Sprout Social is best known as a social media management tool, one of the favorites for scheduling and engaging with your audience across platforms. But since a lot of things have shifted lately and brands should listen to their audience more than ever before, we built a list that covers a much wider scope of functionalities and would serve best as Sprout Social alternatives in 2026.

We wanted to make your choice much easier, so we dug through Reddit threads, listened to what users had to say about the tools, checked their G2 reviews, and tried the recommended tools, and here's what we found out about 14 Brandwatch alternatives.

So, it’s 2026, and social media monitoring tools have become essential for every business that uses internet channels to attract potential customers.

Podcast monitoring might sound like a new trendy term, but the hobbit it builds on is anything but new. Once upon a time, people listened to the radio while working, driving, cooking, or pretending not to work at all. Then the digital era arrived, screens multiplied, and everyone predicted the death of audio.

Back in the days when TV and radio ruled political communication, public opinion moved slowly, and was measured even more slowly. Polls, focus groups, and press coverage were enough. Now, that world no longer exists, and public opinion monitoring operates in a completely different dimension.

Whether you're already using one and want to switch to another or you want to start from scratch with a new marketing tool for social listening, we have prepared a list of the top 12 tools for you.