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Meltwater vs Mention

Meltwater logo

Meltwater

News

Media intelligence and social listening platform

From
$15000/year
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Mention logo

Mention

Social Media

Real-time media monitoring made simple

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Mention has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Meltwater real-time accuracy issues reported, particularly for niche industries or non-English content; Mention historical data access is not included in the Company plan and is only available as a paid add-on
  • They diverge on capability: Meltwater covers Media monitoring, Mention covers Real-time monitoring.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Meltwater and Mention actually diverge.

Attributes where Meltwater and Mention differ
AttributeMeltwaterMention
Starting price$15000/yearFree
Pricing modelUnknownfreemium
Free tierNoYes
CategoryNewsSocial Media
Founded20012012

Identical on both: platforms (Web, iOS, Android), 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 Meltwater

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

Only in Mention

  • Real-time monitoring
  • Influencer identification
  • Competitive analysis
  • Custom reports
  • Zapier
  • Buffer
  • Hootsuite
  • Ios support

Both cover

  • Sentiment analysis
  • Slack
  • Web support

What people use each for

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

Meltwater

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

Mention

  • Brand monitoringnot Meltwater
  • Competitor trackingnot Meltwater
  • Social listeningnot Meltwater
  • Reputation managementnot 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

Mention

  • Historical data access is not included in the Company plan and is only available as a paid add-on

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

Mention

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 1 alert
    • 1,000 mentions
    • Basic monitoring
  • Solo$41/month
    • 2 alerts
    • 5,000 mentions
    • Boolean search
  • Pro$83/month
    • 5 alerts
    • 10,000 mentions
    • Team features
  • EnterpriseFree
    • Unlimited alerts
    • Unlimited mentions
    • Custom integrations

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 Mention if

  • You need real-time monitoring.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want influencer identification.
Mention review

Questions people ask

Is Meltwater or Mention better?
Neither clearly leads. Meltwater starts at $15000/year and Mention at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Meltwater or Mention?
Mention has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $15000/year for Meltwater and Free for Mention.
Does Meltwater or Mention run on more platforms?
Meltwater runs on Web, iOS, Android. Mention runs on Web, Ios, Android.
Can I use Mention for free?
Yes. Mention has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Meltwater starts at $15000/year.
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 Mention is typically brought in for.
What can Meltwater do that Mention cannot?
Meltwater covers Media monitoring, Social listening, Influencer discovery, Competitive intelligence. Mention covers Real-time monitoring, Influencer identification, Competitive analysis, Custom reports. Both handle Sentiment analysis, Slack, 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
Mention: What does the Mention Company Plan include?

The Company Plan includes real-time mention tracking across Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Reddit, TikTok, and YouTube, plus news, blogs, and forums. It covers 75+ review sites, sentiment analysis, competitor benchmarking, custom reporting, and dedicated account manager support.

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
Mention: What is the cost of Mention's Company Plan?

Mention's Company Plan pricing is not displayed on the pricing page and requires contacting sales or requesting a demo to get a quote.

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
Mention: Does Mention offer a free trial?

Yes. Mention offers a free trial accessible through their signup page, with no credit card required to get started.

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
Mention: Can I save money by paying annually for Mention?

Yes. If you pay yearly instead of monthly, Mention gives you 2 months free, saving approximately $360 USD per year depending on your plan.

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
Mention: Are there add-ons or upsells available with Mention?

Yes. Mention offers paid add-ons for historical data and white-label reporting beyond what is included in the standard plan.

Source
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