Should you’ve ever woken as much as a trending hashtag about your model — and never in a great way — you understand how quick a small difficulty can change into a full-blown PR disaster. Fortuitously, I’ve not been there, finished that, or acquired the t-shirt, however I do know loads of individuals who’ve been left holding the bag.
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With greater than 5 billion folks worldwide utilizing social media — and sharing their two cents on all the things from cat movies to how superior a model is (or isn’t) — fame administration and social media listening is just going to get extra necessary.
With that in thoughts, I examined seven of the most well-liked free social media monitoring instruments so that you don’t need to. Right here’s what I realized.
Desk of Contents
What’s social media monitoring?
In a nutshell, social media monitoring, or social media “listening,” is about maintaining your ear to the bottom.
It’s the continued strategy of monitoring conversations, key phrases, and developments on social platforms so you recognize what’s being mentioned about your model (or anything that issues to your online business).
Once I’m working a model audit, I’m not simply taking a look at who tags the corporate on Instagram. I’m digging into the complete dialog. That may imply:
- Recognizing key phrases tied to your business or merchandise.
- Watching hashtags your viewers makes use of each day.
- Monitoring mentions of rivals or market leaders.
- Following influencers, loyal prospects, and people “superfans” who form opinions.
Sounds nice, proper?
It’s — besides these conversations occur in all places from TikTok and Instagram to LinkedIn, Reddit, and area of interest communities. Attempting to maintain up manually is almost inconceivable, and Google Alerts will solely get you to this point.
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Dig deeper into social media listening particularly and the way it works.
Why use a social media monitoring device?
As a enterprise, it’s essential to know what’s taking place round you always. Competitor launches, buyer complaints, viral developments — all of those components can influence your model’s efficiency. Social media monitoring provides you a option to see all of it in actual time, making it an necessary a part of your social media technique.
Finished nicely, it goes past knowledge factors to indicate you:
- The place you’re profitable so you may double down.
- The place prospects are annoyed so you may repair points earlier than they escalate.
- The place new alternatives are rising so you will get forward of rivals.
As a result of monitoring manually by checking newsfeeds or looking out hashtags simply isn’t scalable anymore, third-party instruments are your finest wager.
Should you’re already utilizing HubSpot for CRM or advertising automation, HubSpot’s Social Inbox enables you to arrange monitoring streams so you may see model mentions, competitor tags, and keyword-based conversations in a single dashboard.
HubSpot isn’t the one possibility (I examined seven others beneath), however the purpose is similar: curating the conversations that matter most so you may have interaction and reply successfully.
Free Social Media Monitoring Instruments
- BrandMentions
- TailWind
- TalkWalker
- Metricool
- BuzzSumo
- SmarterQuerue
- Mentionlytics
Social media monitoring instruments have modified lots since I first began utilizing them. Again then, there have been dozens of free choices I may rely on — however most of these have both shut down or locked one of the best options behind a paywall.
And from a enterprise perspective, I get it. Particularly as platforms tighten their APIs. However … it makes discovering actually free instruments that really work a lot more durable.
That mentioned, you continue to have choices.
Should you’re on a funds or simply testing the waters, there are nonetheless a handful of strong instruments (and beneficiant free trials) that may allow you to preserve tabs on the conversations taking place round your model.
I frolicked testing seven of the most well-liked choices. Some are lean and easy, others extra strong, however every one might help you begin constructing a clearer image of your social footprint. Right here’s my tackle them.
1. BrandMentions
Price: Handful of free instruments; Subscription begins at $79/month.
Free trial: Sure (7 days).
What it’s: BrandMentions is a type of instruments that’s been round lengthy sufficient to earn its spot on the checklist. It’s not flashy, however it does what it guarantees. That’s price lots. If you’re speaking about monitoring each nook of the Web for mentions of your model, substance wins over fashion each time.
Whereas the complete device is subscription-based (with a 7-day trial), it does supply a bunch of free trackers you need to use advert hoc and get a ton of worth:
Social Mentions
Hashtag Tracker
Model Tracker
Social Media Tracker
I pulled all of these reviews in below a minute — and it’s simply the tip of the iceberg. A lot extra knowledge is obtainable. Every device delivers comparable outcomes, so you may actually simply use one for all of your wants. Nonetheless, I used to be tremendous impressed and can be coming again to this one sooner or later.
My take: BrandMentions is a strong “set it and overlook it” possibility. It’s not going to present you each single point out in actual time (only a few instruments do), however it’s dependable and presents a broad view of your on-line presence with out overwhelming you with knowledge.
2. TailWind
Price: Free plan with restricted options; paid plans begin at $14.99/month.
Free trial: Sure.
What it’s: Tailwind began as a Pinterest scheduling device, however it’s developed right into a extra full platform with monitoring options inbuilt. You should use it to schedule posts for Pinterest, Instagram, and Fb, however the true gem is the analytics and monitoring it presents on the free plan.
Tailwind’s insights allow you to see which posts are performing finest, which hashtags are driving probably the most visitors, and what occasions your viewers is most engaged.
Want assist in these areas? Give these assets a learn:
My take: Should you’re energetic on Pinterest or Instagram, Tailwind is price testing. It’s not as strong for monitoring conversations outdoors your personal channels, however it’s nice for maximizing efficiency the place you’re already posting. And since the free plan is beneficiant, it’s a low-risk option to get began.
All of those are pretty fundamental insights, however if you happen to’re extremely energetic on Instagram and Pinterest (like an ecommerce model, as an illustration), it’s handy to have all of that info in a single place. The draw back — particularly for the needs of this text — is that it’s not a real social listening device.
3. TalkWalker by Hootsuite
Price: Paid plans begin at $99/month.
Free trial: Sure (30 days).
What it’s: Acquired by Hootsuite in 2024, TalkWalker is a paid platform. At $99/month it could be steep for somebody on the lookout for free social media auditing instruments. Whereas they used to supply standalone free instruments like Talkwalker Alerts and Free Social Search, in my current testing, it seems these are not accessible — all the things has moved behind a subscription.
That mentioned, there’s a motive folks pay for Talkwalker’s social media listening. It’s good, actually good — that includes:
- Alerts that allow you to observe model mentions throughout dozens of social networks.
- Trending subjects monitor so you may keep on high of what’s fashionable.
- Proprietary AI that helps you get knowledge insights and forecast developments.
My take: Talkwalker is a powerhouse. It delivers enterprise-grade protection and AI-powered insights you received’t discover in most different instruments. Nevertheless it’s not free, and the associated fee received’t make sense for lots of small or mid-sized companies. Should you’re a solo marketer or working with a lean staff, you’ll in all probability wish to begin with one of many different instruments on this checklist.
4. Metricool
Price: Free plan accessible; paid plans begin at $18/month.
Free trial: Not relevant; free model is strong.
What it’s: Not gonna lie — Metricool is my favourite of the bunch. And it’s the one I take advantage of for my enterprise and for a number of purchasers. They name themselves a “digital Swiss Military Knife,” and I’ve to say — it’s fairly darn correct.
At first, it could really feel a bit like a scheduling and analytics device, however it does a heckuva lot extra — together with social listening. With a unified inbox and fundamental key phrase monitoring, you may:
- Keep on high of name mentions.
- Handle feedback, messages, and tags.
- Establish trending phrases.
- Observe rivals.
- Achieve fundamental listening insights.
My take: Should you haven’t guessed by now, I like to recommend this one. If you need enterprise-grade listening instruments, this in all probability isn’t it — however you’re additionally in all probability not on the lookout for free or low-cost instruments. I like that it provides you a single place for #allthethings and allows you to monitor the almost certainly social platforms. The free model may be sufficient in your wants — however even when it’s essential to go paid, it’s approachable — particularly in contrast with different platforms.
5. BuzzSumo
Price: No free model; plans vary from $199–$999/month.
Free trial: Sure (7 days).
What it’s: Right here’s the deal, on the value level, I nearly dropped BuzzSumo from the rankings. It will get expensive for the little man. Candidly, it’s a rock star of a platform for content material entrepreneurs and comms professionals who need deep insights into what content material is working — and who’s speaking about it.
Right here’s what it brings to the desk:
- Model Monitoring & Alerts. Arrange key phrase, competitor, or product alerts to catch conversations throughout social media, information, blogs, and even backlinks.
- Pattern & Content material Discovery. Establish high-performing articles, trending subjects, high key phrases, and creatives shaping your business.
- Influencer & Journalist Finder. Discover out who’s overlaying your matter and observe who’s sharing your stuff
- Competitor Evaluation and Reporting. Evaluate share of voice, high performing content material, and backlinks in a shareable dashboard.
My take: BuzzSumo is a powerhouse — however not at no cost. Should you’re critical about content material, influencer outreach, or trend-based content material technique, take it for a spin with the 7-day trial. What it lacks in pricing flexibility, it makes up for in depth. That mentioned, in case your wants are extra fundamental or budget-minded, there are lighter instruments on this checklist that do model mentions and pattern alerts simply tremendous.
6. SmarterQueue
Price: Paid plans begin at $24.99/month.
Free trial: Sure (14-day trial begins while you arrange your Posting Plan and schedule your first submit).
What it’s: I’ve used SmarterQueue up to now (really earlier than I moved to Metricool), and I beloved how straightforward it’s to arrange and use — and that content material can publish and re-publish. It does all the things most small companies want together with:
- Viewing engagement on particular person posts and seeing top-performing posts.
- Monitoring Evergreen submit efficiency over time.
- Analyzing your social historical past.
- Monitoring social mentions and tags.
Whereas competitor monitoring is just accessible on higher-tier plans, the excellent news is that these begin as little as $84.99/month — which is considerably decrease than a few of the different gadgets.
My take: Should you’re managing one or a couple of manufacturers and need a light-weight however succesful device, SmarterQueue is a … good choose (see what I did there?). It’s intuitive, inexpensive, and cuts out the complexity. It won’t change an enterprise listening platform, however for maintaining tabs on conversations and rising developments, it may be precisely what you want.
Plus, the trial provides you loads of time to take a peek below the hood earlier than you even schedule a submit — and solely then does your 14-day countdown start.
7. Mentionlytics
Price: Plans begin at $41/month, with tiers as much as $499–$999/month.
Free trial: Sure (14-day trial with full entry, no bank card required).
What it’s: Consider Mentionlytics as a full-feature social listening engine wrapped in a clear, no-nonsense interface. It screens conversations throughout Twitter/X, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, Fb, Reddit, blogs, information websites, and consists of net pages and overview platforms — so that you’re not simply seeing public social chatter, however the broader context too.
For the associated fee, it’d simply be among the finest true social listening instruments on the market.
The Fundamental plan provides you:
- 3 key phrase guidelines.
- 5K month-to-month mentions.
- 12 hours replace.
- 10 social profiles.
- 2 customers.
And like most platforms nowadays, AI is making Mentionlytics even higher:
I like that it tracks sentiment evaluation and AI point out clustering — as a result of with good searches, that’s getting much more necessary.
My take: Mentionlytics slots properly into this checklist as a critical listening device — particularly if you happen to’re previous the starter section. The free trial provides you actual entry to take it for a spin with out paying upfront.
It’s not free long run, however it provides you a lot for a comparatively low price, and may develop with you, providing actionable insights — with out instantly forcing you right into a $10K annual spend.
Utilizing Social Inbox Streams in HubSpot
Should you’re a HubSpot Skilled or Enterprise person, you’ve already acquired a strong social listening device at your fingertips. Fortunate you.
Simply head to Social > Monitor and you can begin monitoring:
- Mentions and reposts (on Fb, Instagram, LinkedIn, and X).
- Particular key phrases (on X).
- Opponents (throughout their social media utilizing info gathered from their web site).
You’ll be able to even arrange electronic mail alerts so that you by no means miss a key dialog.
[Social] Pay attention and Be taught
Social listening isn’t as simple because it was, as evidenced by a shrinking variety of free instruments. Between tighter privateness guidelines and the best way every platform performs by its personal set of data-sharing guidelines, it takes time, effort, and consistency to do it nicely.
Like most advertising methods, you can get by with free instruments for some time — particularly if you happen to’re simply monitoring one model and a handful of key phrases. However in some unspecified time in the future, the patchwork method can begin to price you extra time than it saves. If you’re juggling a number of manufacturers, needing deeper analytics, or making an attempt to trace rivals with any actual depth, it’s price taking a look at a paid device to:
- Get a real learn on how folks really feel about your model.
- Catch a brewing PR difficulty earlier than it turns right into a disaster.
- Spot alternatives you may leap on in your subsequent launch or marketing campaign.
Should you’re on the lookout for a place to begin, you discovered it! Take a look at these instruments, take them for a (free) trial spin, and select the one or two that take advantage of sense for you.
Editor’s notice: This submit was initially revealed in December 2011 and has been up to date for comprehensiveness.
