12 Best Media Monitoring Tools in 2026 (Compared & Priced)

A launch can earn a trade article, a morning TV segment, a podcast mention and a line in a ChatGPT answer in the same week. Most monitoring tools watch some of those channels well and miss the rest.

The tools below split into three groups. Full media intelligence platforms cover most channels in one search. Broadcast specialists go deep on TV, radio and podcasts. Lighter tools track online and social mentions at a published price.

If you already know which channel matters most, jump to the comparison table or the "How to choose" section. If you're still deciding, start with the reviews.

About this list: We scored every tool on the same criteria and checked pricing and ratings on October 16, 2026.

Contents

• 12 best media monitoring tools at a glance

• How we compared and scored media monitoring tools

• The 12 best media monitoring tools in 2026, reviewed

• How to choose the right media monitoring tool for your team

• Choosing your media monitoring tool: next steps

• FAQs about media monitoring tools

12 best media monitoring tools at a glance

Quick picks:

• Every earned channel plus AI answers on one platform: Meltwater
• Monitoring alongside wire distribution: Cision
• Monitoring alongside journalist pitching: Muck Rack
• TV, radio and podcast clips: Critical Mention or TVEyes
• Published pricing for small teams: Brand24 or Awario

How we compared and scored media monitoring tools

Robert Bishop, Sr. Manager, Product Marketing at Meltwater, reviewed every tool on this list.

"I compared each tool the way a PR team choosing a platform would. Which channels does it cover, and how fast does it surface a story that matters? What does it show about AI answers, and what does a year cost? I reviewed each product, its current plans and recent G2 reviews, then scored all 12 on the same six criteria."

We scored each tool on six weighted criteria:

Prices come from each vendor's pricing page and ratings from G2, both checked on October 16, 2026. Semrush AI PR Toolkit is still listed on G2 as Prowly. New to the category? Start with the basics of media monitoring.

The 12 best media monitoring tools in 2026, reviewed

Each review covers what the tool does, its key features, pros and cons, pricing, and when to choose or skip it. Full media intelligence platforms come first, followed by broadcast specialists, social and consumer intelligence tools, and lighter online monitoring tools.

1. Meltwater: best for news, print, broadcast, podcast, social and AI answer coverage in one place

Reviewed by Robert Bishop, Sr. Manager, Product Marketing, Meltwater:

"If your coverage lands in more channels than your current tool watches, Meltwater is worth a demo, because news, print, broadcast, podcasts, social and AI answers sit in one unified platform."

Meltwater is a media, social, consumer intelligence, and Answer Engine Optimization platform used by 27,000+ organizations, with monitoring in 240+ languages. Media monitoring runs in Explore, and Explore+ adds enterprise analytics and extended history.

(Source) 

Reviewer's take: "The part I'd look at first is how much of your coverage sits outside online news. Print, broadcast and podcasts come up in the same results as everything else, which is where teams running separate tools usually lose time."

Key features

• Monitors 200M+ online publications, 400,000+ print titles, 20,000+ podcasts and TV and radio across all 210 US media markets, by Meltwater's own figures.
• AI automatically surfaces sentiment, trends, and sudden spikes in media coverage, then sends alerts and summaries.
• Reports share of voice, reach, top outlets and top journalists in shareable dashboards.
• Shows what AI answers say about your brand through GenAI Lens, including which sources and authors those answers cite and which competitors appear alongside you.

GenAI Lens complements media monitoring and social listening: listening covers what people and publishers say, and GenAI Lens covers what AI says. Mira, Meltwater's AI teammate, answers questions in plain language across Meltwater products, including GenAI Lens, Explore, and Media Relations.

Radisson Hotel Group cut monthly reporting time by 33% after bringing media intelligence and influencer marketing together across 40+ locations.

Pros

• Covers print, broadcast and podcasts alongside online and social
• Tracks AI answers on the same platform as earned media
• Monitors national, regional and local media in 240+ languages

Cons

• Requires a 12-month minimum contract

Pricing: Plans are tailored with a 12-month minimum. Meltwater's pricing guide lists indicative starting points of $10,000 per year (Starter), $25,000 (Pro) and $130,000 (Enterprise). Starter covers news, broadcast and social for one region.

Choose Meltwater if you need news, print, broadcast, podcast and social coverage in one place, across 240+ languages. Skip it if you only need online and social mentions on a small budget. 

2. Cision: best for monitoring alongside wire distribution

CisionOne is Cision's communications platform, combining monitoring, a journalist database, release distribution and social intelligence. It suits large teams that send releases often. Cision's affiliated brands include Brandwatch and PR Newswire.

(Source) 

Reviewer's take: "Cision makes the most sense when distribution is a big part of your workload, because the media database, monitoring, and press release distribution all work within the same platform. If you rarely send releases over the wire, check which of those tools your plan actually needs."

Key features

• Streams online, TV, radio, print, podcast, magazine and social coverage through Mention Streams.
• Monitors media across 190+ countries and 96 languages, by Cision's own figures.
• Builds media lists from a database of 500k+ verified journalists and outlets.
• Turns coverage insights into branded, exportable reports in one click.

Pros

• Broad traditional media coverage
• Distribution and database on the same platform
• Mobile apps for alerts on the go

Cons

• No published pricing
• More platform to set up than a monitoring-only tool

Pricing: Contact for pricing through Cision's pricing request page.

Choose Cision if release distribution is central to your program and you want monitoring alongside it. Skip it if you mainly need print and broadcast monitoring without a wire.

Teams leaving Cision can compare options in our guide to Cision alternatives.

3. Muck Rack: best for monitoring alongside journalist pitching

Muck Rack is a PR platform known for journalist research and pitching, with coverage monitoring and reporting in the same login. It suits teams whose monitoring needs follow their outreach.

Reviewer's take: "Muck Rack is strongest when monitoring is a follow-on to pitching. Check which channels your plan includes, because print, broadcast and social listening are add-ons rather than part of the base package."

Key features

• Monitors about one million global sources, by Muck Rack's own figure, with podcasts from the Standard plan up.
• Links journalist profiles, pitches and the coverage they produce.
• Builds coverage reports for stakeholders.
• Tracks how AI answers describe your brand through Generative Pulse.

Pros

• Monitoring and pitching in one login
• Strong journalist data
• High G2 rating

Cons

• Print, broadcast, social listening and distribution are add-ons
• No published pricing and no free trial

Pricing: Contact for pricing. Muck Rack sells Starter, Standard, and Premier plans on annual contracts, with broadcast monitoring, social listening and press release distribution as add-ons.

Choose Muck Rack if you focus on journalist outreach and want coverage tracked alongside it. Skip it if TV and radio coverage drives your reporting.

4. Agility PR Solutions: best for licensed print and broadcast coverage

Agility PR Solutions is an all-in-one PR platform covering monitoring, a media database, analysis and distribution. Its monitoring includes print, broadcast, podcasts and radio, sourced through licensed providers: LexisNexis for global print, NLA and CLA for UK print, and TVEyes for TV, radio and podcasts, with an optional Financial Times package. It also tracks the full text of most paywalled publications.

(Source)

Reviewer's take: "Agility's reports are grounded in its licensed media dataset, including paywalled editorial rather than open-web results. The Agility Agent is worth testing if you produce leadership briefings every week."

Key features

• Indexes 2B+ news items a year across online, print, broadcast, podcast, radio and social, by Agility's own figure.
• Builds a stakeholder-ready report from one plain-language prompt with the Agility Agent.
• Flags coverage surges and stories matching your criteria with real-time alerts.
• Connects Google Analytics to link media wins to site traffic.

Pros

• Print and broadcast monitoring included
• Licensed sources, plus full-text tracking of most paywalled publications
• No Boolean needed to set up searches

Cons

• No published pricing
• Social engagement metrics need a separate Social Listening subscription

Pricing: Contact for pricing. Packages are scoped to your monitoring volume. Agility is a subsidiary of Innodata.

Choose Agility PR Solutions if you want print and broadcast coverage from licensed sources with reporting built in. Skip it if you also need deep social and consumer analysis. 

5. Critical Mention: best for TV and radio clips

Critical Mention, an Onclusive company, is an earned media monitoring platform that searches TV, radio, online news and social. It also includes a media contact database for broadcasters and journalists.

(Source) 

Reviewer's take: "For TV and radio, it's quick to find a segment and share it with your team. If broadcast is the gap in your current setup, it fills it without a large platform around it."

Key features

• Returns results within 60 seconds, with real-time notifications.
• Shares clips and results with stakeholders in one click, including people without a login.
• Builds custom charts and graphs for coverage reports.
• Maps sentiment and trends with density maps and word clouds.

Pros

• Fast broadcast search
• Shareable clips and reports
• Media contact database included

Cons

• Lighter print and global coverage than full platforms
• No published pricing

Pricing: Contact for pricing. Critical Mention offers tailored plans for brands and agencies.

Choose Critical Mention if broadcast clips are the coverage you report on most. Skip it if you need broadcast across many countries and languages.

6. TVEyes: best for global broadcast and podcast search

TVEyes is a broadcast monitoring platform that tracks TV, radio, podcasts and online video. It suits teams that need transcribed broadcast coverage across many markets, plus API access for their own systems.

(Source) 

Reviewer's take: "TVEyes is worth a look if your broadcast coverage is international. It's a specialist, so you'll still need another tool for print and social."

Key features

• Monitors 2.5M hours of broadcast, podcast and online video a month across 60+ countries and 43+ languages, by TVEyes' own figures.
• Transcribes speech to text with over 95% accuracy, by the vendor's figure.
• Sends near real-time alerts on brands, competitors and themes.
• Separates paid from earned media to help measure ROI.

Pros

• Wide international broadcast coverage
• Large podcast database
• API access to broadcast data

Cons

• No print or social monitoring
• No published pricing

Pricing: Contact for pricing through a demo request.

Choose TVEyes if you track TV, radio and podcasts across several countries. Skip it if you need broadcast and print in one platform.

7. Brandwatch: best for consumer research at scale

Brandwatch Consumer Research is a consumer intelligence platform that analyzes online conversation for research and insights teams. It's part of the Cision group of brands.

(Source)

Reviewer's take: "Brandwatch fits when your monitoring questions are really research questions about consumers. For press and broadcast coverage, you'll get more from a tool built around earned media."

Key features

• Analyzes conversation from over 100 million online sources, by Brandwatch's own figure.
• Turns data into readable insights with Iris, its built-in AI.
• Detects logos and images with visual analytics.
• Monitors search and GenAI answers alongside social data.

Pros

• Deep historical archive of consumer opinion
• Flexible custom categorization
• Strong analyst and consulting services

Cons

• No published pricing
• Built for consumer research more than press coverage

Pricing: Contact for pricing.

Choose Brandwatch if you need research-style consumer analysis. Skip it if press, print and broadcast coverage drive your reporting.

8. Lumen by Talkwalker: best for social and visual listening

Talkwalker is now Lumen by Talkwalker, as Hootsuite and Talkwalker move closer together. It's a social listening and consumer intelligence platform with strong image and video recognition.

(Source) 

Reviewer's take: "Lumen stands out for visual listening, which catches logo appearances that text search misses. It's social-first, so check its press and broadcast coverage against your reporting needs."

Key features

• Listens across 10+ social networks plus news sites, blogs, forums and reviews.
• Detects 30,000+ brand logos, plus scenes and objects, in images and video.
• Flags unusual activity with spike analysis and crisis dashboards.
• Connects to Hootsuite for instant response.

Pros

• Strong visual and image recognition
• Real-time crisis dashboards
• Hootsuite integration for response

Cons

• No published pricing
• Lighter print and broadcast coverage than PR-focused tools

Pricing: Contact for pricing.

Choose Lumen by Talkwalker if you need visual listening and real-time social crisis alerts. Skip it if most of your coverage is print and broadcast.

9. Brand24: best for online monitoring on a budget

Brand24 is an AI-powered monitoring tool that tracks mentions across social media, news, blogs, video, podcasts, forums and reviews. It suits small teams that want published pricing and a quick start.

(Source)

Reviewer's take: "Brand24 is easy to set up and publishes its prices, which makes it a sensible start for a small team. It doesn't cover print or TV, so it won't replace a full platform."

Key features

• Tracks mentions in real time across 25 million online sources, by Brand24's own figure.
• Detects anomalies, emotions and topics in your mentions with AI.
• Sends Storm Alerts when mentions or reach suddenly jump, by Slack, email or in-app.
• Adds an AI Visibility module on the Enterprise plan.

Pros

• Published pricing and a 14-day free trial
• Wide online and social coverage
• Quick to set up

Cons

• No print or TV monitoring
• Individual plan limits you to 3 keywords and 1 user

Pricing: When billed annually, monthly pricing starts at $199 for Individual, $299 for Team, $399 for Pro, $599 for Business, and from $1,499 for Enterprise. Higher monthly rates are also available if you prefer not to commit annually. 

Choose Brand24 if you're a small team that wants published pricing and quick set-up. Skip it if you need the lowest possible price.

10. Mention: best for collaborative web and review monitoring

Mention is a web and social monitoring tool for brands and agencies. It now sells one Company plan focused on monitoring, and its publishing and response features have moved to Agorapulse.

Reviewer's take: "Mention suits teams that share alerts and need review sites in the same feed. It moved upmarket in 2025, so compare its single plan against Brand24's tiers before you buy."

Key features

• Monitors mentions from over 1 billion web and social sources, by Mention's own figure.
• Tracks 75+ review sites, including Google, Trustpilot and Glassdoor.
• Builds Boolean searches of up to 2,000 characters.
• Assigns mentions and shares alerts across team roles.

Pros

• Review monitoring built in
• Collaboration tools for teams
• Free trial available

Cons

• Historical data and API access are paid add-ons
• One plan only, capped at 5 alerts and 50,000 mentions a month, per third-party trackers

Pricing: Mention sells a single Company plan and no longer displays its price. Third-party trackers report about $599 per month on annual billing, per Toolradar (August 2026). Publishing and response features have moved to Agorapulse. 

Choose Mention if your team shares alerts and needs review sites in the same feed. Skip it if you want published pricing and more mentions per dollar.

11. Semrush AI PR Toolkit: best for outreach with light monitoring

Semrush AI PR Toolkit, formerly Prowly, combines a media database, AI-assisted pitching and online media monitoring. It's built for teams with little PR software experience that want to buy without a sales call.

(Source) 

Reviewer's take: "This works when monitoring is a side job to outreach. Check the plan before you buy, because monitoring starts at Pro, not Base, and covers online sources only."

Key features

• Monitors online coverage with built-in analytics on the Pro plan and up.
• Finds outlets that AI models cite through its AI-cited media database.
• Benchmarks share of voice, sentiment and reach against competitors on Business.
• Sends and tracks pitches by email from the platform.

Pros

• Published pricing and a 7-day free trial
• Database, pitching and monitoring together
• Guided setup for teams new to PR tools

Cons

• No monitoring on the Base plan
• No print or broadcast coverage

Pricing: Base costs $149 per month, Pro $279 and Business $499, per Semrush's AI PR Toolkit pricing page. Each plan has a 7-day free trial.

Choose Semrush AI PR Toolkit if you want a database and pitching with online monitoring at a published price. Skip it if monitoring is your main job.

12. Awario: best for the lowest published price

Awario is a brand monitoring tool that tracks mentions across social media, news, blogs, video and the web. It suits solo marketers and small teams that need basic monitoring at a low cost.

(Source)

Reviewer's take: "Awario is the cheapest way on this list to start monitoring online mentions. Expect basic analytics and no traditional media."

Key features

• Monitors social, news, blogs, video and web mentions in real time.
• Builds Boolean searches with unlimited keywords per topic.
• Measures mention sentiment, reach and share of voice against competitors.
• Exports mentions to CSV and shares PDF reports.

Pros

• Lowest published price on this list
• Free trial with no credit card
• Unlimited keywords per topic

Cons

• Starter allows 1 team member and 30,000 new mentions a month
• No print, broadcast or podcast monitoring

Pricing: When billed annually, monthly pricing starts at $29 for Starter plans, $89 for Pro, and $249 for Enterprise. Higher monthly rates are also available if you prefer not to commit annually per Awario’s pricing page.

Choose Awario if you want the lowest-cost way to track online mentions. Skip it if you need deeper AI analysis and more sources.

How to choose the right media monitoring tool for your team

Start with where your coverage appears, then match the tool to those channels.

Features worth paying for:

• Broadcast and podcast coverage. Many tools stop at online news. If TV, radio or podcasts carry your stories, confirm those channels are included rather than sold as add-ons.
• Licensed print and paywalled sources. Open-web tools miss paywalled articles and print editions. Ask how the vendor sources them.
• Alerts on spikes, not every mention. You want to know when a story starts moving.
• AI answer tracking with sources. Several tools now track AI answers. Choose one that shows which sources those answers cite, so you know which outlets to pitch.
• Clear contract terms. Ask about minimum terms, seat limits and add-on costs before you compare headline prices.

Media monitoring vs social listening. Media monitoring tracks earned coverage in news, print, broadcast and podcasts. Social listening analyzes social and consumer conversation for sentiment, trends and audiences. If social conversation matters more to you, compare social listening tools instead. For social-first options such as Sprout Social and Hootsuite, see our social media monitoring tools roundup.

Choosing your media monitoring tool: next steps

Full platforms such as Meltwater, Cision and Agility PR Solutions cover most earned channels. Critical Mention and TVEyes go deep on broadcast. Brand24 and Awario cost less if online mentions are all you need.

Your next step is to list the channels where your last ten pieces of coverage appeared. If that list includes print, broadcast, podcasts or AI answers, rule out any tool that doesn't cover them.

To see every earned channel and AI answers in one search, explore Meltwater's media monitoring and

book a walkthrough

built around your own brand and competitors.

FAQs about media monitoring tools

What is a media monitoring tool?

A media monitoring tool tracks brand mentions across online news, print, broadcast, podcasts, social media and, increasingly, AI answers. Media monitoring software collects coverage as it appears, runs sentiment analysis, measures share of voice and sends real-time alerts when a story starts moving. Public relations teams use it to protect brand reputation, track brand awareness and report results to leadership.

How much do media monitoring tools cost?

Online brand monitoring tools publish prices from $29 to $1,499 per month, with Awario starting at $29 and Brand24 at $199, both billed annually. Media intelligence platforms that add print, broadcast and podcasts usually quote annual contracts, with Meltwater’s indicative pricing starting at $10,000 per year.

Are there free media monitoring tools?

Google Alerts and Talkwalker Alerts are free and email you new web mentions of a keyword. Neither covers print, broadcast or podcasts, and neither offers sentiment analysis, Boolean search or reporting. Most paid tools offer a trial instead. Brand24 offers 14 days, Semrush AI PR Toolkit offers 7, and Awario’s trial needs no credit card.

What’s the difference between media monitoring and social listening?

Media monitoring tracks earned coverage and trends in online news, print, broadcast and podcasts. Social listening analyzes social and consumer conversation for trending topics, sentiment and demographics. Social listening tools such as Brandwatch and Lumen by Talkwalker focus on that second job, adding visual recognition for logos. In Meltwater, both run in Explore and differ only by data source.

What’s the difference between a media monitoring tool and a social media monitoring tool?

A social media monitoring tool such as Sprout Social, Hootsuite or Agorapulse tracks mentions on X (Twitter), Instagram and TikTok. It usually sits beside publishing and engagement features. Media monitoring tools add online news, print, broadcast and podcasts. If scheduling posts and replying to comments is your main job, a social media management tool fits social media marketing teams better.

What’s the best media monitoring tool for PR teams?

It depends on your channels. Meltwater and Cision cover a wide range of earned media, and Muck Rack suits teams that pitch and monitor in one place. For crisis management and reputation management, prioritize real-time monitoring with spike alerts. Critical Mention and TVEyes fit broadcast-heavy programs, and Brand24 suits small teams that want published pricing.

Can media monitoring tools track ChatGPT and other AI answers?

Some can. Weekly use of AI chatbots for news rose from 7% to 10% globally in a year, per the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2026. Meltwater, Cision, Muck Rack, Agility PR Solutions and Brandwatch track AI answers, and Brand24 adds it on Enterprise.