Social media listening tools for marketers in 2025

Social media listening tools give marketers real clarity around what’s happening in the markets they operate in.

Every day, millions of conversations take place across platforms, forums, reviews, blogs and search engines. Inside those conversations are early trend signals, shifting preferences, unmet needs and candid opinions.

However, many teams are still publishing content without understanding what is driving audience behaviour behind the scenes. They look at likes or impressions, but not the reasons behind them. That gap is where social listening becomes essential. It helps marketers see the patterns shaping their category and to build strategies that reflect them.

In this post we break down the best social media listening tools for 2025, how to choose the right one for your brand, and how marketers can turn listening insights into faster, smarter growth.

What social media listening tools are and why they matter

Social media listening tools scan conversations across platforms and turn unstructured discussion into structured insight. They help marketers understand what people are talking about, how they feel and what topics are gaining momentum.

Listening vs Monitoring

This is the first distinction marketers need to understand. Monitoring shows you what happened. Listening shows you why it happened. Monitoring tracks mentions. Listening reveals sentiment, context and intent. Monitoring is reactive. Listening is strategic.

Why listening matters more in 2025

Audience behaviour is moving faster than any previous era of digital marketing. Trends emerge overnight. Opinions shift quickly. Competitors pivot in ways that are not always visible on their public pages. Social listening tools help you:

• Spot early trend signals before they become mainstream.
• Understand customer frustration and motivations.
• Compare sentiment across brands and competitors.
• Identify new demand patterns.
• Improve content planning with evidence instead of instinct.

Listening makes marketers more accurate. More informed. More relevant, and much harder to compete against.

The 10 best social media listening tools for 2025

Below is a practical, marketer-friendly list of the strongest tools available this year – including both free and paid options.

1. Brandwatch

Brandwatch is one of the most comprehensive listening platforms on the market. It analyses billions of data points across social platforms, blogs, news and forums.

• Best for: Enterprise marketers who need deep behavioural intelligence.
• Standout feature: AI-powered sentiment and conversation analysis.
• Pricing: Enterprise-level.

2. Sprout social listening module

Sprout offers a listening suite that integrates directly with scheduling, publishing and reporting, giving teams one ecosystem to work inside.

• Best for: Multi-channel teams already using Sprout.
• Standout feature: Unified insight and reporting dashboard.
• Pricing: Paid add-on module.

3. Mention

Mention tracks brand mentions, competitor conversations and real-time sentiment across millions of sources.

• Best for: Teams needing fast alerts and risk monitoring.
• Standout feature: Real-time monitoring with detailed filtering.
• Pricing: Paid plans.

4. Brand24

Brand24 is highly accessible for small and mid-sized teams. It delivers strong sentiment analysis without the heavy learning curve of enterprise tools.

• Best for: Small to mid-sized teams wanting strong insight without complexity.
• Standout feature: Clean sentiment dashboards and keyword tracking.
• Pricing: Affordable paid plans.

5. AnswerThePublic

AnswerThePublic analyses search data and presents the questions, comparisons and topics people are exploring right now.

• Best for: Content planning and SEO-led topic development.
• Standout feature: Visual question maps reveal demand.
• Pricing: Free and premium versions.

6. Exploding Topics

Exploding Topics identifies rising trends before they hit mainstream awareness. It is popular among growth marketers and strategic planners.

• Best for: Trend forecasting and early opportunity detection.
• Standout feature: Predictive trend acceleration data.
• Pricing: Free insights plus paid tiers.

7. Google Trends

Google Trends provides high level visibility of interest patterns. While not a full listening tool, it is perfect for spotting spikes in topics and seasonality.

• Best for: Beginners and quick directional insight.
• Standout feature: Instant search interest comparisons.
• Pricing: Free.

8. BuzzSumo

BuzzSumo uses AI to analyse high-performing content and identify trends across articles, social networks and competitor channels.

• Best for: Content teams improving performance and strategy.
• Standout feature: AI-driven content trend identification.
• Pricing: Free tier plus paid options.

9. Talkwalker Free Alerts

Talkwater Alerts is a fast, simple way to receive alerts when your brand, competitors or topics of interest appear in news or blog content.

• Best for: Lightweight monitoring for no cost.
• Standout feature: Easy keyword alerts delivered to email.
• Pricing: Free.

10. TikTok Creative Centre

TikTok’s Creative Centre has become a must-use tool for marketers targeting younger demographics or trend-driven categories.

• Best for: Creators and marketers focused on short-form culture.
• Standout feature: Real-time trending sounds, hashtags and content formats.
• Pricing: Free.

Social media listening tools comparison table

Rotate phone to view full table on mobile.

How marketers use social listening to drive growth

Social listening is not only about observing. It is about taking insight and using it to shape strategy. High performing marketers use listening tools to:

1. Identify emerging trends early and adjust messaging accordingly.
2. Build stronger content strategies based on real customer questions.
3. Improve customer experience by spotting friction early.
4. Strengthen paid campaigns with more accurate targeting.
5. Identify new product or service opportunities before competitors do.
6. Track competitor movement and sentiment shifts.
7. Support crisis management with early warning signs.

When marketers move from guesswork to evidence, growth accelerates.

How to choose the right social media listening tool

Choosing the right tool does not need to feel overwhelming. Start with clarity.

• Define your primary goal before exploring tool features.
• Match the tool complexity with your team’s skill level.
• Ensure the tool integrates with your existing tech or reporting stack.
• Decide how deep you need sentiment reporting to go.
• Compare cost versus value – not just cost alone.

Undertaking the above exercise up front will save a lot of time (and potentially cost) later.

Common mistakes marketers make with social listening

Many teams invest in listening tools but never extract full value. Avoid these mistakes:

• Tracking mentions without understanding context.
• Checking insights too infrequently.
• Collecting data but taking no action from it.
• Using too many tools instead of building one focused workflow.

Final thoughts

Social listening reveals the truth behind audience behaviour, but truth alone is not enough. It is what you do with it that makes the real difference. The teams who use listening insights to build better content, refine campaigns and anticipate demand always outperform the ones who rely on instinct alone.

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Related reading:

• Competitor social media audit: what they are and why they matter
• Social media maturity model: where is your brand
• Social media strategy: 12 steps to build a plan that works