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Meltwater vs Microsoft Start

Meltwater logo

Meltwater

News

Media intelligence and social listening platform

From
$15000/year
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Microsoft Start logo

Microsoft Start

News

Your personalized news feed powered by Microsoft

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Microsoft Start 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; Microsoft Start no pricing information available
  • They diverge on capability: Meltwater covers Media monitoring, Microsoft Start covers Personalized news.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Meltwater and Microsoft Start actually diverge.

Attributes where Meltwater and Microsoft Start differ
AttributeMeltwaterMicrosoft Start
Starting price$15000/yearFree
Pricing modelUnknownfree
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb, Ios, Android, Windows
Founded20011975

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (News).

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 Microsoft Start

  • Personalized news
  • Topic following
  • Weather updates
  • Sports scores
  • Finance news
  • Microsoft Edge
  • Windows 11
  • Microsoft Account

Both cover

  • Web support

What people use each for

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

Meltwater

  • Media monitoringnot Microsoft Start
  • Influencer researchnot Microsoft Start
  • Brand trackingnot Microsoft Start
  • Crisis managementnot Microsoft Start

Microsoft Start

  • Daily newsnot Meltwater
  • Topic trackingnot Meltwater
  • Weather updatesnot Meltwater
  • Quick informationnot 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

Microsoft Start

  • No pricing information available
  • Service appears to be consumer-facing rather than commercial product
  • No pricing model published

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

Microsoft Start

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Personalized news feed
    • Topic following
    • Cross-device sync

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 Microsoft Start if

  • You need personalized news.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android, Windows.
  • You also want topic following.
Microsoft Start review

Questions people ask

Is Meltwater or Microsoft Start better?
Neither clearly leads. Meltwater starts at $15000/year and Microsoft Start at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Meltwater or Microsoft Start?
Microsoft Start has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $15000/year for Meltwater and Free for Microsoft Start.
Does Meltwater or Microsoft Start run on more platforms?
Meltwater runs on Web, iOS, Android. Microsoft Start runs on Web, Ios, Android, Windows.
Can I use Microsoft Start for free?
Yes. Microsoft Start 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 Microsoft Start is typically brought in for.
What can Meltwater do that Microsoft Start cannot?
Meltwater covers Media monitoring, Social listening, Influencer discovery, Sentiment analysis. Microsoft Start covers Personalized news, Topic following, Weather updates, Sports scores. Both handle 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
Microsoft Start: How much does Microsoft Start (MSN) cost?

Microsoft Start (formerly MSN.com) is a free service with no subscription required. The platform provides news, weather, and personalized content at no cost to users.

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
Microsoft Start: Does Microsoft Start offer any paid services or premium features?

Microsoft Start does not publish any paid tiers or premium features. The service is entirely free to access and use without any payment or subscription.

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
Microsoft Start: Are there ads on Microsoft Start?

Microsoft Start provides personalized news and content free of charge. Any advertising present on the service helps support the free platform offering.

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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