I Tested the 5 Best Free Social Media Monitoring Tools — Here’s How They Stack Up

In business, estimation is everything. It tin determine whether personification gives you their attraction or, moreover much significantly, their sale.

However, pinch more than 5 cardinal group worldwide utilizing societal media to nutrient a changeless travel of information, interaction, and opinions crossed dozens of platforms, reputations are harder than ever to maintain. That’s why free societal listening devices are truthful important.

In this article, we’ll talk done why societal media monitoring matters to marketers and trial retired 5 of nan astir celebrated societal media listening devices retired there.

Table of Contents

• Free Social Media Monitoring Tools
• What is societal media monitoring?
• Why usage a societal media monitoring tool?
• Pro Tip: Use Social Inbox Streams In HubSpot

What is societal media monitoring?

Social media monitoring, sometimes referred to arsenic social media “listening,” is nan believe of examining what societal media users opportunity astir a circumstantial topic.

For marketers, this taxable is usually a brand, competitor, product, service, aliases moreover campaign.

With truthful galore different platforms today, societal media monitoring tin return galore forms. It could mean search specific:

• Keywords (could beryllium your industry, merchandise type, nan problem you solve)
• Hashtags
• Users (think influencers, your loyal customers, aliases “power users”)
• Names (i.e., competitors, products, aliases moreover people), or
• Mentions/tags of a user

It tin besides return spot straight connected nan platforms themselves aliases successful third-party tools, which we’ll talk shortly. For instance, backmost successful my agency heyday, I utilized to person astir 25 streams I would track successful HubSpot pinch customer competitors and handles.

Depending connected your marque and goal, societal media listening tin besides connection each kinds of different insights to style your strategy.

It tin thief you navigate nationalist relations crises, create caller products, measure your customer satisfaction, and moreover observe caller markets aliases trading trends.

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For example, let’s opportunity you’re a package institution and spot group talk astir really bad your customer work is connected societal media.

That lets you cognize you request to make improvements, which could mean introducing a unrecorded chat connected your website aliases sharing much troubleshooting aliases acquisition contented connected your societal media contented calendar, among different things.

Or what if you’re a clothing marque that sees an influencer, and your assemblage loves talking astir their favourite trends? Knowing this whitethorn thief you place akin styles successful your catalog to item and beforehand aliases moreover animate a caller design.

The effect is beautiful wide, but it each starts from nan aforesaid spot — keeping tabs connected nan marketplace astir you pinch societal media listening. So, don’t slack connected making it a portion of your societal media strategy.

Dig deeper into societal media listening specifically and really it works.

Why usage a societal media monitoring tool?

As a business aliases brand, it's captious to cognize what’s happening astir you astatine each times. I mean, this is nan situation you’re conducting business in, and each of these factors tin impact your eventual performance.

That intends you request to support way of not conscionable what group (like your competitors, buyers, and nan press) are saying astir you but besides their wide feelings, interests, concerns, and activities.

Social media is 1 of nan astir effective ways to cod this worth insight, unfiltered and usually free, and past enactment accordingly. In different words, it helps you cognize what’s going connected and being said truthful you tin respond effectively.

With truthful galore societal media platforms today, monitoring and listening by manually checking a newsfeed aliases searching done posts is not scalable.

Thankfully, location are galore societal media monitoring and guidance devices disposable that tin curate conversations for you and make it easier to prosecute pinch aliases analyse what to do.

I tested retired 5 of nan astir celebrated for you.

Now, I person to beryllium wholly honest. I’ve been successful this abstraction for complete a decade, and a batch of my go-to free societal media listening devices are nary longer free aliases moreover successful existence. Bummer, I know.

I conjecture galore caught upwind of conscionable really important societal media listening is to businesses and figured they shouldn’t conscionable beryllium giving it away, while possibly others couldn’t support up pinch changing support and API updates.

Lots of newer societal media channels are besides overmuch harder to track. (Most devices tin only propulsion from those utilizing RSS feeds.) But, hey, each is not lost.

If you’re strapped for rate aliases simply trying to trim costs, location are still a fewer mini and mighty options you tin harvester to get started pinch societal media listening for free.

I tested a fewer of them retired for you, on pinch immoderate tried-and-true paid options that connection free trials. Here’s what I gathered.

1. BrandMentions

BrandMentions, arsenic nan sanction implies, is purely dedicated to societal listening. And, honestly, that’s astir apt why it’s truthful good.

While nan afloat instrumentality is subscription-based (with a 7-day trial), it does connection a big of free trackers you tin usage ad-hoc and get a ton of value:

• Social Mentions
• Hashtag Tracker
• Brand Tracker
• Social Media Tracker

I tried each one, and they are each highly easy and intuitive to use. Simply participate nan hashtag, keyword, marque name, aliases grip you want to track, and BrandMentions useful its magic.

Yes, nan information is constricted to nan past week, and insights for illustration “sentiment complete time” aliases “Top influencers” are only disposable pinch a paid plan, but nan accusation you get is still impressive.

Check retired what it gave maine utilizing HubSpot arsenic an example.

Social Mentions

Hashtag Tracker

Brand Tracker

Social Media Tracker

Believe it aliases not, each of these examples are conscionable what I could spot supra nan fold successful nan reports I ran. There was measurement excessively overmuch to show successful this article. As I scrolled, BrandMentions went into specifics like:

• Reach
• Social Media Interactions
• Mentions by Media Type
• Best Time to Post

It moreover pulls a provender of existing media astir nan fixed keyword.

Truthfully, nan results of each instrumentality are beautiful similar, truthful you tin really conscionable usage 1 for each your needs. Nevertheless, I was ace impressed and will beryllium coming backmost to this 1 successful nan future.

What I like: BrandMentions is solely focused connected societal media listening. Because of that, each of nan accusation shared is valuable and relevant. It’s besides an highly easy-to-use and navigate tool. Plus, nan interface is modern, bright, and engaging.

What tin beryllium improved: No complaints!

2. TailWind

Tailwind is simply a societal media guidance instrumentality designed specifically for Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook Pages. It allows users to schedule posts (Images, Videos, & Stories), nonstop emails, and get useful insights from each platform.

Need thief successful these areas? Give these resources a read:

• How to Use Instagram: A Beginner's Guide [Expert Insights + New Data]
• The Ultimate Guide to Pinterest Marketing

While it doesn’t way circumstantial hashtags aliases accounts, it does way nan capacity of nan posts you publish, their engagement, and nonstop mentions of your brand.

Upon testing, I saw it besides fto maine show my wide floor plan maturation for Instagram.

For Pinterest, I could spot specifications like:

• How often your contented is pinned
• Your reach
• Recommended keywords
• Brand mentions and comments
• Your astir pinned, astir clicked, aliases astir engaged content

All of these are reasonably basal insights, but if you’re highly progressive connected Instagram and Pinterest (like an ecommerce brand, for instance), it is convenient to person each of that accusation successful 1 place.

What I like: TailWind is convenient for businesses utilizing Pinterest and Instagram. Not only do you get insights connected nan platforms, but besides creation graphics and schedule posts for them.

What tin beryllium improved: I see myself beautiful tech-savvy, but I still recovered nan interface cluttered and confusing. For example, small heart told maine “create” was wherever I would spell to create a caller station for my societal accounts, but this was really TailWind’s creation tool.

Because of this, nan instrumentality decidedly comes pinch a learning curve.

Also, nan instrumentality doesn’t attraction connected societal media listening, which leaves a batch to beryllium desired — particularly compared to BrandMentions.

While it does connection basal accusation connected station performance, it does not let users to stitchery accusation connected competitors aliases way keywords and hashtags.

3. TalkWalker

Like BrandMentions, TalkWalker (by Hootsuite) is simply a typically paid level that offers 2 free societal media listening tools:

• Alerts
• Free Social Search

According to nan Social Intelligence Lab’s State of Social Listening, it’s besides nan 3rd astir wide utilized societal media listening instrumentality successful 2024.

Alerts

TalkWalker Alerts are akin to Google Alerts. However, dissimilar Google Alerts, which require a Gmail account, TalkWalker tin beryllium sent to immoderate email address. It tin besides nonstop alerts for mentions of your taxable aliases keyword connected X (still listed arsenic Twitter connected nan tool).

Google Alerts don’t way societal media.

In my test, I learned I could person alerts instantly aliases erstwhile a week/day and take to person each of nan results aliases what nan instrumentality curates arsenic nan “best” ones.

For brands that are progressive connected X, this is an highly useful instrumentality to person successful your arsenal. I mean, astir of america cheque our email aggregate times a day, right? With this, you tin cognize precisely what’s happening pinch your competitor, brand, partners, etc., without leaving your inbox.

What I like: You tin usage immoderate email address. This makes nan instrumentality much accessible than Google Alerts. It’s besides awesome that it includes X.

What tin beryllium improved: I cognize this whitethorn beryllium retired of their hands, but to beryllium genuinely valuable for societal media listening, nan instrumentality needs to see much than conscionable X.

But hey, what if you want to cognize what’s happening connected different platforms too X? That’s wherever TalkWalker’s Free Social Search comes in.

Free Social Search

Social Search claims to show “every speech astir your brand, hashtags, and title connected societal media” but doesn’t specify what platforms that includes.

Right disconnected nan bat, I was a small skeptical. The website's creation was minimal and a spot dated, but Hootsuite is simply a trusted sanction successful nan trading space, truthful I figured it had to beryllium good.

That said, they didn’t make getting started easy. First, I had to capable retired a shape connected nan website and hold for an email to get from nan tool. From there, I had to create an relationship connected nan Talkwalker web app, which showed maine nan hunt erstwhile I logged in.

As frustrating arsenic this was, erstwhile I yet sewage into nan search, I person to opportunity it was beautiful robust. Once again, I utilized HubSpot arsenic an example, and Talkwalker instantly showed maine immoderate basal marque estimation metrics, specified arsenic “net sentiment.”

But it didn’t extremity there. As I clicked around, I discovered it besides shared connection clouds pinch “top themes” including personification handles, hashtags, and moreover emojis.

I tin spot this characteristic being really adjuvant erstwhile searching for much wide topics for illustration “marketing software.”

When I popped that into a caller search, TalkWalker showed maine this unreality of users who mentioned nan taxable most. Then, I could click connected each grip to spot much specifications astir them and spot circumstantial posts.

Pro tip: Make judge to select by your target state and language. Otherwise, you’ll beryllium clouded pinch irrelevant results.

It besides had tabs pinch insights connected Influencers, assemblage demographics, location, and a provender of existent posts from societal media.

What I like: For a free tool, societal hunt offers a batch of absorbing and intricate specifications for marketers to understand their capacity and who’s talking astir their taxable of interest.

What could beryllium improved: Full disclosure — Many results look spammy. While nan filters for language, country, media type, device, and demographic are helpful, it would beryllium useful to beryllium capable to besides adhd criteria for follower count.

4. Sprout Social

Sprout Social is 1 of nan astir trusted societal media guidance devices connected nan marketplace and pinch bully reason. It’s easy to usage and navigate and highly robust.

Of people that intends it covers societal media listening, but you tin only bask it for free for 30 days. After that, it starts astatine $199 a month.

I gave nan proceedings a go, which I was pleasantly amazed you could do without inputting a in installments card, and I saw correct distant that it has a batch to connection marketers regarding societal media listening.

Three main areas stuck retired to me. The first was “smart inbox.” This shows you each nan engagement connected your brand’s circumstantial accounts, for illustration comments, nonstop messages, reposts, and moreover your published posts. From here, you can:

• Respond
• Share nan connection pinch your squad via email aliases a thread
• Tag it to make it easier to find later
• Export aliases prevention nan message

You tin besides select each activity by platform, connection type, tags, and moreover language.

The adjacent conception that caught my attraction was “listening.” (Surprise, surprise.)

This is wherever you tin find each nan juicy societal listening devices like:

• Brand health
• Industry insights
• Competitive analysis
• Campaign analysis
• Event monitoring and
• Keyword and taxable tracking

I person to opportunity erstwhile I clicked into a fewer of these options, I felt a small complete my head. For example, erstwhile I clicked “competitive analysis,” I was taken to an intricate “query builder” to show nan instrumentality what I wanted to see. And what I mean exactly what I wanted to see.

Don’t get maine incorrect — nan accusation it was asking for (e.g., source, alert type, etc.) wasn’t retired of nan ordinary, but I conscionable wasn’t expecting it. This instrumentality sewage much granular than immoderate different instrumentality I tested, and I wasn’t prepared astatine nan infinitesimal to dedicate truthful overmuch clip to mounting up a query.

I’m judge that attraction to item is rewarded successful nan results, but that’s surely thing to support successful mind.

The past conception applicable to societal media listening was “reports.” This conception offers immoderate communal reports connected post, profile, and tag capacity but besides lets you research contented and strategy much deeply.

The competitor options moreover fto you spot really you stack up to your rivals connected X, Facebook, and Instagram.

What I like: The instrumentality is well-organized, easy to navigate, and intuitive. I besides liked really elaborate you could get pinch your targeting and tracking. While time-consuming, this was much circumstantial than immoderate different instrumentality I tried, and I’m judge it shows successful nan results.

What could beryllium improved: With nan measurement of features successful Sprout Social — moreover conscionable for societal media listening – there’s a batch to study and maneuver.

I ideate learning to usage nan level successfully takes time, practice, and possibly guidance. Also, astatine its premium price, it demands a batch of resources from a business. If you’re only looking for societal media listening, there’s nary request to outpouring for specified a afloat suite.

5. BuzzSumo

While it is not free (it starts astatine $199 per month), I’d beryllium remiss if I talked astir societal listening and didn’t mention BuzzSumo.

BuzzSumo is simply a contented study instrumentality that has a batch to connection marketers, successful general. But wherever it shines for societal media listening is successful its expertise to way and show your competitors, marque mentions, trends, and manufacture updates crossed Facebook, X, Pinterest, and Reddit.

In my agency days, it was 1 of my favourite devices for evaluating “shareability,” but it’s been a while, truthful I gave their 7-day proceedings a go. (No in installments paper required.)

It’s monitoring conception is hugely valuable for societal media listening.

Here, you tin create an alert for things for illustration marque names, your competitors, and circumstantial keywords.

I really liked that I besides had nan expertise to create an removal keyword database and nonstop nan alerts to a Slack transmission arsenic good arsenic email. Once you create an alert, you’ll besides beryllium capable to way nan keyword successful nan web app for illustration I could pinch “marketing software.”

What I like: Like Sprout Social, it has overmuch to offer, but it’s a overmuch easier instrumentality to jump correct into.

What could beryllium improved: I’d emotion to spot societal media listening pulled retired much distinctly truthful you tin dive into each level much specifically and stitchery insights astir what’s going connected there. While location are societal listening tools, it’s clear that these devices are focused connected helping marketers hone their contented strategy.

Pro Tip: Use Social Inbox Streams In HubSpot

Now, if you’re a HubSpot Professional aliases Enterprise user, you’ve already sewage an awesome societal media listening instrumentality astatine your disposal. Lucky you.

All you request to do is navigate to Social, past deed nan “Monitor” tab.

Here, you tin easy create streams successful your HubSpot portal that tin way nan following:

• Mentions and reposts (on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and X)
• Specific keywords (on X)
• Competitors (across their societal media utilizing accusation gathered from their website)

You’ll besides person email alerts, truthful you ne'er miss a beat.

(Social) Listen and Learn

Social listening is nary easy feat these days. Between information privateness concerns and navigating transmission differences it takes time, effort, and consistency.

Frankly, you whitethorn request respective of nan societal media listening devices we shared to get a afloat image of what’s going connected pinch your brand, competitors, and marketplace overall. But remainder assured, it will beryllium good worthy it.

Whether you’re trying to gauge user sentiment astir your brand, navigate a nationalist relations snafu, aliases scheme your adjacent large merchandise launch, societal listening is surely 1 maneuver you’ll beryllium happy to see successful your strategy.

Editor's note: This station was primitively published successful December 2011 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.