Head-to-head · Social Media Listening Software
Cision vs Pulsar
Cision leads on 0 checks, Pulsar on 0, and 3 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 3 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.
Our verdict
- Highest scoreCision · 8.9/10
Cision scores higher on our rubric for social media listening software: 8.9 against 7.9 out of 10; our editors rank them #5 and #7.
Cision is the better fit for mature teams combining social and traditional media. Pulsar is the better fit for research teams needing deep audience analysis.
- Cision fits best
Mature teams combining social and traditional media
- Pulsar fits best
Research teams needing deep audience analysis
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Side by side
| Feature | Cision 8.9/10 Visit ↗ | Pulsar 7.9/10 Visit ↗ |
|---|---|---|
| At a glance | ||
| Editor score | 8.9 | 7.9 |
| Ranking | #5 in Social Media Listening Software | #7 in Social Media Listening Software |
| Best for | Mature teams combining social and traditional media | Research teams needing deep audience analysis |
| Pricing model | Paid | Paid |
| Starting price | Pricing on request | — |
| Free plan | Not checked yet | Not checked yet |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Deployment | Cloud, Mobile | Cloud |
| Platforms | Web, iOS | Web |
| Integrations | 4 integrations | 5 integrations |
| Features Cision 3/3 · Pulsar 3/3 | ||
| Web monitoring | ✓ | ✓ |
| Sentiment analysis | ✓ | ✓ |
| News monitoring | ✓ | ✓ |
| Specs | ||
| Social network coverage | Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter), YouTube, Reddit, Bluesky | X, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, LinkedIn, Threads, Pinterest, Discord, Twitch, Weibo, WeChat, Xiaohongshu, Douyin, Bilibili, Naver, VK |
| Historical data | Not checked yet | Not checked yet |
| Tracked query limit | Not checked yet | Not checked yet |
| Alert channels | mobile, email, Slack, Microsoft Teams | email, in-app, mobile push |
| Our review | ||
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| Our verdict | CisionOne combines social listening with traditional media monitoring for public relations, communications, and marketing teams. It tracks conversations across Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube, Reddit, Bluesky, blogs, forums, and online… Read the review → |
Pulsar’s TRAC is an enterprise social listening and audience intelligence product for brands, agencies, and government communications teams. It is suited to research groups that need to analyze public conversation across more than social… Read the review → |
Strengths and trade-offs
Cision — where it wins
- Monitors major social networks, blogs, forums, and online news
- Combines sentiment, competitor benchmarking, dashboards, and alerts
- Adds publishing, reporting, and traditional media analysis
Where it doesn't
- Pricing requires a sales consultation
- Historical-data availability varies by media type and package
- Social publishing may be unnecessary for monitoring-only teams
Pulsar — where it wins
- Monitors social, news, forums, reviews, broadcast, search, and web sources
- Combines audience segmentation with sentiment, emotion, and narrative tracking
- Offers alerts, custom reports, multiple export formats, and API access
Where it doesn't
- Enterprise pricing is configured through sales
- No published tier list makes plan comparisons difficult
- Its breadth may exceed the needs of teams seeking basic social monitoring
- Cision8.9/10 · Pricing on request
CisionOne brings social and traditional media monitoring into one workflow.
Visit CisionFull verdict → - Pulsar7.9/10 · Pricing on request
Broad-source listening pairs audience analysis with enterprise pricing by configuration.
Visit PulsarFull verdict →
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All social media listening software comparisons → · Full ranking →
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Last updated · How we research and update





