The internet is a vast and ever-expanding place, making it hard for brands to keep tabs on what people say about them. The solution: brand monitoring tools that do most of the work for you.
Brands need monitoring tools as part of their brand strategies. Think of them as your brand’s personal paparazzi, capturing every important brand metric to help you understand how the public perceives your products or services. If someone mentions you online — for better or worse — you’ll be among the first to know about it if you’re proactive about brand monitoring.
Contents
What Are The Best Brand Monitoring Tools For 2026?
What Are The Top Features to Look For in Brand Monitoring Tools?
FAQ: Brand Monitoring Tools
The Best Brand Monitoring Tools: Next Steps
What Are The Best Brand Monitoring Tools For 2026?
From tracking customer feedback to finding trends and keeping an eye on competitors, these tools play a crucial role in shaping successful marketing strategies. Here are our top picks for the best brand monitoring tools:
Meltwater
The quintessential brand monitoring tool, Meltwater helps organizations gain a 360-degree view of their brand’s presence. From social media monitoring to blogs, podcasts, and news channels, you can see everywhere your brand lives and use this intel to grow stronger.
Companies trust Meltwater’s media intelligence for real-time data and actionable insights. Meltwater combines brand monitoring with data science to analyze findings and show you what the data means and why it matters. With access to a 15-month archive of social data, brands can see how perceptions and conversations have evolved.
And if your brand does become a target for negative online chatter, brands can spot shifts in sentiments quickly and react accordingly. Meltwater helps companies get ahead so they can lead the conversation, quash misinformation in its tracks, and protect their public images.
Along with brand tracking, Meltwater also serves as a brand tracking software so you can see how your efforts pay off over time.
Key Features
- LLM tracking
- Social listening, including Chinese social media apps (Chinese social media monitoring)
- Unlimited keywords
- Sentiment analysis
- Social analytics tools
- Competitor intelligence
- AI-assisted insights
AI prompts for brand monitoring with Meltwater
Mira Studio is your AI-powered digital teammate within Meltwater, designed with PR and marketing pros in mind. With prompt-driven reporting, simplified data exploration, and real-time answers, Mira Studio helps you cut through the complexity and focus on what will truly move your brand forward.
Here are some suggested brand monitoring AI prompts to use:
- Could you summarize recent news articles that discuss [Insert Topic/Brand]?
- Design a framework for evaluating the authority and influence of different media sources specific to [Insert Industry]
- What was the media reaction to [Insert Business Change] at [Insert Brand]?
- What is the media sentiment in [Add Geographical Location] towards [Insert Brand] over [Insert Timeframe]?
Price: Available upon request; free demo available.
Recent user reviews for Meltwater
👍 Advantages
"Meltwater has been an invaluable tool for me and my team. Its monitoring capabilities are top-notch, the way it displays data is clear, visually intuitive, and makes it easy to spot trends quickly. I love how I can dive into the analytics and gain actionable insights that directly inform strategy development. The reporting features are equally impressive, allowing me to generate detailed reports that support decision-making and showcase results to stakeholders." (Source)
✍️ Could be improved
"At the beginning, it is quite complicated to create your own searches, especially because of the required operators. However, Meltwater offers support from the start and sets up the searches. Additionally, there are helpful blog posts and AI-based assistance that help in creating searches on your own." (Source)
Ahrefs
Primarily an SEO tool, Ahrefs can be very telling about your overall brand health. A small slice of the much larger branding picture is the ability to gain backlinks from other websites. Sometimes, these backlinks are the by-products of conscientious efforts on your part. Other times, they happen organically.
Key features
- Competitor analysis
- Local search optimization to maintain brand consistency in online listings
- SERP rank tracking to fuel your SEO strategy
- Backlink monitoring
Pricing
Plans for Ahrefs start at $99/month; some tools are available for free.
Best for:
Tracking brand online presence against competitors from an SEO and GEO perspective. Using keyword insights and trends to shore up content strategy.
More details
When you receive unsolicited backlinks from third parties, you don’t have control over the anchor text they use or the context in which they link to you. These are important things to know because they can influence how others perceive your brand.
Ahrefs tracks your entire backlink profile, allowing you to see who is driving traffic to you, the anchor text they use, their domain authority rating, and other details.
And since it’s an SEO tool, you can also track keywords and organic rankings and how these change over time. If you notice a decline in rankings, you can pair this with other brand-related data, such as customer sentiment analysis, to see if the decline indicates a brand image issue or something else.
Tip: Learn how to write SEO-optimized content and how to supercharge your SEO with audience insights.
Recent user reviews for Ahrefs
👍 Advantages
"Ahrefs gives really detailed information about what’s working for your website and your competitors. It’s great for finding good keywords, seeing who is linking to your site, and getting ideas for content. I really like the Site Explorer, which shows you what pages are getting the most traffic and links. The keyword tool is also super helpful for planning what to write about. The dashboard is easy to use and fast. Plus, they have really helpful videos and blog posts to teach you how to use everything." (Source)
✍️ What could be improved
"The biggest challenge is that there's so much data available that it can sometimes feel a bit overwhelming to pinpoint exactly what I need. It’s a good problem to have, but a little more customization or simplification in certain areas could help." (Source)
BuzzSumo
People are talking about your brand online, even when they aren’t having those conversations directly with you. With BuzzSumo, you can set up keyword alerts and respond at the right times.
Key features
- Content discovery
- Competitor monitoring
- Custom alerts
Pricing
Plans start at $199 per month; free 30-day trial available.
Best for:
Tracking content popularity as is relates to competitors, industry news, and products or services.
More details
Keyword alerts are helpful not just with brand monitoring but also when tracking competitors, industry news, and products or services related to your own. You can also receive alerts when new content is posted on websites or by authors you’re tracking.
If you find that content is being posted about your brand, you can go to your personalized dashboard to see the content’s popularity. View how many times it’s been shared on various social media channels. If the content might bring negative publicity, gauging its popularity can show you whether there’s a real threat you need to address.
Tip: Learn more about brand monitoring right here.
Recent user reviews for BuzzSumo
👍 Advantages
"BuzzSumo makes it incredibly easy to discover high-performing content across any topic or industry. I love how I can instantly see which articles are getting the most engagement across social platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, and X (Twitter). The Content Analyzer and Trending Feeds are my favorite features — they save me hours of research and help me plan content that’s more likely to succeed. It also helps identify top influencers and competitors’ best-performing content, which is a huge bonus." (Source)
✍️ What could be improved
"While BuzzSumo is a powerful tool, some of its best features — like full historical data, backlink analysis, and advanced filters — are only available on higher-tier plans, which can be expensive for small teams or individual users." (Source)
YouScan
YouScan wears many hats: brand monitoring, competitor analysis, market research, and trend detection, to name a few. In terms of brand monitoring, YouScan aims to understand what people are saying online about a brand and pinpoint what exactly makes them happy or dissatisfied.
Key features
- AI-powered analysis
- Image recognition
- Sentiment analysis
Pricing
Plans for YouScan start at $299 per month.
Best for:
Maintaining brand consistency across all channels, particularly from a visual standpoint.
More details
Aside from monitoring social media and other text-based content, YouScan’s AI capabilities can analyze logos, images, and other visuals. This helps brands maintain a consistent image across channels (e.g., using the right logo or creative) as well as keep tabs on competitors to see how they’re using visuals to talk about their brands.
Tip: See how Meltwater uses AI, including video and image analysis, and take a look at more image recognition software.
Recent user reviews for YouScan
👍 Advantages
"This service allows you to maximize the depth of research of customers' opinion about the brand. It allows you to create dashboards and has a wide range of functionality, from text mentions to voice and visual mentions, which in turn perfectly combines with the improvement of customer experience." (Source)
✍️ Areas for improvement
"My only complaint about YouScan is the user interface for writing queries, which could be improved. It would be nice if the topics included subtopics, so writers do not have to manage such large queries. It's not impossible, but could be easier." (Source)
X Pro
Formerly known as TweetDeck, X has reinvented this brand monitoring tool to fit alongside Twitter’s new brand and image. If your brand is active on X, this tool is a must for growth and brand management.
Key features
- Dashboard dedicated solely to X (formerly known as Twitter)
- Hashtag tracking
- Social media management features
Pricing
X Pro is $8 per month.
Best for:
Brands with a heavy focus on X for their marketing activities.
More details
One of the most notable features of X Pro is the ability to track and monitor hashtags. This is especially helpful during live events as you contribute to a growing conversation. You can also track other non-branded hashtags to see how they’re gaining or losing share of voice.
Recent user reviews for X Pro (TweetDeck)
👍 Advantages
"The user experience is good, simple and easy to learn. I use it often to schedule the tweets for the accounts I handle. The tool is very helpful in getting to know about interactions, analytics and performance of the content." (Source)
✍️ Could use improvement
"It only lets publish content on Twitter. There is no omni channel option. Limited integrations, some advanced insights on content etc, can be added."
Keyhole
Keyhole tracks brand media mentions (both direct and indirect) from hashtags, influencers, social media posts, and keywords in real time and organizes your data into a single source of truth.
Key features
- All-in-one social media analytics
- Brand tracking
- Direct and indirect mention monitoring
Pricing
Plans for Keyhole start at $79 per month; free trial available.
Best for:
Uncovering trending topics for content ideas to get your brand in front of new and relevant audiences.
More details
Monitoring hashtags gives brands a deeper understanding of what people are talking about online and how they’re discussing those topics. These hashtags might also provide unique opportunities to grow your brand’s presence online and get in front of a wider yet targeted audience. You can also receive alerts when a post about your brand is about to go viral so you can prepare the next best action.
Recent user reviews for Keyhole
👍 Advantages
"Keyhole's social media analytics - especially hashtags - were the reason we switched to this platform. All features were VERY easy to use and train your staff on." (Source)
✍️ What could be improved
"We stopped using Keyhole because social media scheduling posts would failed almost 1-2 times a week or the full week and their support was very hard to get ahold of. When they did respond, they were not helpful and we had to manually post each day on the platforms themselves." (Source)
Google Alerts
Ever wonder if your brand or product has been a topic of conversation beyond social media? Google Alerts can answer — for free.
Key features
- Simple user interface
- Daily email digest
- Unlimited keyword tracking
Price: Free to use
Best for:
Beginners looking for a simple way to step into the world of brand monitoring tools. All it takes is setting up an alert for a keyword of your choice, and you'll receive emails showing where that keyword was mentioned in online publications.
More details
Your keywords can be brand-related (e.g., your brand name, the name of a product, a brand nickname), competitor-related, or industry-related. You’ll receive an email of where content about your keywords is being published so you can see who is talking about your brand and how they’re positioning it.
Use these opportunities to make new media contacts and keep positive conversations going. Or find out if someone is pushing a negative agenda so you can respond accordingly.
Google Analytics
Google Analytics can offer valuable insights about your brand. First and foremost, as a website analytics platform, you can track how traffic patterns change over time. This can help you understand how consumer interest in your brand evolves and whether you’re reaching the right audiences.
Key features
- Website analytics
- Customer journey mapping
- Integrations with Google advertising and publisher tools
Price: Free
Best for:
Getting information on your organic and paid traffic sources so you can better manage your content strategy for brand visibility.
More details
Beyond the basics, Google can show you where your traffic is coming from (especially referral sources). Traffic sources can give you valuable insights into which websites or platforms are driving the most brand awareness for your business. From there, you can tailor your marketing efforts to capitalize on high-performing channels.
There’s also the number of referrals to consider. If you lose a large number of backlinks or you’re losing them faster than you’re gaining them, it might be worthwhile to find the root cause. Maybe it’s a change in consumer sentiment, or it could be the start of a much larger crisis that needs quick action.
Recent user reviews for Google Analytics
👍 Advantages
"I really like how Google Analytics helps me see what’s happening on a website in real time. It gives a clear picture of where the traffic is coming from, how users interact with pages, and what content performs best. The way it connects with Google Ads and Search Console makes tracking campaigns and understanding ROI much easier." (Source)
✍️ Disadvantages
"I would say that there is a steeper learning curve to Google Analytics when compared to other analytics programs. Granted, those programs are not as robust as Google Analytics, but not every program needs to be." (Source)
Hootsuite
For brand monitoring on social media, Hootsuite comes with a few handy features beyond social media post scheduling. You can set up custom streams on topics that matter to you and see what others are posting about those topics.
Key features
- Social listening
- Social media analytics
- Centralized inbox and messaging
Pricing
Plans for Hootsuite start at $99 per month and there is a free trial available.
More details
When customers on social media reach out directly, you can be ready to respond via a centralized inbox. This inbox brings all of your DMs to one place so you never miss an opportunity to impress.
Tip: Check out more Hootsuite alternatives.
Recent user reviews for Hootsuite
👍 Advantages
"I manage social media for a global humanitarian organization, having all our different social accounts in one dashboard is a lifesaver. I really value the content planner. It lets me see a complete picture of what's scheduled, what's in draft, and where the gaps are, which is essential for coordinating campaigns across different countries." (Source)
✍️ Where it could be improved
"I find it limiting that the AI writing tool in Hootsuite requires selecting a social platform before usage. It would be more beneficial if this tool was accessible regardless of the social platform, providing greater flexibility in content creation." (Source)
Mentionlytics
Known widely as a social listening tool, Mentionlytics also offers review monitoring and media monitoring to close knowledge gaps.
Key features
- Media monitoring
- Social media listening
- Review monitoring
Pricing
Plans for Mentionlytics start at $49 per month; free 14-day trial available.
Best for:
Tracking major review sites and being alerted to potentially harmful reviews that might impact brand image and consumer trust.
More details
With Mentionlytics, you can also track media mentions across the web to learn what other publications, authors, and social media users are saying about your company. This capability gives you real-time feedback about how people think, feel, and talk about your brand, allowing you to tailor a response if needed or capitalize on good publicity.
Recent user reviews for Mentionlytics
👍 Advantages
"The platform is intuitive and provides clear, actionable insights about brand mentions across both social and web media. Keyword tracking is reliable, and the sentiment analysis helps us proactively identify potential reputational risks. One standout feature is the ability to set email alerts for specific keywords, which allows us to stay on top of key topics in real time without constantly logging in." (Source)
✍️ Could be improved
"A few limitations include the lack of fully customizable dashboards for tailoring data visualizations to different internal reporting needs." (Source)
What Are The Top Features to Look For in Brand Monitoring Tools?
Some of the top features to look out for when researching brand monitoring tools include real-time monitoring capabilities, automated alerts, sentiment analysis, and competitor monitoring.
Real-time monitoring and automated alerts
The top brand monitoring tools offer real-time monitoring and alerts, which enable brands to stay vigilant. Having alerts in place for when mentions spike means teams are able to prepare various responses and have workflows and tasks in place for when a crisis hits, so that not a second is wasted when entering crisis management mode.
Sentiment analysis
With AI, sentiment analysis in brand monitoring tools has become far more sophisticated than it used to be, allowing brands to get a more nuanced take on what's driving negative or positive emotions. It's particularly helpful for detecting anomalies, identifying commonalities, and indicating the top voices that are causing surges — eliminating possible human error or misinterpreting of a sentiment shift. The last thing you want to do is jump into crisis mode when there isn't actually a crisis!
Competitor and industry monitoring
Brand monitoring is not just about staying in-tune with how your brand is faring online. It's also about making sure you're monitoring competitors and watching industry trends. If you only strategize your next move within an echo-chamber you're likely to miss opportunities or run the risk of seeming out of touch with what consumers are actually asking for.
Tip: Make sure you're getting the full picture with LLM brand monitoring!
FAQ: Brand Monitoring Tools
Frequently asked questions about brand monitoring tools.
What strategies help businesses track unlinked brand mentions across global news and social media channels?
Social listening tools are the best way to track brand mentions and brand presence across a wide variety of social media sources, traditional media, podcasts, even visuals. You can set up specific searches and use filtering to drill down and analyze key areas where your brand is mentioned (or not mentioned) to improve and optimize your brand strategy.
Why is it important for businesses to integrate brand monitoring software with their existing PR and marketing workflows?
Integrating brand monitoring software with existing PR and marketing workflows means you'll have a unified reporting view from which to work. This is essential for eliminating bias, reduces human error, and helps PR and marketing teams work in lockstep. The ability to get real-time info and alerts from a single source of truth enables smoother reactions in times of brand crisis.
Can businesses measure the impact of online brand mentions on local consumer sentiment and SEO performance?
Yes, it is possible to measure how online brand mentions impact local sentiment and SEO. Brand monitoring tools such as Meltwater offer comprehensive consumer sentiment analysis, including conversation drivers and commonalities contributing to sways in sentiment. Social listening can also monitor review sites and forums, alerting teams to negative or harmful reviews. Tools like Ahrefs allow brands to monitor keyword performance on a granular level, so brands can quickly spot opportunities for improving SEO.
The Best Brand Monitoring Tools: Next Steps
Now that you know about the best brand monitoring tools, it’s time to add one (or more!) to your brand strategy.
Our best advice: Take Meltwater for a free test drive and go behind the scenes of how our media intelligence helps you build a stronger brand.
Meltwater goes wherever your brand is, online and offline. From blogs and podcasts to social media networks and online publications, Meltwater pairs data with insights and action steps so you can track your brand’s health.
Monitor unlimited keywords, get real-time alerts, and compile your findings into visual reports to see what's being said about your brand and how you can take control of the narrative.
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