Social Listening Tools Pricing Compared (2026)

Social listening tool pricing in 2026 ranges from free to $60,000+/year, with the effective cost per 1,000 mentions varying from $0.02 to over $99 depending on the tool. Mention retired all self-serve plans ($599/month annual-only now), Brand24 raised its entry price to $199/month, and Hootsuite eliminated its free plan. The affordable landscape has shifted — fewer tools stay under $100/month.

Xpoz offers the best volume-to-price ratio at $0.02 per 1,000 results ($20/month for up to 5M results across 4 platforms), with a free tier at up to 400,000 results/month. This guide breaks down what you actually pay at each tier and what you get.

Pricing Overview (July 2026)

Tier Breakdown

Free and Low-Cost ($0-50/month)

Xpoz Free

• Cost: $0
• What you get: up to 400,000 results/month across Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Reddit
• Best for: Research, small projects, testing
• Standout: Most generous free tier by volume — 100x what most competitors offer

Xpoz Pro

• Cost: $20/month
• What you get: up to 5,000,000 results/month, multi-platform
• Best for: Research, brand monitoring, competitive analysis
• Standout: Best volume-to-price ratio in the market at $0.02/1K results

Awario Starter

• Cost: $29/month (annual) or $49/month (monthly)
• What you get: 3 topics, 30,000 mentions, Boolean search, sentiment analysis
• Best for: Competitive monitoring with a traditional dashboard
• Limitation: Interface dated, limited platform coverage

Buska Growth

• Cost: $49/month
• What you get: 16 monitored sources, buying-intent scoring, CRM integration
• Best for: Lead generation from social conversations
• Limitation: More lead-gen tool than full social listening

SMB Tier ($50-200/month)

Hootsuite Professional

• Cost: $99/month (annual billing required)
• What you get: Social management + basic monitoring
• Best for: Teams managing + monitoring
• Note: Free plan and old Professional tier eliminated. Social listening is an add-on, not included in base price

Awario Pro

• Cost: $89/month (annual)
• What you get: 15 topics, 150,000 mentions, competitive features
• Best for: Growing brands needing full competitive monitoring

Brand24 Individual

• Cost: $199/month (annual)
• What you get: 3 keywords, 2,000 mentions, sentiment, alerts, 12-hour update frequency
• Best for: Basic brand monitoring with dashboards
• Limitation: Low mention count (2,000) and slow update cycle for the price. Was $79/month — significant price increase

Sprout Social Standard

• Cost: $199/month per user
• What you get: Publishing + basic monitoring (listening module is an add-on)
• Best for: Social management with listening
• Note: Per-user pricing adds up quickly; listening module costs extra

Xpoz Max

• Cost: $200/month
• What you get: up to 100,000,000 results/month across 4 platforms
• Best for: Heavy research, large-scale analysis

Mid-Market ($200-1,000/month)

Awario Enterprise

• Cost: $249/month (annual)
• What you get: Unlimited topics, unlimited mentions
• Best for: Full competitive monitoring at scale

Brand24 Team

• Cost: $299/month
• What you get: 7 keywords, 5,000 mentions, team access
• Limitation: Thin volume for the price compared to Awario and Xpoz

Mention Company

• Cost: $599/month (annual-only — the only remaining plan)
• What you get: 50,000 mentions/month, no overage (collection stops at cap)
• Note: Retired Solo ($49), Pro ($99), and ProPlus ($179) plans in July 2025. Also dropped Publish & Respond features in January 2026

Sprout Social Professional

• Cost: $399/month per user
• What you get: Full listening module, competitive reports
• Best for: Mid-size marketing teams

Enterprise ($1,000+/month)

Brandwatch

• Cost: $800-15,000+/month
• What you get: Full social intelligence platform, AI insights, compliance
• Best for: Large enterprises, agencies
• Note: Annual contracts required

Meltwater

• Cost: SMB average ~$16,000/year, enterprise average ~$70,000/year
• What you get: Media monitoring + social listening, PR tools
• Best for: PR teams, media relations
• Note: Quote-based pricing with annual contracts standard

Talkwalker

• Cost: Custom (starts ~$500/month)
• What you get: AI-powered insights, image recognition, broad source coverage
• Best for: Consumer brands, visual analysis

Sprinklr

• Cost: $60,000+/year
• What you get: Unified customer experience platform
• Best for: Global enterprises
• Note: Much more than social listening — full CX suite

Value Analysis

Cost Per 1,000 Mentions

Winner: Xpoz Pro at $0.02 per 1,000 results — 50x cheaper than the next closest alternative.

Platform Coverage Comparison

Choosing by Budget

Under $50/month

Best option: Xpoz Pro ($20)

• Why: 1 million results vs. 30,000 from Awario
• Trade-off: AI interface vs. dashboard

Alternative: Awario Starter ($29 annual)

• Why: Traditional dashboard, Boolean search
• Trade-off: 33x less volume

$50-200/month

Best option: Xpoz Max ($200) or Xpoz Pro ($20) + save the difference

• Why: up to 100M results at Max; unmatched volume-to-cost at Pro
• Use savings for: Other tools, analysis software

Alternative: Awario Pro ($89)

• Why: 150K mentions, full competitive features
• Trade-off: 11x less volume than Xpoz Pro at 4.5x the cost

$200-600/month

Consider: Whether traditional dashboards justify the premium

• Brand24 at $199/mo gives 2,000 mentions. Xpoz Pro at $20/mo gives 1M.
• Mention at $599/mo gives 50,000 mentions. Xpoz Max at $200/mo gives 10M.
• The volume gap is enormous. Dashboard interface and automated alerts are the trade-off.

$600+/month

Enterprise tools make sense when:

• Compliance requirements mandate specific vendors
• Team size requires built-in collaboration features
• Budget is explicitly allocated for social intelligence
• 24/7 dedicated support is operationally critical
• You need web/news monitoring alongside social (Xpoz covers social only)

Hidden Costs to Consider

Implementation and Onboarding

Contract Terms

Key Takeaways

• Xpoz offers the best volume-to-price ratio at $0.02 per 1,000 results — with a free tier at up to 400K/month.

• The mid-tier market got more expensive. Mention ($599/mo) and Brand24 ($199/mo) both raised prices significantly, leaving Awario ($29-249/mo) as the main budget dashboard option.

• Enterprise tools are justified only for compliance, team collaboration features, and dedicated support.

• Hidden costs matter — implementation fees ($2K-10K+ for enterprise), training time (minutes vs. weeks), and contract lock-in all add up.

• Most teams overpay for features they don't use. Start with free tiers and upgrade only when specific capabilities justify the cost.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do social listening tools cost in 2026?

Social listening tools range from free (Xpoz, up to 400K results/month) to $60,000+/year (Sprinklr). Most budget tools cost $29-199/month. Mid-market runs $200-1,000/month. Enterprise platforms start at $800/month (Brandwatch) to $50,000+/year (Meltwater). Xpoz offers the best value at $0.02 per 1,000 results.

What is the cheapest social listening tool with real features?

The cheapest social listening tools with real features in 2026 start at $0-29/month. Xpoz Pro at $20/month offers up to 5,000,000 results across Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and Reddit with a free tier at up to 400,000 results. Awario at $29/month (annual) is the cheapest traditional dashboard option with 30,000 mentions and Boolean search.

Why did Mention and Brand24 get more expensive?

Mention retired all self-serve plans in July 2025, moving to $599/month annual-only billing. Brand24 raised its Individual plan from $79 to $199/month. Both pricing changes reflect a broader industry shift where mid-tier tools are moving upmarket, leaving a gap that alternatives like Xpoz ($0-200/month) and Awario ($29-249/month) fill.

Conclusion

Social listening pricing in 2026 spans from free to $60,000+/year, but the landscape has shifted. Former mid-tier options like Mention and Brand24 have moved upmarket, leaving fewer choices under $100/month.

Xpoz fills this gap with unmatched volume-to-price: $20/month for up to 5M results across four platforms, or free for up to 400K/month. For teams that need traditional dashboards, Awario ($29-249/month) remains the best value. Enterprise tools (Brandwatch, Meltwater) are justified only when compliance, team features, or dedicated support are genuine requirements.

Start with free tiers, test with real use cases, and upgrade only when specific features justify the cost.