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CrowdTangle vs Microsoft Start

C

CrowdTangle

News

Social media insights and content monitoring platform

From
On request
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: 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; Microsoft Start no pricing information available
  • They diverge on capability: CrowdTangle covers Social listening, Microsoft Start covers Personalized news.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where CrowdTangle and Microsoft Start differ
AttributeCrowdTangleMicrosoft Start
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquotefree
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWebWeb, Ios, Android, Windows
Founded20111975

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 CrowdTangle

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

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.

CrowdTangle

  • Viral content trackingnot Microsoft Start
  • Social listeningnot Microsoft Start
  • Competitor analysisnot Microsoft Start
  • Trend identificationnot Microsoft Start

Microsoft Start

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

Microsoft Start

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

Pricing, plan by plan

CrowdTangle

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

Microsoft Start

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

Which should you pick?

Choose CrowdTangle if

  • You need social listening.
  • You also want viral content tracking.
CrowdTangle 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 CrowdTangle or Microsoft Start better?
Neither clearly leads. CrowdTangle starts at On request and Microsoft Start at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, CrowdTangle or Microsoft Start?
Microsoft Start has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for CrowdTangle and Free for Microsoft Start.
Does CrowdTangle or Microsoft Start run on more platforms?
CrowdTangle runs on Web. 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. 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 Microsoft Start is typically brought in for.
What can CrowdTangle do that Microsoft Start cannot?
CrowdTangle covers Social listening, Viral content tracking, Competitor monitoring, Brand mention tracking. Microsoft Start covers Personalized news, Topic following, Weather updates, Sports scores. Both handle Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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
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
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
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