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Pulsar is positioned for audience community mapping, reputation tracking and campaign analysis, but its price and plan limits are listed as n/a. That makes it hard to judge the cost before switching. Brandwatch and Talkwalker are closer fits for social listening and research; Mention adds publishing and a shared inbox. For a lower-cost starting point, Social Searcher has a free plan, while Twilert starts at $9. None is a confirmed feature-for-feature replacement, so match the use case before moving.
01Why people leave Pulsar
Pricing is hard to plan
Pulsar is listed at n/a, and its limits are unclear. If procurement needs predictable costs, compare tools with published entry prices or a free plan.
Your team needs a broader suite
If publishing or a shared social inbox is part of the brief, Mention is described as covering both alongside monitoring; Pulsar’s published profile does not establish those capabilities.
You want a lower-cost entry point
Social Searcher lists a free plan, Twilert starts at $9, and Awario at $29. Compare their stated use cases before assuming they cover Pulsar’s research needs.
02The alternatives, ranked by fit
- Social research
BrandwatchBrandwatchBrandwatch is the closest fit here if you’re leaving Pulsar for social listening and research rather than just mention alerts. It also covers influencer campaigns and coordinating multiple social channels, according to its listed use cases. That breadth may suit teams studying audiences and campaigns, but the published information does not establish a direct feature match with Pulsar.
Trade-off: Pricing is custom, so the value is hard to assess before requesting details.
6.1/10from
Custom - Listening and benchmarking
TalkwalkerTalkwalkerTalkwalker is worth comparing if the reason you’re leaving is a need to track social conversations, compare competitors or monitor media coverage. Those use cases overlap with reputation and campaign monitoring. Its listed strengths include listening and benchmarking, but the available information does not specify a starting price or plan limits.
Trade-off: Pricing and limits are not published on the vendor's site.
6.4/10from
Custom - Monitoring and publishing
MentionMentionMention makes more sense if your team wants monitoring bundled with social publishing or a shared social inbox. Its listed use cases also include high-volume monitoring. The pricing page lists a starting price of $599, so compare that cost with the breadth your team will actually use before switching.
Trade-off: The $599 starting price may be hard to justify if you only need listening.
6.3/10from
$599/mo - Brand mention tracking
Brand24Brand24Brand24 is a candidate if your main Pulsar use case is tracking public brand mentions, coverage and reach. Its listed audiences include PR teams and marketers monitoring hashtags and competitors. The published starting price is $199, which gives you a concrete figure to compare, though the source cautions that it can be hard to justify for small needs.
Trade-off: At $199, it may not suit small or budget-led teams.
6.6/10from
$199/mo - Budget web monitoring
AwarioAwarioAwario is a lower-cost option to examine if you monitor a few brand topics or need broad web coverage and prospecting from online conversations. It starts at $29, according to the pricing page. That is a more concrete entry point than Pulsar’s n/a pricing, but check Starter’s caps against your volume before committing.
Trade-off: Starter caps and mixed lead reports warrant a fit check.
6.0/10from
€29/mo - Free public searches
Social SearcherSocial SearcherSocial Searcher is a sensible first stop if you mainly need free searches of public social posts, quick profile or hashtag discovery, or mention checks without an account. It has a free plan. The published description does not position it as a full monitoring replacement, so treat it as a way to cover narrower research tasks.
Trade-off: It is not established as a full replacement for monitoring tools.
6.8/10from
Freefree plan - Scheduled Twitter alerts
TwilertTwilertTwilert fits solo users, agencies and teams that need scheduled Twitter alerts for brands or clients. Its listed starting price is $9, with a free plan also noted, making it a lower-cost option to compare with Pulsar. The published use cases are specifically about Twitter alerts, not broad audience research.
Trade-off: Check alert and email caps before choosing a plan.
6.5/10from
$9/mofree plan
03Side by side
| Tool | Score | From | Free plan | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Pulsar Pulsar (current) | 5.7 | Custom | No | Teams mapping audience communities |
| Brandwatch Brandwatch | 6.1 | Custom | No | Teams needing social listening and research |
| Talkwalker Talkwalker | 6.4 | Custom | No | Brands tracking social conversations |
| Mention Mention | 6.3 | $599/mo | No | Companies needing high-volume monitoring |
| Brand24 Brand24 | 6.6 | $199/mo | No | Teams tracking public brand mentions |
| Awario Awario | 6.0 | €29/mo | No | Monitoring a few brand topics |
| Social Searcher Social Searcher | 6.8 | Free | Yes | Free searches of public social posts |
| Twilert Twilert | 6.5 | $9/mo | Yes | Solo users tracking brand mentions |
Questions people ask
How much does Pulsar cost?
The published Pulsar listing shows its price as n/a, and its plan limits are unclear. We can’t give a verified starting price from this information. For comparison, the listed alternatives range from Social Searcher’s free plan and Twilert at $9 to Mention at $599.
What is the cheapest Pulsar alternative?
Social Searcher is listed with a free plan for public social searches. Twilert also has a free plan and lists a $9 starting price; Awario starts at $29. These products have different stated use cases, so a lower price does not mean they replace Pulsar’s research capabilities.
Which Pulsar alternative is best for social listening?
Brandwatch is listed for social listening and research, while Talkwalker covers social conversations, competitor comparisons and media monitoring. Mention combines monitoring with social publishing and a shared inbox. Choose based on the work you need to keep; pricing is listed as n/a for Brandwatch and Talkwalker.