When 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 turn into a full-blown PR disaster. Fortuitously, I’ve not been there, achieved that, or obtained the t-shirt, however I do know loads of individuals who’ve been left holding the bag.
With greater than 5 billion people worldwide utilizing social media — and sharing their two cents on every thing from cat movies to how superior a model is (or isn’t) — fame administration and social media listening is simply 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 must. 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 keeping your ear to the ground.
It’s the ongoing process of tracking conversations, keywords, and trends on social platforms so you know what’s being said about your brand (or anything else that matters to your business).
When I’m running a brand audit, I’m not just looking at who tags the company on Instagram. I’m digging into the full conversation. That might mean:
- Spotting keywords tied to your industry or products.
- Watching hashtags your audience uses daily.
- Tracking mentions of competitors or market leaders.
- Following influencers, loyal customers, and those “superfans” who shape opinions.
Sounds great, right?
It is — except these conversations happen everywhere from TikTok and Instagram to LinkedIn, Reddit, and niche communities. Trying to keep up manually is nearly impossible, and Google Alerts will only get you so 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 important to know what’s taking place round you always. Competitor launches, buyer complaints, viral traits — all of those components can influence your model’s efficiency. Social media monitoring provides you a strategy to see all of it in actual time, making it an necessary a part of your social media strategy.
Accomplished properly, it goes past information factors to indicate you:
- The place you’re profitable so you’ll be able to double down.
- The place clients are annoyed so you’ll be able to repair points earlier than they escalate.
- The place new alternatives are rising so you may get forward of rivals.
As a result of monitoring manually by checking newsfeeds or looking hashtags simply isn’t scalable anymore, third-party instruments are your greatest guess.
When 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 purpose is identical: curating the conversations that matter most so you’ll be able to have interaction 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 might depend on — however most of these have both shut down or locked the perfect 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 truly work a lot tougher.
That stated, you continue to have choices.
When you’re on a finances or simply testing the waters, there are nonetheless a handful of strong instruments (and beneficiant free trials) that may allow you to maintain 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 sturdy, however every one may also 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 kind 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 loads. While you’re speaking about monitoring each nook of the Web for mentions of your model, substance wins over type each time.
Whereas the complete device is subscription-based (with a 7-day trial), it does supply a number of free trackers you should utilize advert hoc and get a ton of worth:
Social Mentions
Hashtag Tracker
Model Tracker
Social Media Tracker
I pulled all of these stories in below a minute — and it’s simply the tip of the iceberg. A lot extra information is obtainable. Every device delivers comparable outcomes, so you’ll be able to actually simply use one for all of your wants. However, I used to be tremendous impressed and will probably 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 provide you each single point out in actual time (only a few instruments do), however it’s dependable and provides a broad view of your on-line presence with out overwhelming you with information.
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 in-built. You should utilize it to schedule posts for Pinterest, Instagram, and Fb, however the actual gem is the analytics and monitoring it provides on the free plan.
Tailwind’s insights allow you to see which posts are performing greatest, which hashtags are driving essentially the most site visitors, and what instances your viewers is most engaged.
Want assist in these areas? Give these sources a learn:
My take: When you’re lively on Pinterest or Instagram, Tailwind is price testing. It’s not as sturdy 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 strategy to get began.
All of those are pretty fundamental insights, however in the event you’re extremely lively on Instagram and Pinterest (like an ecommerce model, as an example), it’s handy to have all of that data 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 out there — every thing has moved behind a subscription.
That stated, there’s a purpose individuals 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’ll be able to keep on high of what’s standard.
- Proprietary AI that helps you get information insights and forecast traits.
My take: Talkwalker is a powerhouse. It delivers enterprise-grade protection and AI-powered insights you received’t discover in most different instruments. However it’s not free, and the associated fee received’t make sense for lots of small or mid-sized companies. When 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 checklist.
4. Metricool
Price: Free plan out there; 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 exploit for my enterprise and for a number of shoppers. 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’ll be able to:
- Keep on high of name mentions.
- Handle feedback, messages, and tags.
- Determine trending phrases.
- Monitor rivals.
- Acquire fundamental listening insights.
My take: When you haven’t guessed by now, I like to recommend this one. If you’d 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 really like that it provides you a single place for #allthethings and allows you to monitor the probably social platforms. The free model could be sufficient in your wants — however even when you want 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 worth 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 execs 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. Determine high-performing articles, trending subjects, high key phrases, and creatives shaping your trade.
- Influencer & Journalist Finder. Discover out who’s masking 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. When 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 fundamental or budget-minded, there are lighter instruments on this checklist that do model mentions and development alerts simply nice.
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 previously (truly earlier than I moved to Metricool), and I cherished how straightforward it’s to arrange and use — and that content material can publish and re-publish. It does every thing 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 out there 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: When 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, reasonably priced, and cuts out the complexity. It won’t change an enterprise listening platform, however for maintaining tabs on conversations and rising traits, it could 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 displays 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 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 really 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 severe listening device — particularly in the event 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 price, 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
When you’re a HubSpot Skilled or Enterprise consumer, you’ve already obtained 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).
- Opponents (throughout their social media utilizing data gathered from their web site).
You possibly can even arrange e-mail alerts so that you by no means miss a key dialog.
[Social] Hear and Be taught
Social listening isn’t as easy because it was once, as evidenced by a shrinking variety of free instruments. Between tighter privateness guidelines and the way in which every platform performs by its personal set of data-sharing guidelines, it takes time, effort, and consistency to do it properly.
Like most advertising methods, you can get by with free instruments for some time — particularly in the event you’re simply monitoring one model and a handful of key phrases. However in some unspecified time in the future, the patchwork strategy can begin to price you extra time than it saves. While you’re juggling a number of manufacturers, needing deeper analytics, or attempting to trace rivals with any actual depth, it’s price taking a look at a paid device to:
- Get a real learn on how individuals really feel about your model.
- Catch a brewing PR difficulty earlier than it turns right into a disaster.
- Spot alternatives you’ll be able to leap on in your subsequent launch or marketing campaign.
When you’re in search of a place to begin, you discovered it! Try 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.
