Meltwater vs Xpoz: Which Social Intelligence Tool?

Meltwater has served PR and communications teams for decades, evolving from print monitoring to comprehensive media intelligence. Xpoz represents a new approach—AI-native social data access. This comparison helps you understand which fits your needs.

At a Glance

Understanding the Difference

Meltwater's Strength

Meltwater built its reputation on media monitoring—tracking newspapers, magazines, TV, radio, and online news. Social listening came later as an addition to the core offering.

Core Value Proposition:

• Comprehensive media coverage (print, broadcast, digital)
• PR measurement and reporting
• Journalist databases
• Press release distribution
• Social media monitoring

Xpoz's Strength

Xpoz focuses exclusively on social media intelligence, using AI assistants as the interface.

Core Value Proposition:

• Social-first design
• Natural language queries
• Multi-platform social data
• Cost-effective volume
• AI-native workflow

Pricing Comparison

Meltwater Pricing

Meltwater doesn't publish pricing, but market intelligence indicates:

Additional Factors:

• Annual contracts required
• Implementation fees common
• Add-ons for premium features
• Per-user pricing may apply

Xpoz Pricing

Additional Factors:

• No contracts
• No implementation fees
• All features included

Cost Comparison

For equivalent social media monitoring:

Savings with Xpoz: $17,000+ over three years

Feature Comparison

Media Coverage

Verdict: Meltwater offers comprehensive media; Xpoz focuses on social.

Social Intelligence Capabilities

Verdict: Both capable for social; different approaches.

Analytics & Reporting

Meltwater:

• Pre-built dashboards
• Custom report builder
• Automated scheduled reports
• Executive summaries
• Share of voice analysis
• Media value equivalency
• PR measurement frameworks

Xpoz:

• Conversational analysis
• AI-interpreted insights
• CSV exports for custom analysis
• No automated reports
• Ad-hoc exploration
• External visualization needed

Verdict: Meltwater wins for PR reporting; Xpoz for exploratory analysis.

Use Case Analysis

When Meltwater Wins

PR and Communications Teams

• Need: Comprehensive media monitoring
• Requirement: Track print, broadcast, and digital
• Value: Journalist databases, PR measurement

Meltwater wins because social is one part of broader media strategy.

Executive Reporting

• Need: Polished reports for leadership
• Requirement: Automated, scheduled delivery
• Value: PR measurement frameworks

Meltwater wins because reporting infrastructure is built-in.

Traditional Media Relations

• Need: Track media coverage across channels
• Requirement: Journalist contact database
• Value: Press release distribution

Meltwater wins because it's purpose-built for PR.

When Xpoz Wins

Social-First Research

• Need: Deep social media analysis
• Requirement: High volume, multi-platform
• Value: Cost-effective data access

Xpoz wins because social is the entire focus.

Budget-Conscious Teams

• Need: Social monitoring without enterprise costs
• Requirement: Under $500/month
• Value: Volume without contracts

Xpoz wins because pricing is 25x lower.

AI-Integrated Workflows

• Need: Social data in AI assistant workflows
• Requirement: Claude/ChatGPT integration
• Value: Natural language queries

Xpoz wins because it's designed for AI workflows.

Startups and Small Businesses

• Need: Social intelligence without enterprise sales cycles
• Requirement: Start immediately
• Value: No procurement process

Xpoz wins because you can start in minutes.

Academic Research

• Need: Social data for studies
• Requirement: Historical access, export capability
• Value: Affordable for research budgets

Xpoz wins because academic budgets rarely accommodate Meltwater.

Interface Comparison

Meltwater Experience

Setup:

1. Sales process (days-weeks)
2. Contract negotiation
3. Implementation and onboarding
4. Dashboard configuration
5. Query setup
6. Report creation

Daily Use:

• Log into dashboard
• Review configured alerts
• Check sentiment trends
• Generate reports
• Export data as needed

Xpoz Experience

Setup:

1. Install MCP integration (minutes)
2. Connect AI assistant
3. Start querying

Daily Use:

"What were the top mentions of our brand on Twitter
and Instagram yesterday?"

"Show me sentiment trends for our product launch
over the past week"

"Who are the most influential accounts discussing
our industry this month?"

Learning Curve

Data Quality Comparison

Volume and Coverage

Meltwater:

• Comprehensive media database
• Social coverage varies by plan
• Historical archive deep for news
• Real-time for alerts

Xpoz:

• 1.5B+ social posts indexed
• Four major social platforms
• Historical social access
• Near real-time updates

Accuracy

Meltwater:

• Professional media curation
• Verified journalist data
• Sentiment varies in accuracy
• Deduplication for news

Xpoz:

• Indexed from public social data
• User verification signals
• AI-interpreted sentiment
• Social-native accuracy

Team and Collaboration

Meltwater

• Multiple user seats
• Role-based access
• Shared dashboards
• Team workflows
• Client access options
• Audit trails

Xpoz

• Individual AI assistant access
• No built-in team features
• Sharing via exports
• Each user has own account
• No collaboration workspace

Verdict: Meltwater built for teams; Xpoz for individuals.

Integration Capabilities

Meltwater

• Salesforce integration
• Slack notifications
• API access
• Custom webhooks
• BI tool connectors
• CRM integrations

Xpoz

• MCP protocol (Claude, ChatGPT)
• CSV export
• Manual integration only
• No direct CRM connection
• External tools via export

Verdict: Meltwater offers more integrations.

Making the Decision

Choose Meltwater If:

• Media monitoring is core: You need print, broadcast, digital news
• PR is your function: Media relations, journalist databases matter
• Executive reporting required: Need polished, automated reports
• Team collaboration critical: Multiple users, shared workflows
• Budget available: $6,000+/year allocated for media intelligence

Choose Xpoz If:

• Social is your focus: Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Reddit
• Budget constrained: Under $2,500/year for social intelligence
• Research-oriented: Exploratory analysis, academic studies
• AI workflow fit: Already using Claude/ChatGPT
• Speed matters: Need to start immediately, no sales cycle

Consider Both If:

• Meltwater for media monitoring and PR measurement
• Xpoz for cost-effective social volume and ad-hoc research

Key Takeaways

• 25x price difference: Xpoz $240/year vs. Meltwater $6,000+/year

• Different focus: Meltwater = media + social; Xpoz = social only

• Different users: Meltwater = PR teams; Xpoz = researchers, analysts

• Different interfaces: Meltwater = dashboard; Xpoz = AI conversation

• Meltwater strength: Comprehensive media monitoring, PR workflows

• Xpoz strength: Social volume, cost efficiency, AI integration

Conclusion

Meltwater and Xpoz serve different primary needs despite overlap in social monitoring.

Choose Meltwater if your function is PR/communications and you need comprehensive media coverage beyond social. The higher investment brings media monitoring infrastructure, journalist databases, and enterprise reporting that social-only tools can't match.

Choose Xpoz if your focus is social media intelligence and budget matters. The 25x cost savings allow substantial social monitoring without enterprise commitment. The AI-native interface eliminates learning curves, and multi-platform coverage handles most social intelligence needs.

For many organizations, the choice is clear: if you need Meltwater's media monitoring, you need Meltwater. If social intelligence alone suffices, Xpoz delivers more value at a fraction of the cost.