12 Best Media Monitoring Tools to Use in 2025

Media monitoring tools are like sunscreen on a vacation in Dubai – you can skip them, but you’ll quickly regret it when the heat is on. Just as sunscreen protects you from invisible UV rays, media monitoring tools shield your reputation from unseen risks. And just like sunscreens vary, so do media monitoring tools. The question isn’t whether you need one but which one best fits your needs.

What is media monitoring tool?

Media monitoring tools are software that tracks and analyzes your and your rivals’ online mentions across social media platforms and beyond. They do this by monitoring specific keywords, phrases, brands, or topics.

The top media monitoring tools use AI to analyze data, uncover insights, and – ultimately – paint a big picture of your brand’s online presence, audience sentiment, and competitive landscape.

Now, without further ado, let’s explore the 12 best media monitoring tools!

The 12 Best AI Media Monitoring Tools: 

01 Brand24

Free 14-day trial.

Brand24 is a media monitoring tool that tracks & analyzes brand mentions and delivers tailored insights thanks to its AI-powered features.

The tool monitors conversations in real-time across various online sources – both social and non-social. 

The queen of Brand24’s analytics feature is its powerful sentiment analysis that uncovers emotions hidden within online mentions, allowing brands to understand public perception more deeply.

Moreover, the tool allows you to identify industry trends, top brand influencers & haters, most important brand awareness sources, analyze hashtags, benchmark competitors, and much more.

The tool offers a wide range of AI solutions, such as:

• AI Brand Assistant – a kind of chatbot but equipped with internal project data
• AI Insights – an automated report summarizing the most important insights, trends, and recommendations
• AI Events Detector – identifies and informs about anomalies related to your brand mentions
• AI Topic Analysis – presenting which subjects drive the most interest in your brand within your target audience
• AI Emotion Analysis – identifies specific feelings that give much deeper insights into sentiment analysis
• AI Metrics Analysis – overviewing the key metrics, such as the top sources for positive sentiment, reach efficiency, etc.

Additionally, Brand24 allows you to create comprehensive reports that provide a clear snapshot of your brand performance.

🔍 Monitored sources

Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn, TikTok, Reddit, Bluesky, Telegram, Twitch, websites, blogs, podcasts, video platforms, news sites, review platforms, and newsletters.

⭐️ Overall verdict

Brand24 is a powerful media monitoring tool perfect for medium and large-sized businesses.

Its comprehensive monitoring and analytics features enable brands to manage their online presence and protect their reputation effectively.

Strengths:

• A range of very useful AI-powered features
• The broad coverage of sources of data
• Friendly & intuitive user interface
• Accurate & AI-boosted sentiment analysis
• Numerous filters, including Boolean search

What could be better:

• Limited access to historical data
• No social media management features

02 Awario

Awario is a relatively cheap and basic social media monitoring tool that tracks and analyzes online conversations happening both on social media platforms and in non-social sources (like websites).

It provides a range of simple media monitoring features, such as sentiment analysis, Boolean searching, competitor analysis, and influencer marketing.

Due to its simplicity, you’ll not find advanced analytics features.

However, there are two unique things that make Awario an interesting choice for small businesses and social media managers:

• Direct engagement with mentions – you can reply, like, and share mentions from the feed.
• Leads module that supports social selling – it helps you identify prospects who use your tracked keywords with a buying intent or complain about your competitors.

🔍 Monitored sources 

Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter), YouTube, Reddit, news, blogs, forums, and websites.

Check: Awario Alternatives

⭐️ Overall verdict

Awario is a good fit for smaller businesses and freelancers with basic needs that prioritize social selling and have lower budgets.

The higher plans are needed for more features. It’s not ideal for large enterprises or those requiring image recognition or extensive historical data.

Strengths:

• Simple design and UX
• Lead generation module, great for social selling
• Social interactions directly from the feed

What could be better:

• Lack of advanced analytics and AI-supported features that would show the big picture
• Limited coverage – Awario users often complain about the lack of comprehensive monitoring of Instagram, LinkedIn, or Reddit
• No CRM integrations and mobile app.

03 Mention.com

Mention.com is a powerful media monitoring tool that covers a broad range of social and non-social sources.

It provides far-reaching capabilities for monitoring brand reputation, analyzing trends, and gaining audience insights. 

Obviously, all the mentions are tracked in real-time.

Like most tools on that list, it offers sentiment analysis, which allows you to understand people’s feelings about your brand, and competitor benchmarking.

Moreover, Mention.com provides an anomaly detector named Spike Alerts. It resembles Brand24’s AI Events Detector.

The two unique things that make Mention.com stand out are: 

• Team collaboration features – with just a few clicks, you can tag brand mentions, assign tasks, and share reports.
• Historical data access – you can collect mentions with up to two years in the past.

🔍 Monitored sources

Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter), LinkedIn, Pinterest, Reddit, TikTok, YouTube, websites, forums, blogs, podcasts, and news sites.

⭐️ Overall verdict

Mention.com is a great choice for businesses that require real-time monitoring combined with historical data access and collaborative features. It’s well-suited for mid-sized companies. 

However, it may not be the best fit for enterprises needing AI-powered insights or highly advanced analytics.

Strengths:

• Team collaboration features
• Historical data access (on higher plans)
• Multilingual support across +40 languages

What could be better:

• Limited advanced AI analytics compared to competitors
• Social platform coverage, historical data, and advanced filters are reserved for higher-priced plans
• Basic sentiment analysis – there’s no deeper sentiment segmentation.

04 Brandwatch

Brandwatch is an enterprise-level social media monitoring and analytics tool.

It offers deep & big picture insights into online conversations by leveraging AI-powered analysis and advanced data visualization.

The tool is especially powerful when it comes to consumer intelligence.

It allows you to perform a real-time and historical market analysis and do a detailed data segmentation by sentiment, demographics, and more.

The two unique things that make Brandwatch an interesting choice for enterprise customers are:

• Image recognition technology – enables users to track visual mentions of their brand or products,
• Extensive data coverage – Brandwatch connects with CRM systems, Google Analytics, and marketing tools like Salesforce.

Moreover, it helps identify and track influencers who can significantly impact brand perception and audience engagement.

🔍 Monitored sources 

Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter), YouTube, TikTok, Reddit, LinkedIn, Twitch, WhatsApp, news sites, blogs, review sites, and forums.

Check: Brandwatch Alternatives

⭐️ Overall verdict

Brandwatch is a good choice for high-budget enterprises, large agencies, and organizations that need deep analytics and powerful data visualization.

The high pricing makes it inapplicable for smaller businesses with basic needs.

Strengths:

• Advanced consumer intelligence
• Custom dashboards
• Image recognition

What could be better:

• Expensive plans
• Difficult and time-consuming onboarding process
• Low coverage of TikTok and LinkedIn

05 Google Alerts

It might surprise you but Google Alerts is definitely among the best free media monitoring tools you can use! How is that possible?

Well, Google Alerts has a lot in common with commercial media monitoring tools.

It allows you to track specific keywords and brand mentions across websites, news articles, and blogs. 

Once a new mention appears, you receive an email notification, making it a simple yet effective way to stay updated.

However, unlike advanced media monitoring tools, Google Alerts does not track social media mentions, analyze sentiment, or offer competitive benchmarking. 

It’s a lightweight tool best suited for basic monitoring needs rather than deep analytics.

🔍 Monitored sources 

Websites, news, blogs, and forums.

⭐️ Overall verdict

Google Alerts is a great choice for individuals, freelancers, and small businesses looking for a free and easy way to monitor brand mentions.

Remember, though, that it lacks basically any type of analytics and real-time tracking.

Strengths:

• Free media monitoring tool
• Ease of use
• Email notifications

What could be better:

• Limited monitoring – Google Alerts doesn’t track social media mentions
• Lack of advanced analytics: – the tool provides no analytics or insights beyond notifying users of new mentions.
• No sentiment analysis – Google Alerts does not analyze the sentiment of the mentions.
• Basic interface – the tool has a very basic and limited interface, offering minimal customization or filtering options.

06 BrandMentions

BrandMentions is known for its comprehensive coverage and real-time media monitoring capabilities. 

The tool offers, let’s say, a traditional set of features most tools in that niche has. These are real-time alerts, sentiment analysis, competitor analysis, and AI-driven insights.

Besides, BrandMentions will help you identify influencers and key opinion leaders in specific industries or topics. Also, you’ll be able to monitor competitors’ online presence and compare their media coverage.

🔍 Monitored sources 

Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter), TikTok, LinkedIn, YouTube, websites, blogs, forums, and review sites.

⭐️ Overall verdict

BrandMentions is a nice choice for medium-sized businesses that expect quite a basic analytics.

However, if you need more detailed insights, such as in-depth data visualization, predictive analytics, or extensive integrations – BrandMentions may fall short.

Strengths:

• Quite a comprehensive sources coverage
• Customizable reporting
• Ease of use

What could be better:

• Limited advanced analytics
• Frequently reported problems with missed mentions
• Only 7-day free trial

07 Talkwalker

Talkwalker is another robust media monitoring tool that focuses on delivering results to corporate and enterprise-level accounts.

The tool helps brands and agencies track and analyze online conversations, brand mentions, and media coverage.

It includes sentiment analysis to gauge public perception and sentiment toward a brand or topic.

Talkwalker covers owned and earned media in 187 languages. Using advanced AI, the tool can deliver the most important and impactful information.

The two unique things Talkwalker offers are:

• Predictive analysis – the tool can forecast topic volumes and trends using machine learning;
• Visial recognition – Talkwalker detects brand mentions in images, videos, and audio.

The tool analyses the data in real time. You also get access to 2 years of historical data.

Besides, Talkwalker works great for tracking press releases. Your PR professionals will surely appreciate it!

The tool’s pricing is undisclosed but according to SaaS review sites, Basic plan starts at around $10,000.

🔍 Monitored sources 

Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X (Twitter), Bluesky, LinkedIn, YouTube, Pinterest, Reddit, Line, news sites, blogs, forums, podcasts, video platforms, and newsletters.

Check: Talkwalker Alternatives

⭐️ Overall verdict

Talkwalker is a powerful media monitoring tool, ideal for enterprises.

While its pricing is on the higher side, the extensive features it offers gives a real value for businesses that require in-depth media monitoring and consumer intelligence.

Strengths:

• Very broad sources coverage
• Predictive analysis
• Multiple types of data visualizations

What could be better:

• UX is far from being user-friendly
• Troubles with data mining and sentiment tagging
• Steep learning curve
• No free trial

08 Keyhole

Keyhole is a social media monitoring and analytics tool designed to track online conversations, measure campaign performance, and understand audience engagement.

It offers a suite of features including real-time tracking, hashtag analytics, and influencer monitoring.

While Keyhole provides standard media monitoring capabilities such as sentiment analysis and competitor tracking, it is especially powerful with two unique features:​

• Predictive analytics – Keyhole forecasts campaign performance over the next 24 hours, 7 days, and 30 days;
• Influencer tracking – the tool identifies key influencers discussing specific hashtags or keywords. That allows brands in better targeting and engaging with relevant opinion leaders.

🔍 Monitored sources 

Facebook, Instgram, X (Twitter), YouTube, LikedIn, TikTok, news sites, blogs, and forums.

Check: Keyhole Alternatives

⭐️ Overall verdict

Keyhole is one of these online monitoring tools that are best suited to small and medium-sized businesses.

Especially those actively running social media campaigns and with little reporting needs.

Strengths:

• User-friendly interface
• Predictive analytics that works well for campaign management.
• Powerful influencer marketing features

What could be better:

• Limited historical data access compared to its market rivals
• Low coverage of non-social sources
• Advanced analytics features are less appealing than those offered by Keyhole’s competitors

09 Sprout Social

Sprout Social is a comprehensive social media monitoring, management, and analytics software designed to help brands effectively manage their social media presence across multiple channels.

It offers a suite of features including content scheduling, publishing, engagement, and in-depth analytics.

All that to strengthen your social media performance on many different levels.

One of the key Sprout Social’s components is social listening. It allows you to monitor brand mentions, track industry trends, get detailed insights into audience sentiment, and more.

What’s interesting, the platform provides tools for real-time engagement. So, in other words, you can respond to incoming messages or schedule posts on major social media channels.

🔍 Monitored sources 

Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn, Pinterest, TikTok, Reddit, news sites, blogs, and review sites.

⭐️ Overall verdict

As an all-in-one tool, Sprout Social is a great solution for medium to large businesses and agencies that require comprehensive social media management and analytics capabilities.

Strengths:

• Intuitive and user-friendly interface
• Comprehensive set of social media management & analytcis features
• AI-powered automation for efficiency

What could be better:

• High pricing
• Reported issues with social listening accuracy
• Limited features in the basic plan

10 Meltwater

Meltwater is a powerful media intelligence platform that monitors and analyzes enterprise-size brands’ media presence across both online and offline channels.

Precisely speaking, Meltwater offers features for tracking online news, social media, print, broadcast, and podcasts, providing a holistic view of brand mentions and industry trends.

The tool offers analytics tracking the volume of mentions, the share of voice, reach, sentiment, emerging trends, top publications, locations, and influencers. 

While these capabilities are pretty standard for most of the media monitoring tools on that list, Meltwater distinguishes itself with two unique features:​

• Custom scoring – it allows to assign different weights to mentions based on their importance. Very useful thing for more detailed analysis!
• Rules-based automation – you can automate repetitive tasks within the platform.

🔍 Monitored sources 

Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn, TikTok, Twitch, Snapchat, Bluesky, news sites, blogs, forums, podcasts, review sites, radio, and TV.

Check: Meltwater Alternatives

⭐️ Overall verdict

Meltwater is an ideal solution for large enterprises and organizations that require extensive media monitoring and advanced analytics.

This scope justifies its higher pricing which is unreachable for smaller companies.

Strengths:

• Extensive data coverage across multiple online and offline media channels
• Advanced features like AI-powered tagging and rules-based automation
• User-friendly interface with powerful analytics tools

What could be better:

• Despite its user-friendly interface, the platform’s extensive features require time for new users to fully utilize
• Some users express concerns regarding contract transparency and customer service
• Users managing a large number of accounts simultaneously have reported occasional performance lags. ​

11 Determ

Determ, formerly known as Mediatoolkit, is a dynamic media monitoring solution for PR and marketing professionals.

It excels in delivering real-time insights into brand mentions, industry trends, and competitor benchmarking across multiple online sources. ​

While Determ offers standard features like real-time tracking and sentiment analysis, it stands out with two features:​

• AI Assistant “Synthia” – AI-generated summaries and strategic insights into the most influential media coverage and online conversations. 
• Advanced Boolean search operators – they allow a much more detailed and tailored results filtering.

🔍 Monitored sources 

Facebook, Twitter (X), Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Reddit, news sites, forums, blogs, and review sites.

⭐️ Overall verdict

Determ is a nice choice for small to medium-sized businesses seeking a user-friendly media monitoring tool with AI capabilities and customizable reporting.

However, brands looking for more advanced analytics or extensive historical data may find it less useful.​

Strengths:

• Customizable mentions filtering and reporting
• AI Assistant

What could be better:

• Limited advanced analytics
• Low coverage of social media platforms
• Limited access to historical data

12 Prowly

Prowly is a platform that offers tools for Public Relations (PR) and media relations.

It its essence, this platform excels in managing media databases, press release creation & distribution, and media outreach.

Moreover, Prowly includes features for media monitoring, which can be helpful for PR agencies in managing their activities.

In practice, the tool does provide some features to track brand mentions and media coverage, helping users monitor the results of their PR campaigns.

However, it is not a dedicated media monitoring software. So, consider more advanced tools if you care about in-depth mentions tracking and comprehensive media analysis.

🔍 Monitored sources

Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter), YouTube, news sites, print media, radio, and TV.

⭐️ Overall verdict

Contrary to other tools from that list, Prowly is an example of PR media monitoring tools.

And as so, it is an excellent choice for PR professionals and businesses seeking an all-in-one PR solution with a little support for media monitoring.

Strengths:

• Integrated PR tools
• Huge media database
• AI assistant

What could be better:

• Lack of in-depth analytics
• Very limited media monitoring capabilities

Conclusion

A media monitoring tool is no longer a nice-to-have. If you’re treating your PR, marketing, reputation, and social media strategy seriously, such software matters a lot!

These tools provide multi-channel and real-time tracking of brand mentions, sentiment analysis, and competitor benchmarking across various online sources. 

Brand24 stands out with its AI-powered insights, anomaly detection, and in-depth sentiment analysis, making it a strong choice for medium and large-sized businesses. 

Meanwhile, tools like Determ or Awario fit smaller companies with affordable pricing and engagement-focused features. 

For enterprises, solutions such as Brandwatch and Talkwalker offer advanced analytics, image recognition, and predictive insights. 

Google Alerts remains a simple, free alternative, though its monitoring capabilities are limited compared to premium tools. 

Remember that choosing the right media monitoring tool depends on your brand’s needs, whether it’s real-time tracking, historical data access, or AI-powered insights.

And also on how deep your pocket is 😉

Final thoughts:

• A strong media monitoring strategy helps brands prevent crises before they escalate.
• AI-powered insights allow brands to make accurate decisions faster.
• Choosing the right tool depends on whether you prioritize affordability, depth of analysis, or specific features.
• Social media monitoring is just one part of a broader brand reputation strategy. 

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