The 7 Best Meltwater Competitors & Alternatives (in 2024)

As a PR pro, any Meltwater competitor you review should be: modern, effective, and easy to use. Ideally, it should also be cheaper.

This list has all the top Meltwater competitors PR pros should be aware of. By the end of this guide, you'll know exactly which tool to use.

Summary

Our top 7 meltwater competitors and alternatives are:

1. Prezly: A dedicated PR CRM that comes at a fraction of the price, with a better user experience, and nearly all the same features
2. Cision: A PR suite that is more expensive than Meltwater (and far more expensive than Prezly), but also more feature-rich
3. Muck Rack: A PR software suite that has similar pricing to Cision and Meltwater, but with a better interface and customer support
4. Agility PR Solutions: Another full PR suite, but with user reports of fraudulent data and predatory contracts
5. Mention: A great social media tracking that’s even better when paired with a dedicated PR tool like Prezly
6. Brandwatch: A full platform dedicated around social management. Best for teams at large companies that don’t need any PR-specific features
7. Talkwalker: A tool specializing in providing you insights from your media mentions. Also, only a great fit if you’re looking for insights, but not PR-related features

Need more info? Keep reading below to learn more about each tool!

You may look for a Meltwater alternative after reviewing Meltwater because you want a solution that offers better value for money: a cheaper, faster, and more complete software with better customer support. Everybody has their own reasoning.

We've reviewed the stories of previous Meltwater users who made the switch to another PR tool. Typically, their motivation behind the change fell into one of three categories. 

While Meltwater’s pricing isn’t public, our past research has found that it’s estimated to start at $1,000/month per user. That means for a basic Meltwater plan with one user, you could be looking at a $12,000/year bill. 

Clearly, this is a steep amount of money to pay for any software. Especially when there are less expensive PR tools that can get you similar (if not better) results. 

Solution: Switch to Prezly and pay as little as $90/month. There’s a 14-day free trial and no contracts, so you can cancel anytime.

Meltwater offers a wide suite of tools and services, but really only excels at media monitoring. In this case, the phrase “jack of all trades, master of none” applies well. 

Other apps on this list are either all-in-one PR tools that are more well-rounded, or standalone media monitoring tools that are less expensive. 

Getting set up with their tools is also known to be a slow, enduring process. Meaning it can take some time (and money), before you’re actually up-and-running. 

Solution: Join Prezly for access to the best of both worlds. A user-friendly, all-in-one PR tool that also integrates with countless media monitoring solutions.

You can't make or publish self-hosted press releases using Meltwater — there's no press release creator or any site building tools that allow you to build an online newsroom or press kit to showcase your brand.

When sharing your stories, having somewhere you can host them (that looks professional) is essential for getting them picked up by journalists. Sadly, Meltwater misses these features.

Solution: Use Prezly to easily create and publish beautiful press releases, press kits, and newsrooms that come with multimedia support. No coding required!

Meltwater Review 2024: Pros, Cons, & Pricing [Analysis]

We look at Meltwater's features, pricing, and alternatives to see how it stacks up.

Whether you want a cheaper Meltwater alternative, or a more comprehensive PR tool, this list contains at least one app that has what you’re looking for.

Now, let's check out the best Meltwater alternatives.

Prezly is a modern, relationship-driven, all-in-one PR software for comms teams and agencies. It’s known for offering lower pricing than Meltwater and a better user-experience (as noted by PR pros and journalists).

Prezly doesn’t come with its own media monitoring features. Instead, they have the flexibility of integrating with nearly any media monitoring solution (including Meltwater). This lets you cover all your PR bases, while maximizing the chance for success. 

Final verdict:

If you're looking for an affordable, yet powerful Meltwater alternative, you can't go wrong with Prezly. Try out the 14-day free trial to see for yourself.

• Free trial: No
• Price: Starts at $7,200/yr (estimated)
• Tool type: All-in-one PR tool
• G2 Rating: 4.0/5

As the largest player in the PR software space, you’ve likely already heard of Cision. Though, in case you haven’t, they may be worth considering. 

Cision is an all-in-one PR suite with a solution for nearly any PR need. With the largest media database on the market, they’re especially a great fit if you’re looking to maximize journalist reach (though we wouldn’t recommend it).

That said, while Cision comes with status, their high price tag and complexity make it hard to suggest for everyone.

Features:

• Largest media database on the market
• Press release distribution
• Media monitoring and analysis

Pros:

• Wide reach and contact database
• In-depth analytics
• Access to extensive set of tools

Cons:

• High cost
• Complex feature set
• Focuses on dated PR approaches

Pricing:

Just like Meltwater, Cision keeps their pricing under wraps. From our research, their pricing is estimated to start at $7,200/yr. From there it only goes up, keeping you locked in on an annual contract.

You can read more about Cision’s pricing in our comparison of Cision, Meltwater, and Prezly, where we've detailed everything that makes each tool different.

Final Verdict:

Compared to Meltwater, you'll get more features with Cision, but you'll still have to spend a massive amount to access them. However, Prezly offers a more modern PR solution (with a 14-day free trial) starting at just $90/month.

• Free trial: No
• Price: Starts at $10,000/yr (estimated)
• Tool type: All-in-one PR tool
• G2 Rating: 4.6/5

If you’re looking for a more traditional PR tool, and are willing to spend the high price to match, Muck Rack is generally your best choice. 

It has nearly all the same tools as Cision and Meltwater, but with a much friendlier interface and customer support team. 

Features:

• Media database
• Press release distribution
• Real-time media monitoring

Pros:

• Extensive journalist network
• Intuitive user interface

Cons:

• High, hidden pricing
• Limited global reach
• Smaller media database than Cision

Pricing:

Muck Rack also follows the confusing practice of keeping their pricing hidden. After searching for answers, it looks like their pricing starts at $10,000/yr (though varies widely). 

Read more about Muck Rack in our article comparing them to Cision. There you’ll find more details about the platform and how each aspect (from Muck Rack pricing to features, to user experience) works.

Final Verdict:

Compared to Meltwater, you'll get more features with Muck Rack for a (potentially) slightly lower price.

• Free trial: No
• Price: Could not be found
• Tool type: All-in-one PR tool
• G2 Rating: 4.0/5

Source: Sword & the Script

Agility PR solutions is a competitor often mentioned in the space, though one that we would not openly recommend. 

While they offer a full suite of PR tools, multiple past users have reported their data as being fraudulent. It’s also been mentioned that, once locked into a contract, canceling an Agility PR Solutions plan is incredibly difficult.

Features:

• Large media database
• Distribution tools
• Media monitoring

Pros:

• Broad media outreach
• Customizable distribution
• Detailed analytics insights

Cons:

• Fraudulent data
• High, hidden costs
• Once signed up, difficult to cancel your contract

Pricing:

After plenty of looking, we could not find a reliable price listed for Agility PR Solutions. However, users have noted pricing being in the mid-to-high range. 

This leads us to guess that Agility PR Solutions pricing plans (and contracts) are likely similar to what you’ll find with other traditional PR tools like Meltwater, Cision, and Muck Rack (roughly anywhere between $7,000-$12,000/yr). 

Final Verdict:

Due to their questionable practices, Agility PR Solutions is not a tool we can recommend switching from Meltwater to. If you're looking for a reliable tool that doesn’t rely on purchasing 3rd party data to get results, consider trying Prezly’s 14-day free trial. 

• Free trial: Yes, 14 days
• Price: Starts at $41/month
• Tool type: Media monitoring
• G2 Rating: 4.3/5

Mention is an incredibly popular Meltwater alternative used specifically for social media monitoring. 

You might enjoy Mention if you're only looking to keep track of brand mentions, and don’t want to be locked into a traditional PR platform. 

It’s also a great option if you’re looking for a media monitoring tool to integrate with a modern PR platform like Prezly.

Features:

• Real-time media monitoring
• Social media publishing
• Influencer identification

Pros:

• Immediate updates
• Comprehensive social insights
• User-friendly

Cons:

• Limited analytics depth
• Only focused on digital media (no TV, radio, or newspaper)

Pricing:

Mention starts at $41 per month, with the most expensive (non-enterprise) plan being $149/month. 

Final Verdict:

If you’re just looking for a tool to effectively track and manage your social media presence, Mention is a great pick. However, it doesn't have any other solutions you get from all-in-one PR tools like Prezly, Muck Rack, and Meltwater.

• Free trial: No
• Price: Starts at $1,000/month
• Tool type: Media monitoring
• G2 Rating: 4.4/5

Brandwatch is a full suite specifically dedicated around social management. 

If you’re a data-driven professional working at a medium-to-large sized organization, it could be a great solution for you.

Features:

• Advanced social listening
• Data analytics tools
• Trend identification

Pros:

• In-depth data insights
• Real-time tracking
• Versatile reporting options

Cons:

• Complex interface
• High, hidden cost
• Steep learning curve

Pricing:

While Brandwatch doesn’t publicly share their pricing, our research found that it starts at $1,000/month. With this plan, you’re able to track 1,000 mentions per month. 

If you need anything more than that, pricing will increase.

Final Verdict:

Brandwatch is a great Meltwater alternative for data-driven media monitoring. 

Given their pricing model, going with Brandwatch will really only make sense if you work at a larger company and don’t need any other PR solutions with it. 

Otherwise, if you want an all-in-one PR software to work from, you may want to look at Prezly or another app on this list.

• Free trial: No
• Price: $9,600/year
• Tool type: Media monitoring
• G2 Rating: 4.3/5

Referring to themselves as a ‘consumer intelligence platform’, Talkwalker specializes in helping you monitor media mentions, then develop insights from those mentions. 

They’re a great fit for organizations with large brand awareness that need a better understanding of the public’s perception of them. 

Features:

• Media monitoring
• Social listening
• Audience insights

Pros:

• Full media coverage (online, print, TV, etc.)
• AI-powered sentiment analysis
• Provides you with actionable insights

Cons:

• Premium pricing
• Complex setup
• Data overload potential

Pricing:

Talkwalker's pricing is hidden, though has been noted by others as starting at $9,600/yr. With this plan, you get access to insights from 10,000 monthly results (i.e. mentions). 

However, features like image recognition and their AI engine are add-ons and come at an extra cost.

Final verdict:

Talkwaker is a great Meltwater alternative for large organizations struggling to make sense of their brand mentions & social analytics. 

If you’re a PR professional though, as it comes at a high price without offering any other PR-related tools, an all-in-one PR tool like Prezly may be a better fit.

Finding out which Meltwater competitor is right for you depends on what you need most. 

If it's just social media monitoring, you may want to look at Mention for the best price, and if it's an all-in-one PR platform, you should look at Prezly or Muck Rack. 

With its 14-day free trial, modern interface, and low pricing, Prezly is the best Meltwater alternative to centralize your team’s PR workflow with.

That in mind, there are many solutions on the table and to choose from in the PR software industry. Hopefully, this list has helped you pick the one that's best for your needs.