{"id":3469,"date":"2025-09-15T19:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-09-15T19:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.zoomlavilin.com\/?p=3469"},"modified":"2025-09-25T13:14:23","modified_gmt":"2025-09-25T13:14:23","slug":"i-tested-the-7-best-free-social-media-monitoring-tools-heres-how-they-stack-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.zoomlavilin.com\/index.php\/2025\/09\/15\/i-tested-the-7-best-free-social-media-monitoring-tools-heres-how-they-stack-up\/","title":{"rendered":"I tested the 7 best free social media monitoring tools \u2014 here\u2019s how they stack up"},"content":{"rendered":"
If you\u2019ve ever woken up to a trending hashtag about your brand \u2014 and not in a good way \u2014 you know how fast a small issue can become a full-blown PR crisis. Fortunately, I have not been there, done that, or got the t-shirt, but I know plenty of people who\u2019ve been left holding the bag.<\/p>\n
With more than 5 billion people worldwide<\/a> using social media \u2014 and sharing their two cents on everything from cat videos to how awesome a brand is (or isn\u2019t) \u2014 reputation management and social media listening is only going to get more important.<\/p>\n With that in mind, I tested seven of the most popular free social media monitoring tools so you don\u2019t have to. Here\u2019s what I learned.<\/p>\n Table of Contents<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/a> <\/p>\n In a nutshell, social media monitoring, or social media \u201clistening,\u201d<\/a> is about keeping your ear to the ground.<\/p>\n It\u2019s the ongoing process of tracking conversations, keywords, and trends on social platforms so you know what\u2019s being said about your brand (or anything else that matters to your business).<\/p>\n When I\u2019m running a brand audit, I\u2019m not just looking at who tags the company on Instagram. I\u2019m digging into the full conversation. That might mean:<\/p>\n Sounds great, right?<\/p>\n It is \u2014 except these conversations happen everywhere from TikTok and Instagram to LinkedIn, Reddit<\/a>, and niche communities. Trying to keep up manually is nearly impossible, and Google Alerts will only get you so far.<\/p>\n What trends are we seeing when it comes to social media in general? <\/em><\/strong>Our 2025 Social Trends Report shares exclusive findings on how people engage across social personally and professionally. <\/em>Get it free now.<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n Dig deeper into social media listening specifically and how it works<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/a> <\/p>\n As a business, it\u2019s critical to know what\u2019s happening around you at all times. Competitor launches, customer complaints, viral trends \u2014 all of these factors can impact your brand\u2019s performance. Social media monitoring gives you a way to see it all in real time, making it an important part of your social media strategy<\/a>.<\/p>\n Done well, it goes beyond data points to show you:<\/p>\n Because monitoring manually by checking newsfeeds or searching hashtags just isn\u2019t scalable anymore, third-party tools are your best bet.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re already using HubSpot for CRM or marketing automation, HubSpot\u2019s Social Inbox<\/a> lets you set up monitoring streams so you can see brand mentions, competitor tags, and keyword-based conversations in one dashboard.<\/p>\n HubSpot isn\u2019t the only option (I tested seven others below), but the goal is the same: curating the conversations that matter most so you can engage and respond effectively.<\/p>\n <\/a> <\/p>\n \n Social media monitoring tools have changed a lot since I first started using them. Back then, there were dozens of free options I could count on \u2014 but most of those have either shut down or locked the best features behind a paywall.<\/p>\n And from a business perspective, I get it. Especially as platforms tighten their APIs. But \u2026 it makes finding truly free tools that actually work<\/em> much harder.<\/p>\n That said, you still have options.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re on a budget or just testing the waters, there are still a handful of solid tools (and generous free trials) that can help you keep tabs on the conversations happening around your brand.<\/p>\n I spent time testing seven of the most popular options. Some are lean and simple, others more robust, but each one can help you start building a clearer picture of your social footprint. Here\u2019s my take on them.<\/p>\n Cost:<\/strong> Handful of free tools; Subscription starts at $79\/month.<\/p>\n Free trial:<\/strong> Yes (7 days).<\/p>\n What it is: <\/strong>BrandMentions is one of those tools that\u2019s been around long enough to earn its spot on the list. It\u2019s not flashy, but it does what it promises. That\u2019s worth a lot. When you\u2019re talking about tracking every corner of the Internet for mentions of your brand, substance wins over style every time.<\/p>\n While the full tool is subscription-based (with a 7-day trial), it does offer a host of free trackers you can use ad hoc and get a ton of value:<\/p>\n I pulled all of those reports in under a minute \u2014 and it\u2019s just the tip of the iceberg. So much more data is available. Each tool delivers similar results, so you can really just use one for all your needs. Nevertheless, I was super impressed and will be coming back to this one in the future.<\/p>\n My take:<\/strong> BrandMentions is a solid \u201cset it and forget it\u201d option. It\u2019s not going to give you every single mention in real time (very few tools do), but it\u2019s reliable and offers a broad view of your online presence without overwhelming you with data.<\/p>\n Cost:<\/strong> Free plan with limited features; paid plans start at $14.99\/month.<\/strong><\/p>\n Free trial:<\/strong> Yes.<\/p>\n What it is: <\/strong>Tailwind started as a Pinterest scheduling tool, but it\u2019s evolved into a more complete platform with monitoring features built in. You can use it to schedule posts for Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook, but the real gem is the analytics and monitoring it offers on the free plan.<\/p>\n Tailwind\u2019s insights help you see which posts are performing best, which hashtags are driving the most traffic, and what times your audience is most engaged.<\/p>\n Need help in these areas? Give these resources a read:<\/strong><\/p>\n My take: <\/strong>If you\u2019re active on Pinterest or Instagram, Tailwind is worth testing. It\u2019s not as robust for monitoring conversations outside your own channels, but it\u2019s great for maximizing performance where you\u2019re already posting. And because the free plan is generous, it\u2019s a low-risk way to get started.<\/p>\n All of these are fairly basic insights, but if you\u2019re highly active on Instagram and Pinterest (like an ecommerce brand<\/a>, for instance), it is convenient to have all of that information in one place. The downside \u2014 especially for the purposes of this article \u2014 is that it\u2019s not a true social listening tool.<\/p>\n Cost:<\/strong> Paid plans start at $99\/month.<\/p>\n Free trial:<\/strong> Yes (30 days).<\/p>\n What it is:<\/strong> Acquired by Hootsuite in 2024, TalkWalker is a paid platform. At $99\/month it may be steep for someone looking for free social media auditing tools. While they used to offer standalone free tools like Talkwalker Alerts and Free Social Search, in my recent testing, it appears those are no longer available \u2014 everything has moved behind a subscription.<\/p>\n That said, there\u2019s a reason people pay for Talkwalker\u2019s social media listening. It\u2019s good, really good \u2014 featuring:<\/p>\n My take: <\/strong>Talkwalker is a powerhouse. It delivers enterprise-grade coverage and AI-powered insights you won\u2019t find in most other tools. But it\u2019s no longer free, and the cost won\u2019t make sense for a lot of small or mid-sized businesses. If you\u2019re a solo marketer or working with a lean team, you\u2019ll probably want to start with one of the other tools on this list.<\/p>\n Cost: <\/strong>Free plan available; paid plans start at $18\/month.<\/p>\n Free trial: <\/strong>Not applicable; free version is robust.<\/p>\n What it is:<\/strong> Not gonna lie \u2014 Metricool is my favorite of the bunch. And it\u2019s the one I use for my business and for several clients. They call themselves a \u201cdigital Swiss Army Knife,\u201d and I have to say \u2014 it\u2019s pretty darn accurate.<\/p>\n At first, it may feel a bit like a scheduling and analytics tool, but it does a heckuva lot more \u2014 including social listening. With a unified inbox and basic keyword tracking, you can:<\/p>\n My take: <\/strong>If you haven\u2019t guessed by now, I recommend this one. If you want enterprise-grade listening tools, this probably isn\u2019t it \u2014 but you\u2019re also probably not looking for free or low-cost tools. I love that it gives you a single place for #allthethings and lets you monitor the most likely social platforms. The free version might be enough for your needs \u2014 but even if you need to go paid, it\u2019s approachable \u2014 especially compared with other platforms.<\/p>\n Cost:<\/strong> No free version; plans range from $199\u2013$999\/month.<\/span><\/p>\n Free trial:<\/strong> Yes (7 days).<\/p>\n What it is: <\/strong>Here\u2019s the deal, at the price point, I almost dropped BuzzSumo from the rankings. It gets pricey for the little guy. Candidly, it\u2019s a rock star of a platform for content marketers and comms pros who want deep insights into what content is working \u2014 and who\u2019s talking about it.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s what it brings to the table:<\/p>\n My take: <\/strong>BuzzSumo is a powerhouse \u2014 but not for free. If you\u2019re serious about content, influencer outreach, or trend-based content strategy, take it for a spin with the 7-day trial. What it lacks in pricing flexibility, it makes up for in depth. That said, if your needs are more basic or budget-minded, there are lighter tools in this list that do brand mentions and trend alerts just fine.<\/p>\n Cost:<\/strong> Paid plans start at $24.99\/month<\/a>.<\/p>\n Free trial:<\/strong> Yes (14-day trial starts when you set up your Posting Plan and schedule your first post).<\/p>\n What it is: <\/strong>I\u2019ve used SmarterQueue in the past (actually before I moved to Metricool), and I loved how easy it is to set up and use \u2014 and that content can publish and re-publish. It does everything most small businesses need including:<\/p>\n While competitor monitoring is only available on higher-tier plans, the good news is that those start as low as $84.99\/month \u2014 which is significantly lower than some of the other items.<\/p>\n My take:<\/strong> If you\u2019re managing one or a few brands and want a lightweight but capable tool, SmarterQueue is a \u2026 smart pick (see what I did there?). It\u2019s intuitive, affordable, and cuts out the complexity. It might not replace an enterprise listening platform, but for keeping tabs on conversations and rising trends, it might be exactly what you need.<\/p>\n Plus, the trial gives you plenty of time to take a peek under the hood before you even schedule a post \u2014 and only then does your 14-day countdown begin.<\/p>\n Cost:<\/strong> Plans start at $41\/month, with tiers up to $499\u2013$999\/month.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n
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What is social media monitoring?<\/span><\/h2>\n
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Why use a social media monitoring tool?<\/h2>\n
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1. <\/strong>BrandMentions<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Social Mentions<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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Hashtag Tracker<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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Brand Tracker<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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Social Media Tracker<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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2. <\/strong>TailWind<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n
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3. <\/strong>TalkWalker by Hootsuite<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n
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4. <\/strong>Metricool<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n
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5. <\/strong>BuzzSumo<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n
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6. <\/strong>SmarterQueue<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n
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7. <\/strong>Mentionlytics<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n
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