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CrowdTangle vs Google Data Studio

C

CrowdTangle

News

Social media insights and content monitoring platform

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Google Data Studio logo

Google Data Studio

Business Intelligence

Free data visualization by Google

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Google Data Studio has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: CrowdTangle crowdTangle was retired by Meta on 14 August 2024, per Meta's own transparency page (Internet Archive capture, 12 December 2024), with Meta Content Library and Content Library API offered as replacements; Google Data Studio limited to free offering with no paid tiers or premium features
  • They diverge on capability: CrowdTangle covers Social listening, Google Data Studio covers Free Platform.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which CrowdTangle and Google Data Studio actually diverge.

Attributes where CrowdTangle and Google Data Studio differ
AttributeCrowdTangleGoogle Data Studio
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquotefree
Free tierNoYes
CategoryNewsBusiness Intelligence
Founded20111998

Identical on both: platforms (Web), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in CrowdTangle

  • Social listening
  • Viral content tracking
  • Competitor monitoring
  • Brand mention tracking
  • Trending alerts
  • Custom dashboards
  • Team collaboration
  • Report generation

Only in Google Data Studio

  • Free Platform
  • Real-time Collaboration
  • Custom Visualizations
  • Data Blending
  • Sharing
  • Google Analytics
  • BigQuery
  • Google Sheets

Both cover

  • YouTube
  • Web support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

CrowdTangle

  • Viral content trackingnot Google Data Studio
  • Social listeningnot Google Data Studio
  • Competitor analysisnot Google Data Studio
  • Trend identificationnot Google Data Studio

Google Data Studio

  • Self-service analyticsnot CrowdTangle
  • Data explorationnot CrowdTangle
  • Ad-hoc reportingnot CrowdTangle
  • Collaborative analysisnot CrowdTangle
  • Embedded analyticsnot CrowdTangle

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

CrowdTangle

  • CrowdTangle was retired by Meta on 14 August 2024, per Meta's own transparency page (Internet Archive capture, 12 December 2024), with Meta Content Library and Content Library API offered as replacements

Google Data Studio

  • Limited to free offering with no paid tiers or premium features
  • Advanced integrations may require Google Workspace subscriptions

Pricing, plan by plan

CrowdTangle

On request
  • Custom Plan$undefined/custom
    • Social monitoring
    • Competitor analysis
    • Trending content tracking

Google Data Studio

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Unlimited Reports
    • Data Connectors
    • Collaboration

Which should you pick?

Choose CrowdTangle if

  • You need social listening.
  • You also want viral content tracking.
CrowdTangle review

Choose Google Data Studio if

  • You need free platform.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want real-time collaboration.
Google Data Studio review

Questions people ask

Is CrowdTangle or Google Data Studio better?
Neither clearly leads. CrowdTangle starts at On request and Google Data Studio at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, CrowdTangle or Google Data Studio?
Google Data Studio has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for CrowdTangle and Free for Google Data Studio.
Does CrowdTangle or Google Data Studio run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Google Data Studio for free?
Yes. Google Data Studio has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. CrowdTangle starts at On request.
What is CrowdTangle best used for?
CrowdTangle is most often used for viral content tracking, social listening, competitor analysis, trend identification. Of those, viral content tracking and social listening are not what Google Data Studio is typically brought in for.
What can CrowdTangle do that Google Data Studio cannot?
CrowdTangle covers Social listening, Viral content tracking, Competitor monitoring, Brand mention tracking. Google Data Studio covers Free Platform, Real-time Collaboration, Custom Visualizations, Data Blending. Both handle YouTube, Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Google Data Studio: Is Google Data Studio free?

Yes, Google Data Studio is completely free to use. The platform states it is easy and free to build interactive dashboards and reports.

Source
Google Data Studio: Are there paid versions of Google Data Studio?

No, Google Data Studio does not offer paid tiers or premium plans. It remains free for all users.

Source
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