respond.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Best for | Starting price | Free plan |
|---|
 Brandwatch | Enterprise consumer research | See website | No |
 Sprout Social | Management plus listening add-on | $199 per seat/month | Free trial (30 days) |
 Hootsuite | Publishing with listening built in | $99 per user/month | Free trial (30 days) |
 Brand24 | Mid-market brand monitoring | $199 per month | Free trial (14 days) |
 Mention | Real-time alerts across web and social | $599 per month | Free trial |
 Awario | Budget brand monitoring | $29 per month (billed annually) | Free trial (7 days) |
 Meltwater | PR plus social listening | See website | No |
 Talkwalker | Enterprise visual and multilingual listening | See website | No |
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#1Brandwatch
Best for: Enterprise consumer research4.4/5 on
G2 (730 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit brandwatch.com
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
Brandwatch is the research-grade option in this list, used by large brands for consumer intelligence rather than simple mention alerts. It covers social, news, blogs, forums and review sites with advanced AI sentiment, trend analysis and audience segmentation, and its historical data lets teams study how conversations changed over years rather than weeks.
Pricing is custom and enterprise-scale, with comparisons citing averages around $36,000 to $50,000 per year and entry figures near $800 per month, which is why this article marks it "See website". There is no self-serve trial, only a demo. Brandwatch fits global brands and research teams that need depth and history. Smaller companies get better value from Brand24 or Awario.
What we like- Deepest historical data and AI sentiment
- Broad source coverage
- Research-grade analytics
Watch out for- Custom pricing with enterprise-scale costs
- Demo only, no self-serve trial
#2Sprout Social
Best for: Management plus listening add-on4.4/5 on
G2 (6,880 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit sproutsocial.com
Starting price$199 per seat/month
Free planFree trial (30 days)
Sprout Social is first a social management suite, with scheduling, engagement and reporting, and listening arrives as an add-on for teams that need it. That combination suits social teams that already publish and reply in Sprout and want to hear the wider conversation without learning a second tool. Reports are polished and shareable, which helps when insights must reach leadership.
The cost structure needs care: seats start around $199 per seat per month in several 2026 comparisons, with older listings citing $79 per seat for base plans, and listening billed as an add-on above that. Confirm the current seat rate and the listening add-on price together before budgeting. Sprout fits social teams that live in one suite and can justify per-seat pricing.
What we like- Publishing, engagement and listening in one suite
- Strong reporting
- Good team workflows
Watch out for- Listening is an add-on on top of seat prices
- Per-seat costs add up fast
#3Hootsuite
Best for: Publishing with listening built in4.3/5 on
G2 (7,433 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit hootsuite.com
Starting price$99 per user/month
Free planFree trial (30 days)
Hootsuite became a serious listening option when it acquired Talkwalker in 2024, folding that listening engine into its management suite. Brand and competitor monitoring appears from the Professional plan, while the Enterprise tier adds advanced Talkwalker-powered listening across social, digital and AI sources. Teams that schedule, publish and reply in Hootsuite can add listening without a second login.
Standard pricing starts at $99 per user per month on annual billing, with Professional at $199 and Advanced at $399, and Enterprise custom. The deepest listening features sit in Enterprise, so mid-market buyers should check exactly what their tier includes. Hootsuite fits teams that want one suite for publishing and monitoring, and that accept per-user pricing.
What we like- Talkwalker-powered listening after the 2024 acquisition
- Publishing and monitoring in one place
- Broad plan range
Watch out for- Deepest listening sits in Enterprise
- Per-user pricing grows with team size
#4Brand24
Best for: Mid-market brand monitoring4.6/5 on
G2 (366 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit brand24.com
Starting price$199 per month
Free planFree trial (14 days)
Brand24 is the mid-market sweet spot for many brands: a dedicated listening tool with published pricing, AI-powered sentiment, reach scoring and, more recently, LLM visibility tracking. The 14-day free trial requires no card in some listings, which makes testing easy. Setup is straightforward: add brand terms, competitors and topics, and mentions arrive with sentiment and influence scoring.
Pricing needs a live check because guides conflict: Brand24's own listing shows plans from $199 monthly, while older comparisons cite $79 or $149 per month on annual billing. This article uses the vendor-listed $199 figure. Brand24 fits small and midsize brands that want dedicated listening with transparent pricing and a fast trial.
What we like- Clear published pricing
- AI sentiment and reach scoring
- LLM visibility tracking added
Watch out for- Older guides list lower rates, so confirm current pricing
- Mention limits vary by tier
#5Mention
Best for: Real-time alerts across web and social4.3/5 on
G2 (442 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit mention.com
Starting price$599 per month
Free planFree trial
Mention built its name on real-time alerts: when your brand is named anywhere across web, social and review sources, you hear about it quickly. Sentiment analysis covers 31 languages, which suits brands with international audiences, and setup is simple enough for a small team to run without training.
Current listings place entry pricing at $599 per month on annual billing, a sharp rise from older guides that cited $41 per month, so buyers should confirm the current rate and what it includes. Mention fits teams that value speed of alert above depth of analysis, and that can justify the higher entry price for real-time coverage.
What we like- Real-time alerts across web, social and reviews
- Sentiment in 31 languages
- Easy setup
Watch out for- Annual-only pricing at the entry tier in current listings
- Steep jump from older low rates
#6Awario
Best for: Budget brand monitoring3.9/5 on
G2 (48 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit awario.com
Starting price$29 per month (billed annually)
Free planFree trial (7 days)
Awario is the budget answer for brand monitoring, and it is honest about the trade. The Starter plan costs $29 per month on annual billing ($49 month to month) and includes 3 topics, 30,000 mentions, Boolean search and sentiment analysis, with higher tiers at $89 and $249. A lead generation angle, finding people asking for recommendations, adds value beyond plain monitoring.
The interface feels dated next to Brand24 or Sprout, and source coverage is narrower than Brandwatch or Talkwalker. For startups, small businesses and solo marketers, that trade is easy to accept at this price. Awario fits teams that need real monitoring on a tight budget and can live without enterprise polish.
What we like- Lowest entry price here
- Boolean search and sentiment on every tier
- Lead generation features
Watch out for- Interface feels dated
- Platform coverage narrower than enterprise rivals
#7Meltwater
Best for: PR plus social listening4.1/5 on
G2 (2,677 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit meltwater.com
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
Meltwater suits PR teams that need social listening plus news monitoring and journalist outreach in one platform. Social conversations sit alongside press coverage, so a communications team can track a story across both worlds and reach the journalists covering it. Global coverage and media databases are its edge over pure social tools.
Pricing is custom, with comparisons citing small business averages around $16,000 per year and enterprise averages far higher, so this article marks it "See website". There is no self-serve trial, only a demo. Meltwater fits PR-led organizations that already budget for media intelligence. Pure social teams get better value elsewhere.
What we like- Combines social listening with news and journalist outreach
- Strong PR workflows
- Global coverage
Watch out for- Custom quotes with enterprise-scale costs
- Demo only
#8Talkwalker
Best for: Enterprise visual and multilingual listening4.3/5 on
G2 (137 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit talkwalker.com
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
Talkwalker has long been the enterprise listening specialist, with image and logo recognition, audio analysis and coverage in 186 or more languages. That matters for global brands whose logos appear in photos and videos without any text mention, and for teams tracking conversations across many markets. Its analytics depth rivals Brandwatch.
Pricing is custom, with older guides citing around $9,600 per year, and Talkwalker now sits inside Hootsuite after the 2024 acquisition, so buyers should confirm whether to buy standalone or through Hootsuite Enterprise. Talkwalker fits global enterprises that need visual, audio and multilingual coverage at scale.
What we like- Visual and audio recognition
- 186-plus languages
- Deep enterprise analytics
Watch out for- Custom pricing
- Now part of Hootsuite, so standalone future needs checking
How we chose
We compared tools on source coverage, sentiment quality, pricing transparency, alert speed and the limits reviewers cite most often. Sources included vendor pricing pages and independent comparisons checked in 2026, including a listening platform comparison and a social monitoring guide. Where prices conflicted across sources, the article uses the most recent vendor-listed figure and notes the conflict. We did not claim hands-on testing, and sentiment scores should be treated as estimates rather than exact measurements.
What to check before you sign
Test with your own brand terms during the trial, including misspellings, product names and competitor names. A tool that misses half your mentions because of source gaps or weak matching is useless at any price. Check sentiment accuracy on a sample of mentions, since automated sentiment misreads sarcasm, slang and industry terms.
Next, decide whether you need a dedicated listener or a suite. If your team already publishes in Sprout or Hootsuite, the listening add-on may be enough. If listening is the main job, a dedicated tool like Brand24, Awario or Brandwatch gives deeper analysis for the money. Count seats honestly, since per-seat and per-user pricing punishes large teams.
Finally, assign an owner for acting on alerts. Listening data that nobody reads is wasted spend, so set up alert routing to the team that can respond, a weekly report for leadership, and a monthly review of which insights changed a decision. If nothing changes in a quarter, downgrade the plan.
Frequently asked questions
What is social media listening software?
It is software that tracks mentions of your brand, products, competitors and topics across social networks, news, blogs, forums and review sites, then analyzes sentiment, reach and trends. Unlike basic monitoring, listening aims to explain what people feel and why, not just count mentions.
How much does social listening software cost?
Entry prices run from $29 per month at Awario to around $199 per month at Brand24 and Sprout Social seats, with Brandwatch, Meltwater and Talkwalker on custom enterprise contracts. Listening add-ons inside suites cost extra on top of seat prices.
Is there a free social listening tool?
Google Alerts offers free basic web mention alerts, and Talkwalker offers free alert tools, but neither matches a dedicated platform for social coverage or sentiment. Most tools here offer free trials of 7 to 30 days instead of free plans.
What is the difference between monitoring and listening?
Monitoring counts and alerts on mentions as they happen. Listening analyzes those mentions for sentiment, themes, audience and trends, and turns them into decisions. Monitoring tells you something was said; listening tells you what it means.
How accurate is automated sentiment analysis?
Sentiment is an estimate, not a measurement. Automated tools misread sarcasm, slang, mixed reviews and industry jargon, and accuracy varies by language and source. Treat sentiment as a trend signal, and read a sample of mentions before acting on a swing.
Should a small business buy an enterprise listening tool?
Usually not. Enterprise tools charge for historical depth, global coverage and research features a small brand will not use. Start with Awario or Brand24, prove that listening changes decisions, and move up only when mention volume or market count forces it.
Sources we checked (4)
- https://listeningplatforms.com/
- https://www.xpoz.ai/blog/comparisons/social-listening-tools-pricing-compared-2026/
- https://www.visioneerit.com/blog/social-media-monitoring-tools
- https://brand24.com/blog/?p=144240
Is your product missing or out of date?
We review this list regularly. Vendors can request a listing, send updated pricing or ask about featured placement.
Shihab Mia · Founder, Rankite
Shihab has 5+ years in B2B and SaaS SEO. He writes Rankite's software buying guides from pricing pages, documentation and public user reviews. More about Shihab.