In case 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 problem can develop into a full-blown PR disaster. Thankfully, 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.
With greater than 5 billion folks worldwide utilizing social media — and sharing their two cents on the whole lot from cat movies to how superior a model is (or isn’t) — status administration and social media listening is simply going to get extra essential.
With that in thoughts, I examined seven of the most well-liked free social media monitoring instruments so that you don’t should. Right here’s what I discovered.
Desk of Contents
What’s social media monitoring?
In a nutshell, social media monitoring, or social media “listening,” is about conserving your ear to the bottom.
It’s the continuing technique of monitoring conversations, key phrases, and traits on social platforms so you realize what’s being stated about your model (or the rest that issues to your enterprise).
Once I’m operating a model audit, I’m not simply who tags the corporate on Instagram. I’m digging into the complete dialog. Which may imply:
Recognizing key phrases tied to your business or merchandise.
Watching hashtags your viewers makes use of day by day.
Monitoring mentions of opponents or market leaders.
Following influencers, loyal clients, and people “superfans” who form opinions.
Sounds nice, proper?
It’s — besides these conversations occur in every single place from TikTok and Instagram to LinkedIn, Reddit, and area of interest communities. Making an attempt to maintain up manually is almost inconceivable, and Google Alerts will solely get you thus far.
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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 occurring round you always. Competitor launches, buyer complaints, viral traits — all of those elements can impression your model’s efficiency. Social media monitoring provides you a option to see all of it in actual time, making it an essential a part of your social media technique.
Executed nicely, it goes past knowledge factors to point out you:
The place you’re successful so you’ll be able to double down.
The place clients are pissed off so you’ll be able to repair points earlier than they escalate.
The place new alternatives are rising so you will get forward of opponents.
As a result of monitoring manually by checking newsfeeds or looking hashtags simply isn’t scalable anymore, third-party instruments are your finest wager.
In case you’re already utilizing HubSpot for CRM or advertising automation, HubSpot’s Social Inbox allows you to arrange monitoring streams so you’ll be able to see model mentions, competitor tags, and keyword-based conversations in a single dashboard.
HubSpot isn’t the one choice (I examined seven others beneath), however the objective is similar: curating the conversations that matter most so you’ll be able to interact and reply successfully.
Free Social Media Monitoring Instruments
BrandMentions
TailWind
TalkWalker
Metricool
BuzzSumo
SmarterQuerue
Mentionlytics
Social media monitoring instruments have modified loads 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 the most effective options behind a paywall.
And from a enterprise perspective, I get it. Particularly as platforms tighten their APIs. However … it makes discovering really free instruments that really work a lot more durable.
That stated, you continue to have choices.
In case you’re on a price range or simply testing the waters, there are nonetheless a handful of strong instruments (and beneficiant free trials) that may show you how to hold tabs on the conversations occurring round your model.
I hung out testing seven of the most well-liked choices. Some are lean and easy, others extra strong, however each can assist 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 kind of instruments that’s been round lengthy sufficient to earn its spot on the listing. It’s not flashy, however it does what it guarantees. That’s value loads. Whenever 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 number of free trackers you should use advert hoc and get a ton of worth:
Social Mentions
Hashtag Tracker
Model Tracker
Social Media Tracker
I pulled all of these stories in beneath a minute — and it’s simply the tip of the iceberg. A lot extra knowledge is offered. Every device delivers comparable outcomes, so you’ll be able to actually simply use one for all of your wants. Nonetheless, I used to be tremendous impressed and shall be coming again to this one sooner or later.
My take: BrandMentions is a strong “set it and overlook it” choice. It’s not going to offer you each single point out in actual time (only a few instruments do), however it’s dependable and affords 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 advanced right into a extra full platform with monitoring options inbuilt. You need to use it to schedule posts for Pinterest, Instagram, and Fb, however the true gem is the analytics and monitoring it affords on the free plan.
Tailwind’s insights show you how to see which posts are performing finest, which hashtags are driving essentially the most visitors, and what instances your viewers is most engaged.
Want assist in these areas? Give these assets a learn:
My take: In case you’re lively on Pinterest or Instagram, Tailwind is value testing. It’s not as strong for monitoring conversations outdoors your individual 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 primary insights, however in case you’re extremely lively on Instagram and Pinterest (like an ecommerce model, as an example), 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 in search of free social media auditing instruments. Whereas they used to supply standalone free instruments like Talkwalker Alerts and Free Social Search, in my latest testing, it seems these are not accessible — the whole lot has moved behind a subscription.
That stated, there’s a motive folks pay for Talkwalker’s social media listening. It’s good, actually good — that includes:
Alerts that allow you to monitor model mentions throughout dozens of social networks.
Trending matters monitor so you’ll be able to keep on high of what’s widespread.
Proprietary AI that helps you get knowledge insights and forecast traits.
My take: Talkwalker is a powerhouse. It delivers enterprise-grade protection and AI-powered insights you gained’t discover in most different instruments. But it surely’s not free, and the fee gained’t make sense for lots of small or mid-sized companies. In case you’re a solo marketer or working with a lean group, you’ll in all probability wish to begin with one of many different instruments on this listing.
4. Metricool
Price: Free plan accessible; paid plans begin at $18/month.
Free trial: Not relevant; free model is powerful.
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 primary key phrase monitoring, you’ll be able to:
Keep on high of name mentions.
Handle feedback, messages, and tags.
Establish trending phrases.
Monitor opponents.
Acquire primary listening insights.
My take: In case you haven’t guessed by now, I like to recommend this one. If you would like enterprise-grade listening instruments, this in all probability isn’t it — however you’re additionally in all probability not in search of free or low-cost instruments. I like that it provides you a single place for #allthethings and allows you to monitor the almost definitely social platforms. The free model is likely to be sufficient on your wants — however even when you could 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 dear 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.
Development & Content material Discovery. Establish high-performing articles, trending matters, high key phrases, and creatives shaping your business.
Influencer & Journalist Finder. Discover out who’s overlaying your matter and monitor 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 without spending a dime. In case you’re severe 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 stated, in case your wants are extra primary or budget-minded, there are lighter instruments on this listing that do model mentions and development alerts simply high-quality.
6. SmarterQueue
Price: Paid plans begin at $24.99/month.
Free trial: Sure (14-day trial begins if you arrange your Posting Plan and schedule your first submit).
What it’s: I’ve used SmarterQueue prior to now (truly 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 the whole lot 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 simply 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 objects.
My take: In case you’re managing one or just a few manufacturers and desire a light-weight however succesful device, SmarterQueue is a … sensible decide (see what I did there?). It’s intuitive, reasonably priced, and cuts out the complexity. It won’t substitute an enterprise listening platform, however for conserving tabs on conversations and rising traits, it is likely to be precisely what you want.
Plus, the trial provides you loads of time to take a peek beneath 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 contains internet pages and assessment platforms — so that you’re not simply seeing public social chatter, however the broader context too.
For the fee, it would 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 lately, AI is making Mentionlytics even higher:
I like that it tracks sentiment evaluation and AI point out clustering — as a result of with sensible searches, that’s getting much more essential.
My take: Mentionlytics slots properly into this listing as a severe listening device — particularly in case you’re previous the starter part. 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 value, and might develop with you, providing actionable insights — with out instantly forcing you right into a $10K annual spend.
Utilizing Social Inbox Streams in HubSpot
In case you’re a HubSpot Skilled or Enterprise person, you’ve already acquired a robust 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).
Rivals (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] Hear and Study
Social listening isn’t as simple because it was once, 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 will get by with free instruments for some time — particularly in case you’re simply monitoring one model and a handful of key phrases. However sooner or later, the patchwork method can begin to value you extra time than it saves. Whenever you’re juggling a number of manufacturers, needing deeper analytics, or attempting to trace opponents with any actual depth, it’s value a paid device to:
Get a real learn on how folks really feel about your model.
Catch a brewing PR problem earlier than it turns right into a disaster.
Spot alternatives you’ll be able to soar on on your subsequent launch or marketing campaign.
In case you’re in search of 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 printed in December 2011 and has been up to date for comprehensiveness.
