Since 2003, Google Alerts has been helping millions of marketers and PR pros keep track of their online presence. Google Alerts was a big thing back in the day, but with years their shine faded out and the era of Google Alerts alternatives began.
The truth is that people still use Google Alerts today. However, their functionality is inadequate compared to what’s happening on social media. With a quick search, you’ll see that users complain about receiving alerts too late, spam overload, not enough sources, and more.
Chances are that if you’re reading this article, you already know how to use Google Alerts but you’re fed up with the irrelevant mentions and results you get.
Fear not! Here we’ve put together a list of 7 Google Alerts alternatives, free and paid, to take your brand and news monitoring to the next level.
Scroll down!
Table of Contents
1. Mentionlytics
Mentionlytics is the social listening tool that can save you from the Google Alerts clutter in your inbox and help you stay focused!
The Mentionlytics platform monitors not only the entire web — as Google Alerts — but also all the social media platforms out there to retrieve all social mentions of your brand and other given keywords.
That’s a win over Google Alerts as it scans a broader online territory and gives you a full report on what’s being said about your brand in the whole digital world.
Moreover, with Mentionlytics you get alerts for what truly matters to you the most. To be specific, the platform allows you to tailor your notifications by specifying keywords or trackers you want alerts for.
For example, if you group keywords for a campaign or particular topic under one tracker, you can opt to receive a distinct alert for those specific mentions.
Also, you can ensure your alerts are free of irrelevant mentions by choosing specific sections to include in your email notifications.
Additionally, you’re in control of the frequency of these notifications, from real-time alerts to weekly updates.
And if you want detailed alerts directly in your inbox, you can have social media reports attached or you can stick to concise text updates that will help you detect any crisis early on. For an integrated experience, choose to receive your alerts via Slack as well.
Plus, you can determine the recipients of your notifications, by selecting from a dropdown list of email addresses, or even setting up CC and BCC filters to keep your manager and team informed.
Last but not least, with Mentionlytics you can not only receive alerts about your brand mentions but also get a sentiment analysis of them, calculate your Share of Voice, and even find influencers to collaborate with, only from a single platform.
Pricing: Starts at $69 per month but you can have a 14-day free trial, without a credit card required.
2. Sprout Social
Sprout Social stands out as a favored choice for marketers and PR professionals when it comes to social media monitoring tools. It’s primarily a platform for social media management but it also provides features for monitoring online conversations.
Supporting platforms like Facebook, X (Twitter), and Instagram, Sprout Social is a useful alternative to Google Alerts, since it notifies users when there’s an increase in message volume. That way its users can be aware of crises, time-sensitive events, or other situations that require immediate attention.
Furthermore, this tool delves into audience conversations to offer valuable insights for a business.
Pricing: Starts at $249 per month.
Bonus: Learn more on Sprout Social Alternatives
3. Talkwalker
Talkwalker offers one of the best free Google Alerts alternatives for users who aren’t sure they need the paid version. Specifically, Talkwalker monitors websites, news sites, forums, blogs, and social networks and notifies users of new mentions of their keywords through emails.
With Talkwalker Alerts you can select the frequency of email notifications. And you decide if you want all mentions or only the most crucial ones in your inbox. Also, it provides a Boolean search feature, so that users can tailor their search for specific results.
Pricing: Free tool
Bonus: Learn more on Talkwalker Alternatives
4. Determ
Determ is another great alternative to Google Alerts. With this platform, users can prioritize what truly matters by using alerts. Specifically, they get regular updates presented in a format that suits them best — whether that’s email, PDF, or other options.
The moment something appears online, users get immediately informed through real-time and spike notifications, in their inbox, Slack, or directly to their phone.
Particularly, the Spike Alerts system is designed to notify users when a topic they’re monitoring starts trending. This helps in understanding the reasons behind its rise through immediate summaries and comprehensive analysis.
Also, Determ’s notifications are customizable to ensure users are alerted only when something significant to them occurs, without feeling swamped.
Pricing: You have to get in contact with them.
5. Critical Mention
Critical Mention is an excellent news monitoring tool that remains one of the strongest alternatives to Google Alerts, because of its capability to track not just online sources, but offline media too. Users can discover mentions from TV, radio, online news sites, and social media platforms.
Users prefer Critical Mention over Google Alerts news as it provides a holistic overview of media mentions of a brand both in the physical and digital world. And it gets users notified about new brand mentions with real-time alerts.
Pricing: You have to get in contact with them.
6. Social Searcher
Social Searcher is an advanced social search engine that goes beyond just notifying you of brand, keyword, or hashtag mentions on the web. With a simple query, it initiates real-time monitoring across seven platforms from Instagram to Reddit and Vimeo.
Its Minus Words feature refines results for precision and users can focus on specific platforms, like Instagram, to understand brand sentiment.
Its free package allows 100 daily searches and two email alerts. Furthermore, Social Searcher offers quality analytics and data export.
Pricing: Free tool
7. Agorapulse
Agorapulse brings together two functionalities: social listening and social media scheduling.
This platform allows users to directly engage with people mentioning their brand, enhancing customer service. Agorapulse enables them also to bring their colleagues on board and delegate mentions to them.
It’s a great alternative Google Alerts app for social listening. However, it currently lacks the capability for web monitoring. So, the notifications you receive will be only for social media mentions.
Pricing: €69 per user per month but offers also a free option with limited access.
Bonus: Here are the best Agorapulse alternatives.
Conclusion
As you see, there are various alternatives to Google Alerts to receive your news and brand mentions right into your inbox. You can stay informed about everything online, not just the web, by using one of the tools we analyzed above.
Are you feeling ready to ditch Google Alerts once and for all? Then, give Mentionlytics a try now!
