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Social Media · head to head

Mention vs Rival IQ

Mention logo

Mention

Social Media

Real-time media monitoring made simple

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Rival IQ logo

Rival IQ

Social Media

Competitive social media analytics and benchmarking with published, self-service pricing

From
$239/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Mention has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Mention historical data access is not included in the Company plan and is only available as a paid add-on; Rival IQ data history is capped by tier at 6, 12 or 24 months, so a year-on-year comparison is impossible on the entry plan and a three-year trend is impossible on any plan.
  • They diverge on capability: Mention covers Real-time monitoring, Rival IQ covers Competitive landscapes.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Mention and Rival IQ actually diverge.

Attributes where Mention and Rival IQ differ
AttributeMentionRival IQ
Starting priceFree$239/month
Pricing modelfreemiumPer month by tracked company count
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidWeb
Founded2012Unknown

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

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 Mention

  • Real-time monitoring
  • Sentiment analysis
  • Influencer identification
  • Competitive analysis
  • Custom reports
  • Slack
  • Zapier
  • Buffer

Only in Rival IQ

  • Competitive landscapes
  • Engagement rate benchmarking
  • Private channel analytics
  • Social listening searches
  • Facebook and Instagram ads reporting
  • Head-to-head reports
  • Scheduled exports and alerts
  • Looker Studio connector

What people use each for

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

Mention

  • Brand monitoringnot Rival IQ
  • Competitor trackingnot Rival IQ
  • Social listeningnot Rival IQ
  • Reputation managementnot Rival IQ

Rival IQ

  • An agency producing a quarterly competitive social report for a retail client without paying enterprise listening platform ratesnot Mention
  • A social media manager needing a defensible engagement rate benchmark against named competitors for a board decknot Mention
  • A brand team deciding whether to invest further in TikTok by comparing its performance against category peers rather than against its own historynot Mention
  • A marketing lead who wants a competitive tool they can buy on a departmental card in an afternoon rather than through a procurement cyclenot Mention

Where each one falls short

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

Mention

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

Rival IQ

  • Data history is capped by tier at 6, 12 or 24 months, so a year-on-year comparison is impossible on the entry plan and a three-year trend is impossible on any plan.
  • The entry plan includes a single user seat, which means a two-person social team is pushed to the 349 dollar tier for a reason that has nothing to do with data volume.
  • Social listening is sold as a small number of saved searches rather than a listening platform, so it will not replace a dedicated monitoring tool for crisis detection or broad web coverage.
  • Instagram reporting is the weakest part of the platform, with reach not presented as a clean monthly total, which frustrates teams whose primary channel is Instagram.
  • It analyses but does not publish or schedule, so it is an additional subscription alongside whatever publishing tool you already run rather than a consolidation.

Pricing, plan by plan

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

Rival IQ

$239/month
  • Drive$239/month
    • 10 tracked companies
    • 6 months of data history
    • 1 user seat
  • Engage$349/month
    • 20 tracked companies
    • 12 months of data history
    • 2 user seats
  • Engage Pro$559/month
    • 40 tracked companies
    • 24 months of data history
    • 5 user seats

Which should you pick?

Choose Mention if

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

Choose Rival IQ if

  • You need competitive landscapes.
  • You also want engagement rate benchmarking.
Rival IQ review

Questions people ask

Is Mention or Rival IQ better?
Neither clearly leads. Mention starts at Free and Rival IQ at $239/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Mention or Rival IQ?
Mention has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Mention and $239/month for Rival IQ.
Does Mention or Rival IQ run on more platforms?
Mention runs on Web, Ios, Android. Rival IQ runs on Web.
Can I use Mention for free?
Yes. Mention has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Rival IQ starts at $239/month.
What is Mention best used for?
Mention is most often used for brand monitoring, competitor tracking, social listening, reputation management. Of those, brand monitoring and competitor tracking are not what Rival IQ is typically brought in for.
What can Mention do that Rival IQ cannot?
Mention covers Real-time monitoring, Sentiment analysis, Influencer identification, Competitive analysis. Rival IQ covers Competitive landscapes, Engagement rate benchmarking, Private channel analytics, Social listening searches.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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
Rival IQ: Can I schedule posts from Rival IQ?

No. It is analytics and benchmarking only. You keep your publishing tool.

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
Rival IQ: Does it need my competitors to grant access?

No. Public metrics for tracked companies are collected without their involvement. Private metrics require connecting your own accounts.

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
Rival IQ: Is there a free trial?

Yes, 14 days with no card required.

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
Rival IQ: How far back does data go when I add a competitor?

Rival IQ backfills history up to your plan limit of 6, 12 or 24 months, so adding a competitor does not start you from zero.

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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