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Head-to-head · Social Media Monitoring & Listening Software

Meltwater Social Listening vs Sprout Social

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 2 checks side by side
Higher score Meltwater Social Listening #2 in Social Media Monitoring & Listening Software 9.3/10 Pricing on request ✓ 1 of 2 features Visit Meltwater
Sprout Social #4 in Social Media Monitoring & Listening Software 9.0/10 30-day trial Free trial✓ 0 of 2 features Visit Sprout Social

Meltwater Social Listening leads on 0 checks, Sprout Social on 0, and 2 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 2 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreMeltwater Social Listening · 9.3/10
  • Free trialonly Sprout Social
  • Most featuresMeltwater Social Listening · 1 of 2

Meltwater Social Listening scores higher on our rubric for social media monitoring & listening software: 9.3 against 9.0 out of 10; our editors rank them #2 and #4.

Meltwater Social Listening is the better fit for global, omnichannel listening teams. Sprout Social is the better fit for teams needing listening plus publishing.

  • Meltwater Social Listening fits best

    Global, omnichannel listening teams

  • Sprout Social fits best

    Teams needing listening plus publishing

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature Meltwater Social Listening 9.3/10 Visit ↗ Sprout Social 9.0/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.3 9.0
Ranking #2 in Social Media Monitoring & Listening Software #4 in Social Media Monitoring & Listening Software
Best for Global, omnichannel listening teams Teams needing listening plus publishing
Pricing model Paid Paid
Starting price — $79/seat/mo
Free plan — —
Free trial — 30 days
Deployment Cloud Cloud, Mobile
Platforms Web Web, iOS, Android
Integrations 7 integrations 20 integrations
Features Meltwater Social Listening 1/2 · Sprout Social 0/2
Real-time alerts Not checked yet Not checked yet
Sentiment analysis ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Specs
Networks supported Not checked yet Not checked yet
Monitored keywords Not checked yet Not checked yet
Historical data Not checked yet Not checked yet
Report export formats Not checked yet Not checked yet
Users included Not checked yet Not checked yet
Our review
Pros
  • Monitors social networks, news, forums, and Reddit across global markets
  • Tracks sentiment, trends, competitors, and share of voice
  • Offers alerts, dashboards, reporting, and API data access
  • Listening, publishing, inbox and review management in one suite
  • Approval workflows, calendars and bulk scheduling support team operations
  • Integrations span major social networks plus Zendesk, Canva and Dropbox
Cons
  • Pricing requires contacting sales
  • No free plan is offered
  • Enterprise governance and API/MCP integrations are limited to its top tier
  • Essentials supports up to 5 social profiles
  • Listening and collaboration features start at higher-priced tiers
  • Support is not available 24/7
Our verdict

Meltwater Social Listening helps marketing, communications, and PR teams monitor digital conversations across social networks, news, forums, and Reddit. Its coverage spans global platforms including X, Meta, YouTube, TikTok, LinkedIn,…

Read the review →

Sprout Social is a cloud-based platform for organizations managing social content, conversations and performance across multiple networks. It combines publishing and scheduling, a collaborative content calendar, consolidated messaging,…

Read the review →
  1. Meltwater Social ListeningSocial Media Monitoring & Listening Software 9.3Pricing on request
  2. Sprout SocialSocial Media Monitoring & Listening Software 9.030-day trial

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Meltwater Social Listening — where it wins

    • Monitors social networks, news, forums, and Reddit across global markets
    • Tracks sentiment, trends, competitors, and share of voice
    • Offers alerts, dashboards, reporting, and API data access

    Where it doesn't

    • Pricing requires contacting sales
    • No free plan is offered
    • Enterprise governance and API/MCP integrations are limited to its top tier

  • Sprout Social — where it wins

    • Listening, publishing, inbox and review management in one suite
    • Approval workflows, calendars and bulk scheduling support team operations
    • Integrations span major social networks plus Zendesk, Canva and Dropbox

    Where it doesn't

    • Essentials supports up to 5 social profiles
    • Listening and collaboration features start at higher-priced tiers
    • Support is not available 24/7

More comparisons

All social media monitoring & listening software comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update