I tested the 7 best free social media monitoring tools — here’s how they stack u...

I tested the 7 best free social media monitoring tools - here's how they stack up

Updated: 09/15/25

If you've ever woken up to a trending hashtag about your brand - and not in a good way - 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've been left holding the bag.

With more than 5 billion people worldwide using social media - and sharing their two cents on everything from cat videos to how awesome a brand is (or isn't) - reputation management and social media listening is only going to get more important.

With that in mind, I tested seven of the most popular free social media monitoring tools so you don't have to. Here's what I learned.

Table of Contents

• What is social media monitoring?
• Why use a social media monitoring tool?
• Free Social Media Monitoring Tools
• Using Social Inbox Streams In HubSpot

What is 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.

What trends are we seeing when it comes to social media in general? Our 2025 Social Trends Report shares exclusive findings on how people engage across social personally and professionally. Get it free now.

Dig deeper into social media listening specifically and how it works.

Why use a social media monitoring tool?

As a business, it's critical to know what's happening around you at all times. Competitor launches, customer complaints, viral trends - all of these factors can impact your brand's 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.

Done well, it goes beyond data points to show you:

• Where you're winning so you can double down.
• Where customers are frustrated so you can fix issues before they escalate.
• Where new opportunities are emerging so you can get ahead of competitors.

Because monitoring manually by checking newsfeeds or searching hashtags just isn't scalable anymore, third-party tools are your best bet.

If you're already using HubSpot for CRM or marketing automation, HubSpot's Social Inbox lets you set up monitoring streams so you can see brand mentions, competitor tags, and keyword-based conversations in one dashboard.

HubSpot isn't 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.

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 - but most of those have either shut down or locked the best features behind a paywall.

And from a business perspective, I get it. Especially as platforms tighten their APIs. But … it makes finding truly free tools that actually work much harder.

That said, you still have options.

If you're 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.

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's my take on them.

1. BrandMentions

Cost: Handful of free tools; Subscription starts at $79/month.

Free trial: Yes (7 days).

What it is: BrandMentions is one of those tools that's been around long enough to earn its spot on the list. It's not flashy, but it does what it promises. That's worth a lot. When you're talking about tracking every corner of the Internet for mentions of your brand, substance wins over style every time.

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:

• Social Mentions
• Hashtag Tracker
• Brand Tracker
• Social Media Tracker

Social Mentions

Hashtag Tracker

Brand Tracker

Social Media Tracker

I pulled all of those reports in under a minute - and it's 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.

My take: BrandMentions is a solid "set it and forget it" option. It's not going to give you every single mention in real time (very few tools do), but it's reliable and offers a broad view of your online presence without overwhelming you with data.

2. TailWind

Cost: Free plan with limited features; paid plans start at $14.99/month.

Free trial: Yes.

What it is: Tailwind started as a Pinterest scheduling tool, but it's 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.

Tailwind's insights help you see which posts are performing best, which hashtags are driving the most traffic, and what times your audience is most engaged.

Need help in these areas? Give these resources a read:

• How to Use Instagram: A Beginner's Guide [Expert Insights + New Data]
• Key Pinterest Marketing Tools and Tips You Need [+ Recs for Small Businesses]

My take: If you're active on Pinterest or Instagram, Tailwind is worth testing. It's not as robust for monitoring conversations outside your own channels, but it's great for maximizing performance where you're already posting. And because the free plan is generous, it's a low-risk way to get started.

All of these are fairly basic insights, but if you're highly active on Instagram and Pinterest (like an ecommerce brand, for instance), it is convenient to have all of that information in one place. The downside - especially for the purposes of this article - is that it's not a true social listening tool.

3. TalkWalker by Hootsuite

Cost: Paid plans start at $99/month.

Free trial: Yes (30 days).

What it is: 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 - everything has moved behind a subscription.

That said, there's a reason people pay for Talkwalker's social media listening. It's good, really good - featuring:

• Alerts that let you track brand mentions across dozens of social networks.
• Trending topics monitor so you can stay on top of what's popular.
• Proprietary AI that helps you get data insights and forecast trends.

My take: Talkwalker is a powerhouse. It delivers enterprise-grade coverage and AI-powered insights you won't find in most other tools. But it's no longer free, and the cost won't make sense for a lot of small or mid-sized businesses. If you're a solo marketer or working with a lean team, you'll probably want to start with one of the other tools on this list.

4. Metricool

Cost: Free plan available; paid plans start at $18/month.

Free trial: Not applicable; free version is robust.

What it is: Not gonna lie - Metricool is my favorite of the bunch. And it's the one I use for my business and for several clients. They call themselves a "digital Swiss Army Knife," and I have to say - it's pretty darn accurate.

At first, it may feel a bit like a scheduling and analytics tool, but it does a heckuva lot more - including social listening. With a unified inbox and basic keyword tracking, you can:

• Stay on top of brand mentions.
• Manage comments, messages, and tags.
• Identify trending terms.
• Track competitors.
• Gain basic listening insights.

My take: If you haven't guessed by now, I recommend this one. If you want enterprise-grade listening tools, this probably isn't it - but you're 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 - but even if you need to go paid, it's approachable - especially compared with other platforms.

5. BuzzSumo

Cost: No free version; plans range from $199-$999/month.

Free trial: Yes (7 days).

What it is: Here's the deal, at the price point, I almost dropped BuzzSumo from the rankings. It gets pricey for the little guy. Candidly, it's a rock star of a platform for content marketers and comms pros who want deep insights into what content is working - and who's talking about it.

Here's what it brings to the table:

• Brand Monitoring & Alerts. Set up keyword, competitor, or product alerts to catch conversations across social media, news, blogs, and even backlinks.
• Trend & Content Discovery. Identify high-performing articles, trending topics, top keywords, and creatives shaping your industry.
• Influencer & Journalist Finder. Find out who's covering your topic and track who's sharing your stuff
• Competitor Analysis and Reporting. Compare share of voice, top performing content, and backlinks in a shareable dashboard.

My take: BuzzSumo is a powerhouse - but not for free. If you're 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.

6. SmarterQueue

Cost: Paid plans start at $24.99/month.

Free trial: Yes (14-day trial starts when you set up your Posting Plan and schedule your first post).

What it is: I've used SmarterQueue in the past (actually before I moved to Metricool), and I loved how easy it is to set up and use - and that content can publish and re-publish. It does everything most small businesses need including:

• Viewing engagement on individual posts and seeing top-performing posts.
• Monitoring Evergreen post performance over time.
• Analyzing your social history.
• Tracking social mentions and tags.

While competitor monitoring is only available on higher-tier plans, the good news is that those start as low as $84.99/month - which is significantly lower than some of the other items.

My take: If you're managing one or a few brands and want a lightweight but capable tool, SmarterQueue is a … smart pick (see what I did there?). It's 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.

Plus, the trial gives you plenty of time to take a peek under the hood before you even schedule a post - and only then does your 14-day countdown begin.

7. Mentionlytics

Cost: Plans start at $41/month, with tiers up to $499-$999/month.

Free trial: Yes (14-day trial with full access, no credit card required).

What it is: Think of Mentionlytics as a full-feature social listening engine wrapped in a clean, no-nonsense interface. It monitors conversations across Twitter/X, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook, Reddit, blogs, news sites, and includes web pages and review platforms - so you're not just seeing public social chatter, but the broader context too.

For the cost, it might just be one of the best true social listening tools out there.

The Basic plan gives you:

• 3 keyword rules.
• 5K monthly mentions.
• 12 hours update.
• 10 social profiles.
• 2 users.

And like most platforms these days, AI is making Mentionlytics even better:

I love that it tracks sentiment analysis and AI mention clustering - because with smart searches, that's getting even more important.

My take: Mentionlytics slots nicely into this list as a serious listening tool - especially if you're past the starter phase. The free trial gives you real access to take it for a spin without paying upfront.

It's not free long term, but it gives you so much for a relatively low cost, and can grow with you, offering actionable insights - without immediately forcing you into a $10K annual spend.

Using Social Inbox Streams in HubSpot

If you're a HubSpot Professional or Enterprise user, you've already got a powerful social listening tool at your fingertips. Lucky you.

Just head to Social > Monitor and you can start tracking:

• Mentions and reposts (on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and X).
• Specific keywords (on X).
• Competitors (across their social media using information gathered from their website).

You can even set up email alerts so you never miss a key conversation.

[Social] Listen and Learn

Social listening isn't as straightforward as it used to be, as evidenced by a shrinking number of free tools. Between tighter privacy rules and the way each platform plays by its own set of data-sharing rules, it takes time, effort, and consistency to do it well.

Like most marketing strategies, you can get by with free tools for a while - especially if you're just tracking one brand and a handful of keywords. But at some point, the patchwork approach can start to cost you more time than it saves. When you're juggling multiple brands, needing deeper analytics, or trying to track competitors with any real depth, it's worth looking at a paid tool to:

• Get a true read on how people feel about your brand.
• Catch a brewing PR issue before it turns into a crisis.
• Spot opportunities you can jump on for your next launch or campaign.

If you're looking for a starting point, you found it! Check out these tools, take them for a (free) trial spin, and choose the one or two that make the most sense for you.

Editor's note: This post was originally published in December 2011 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

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