The Best Social Listening Tools for 2025: Free and Paid Options Compared

With more touchpoints than ever between businesses and their customers, staying tuned in to audience sentiment is essential. Customers and prospects engage across multiple platforms—social media, review sites, forums, and news outlets—making it more critical than ever to track brand perception, competitor strategies, and industry trends.

Social listening tools provide real-time insights that empower businesses to engage effectively and make data-driven decisions. But with so many options available, how do you choose the right tool for your business?

In this guide, we compare the best free and paid social listening tools for 2025, breaking down their features, limitations, pricing, and scalability. Whether you're a small business owner, a marketing consultant, or an enterprise brand, there's a tool suited to your needs.

Jump to a Section:

• What Are Social Listening Tools

• How Do Social Listening Tools Work

• Best Free Social Listening Tools

  • AnswerThePublic

  • Exploding Topics

  • SparkToro

• Best Paid Social Listening Tools

  • Mention

  • Brand24

  • Brandwatch

• How to choose the right social listening tool

• Best Options For Event Organisers

• Final Thoughts

What Are Social Listening Tools?

Social listening tools help businesses track and analyse conversations across social media, news sites, blogs, and forums. They go beyond just monitoring mentions, providing actionable insights that help businesses:

• Understand audience sentiment – Gauge public perception of your brand, products, or services in real-time.

• Identify emerging trends – Detect industry shifts and key discussions before they gain traction.

• Measure campaign impact – Assess the effectiveness of marketing campaigns and adjust strategies accordingly.

• Engage proactively – Respond to customer concerns, feedback, and opportunities for brand advocacy in a timely manner.

By leveraging these tools, businesses can refine their messaging, improve customer engagement, and gain a competitive edge.

How Do Social Listening Tools Work?

Social listening tools act as digital detectives, scanning the internet to uncover conversations that matter to your brand. These platforms track and analyse keywords, hashtags, brand mentions, and industry discussions across social media, blogs, news sites, and forums.

The process starts with by entering specific search terms—whether it's your brand name, a competitor, or a trending industry topic. From there, the tool gathers real-time insights, pulling in mentions and contextual data that help paint a clearer picture of public sentiment and emerging trends.

Many platforms offer advanced features like sentiment analysis, which determines whether mentions are positive, negative, or neutral, as well as customisable alerts for instant updates on key discussions. However, some tools limit the number of searches per day, requiring businesses to be strategic about the keywords they track.

Once the data is collected, you can filter and visualise it through dashboards, reports, or trend analysis charts. This allows brands to make data-driven decisions—whether it’s refining messaging, identifying opportunities, or addressing potential crises before they escalate.

Best Free Social Listening Tools

For businesses on a budget, free social listening tools can provide essential insights. While they have limitations compared to paid options, they are great starting points for understanding audience behaviour.

Best for: Small businesses and individuals looking for basic insights into audience behaviours and emerging trends.

AnswerThePublic

About	AnswerThePublic is a search listening tool that provides insights into the questions and phrases people use in search engines, helping businesses and content creators develop targeted content strategies. In 2022, Neil Patel, co-founder of NP Digital, acquired AnswerThePublic to enhance its capabilities and integrate it with his suite of marketing tools.
Cost	This tool offers a free version where you can have 3 searched a day (plus historical searches). A 7-day free trial is offered for any paid plans. - Individual: £11/month (1 user; 100 searches/day) - Pro: £99/month (3 users; Unlimited searches/day) - Expert: £199/month (Unlimited users; Unlimited searches/day)
Key Features	Keyword Visualisation: Generates visual representations of search queries, including questions, prepositions, and comparisons related to a keyword. Search Listening Alerts: Allows users to set up alerts for timely updates on changes in search results, ensuring they stay informed about new trends. Data Export: Enables exporting of results to CSV files for further analysis and reporting. High-Resolution Images: Provides high-quality visualisations suitable for presentations and reports. Team Collaboration: Offers workspace features for teams to collaborate, share insights, and manage projects efficiently.
Limitations	Data Source: Relies on autocomplete data from search engines, which may not capture all search variations. Free Plan Restrictions: The free version limits users to 3 searches per day, which may not suffice for extensive research needs. Advanced Features: Some advanced functionalities, such as search listening alerts and data comparison over time, are only available in higher-tier plans.
Integration Capabilities	AnswerThePublic does not currently offer direct integrations with other platforms. Users can export data for use in other tools, but seamless integration is not a built-in feature.
User Experience	The platform is designed with an intuitive interface, making it accessible for users with varying levels of SEO knowledge. The visual representation of data aids in quickly understanding search behaviors and identifying content opportunities. However, some users may find the advanced features require a learning curve.
Customer Support	Pro and Expert plan subscribers receive priority customer support, ensuring timely assistance. Support is available via email at support@answerthepublic.com. Additionally, the platform offers educational resources, including video masterclasses and eBooks, to help users maximise the tool's potential. Basic email support is offered for free membership.
Scalability	AnswerThePublic caters to a range of users, from individual content creators to large enterprises. With plans supporting unlimited searches and users, the platform can scale according to the growing needs of a business. The availability of lifetime access options also provides flexibility for long-term use.

Exploding Topics

About	Exploding Topics is a trend discovery platform that identifies emerging topics, products, and industries before they become mainstream. By analysing millions of searches, conversations, and mentions across the internet, it helps businesses, marketers, and investors stay ahead of the curve. The platform was co-founded by Brian Dean and Josh Howarth. In 2024, Exploding Topics was acquired by Semrush, enhancing its capabilities with deeper insights and more robust tools.
Cost	Free Access: Users can explore trending topics and subscribe to a weekly newsletter highlighting emerging trends. Entrepreneur Plan: Priced at $39 per month (billed annually), this plan offers access to the full trends database, trend tracking, trending products, meta trends, channel breakdowns, and supports one user seat. Investor Plan: At $99 per month (billed annually), this plan includes all features of the Entrepreneur Plan, plus access to trending startups, trend forecasting, trend search, CSV export capabilities, and supports up to four user seats. Business Plan: For $249 per month (billed annually), this comprehensive plan provides all features of the Investor Plan, along with custom trend reports, API access, and supports up to ten user seats.
Key Features	Trends Database: A comprehensive repository of over 11,000 topics, allowing users to discover emerging trends across various industries. Trend Tracking: Enables users to monitor and organise trends by creating projects, facilitating efficient tracking of topics relevant to their interests or business. Trending Products: Assists e-commerce businesses in identifying products gaining traction, with filters for category, sales, and reviews to pinpoint items with long-term growth potential. Meta Trends: Provides insights into broader industry movements by grouping related micro-trends, helping users understand overarching patterns driving market changes. Instant Trend Alerts: Delivers real-time notifications about significant market shifts, enabling users to act swiftly on emerging opportunities. API Access: Allows for integration with existing data sources, offering advanced users the ability to conduct in-depth analyses and access specific sub-trends.
Limitations	Data Overload: The platform's extensive data can be overwhelming, requiring users to apply filters effectively to extract relevant insights. US-Centric Data: Some users have noted that the data is primarily focused on U.S. trends, which may limit applicability for global markets. Learning Curve: New users might experience a learning curve when navigating the platform's features and interpreting the data effectively.
Integration Capabilities	Exploding Topics offers API access in its Business Plan, enabling integration with other data sources and tools for advanced analysis. This feature is particularly beneficial for businesses seeking to incorporate trend data into their existing workflows or dashboards.
User Experience	The platform boasts an intuitive and user-friendly interface, designed to cater to users with varying levels of technical expertise. Features like customisable alerts and comprehensive trend analyses are presented in a clear and accessible manner, facilitating ease of use.
Customer Support	Exploding Topics provides customer support through email and offers a range of resources, including tutorials and guides, to assist users in maximising the platform's potential. Higher-tier plans may offer prioritised support, ensuring timely assistance for pressing inquiries.
Scalability	Great for Startups and Enterprises: Useful for individuals, small businesses, and corporations. Growing Trend Database: New trends are added frequently, making it a long-term tool for market research. Enterprise API: Supports large-scale data analysis for major companies.

SparkToro

About	SparkToro is an audience research tool designed to help marketers, businesses, and content creators understand where their target audiences spend time online and what they engage with. Founded by Rand Fishkin, co-founder of Moz, SparkToro aggregates data from various online sources to provide insights into audience behaviors, demographics, and preferences.
Cost	SparkToro offers a range of plans to accommodate different user needs: Free Plan: Allows up to 5 searches per month with limited access to data. Basic Plan: Priced at $50 per month, includes 50 searches per month, access to top 50 results for various audience insights, and the ability to create unlimited lists and exports. Standard Plan: At $150 per month, this plan offers 300 searches per month, access to top 150 results, advanced search features, and comprehensive demographic data. Agency Plan: For $300 per month, provides unlimited searches, access to top 300 results, support for up to 100 users, and additional features like custom audiences and advanced searches. Annual subscriptions are available at a discounted rate, offering three months free when paid upfront.
Key Features	Audience Insights: Discover which websites, social media accounts, podcasts, YouTube channels, and other platforms your target audience engages with. Keyword Research: Identify the search terms and phrases your audience uses, aiding in SEO and content strategy development. Demographic Data: Access information on audience demographics, including job roles, industries, skills, education, gender, age, and geographic locations. Advanced Search Capabilities: Utilise complex queries to narrow down audience specifics and gain more targeted insights. Custom Audiences: Upload domains or keywords to create tailored audience segments for more precise research.
Limitations	Data Availability: The depth of data can vary depending on the niche or industry, with some audiences having more comprehensive data than others. Learning Curve: While the interface is user-friendly, maximising the tool's potential may require time and exploration, especially for users new to audience research. Free Plan Restrictions: The free plan offers limited searches and data access, which may not suffice for extensive research needs.
Integration Capabilities	Currently, SparkToro does not offer direct integrations with other platforms. However, users can export data in CSV format for use in other tools or for further analysis.
User Experience	SparkToro is designed with an intuitive and clean interface, making it accessible for users with varying levels of expertise. The platform provides clear visualisations and organised data presentations, facilitating easy navigation and understanding of audience insights.
Customer Support	SparkToro offers customer support via email. The platform also provides resources such as blogs, guides, and FAQs to assist users in making the most of the tool. Higher-tier plans may offer prioritised support, though specific details should be confirmed directly with SparkToro.
Scalability	With its tiered pricing plans, SparkToro caters to a wide range of users, from individual marketers to large agencies. The Agency Plan, in particular, supports up to 100 users and offers unlimited searches, making it suitable for larger teams and organisations with extensive research needs.

Best Paid Social Listening Tools

For brands that require more advanced analytics, AI-powered insights, and multi-channel tracking, investing in a paid social listening tool is essential. Below are the top options for 2025.

Best for: Mid-to-large companies, agencies, and enterprises that require in-depth analytics, historical data access, and AI-powered insights.

Mention

About	Mention is a comprehensive social listening and media monitoring tool designed to help businesses and agencies monitor online conversations, analyse brand mentions, and manage their social media presence effectively. Founded in 2012 by Arnaud Le Blanc and Edouard de la Jonquière, Mention has evolved into a robust platform catering to various aspects of digital marketing and public relations.
Starting Price (per month)	Solo Plan: Priced at $49 per month, this plan includes 2 basic alerts, 5,000 mentions, support for 1 user, and the ability to manage 5 social accounts. Pro Plan: At $99 per month, it offers 5 basic alerts, 10,000 mentions, support for up to 10 users, and management of 10 social accounts. ProPlus Plan: For $179 per month, this plan provides 7 basic and standard alerts, 20,000 mentions, unlimited users, and management of 15 social accounts. Company Plan: Tailored for larger organisations, this plan includes 10+ basic, standard, and advanced alerts, 100,000+ mentions, unlimited users, and unlimited social accounts. Pricing is available upon request.
Key Features	Real-Time Monitoring: Track mentions from over 1 billion sources, including news sites, blogs, forums, and social media platforms, providing instant visibility into online conversations. Sentiment Analysis: Assess the tone of mentions to understand public perception, enabling proactive reputation management. Influencer Identification: Discover key influencers discussing your brand or industry, facilitating potential partnership opportunities. Social Media Management: Create, schedule, and publish posts across major social networks, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn, all from within the platform. Customisable Reports: Generate insightful, auto-updating reports and dashboards to visualise metrics such as reach, volume, sentiment, and more, aiding in strategic decision-making.
Limitations	Data Volume Constraints: Each plan has a limit on the number of mentions and alerts, which may require upgrading to higher-tier plans for extensive monitoring needs. Learning Curve: While the interface is user-friendly, new users might need time to fully explore and utilise all features effectively.
Integration Capabilities	Slack Integration: Receive real-time mention notifications directly in Slack channels, enhancing team collaboration and responsiveness. Zapier Integration: Connect Mention with over 5,000 apps via Zapier, allowing for automated workflows and data synchronisation. API Access: Available in higher-tier plans, enabling businesses to integrate Mention's data into their own applications or dashboards for customised solutions.
User Experience	Mention boasts a clean and intuitive interface, making it accessible for users of varying technical expertise. The platform's real-time monitoring and customisable alerts ensure users stay informed about relevant conversations, while the integrated social media management tools streamline content scheduling and engagement. However, some users have noted that the abundance of data can be overwhelming initially, necessitating the use of filters and tags to manage information effectively.
Customer Support	Mention provides a comprehensive help center with guides, tutorials, and FAQs to assist users in navigating the platform. Additionally, customer support is available via email, and higher-tier plans may offer dedicated account management for personalised assistance.
Scalability	Designed to accommodate businesses of all sizes, Mention's tiered pricing plans and feature sets allow organisations to scale their monitoring and engagement efforts as their needs evolve. The platform's ability to handle extensive data sources and provide in-depth analytics makes it suitable for both small businesses and large enterprises.

Brand24

About	Brand24 is an AI-powered social listening tool designed to help businesses monitor and analyse online mentions across various platforms, including social media, news sites, blogs, forums, videos, podcasts, and reviews. It provides real-time insights into brand reputation, audience sentiment, and market trends, enabling companies to make informed decisions and engage effectively with their audience.
Starting Price (per month)	Brand24 offers a 14-day free trial with no credit card required, allowing users to explore its features before committing to a subscription. The platform provides four pricing plans to accommodate different needs: Individual Plan: Priced at $149 per month (or $119 per month when billed annually) Team Plan: At $199 per month (or $159 per month billed annually) Pro Plan: For $299 per month (or $239 per month billed annually), this plan provides: Enterprise Plan: At $499 per month (or $399 per month billed annually), Annual subscriptions offer a discount, effectively providing two months free compared to monthly billing. All plans have specific limitations so I recommend you view the website to understand whether the limitations meet your requirements.
Key Features	Real-Time Monitoring: Track mentions from over 25 million online sources, including social media platforms, news outlets, blogs, forums, videos, podcasts, and reviews, ensuring comprehensive coverage of online discussions. Sentiment Analysis: Automatically assess and categorise mentions as positive, negative, or neutral, providing insights into public perception and enabling proactive reputation management. AI Insights: Leverage artificial intelligence to generate actionable insights, including trend analysis, emerging customer preferences, and strategic recommendations, facilitating informed decision-making. Influencer Identification: Identify key influencers and opinion leaders within your industry or niche, helping to enhance brand visibility and credibility through targeted engagement. Customisable Reports: Create personalised reports with metrics such as reach, engagement, sentiment, and more, allowing for effective communication of insights to stakeholders.
Limitations	Data Volume Constraints: Each plan imposes limits on the number of keywords and mentions that can be tracked per month, which may necessitate selecting a higher-tier plan for extensive monitoring needs. Feature Availability: Access to certain advanced features, such as real-time updates and AI-driven insights, is restricted to higher-tier plans, potentially limiting functionality for users on lower-tier subscriptions.
Integration Capabilities	Slack Integration: Receive real-time notifications of brand mentions directly within Slack, facilitating prompt responses and team collaboration. Data Export: Export data and reports in various formats, including PDF and Excel, for further analysis or sharing with stakeholders.
User Experience	Brand24 is designed with a user-friendly interface that simplifies navigation and data interpretation. Features like customisable dashboards, advanced filtering options, and visual representations of data (such as word clouds and trend graphs) enhance the overall user experience, making it accessible for users with varying levels of technical expertise.
Customer Support	Brand24 offers multiple support channels, including email support, live chat, and access to a comprehensive help center. Depending on the subscription plan, users may also benefit from personalised onboarding sessions and dedicated account managers to ensure optimal utilisation of the platform.
Scalability	With its tiered pricing structure and range of features, Brand24 caters to a diverse clientele, from small businesses and startups to large enterprises. The platform's scalability allows users to upgrade their plans as their monitoring and analytics needs expand, ensuring continued support for growing organisations.

Brandwatch

About	Brandwatch is a comprehensive digital consumer intelligence and social media management platform designed to help businesses understand and engage with their audiences across various online channels. Founded in 2007 by Giles Palmer, Brandwatch has evolved into a leading solution for market research, brand monitoring, and social media analytics.
Starting Price (per month)	Brandwatch offers customised pricing plans tailored to the specific needs of businesses, with options for both standard and enterprise-level solutions. Pricing details are not publicly disclosed; interested parties are encouraged to contact Brandwatch directly for a personalised quote.
Key Features	Consumer Intelligence: Provides deep insights into consumer behavior by analysing data from over 100 million online sources, including social media platforms, blogs, forums, and news sites. Features include sentiment analysis, trend identification, and audience segmentation. Social Media Management: Offers tools for content scheduling, publishing, engagement, and performance measurement across multiple social media channels. The platform supports collaboration among team members and provides analytics to optimise social media strategies. Influencer Marketing: Enables discovery and management of influencer partnerships, streamlining campaign planning, execution, and analysis to maximise reach and impact. AI-Powered Insights: Utilises advanced artificial intelligence, including integrations with ChatGPT, to deliver deeper analysis of online data and assist in crafting effective social content.
Limitations	Pricing Transparency: The lack of publicly available pricing information may pose challenges for businesses in budgeting and decision-making. Complexity: The platform's extensive features and capabilities might require a learning curve for new users to fully leverage its potential.
Integration Capabilities	Brandwatch integrates with various platforms to enhance its functionality: Salesforce: Allows for seamless data sharing and customer relationship management. Google Analytics: Enables comprehensive analysis by combining web and social data. Hootsuite: Facilitates streamlined social media management and monitoring. Additionally, Brandwatch's open API allows for custom integrations to meet specific business needs.
User Experience	Brandwatch is designed with a user-friendly interface that emphasises customisable dashboards, real-time data visualisation, and intuitive navigation. These features aim to provide users with actionable insights and efficient workflows.
Customer Support	Brandwatch offers comprehensive customer support, including: Dedicated Account Managers: Provide personalised assistance and strategic guidance. Training Resources: Access to webinars, tutorials, and documentation to help users maximise the platform's capabilities. Technical Support: Available to address any issues or questions that may arise during usage.
Scalability	Brandwatch is designed to accommodate businesses of various sizes, from small enterprises to large corporations. Its scalable infrastructure and customisable features allow organisations to expand their usage as their needs evolve.

How to Choose the Right Social Listening Tool

Selecting the right social listening tool depends on your business needs and growth potential. Here are the key factors to consider:

• Integration Capabilities: Ensure the tool integrates seamlessly with your CRM, marketing stack, and analytics platforms for a unified data-driven approach.

• User Experience: A well-designed, intuitive dashboard makes it easier to navigate insights and act on them efficiently.

• Customer Support: Look for platforms that offer 24/7 support, live chat, or dedicated account managers to assist with troubleshooting and strategy implementation.

• Scalability: Choose a tool that can grow with your business, handling increasing data volume and offering more advanced features as your needs evolve.

• Customisability: Some businesses may need tailored reporting, AI-driven automation, or multi-platform monitoring—consider tools that offer flexibility to match your specific requirements.
  

Best Options for Event Organisations

Considering the needs of event organisations—such as tracking audience discussions, identifying emerging topics, understanding sentiment, and engaging with key industry influencers—the following tools stand out:

🥇 Brandwatch (Best for Large-Scale Events & Enterprises)

✅ Comprehensive social listening, monitoring millions of sources in real time.

✅ AI-powered sentiment analysis to understand audience perceptions.

✅ Enterprise-level integrations (Salesforce, Google Analytics, etc.).

✅ Customisable dashboards and high-end data visualisation for insights.

❌ Expensive, requiring an enterprise-level budget.

🥈 Brand24 (Best for Mid-Sized & Growing Events)

✅ Affordable alternative to Brandwatch with real-time monitoring.

✅ Tracks conversations across social media, news, blogs, and more.

✅ Great sentiment analysis & influencer identification.

✅ Easier to use than Brandwatch, suitable for small event teams.

❌ Mentions limit per plan can be restrictive for high-traffic events.

🥉 3. SparkToro (Best for Audience Targeting & Market Research)

✅ Deep audience insights to understand attendee behaviors.

✅ Finds where target audiences engage online (social, podcasts, etc.).

✅ Great for event marketing and pre-event promotions.

❌ Not a social listening tool (no real-time tracking).

4. Mention (Best for Social Media & PR Monitoring)

✅ Monitors brand mentions, speakers, and event discussions.

✅ Integration with Slack & Zapier for real-time alerts.

✅ More cost-effective than Brandwatch for social monitoring.

❌ Limited AI features & fewer integrations than Brandwatch.

5. Exploding Topics & AnswerThePublic (Good for Event Content & SEO, but Not Real-Time)

✅ Good for event content planning & identifying trending topics.

✅ Exploding Topics is useful for forecasting future trends.

❌ Not ideal for real-time event monitoring or audience engagement.

Final Thoughts

Businesses that actively listen to online conversations can anticipate customer needs, respond to feedback in real-time, and gain a competitive edge.

Whether you’re using a free tool like AnswerThePublic to uncover audience insights or investing in an enterprise solution like Brandwatch for deep analytics, the right social listening tool will empower you to make smarter, data-driven marketing decisions.

By integrating social listening into your strategy, you can refine messaging, enhance customer engagement, and proactively manage your brand reputation.

Have you used any of these tools? Let us know in the comments which one works best for your business!

Need expert support for your social media or event marketing strategy? Whether you're looking to enhance brand visibility, drive audience engagement, or optimise your event promotions, we're here to help. Get in touch today to discuss how we can elevate your marketing efforts with data-driven strategies and social listening insights!