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 about $0.97 to over $99 among mention-based tools. 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 costs $20/month for 7,500 credits across Twitter/X, Instagram, TikTok, and Reddit, charged per query rather than per result (a Twitter/X or Reddit query costs 2 credits), with a one-time free tier of 500 credits. Yes, this is our tool; it is on the list alongside everything else. 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: 500 credits (one-time allocation, about 250 Twitter or Reddit queries) across Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Reddit
• Best for: Research, small projects, testing
• Standout: No credit card required; full multi-platform search before any payment

Xpoz Pro

• Cost: $20/month
• What you get: 7,500 credits/month, multi-platform
• Best for: Research, brand monitoring, competitive analysis
• Standout: Billed per query (2 credits for Twitter/X or Reddit, 5 for TikTok, 12 for Instagram), with no charge for the number of rows returned

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, a 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: 120,000 credits/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

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

At full volume, Awario Starter works out to $0.97 per 1,000 mentions; the dashboard tools in this table run $12-99 per 1,000. Xpoz bills per query rather than per mention, so its cost depends on how many queries you run: Pro's 7,500 credits cover about 3,750 Twitter/X or Reddit queries a month. Disclosure: Xpoz is our tool; the arithmetic is from the list prices above.

Platform Coverage Comparison

Choosing by Budget

Under $50/month

Best option: Xpoz Pro ($20)

• Why: per-query pricing (7,500 credits, about 3,750 Twitter/X or Reddit queries a month) instead of a 30,000-mention cap
• Trade-off: AI interface vs. dashboard

Alternative: Awario Starter ($29 annual)

• Why: Traditional dashboard, Boolean search
• Trade-off: 30,000-mention cap

$50-200/month

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

• Why: 120,000 credits a month at Max; 7,500 credits a month at Pro
• Use savings for: Other tools, analysis software

Alternative: Awario Pro ($89)

• Why: 150K mentions, full competitive features
• Trade-off: a 150K-mention cap at more than four times the price of Xpoz Pro

$200-600/month

Consider: Whether traditional dashboards justify the premium

• Brand24 at $199/mo gives 2,000 mentions. Xpoz Pro at $20/mo gives 7,500 credits, charged per query rather than per mention.
• Mention at $599/mo gives 50,000 mentions. Xpoz Max at $200/mo gives 120,000 credits.
• The pricing models differ: dashboards cap mentions, Xpoz charges per query. Dashboard interface and built-in 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 (our tool) costs $20/month for 7,500 credits across four platforms, charged per query rather than per result, with a one-time free tier of 500 credits.

• 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 tiers to $60,000+/year (Sprinklr). Most budget tools cost $20-199/month. Mid-market runs $200-1,000/month. Enterprise platforms start at $800/month (Brandwatch) to $50,000+/year (Meltwater). Effective cost per 1,000 mentions ranges from about $0.97 (Awario Starter) to over $99 (Brand24 Individual); Xpoz bills per query instead, at $20/month for 7,500 credits.

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 includes 7,500 credits across Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and Reddit, charged per query rather than per result, with a one-time free tier of 500 credits. 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 (our tool) sits in this gap at $20/month for 7,500 credits across four platforms, with a one-time free tier of 500 credits. 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.