# Social listening tools

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Social listening tools track what people say about your brand, competitors and market across social networks, news and forums, and flag shifts in volume and sentiment.

- Tools listed: 3
- Updated: Nov 3, 2026
- Ranked by: US searches per month
- Category demand: 4,400 searches/mo for “social listening tools” (Semrush, October 2026)

## Ranked list

1. [Sprout Social](https://gtmshortlist.ai/sprout-social.md): Social media management with listening and analytics. 40,500 US searches/mo for “sprout social” (Semrush, October 2026). Unclaimed. Pricing: From $79 per seat/mo, billed annually ($99 monthly). Free trial: 30-day free trial, no card needed. Source: https://sproutsocial.com/pricing/. Checked: 2026-11-02T20:12:12.815+00:00.
2. [Meltwater](https://gtmshortlist.ai/meltwater.md): Media and social listening across news, social and forums. 14,800 US searches/mo for “meltwater” (Semrush, October 2026). Unclaimed. Pricing: Custom pricing, contact sales. Free trial: No free trial. Source: https://www.meltwater.com/en/pricing. Checked: 2026-11-03T06:42:01.755+00:00.
3. [Brandwatch](https://gtmshortlist.ai/brandwatch.md): Consumer intelligence and social listening for brands and agencies. 8,100 US searches/mo for “brandwatch” (Semrush, October 2026). Unclaimed. Pricing: Custom pricing, contact sales. Free trial: Not mentioned on their pricing page. Source: https://www.brandwatch.com/plans/. Checked: 2026-11-03T06:42:35.216+00:00.

## How to choose a social listening tool

- **Sources covered:** Confirm which networks, news sites, forums and review sites it monitors, and that they include the platforms your audience uses.
- **Query control:** Look for Boolean queries, filters and spam removal so results stay relevant.
- **Alerts and reports:** Check for spike alerts, sentiment trends and reports you can share without exporting data.

## social listening tool questions

### What is social listening?

Tracking what people say about your brand, competitors and topics across social networks, news and forums, then analyzing volume, sentiment and themes to decide what to do.

### What is the difference between social listening and social monitoring?

Monitoring tracks and responds to individual mentions. Listening looks at patterns across many mentions over time to guide decisions.

### Which platforms can social listening tools track?

Coverage varies by tool and by each network’s data access rules. Check each vendor’s list of sources before you buy.

### How much do social listening tools cost?

Most are priced by plan, seats or mention volume, and several enterprise tools quote on request. Each listing shows the price from the vendor’s own pricing page.


## Popular comparisons

- [Meltwater vs Sprout Social](https://gtmshortlist.ai/compare/meltwater-vs-sprout-social.md)
- [Brandwatch vs Sprout Social](https://gtmshortlist.ai/compare/brandwatch-vs-sprout-social.md)
- [Brandwatch vs Meltwater](https://gtmshortlist.ai/compare/brandwatch-vs-meltwater.md)

## Related categories

- [AI visibility (AEO and GEO)](https://gtmshortlist.ai/ai-visibility-tools.md)
- [AI rank trackers](https://gtmshortlist.ai/ai-rank-tracker.md)
- [AI email marketing](https://gtmshortlist.ai/ai-email-marketing.md)

## About this list

Tools are ordered by monthly US searches for each tool’s name, from Semrush, October 2026. Ties are alphabetical. Sponsored spots are labeled and never change rank. Last checked Nov 3, 2026. Method: https://gtmshortlist.ai/methodology.md