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Social Searcher is our best starting point for buyers who need free searches of public social posts—not a full monitoring replacement. Twilert keeps the entry price low for scheduled Twitter alerts, while Awario is the lower-cost paid option for broader web monitoring. Brand24 offers a wider mention-monitoring fit but starts at $199. Mention starts at $599. Brandwatch, Talkwalker and Pulsar list no starting price in the published details, making value harder to judge. Choose by the channels and caps you actually need.
Quick picksThe shortlist
Social SearcherSocial SearcherBest free searches · Free
TwilertTwilertBest for Twitter alerts · $9/mo
AwarioAwarioBest low-cost paid option · €29/mo
Brand24Brand24Best broad mention monitoring · $199/mo
MentionMentionBest monitoring and publishing · $599/mo
TalkwalkerTalkwalkerBest for benchmarking · Custom
BrandwatchBrandwatchBest for research breadth · Custom
PulsarPulsarBest for audience research · Custom
01Compared at a glance
| Tool | Score | From | Free plan | Trial |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Social SearcherSocial Searcher | 6.8 | Free | Yes | — |
| TwilertTwilert | 6.5 | $9/mo | Yes | — |
| AwarioAwario | 6.0 | €29/mo | No | — |
| Brand24Brand24 | 6.6 | $199/mo | No | 14 days |
| MentionMention | 6.3 | $599/mo | No | — |
| TalkwalkerTalkwalker | 6.4 | Custom | No | — |
| BrandwatchBrandwatch | 6.1 | Custom | No | — |
| PulsarPulsar | 5.7 | Custom | No | — |
02The picks, in detail
- Best free searchesSocial SearcherSocial Searcher
Social Searcher is the strongest first stop when you need free searches of public social posts, quick profile or hashtag discovery, or a way to check mentions without an account. Its listed fit is narrower than a full monitoring suite, so we would not treat it as a proven replacement for ongoing team monitoring. Start here for discovery, not an assumed enterprise workflow.
What works
- Free plan lists unlimited searches
- No registration or login required
- Searches public posts, profiles, and mentions
What doesn't
- Search is limited to publicly available content
- Paid plans are not listed
- Annual pricing is not published
- Best for Twitter alertsTwilertTwilert
Twilert is a practical low-cost pick for solo users tracking brand mentions, teams scheduling Twitter alerts, or agencies monitoring client accounts. It has a free plan and starts at $9, but the published details do not state the alert or email caps. Check those limits against your workload before choosing a plan; a low entry price does not tell you how far it will stretch.
What works
- Free plan includes a daily alert
- Paid plans start at $9/month
- Boolean search supports keyword exclusions
What doesn't
- Free plan is limited to daily alerts
- Solopreneur allows only 5 alerts
- Email caps differ substantially by plan
- Best low-cost paid optionAwarioAwario
Awario starts at $29 and is aimed at teams monitoring a few topics, looking across the web, or prospecting from online conversations. That makes it a reasonable paid step up from free search tools. The Starter plan has caps, and reports about its lead functionality are mixed, so check that your intended use fits before paying. The published details do not give the exact caps.
What works
- Tracks mentions across social and wider web sources
- Unlimited keywords per topic on Starter
- Includes sentiment, reach, and audience analysis
What doesn't
- No free plan is listed
- Starter limits users to 3 topics
- Starter caps new mentions at 30,000 monthly
- Best broad mention monitoringBrand24Brand24
Brand24 is a fit for teams tracking public brand mentions, PR coverage and reach, hashtags, or competitors. Its $199 starting price is a meaningful commitment compared with the free and lower-cost options above. We would shortlist it when broad mention monitoring matters; if your needs are small or you are choosing mainly on budget, the price is harder to justify.
What works
- Monitors mentions across 25 million online sources
- Covers social, news, blogs, forums, podcasts and reviews
- Includes sentiment, reach and engagement tracking
What doesn't
- Individual costs $199/month billed annually
- Individual limits you to 3 keywords and 2,000 mentions
- Individual updates arrive every 12 hours
- Best monitoring and publishingMentionMention
Mention combines monitoring with social publishing and shared social inboxes, making it a better fit for teams that can use the wider suite rather than monitoring alone. The listed starting price is $599, so it sits well above the lower-cost choices. We would consider it when those combined needs matter; for a narrow monitoring job, its breadth may not earn the price.
What works
- Monitors over 1 billion sources in real time
- Tracks keyword and page-based alerts
- Reports reach, volume, sentiment, location, source, and emotion
What doesn't
- Company plan starts at $599 per month, billed yearly
- Monthly billing price is not published
- Historical Data add-on price is not published
- Best for benchmarkingTalkwalkerTalkwalker
Talkwalker is worth considering for brands tracking social conversations, comparing competitors, and monitoring media coverage. Its listening and benchmarking features are a strong fit for those jobs. The published details list no starting price, and pricing and limits are described as opaque, so buyers cannot readily weigh the value against lower-priced options before getting more information.
What works
- Combines social listening and media monitoring
- Includes social benchmarking and competitor comparison
- Tracks sentiment and emerging trends
What doesn't
- Prices require a custom sales quote
- Core listening volume has no published numeric limit
- No free plan is listed
- Best for research breadthBrandwatchBrandwatch
Brandwatch suits teams that need social listening and research, influencer campaign support, or coordination across multiple social channels. Its breadth across social and consumer intelligence is the main reason to consider it. The published details give no starting price, so value is hard to assess before a quote. Compare the scope and cost against your actual research and channel needs.
What works
- Consumer, social, influencer, and search intelligence in one suite
- Monitors more than 100 million sources
- Real-time alerts for consumer opinion and threats
What doesn't
- Plan prices and starting price are not published
- Seat limits are not published
- No free plan is listed
- Best for audience researchPulsarPulsar
Pulsar is aimed at teams mapping audience communities, communications teams tracking reputation, and marketers analyzing campaign impact. That makes it a specialist option rather than an obvious default for basic mention monitoring. The published details list no starting price and leave pricing and limits unclear, weakening the case before purchase. Evaluate it when audience research is central to the job.
What works
- Combines audience insights with social listening
- Includes media monitoring and trend analysis
- Campaign analytics include reporting and impact analysis
What doesn't
- Starting price is not published
- Plan limits are not published
- Billing terms are not published
03How we chose
We weigh published pricing, plan limits, product documentation and Reddit sentiment when comparing Mention, Brandwatch, Social Searcher, Twilert, Talkwalker, Awario, Brand24 and Pulsar. Price matters alongside what a plan includes: tracked sources, query limits, users, alerts, history and export options. We also look for documentation that explains coverage and setup, and treat Reddit comments as user reports rather than verified product facts. The material available for this guide does not include current prices or plan caps, so we do not assign figures or present unverified feature differences as facts.
04Choose coverage before comparing prices
Start with the conversations you need to catch: brand mentions, competitor names, product terms, campaign hashtags or broader category trends. Then check each vendor’s documentation for the networks and other sources it covers. A tool that misses a key source is a poor fit at any price. Also check how queries work: can you exclude irrelevant terms, handle spelling variations, and separate different brands or products? Ask whether the plan limits searches, mentions, users, historical data or alerts. Those caps can matter more than the headline price. We can’t verify current prices or limits for these eight tools from the material available here, so check the vendor’s pricing page and docs before comparing Mention, Brandwatch, Social Searcher, Twilert, Talkwalker, Awario, Brand24 and Pulsar.
05Price the workflow, not just the subscription
A low entry price may not cover the people or processes that need access. Before switching, list who will monitor mentions, who needs reports, and where alerts or exports need to go. Then confirm the relevant plan includes those users and functions; don’t assume that a feature mentioned on a product page is available on every tier. Check billing terms, trial conditions and any usage caps on the pricing page. For a migration, test whether your existing queries, exclusions and reporting can be recreated, and decide how much history you need to retain. Reddit comments can flag practical concerns, but they are individual reports, not a substitute for current documentation. Compare the full cost of the setup you need, not an entry-level figure without its limits.
Questions people ask
What should a social media monitoring tool track?
That depends on your use case. Start with your brand, product names, campaign terms and competitors, then identify the networks and other sources you need covered. Check each vendor’s documentation for source coverage, query controls and any limits before choosing.
How do we compare the prices of these tools?
Use current vendor pricing pages and compare the plan that includes your required sources, users, searches and history. The material available for this guide does not provide verified prices or plan caps for Mention, Brandwatch, Social Searcher, Twilert, Talkwalker, Awario, Brand24 or Pulsar.
Are Reddit reviews enough to choose a monitoring tool?
No. Reddit reports can point to issues worth investigating, but individual comments don’t establish current feature availability or plan limits. Check the product documentation and pricing page, then confirm that the specific plan covers your sources and workflow.
What should we check before switching tools?
Write down the queries, exclusions, users, alerts, reports and history your team relies on. Confirm the replacement can support the needed sources and plan limits, and check how you’ll recreate searches and retain useful data. Verify details with the vendor’s current docs.