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Software · head to head

Meltwater vs Chartbeat

Meltwater logo

Meltwater

Software

Media intelligence and social listening platform

From
$15000/year
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Chartbeat logo

Chartbeat

Software

Real-time analytics for publishers

From
$1000/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Meltwater real-time accuracy issues reported, particularly for niche industries or non-English content; Chartbeat pricing is customized by website and native app pageviews across four tiers, Essentials, Plus, Premium and Enterprise, and the pricing page publishes no figures, directing visitors to Talk to Sales or Get a Demo
  • They diverge on capability: Meltwater covers Media monitoring, Chartbeat covers Real-time analytics.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Meltwater and Chartbeat actually diverge.

Attributes where Meltwater and Chartbeat differ
AttributeMeltwaterChartbeat
Starting price$15000/year$1000/month
Pricing modelUnknownquote
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb
Founded20012009

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

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 Meltwater

  • Media monitoring
  • Social listening
  • Influencer discovery
  • Sentiment analysis
  • Competitive intelligence
  • PR analytics
  • Report automation
  • Crisis monitoring

Only in Chartbeat

  • Real-time analytics
  • Audience insights
  • Content metrics
  • Traffic tracking
  • Google Analytics
  • English language support

Both cover

  • GDPR
  • Cloud deployment
  • Web support

What people use each for

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

Meltwater

  • Media monitoringnot Chartbeat
  • Influencer researchnot Chartbeat
  • Brand trackingnot Chartbeat
  • Crisis managementnot Chartbeat

Chartbeat

  • Publisher analyticsnot Meltwater

Where each one falls short

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

Meltwater

  • Real-time accuracy issues reported, particularly for niche industries or non-English content
  • Limited media contact database at 380,000-400,000 contacts compared to competitors like Cision
  • Cumbersome dashboard navigation and reporting interface requiring multi-step menu access for data exports
  • Annual contracts with limited ability to scale down; risky for businesses with fluctuating needs

Chartbeat

  • Pricing is customized by website and native app pageviews across four tiers, Essentials, Plus, Premium and Enterprise, and the pricing page publishes no figures, directing visitors to Talk to Sales or Get a Demo

Pricing, plan by plan

Meltwater

$15000/year
  • Essentials$15000/year
    • Core media monitoring
    • Brand mention tracking
    • Industry trend monitoring
  • Suite$25000/year
    • Media monitoring
    • Social listening
    • Cross-department analytics

Chartbeat

$1000/month
  • Professional$1000/month
    • Real-time analytics
    • Audience insights

Which should you pick?

Choose Meltwater if

  • You need media monitoring.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want social listening.
Meltwater review

Choose Chartbeat if

  • You need real-time analytics.
  • You also want audience insights.
Chartbeat review

Questions people ask

Is Meltwater or Chartbeat better?
Neither clearly leads. Meltwater starts at $15000/year and Chartbeat at $1000/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Meltwater or Chartbeat?
Meltwater starts at $15000/year and Chartbeat at $1000/month.
Does Meltwater or Chartbeat run on more platforms?
Meltwater runs on Web, iOS, Android. Chartbeat runs on Web.
What is Meltwater best used for?
Meltwater is most often used for media monitoring, influencer research, brand tracking, crisis management. Of those, media monitoring and influencer research are not what Chartbeat is typically brought in for.
What can Meltwater do that Chartbeat cannot?
Meltwater covers Media monitoring, Social listening, Influencer discovery, Sentiment analysis. Chartbeat covers Real-time analytics, Audience insights, Content metrics, Traffic tracking. Both handle GDPR, Cloud deployment, Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Meltwater: How much does Meltwater cost?

Meltwater does not publish pricing; all quotes require a sales call and annual contract. Median annual cost is approximately $25,000, with mid-market PR teams typically paying $15,000-$40,000 depending on users, coverage volume, and features.

Source
Meltwater: What sources does Meltwater monitor?

Meltwater monitors 200M+ online publications, 400,000+ traditional media sources, 20,000+ podcasts, TV/radio across all 210 US DMAs, and social platforms including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, YouTube, WeChat, and Weibo.

Source
Meltwater: What languages does Meltwater support?

Meltwater provides global multilingual support with consistent accuracy across 100+ languages for sentiment analysis and content classification.

Source
Meltwater: Does Meltwater include journalist/media contact information?

Meltwater's media database includes approximately 380,000-400,000 contacts, smaller than competitors like Cision (1.1M). Media database and GenAI Lens are separate paid add-ons.

Source
Meltwater: Can I export Meltwater reports?

Yes, Meltwater generates custom dashboards and reports tailored to stakeholders. Mira AI assistant can generate summaries and insights from monitoring data.

Source
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