---
title: "Social media analytics platforms: Which brands are most popular in search?"
description: "Compare tools that help marketing teams report on social media performance and understand competing brands. Share of Search among Metricool, Buffer, Sprout Social, SocialPilot, Agorapulse, Iconosquare and Rival IQ, the social media analytics platforms Brandwave compares worldwide, using the same methodology, market, and reporting period. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time."
canonical: "https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/social-media-analytics-platforms"
publisher: "Brandwave"
---

# Social media analytics platforms: Which brands are most popular in search?

Compare tools that help marketing teams report on social media performance and understand competing brands. Share of Search among Metricool, Buffer, Sprout Social, SocialPilot, Agorapulse, Iconosquare and Rival IQ, the social media analytics platforms Brandwave compares worldwide, using the same methodology, market, and reporting period. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time.

## Key facts

- **Competitive set**: Social media analytics platforms
- **Market**: Global
- **Brands compared**: 7
- **Month measured**: Aug 2026
- **Highest Share of Search**: Metricool, 59.6%

## Which brand is most popular in search among social media analytics platforms worldwide?

- In August 2026, Metricool was the most searched among social media analytics platforms worldwide, with an estimated 368K branded searches and 59.6% estimated Share of Search within this set.
- Buffer is in 2nd place, 41.5 percentage points behind at 18.1% Share of Search.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Metricool’s estimated Share of Search among social media analytics platforms worldwide increased from 54.9% to 59.6%.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Buffer’s estimated Share of Search among social media analytics platforms worldwide increased from 6.6% to 18.1%.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Sprout Social’s estimated Share of Search among social media analytics platforms worldwide decreased from 25.8% to 15.5%.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, SocialPilot’s estimated Share of Search among social media analytics platforms worldwide decreased from 4.9% to 2.9%.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Agorapulse’s estimated Share of Search among social media analytics platforms worldwide decreased from 4% to 2.4%.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Iconosquare’s estimated Share of Search among social media analytics platforms worldwide decreased from 2.2% to 0.88%.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Rival IQ’s estimated Share of Search among social media analytics platforms worldwide decreased from 1.5% to 0.72%.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Metricool’s estimated Share of Search among social media analytics platforms worldwide peaked at 61.9% in May 2026 and was lowest at 54.9% in October 2025.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Buffer’s estimated Share of Search among social media analytics platforms worldwide peaked at 23% in July 2026 and was lowest at 5.6% in November 2025.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Sprout Social’s estimated Share of Search among social media analytics platforms worldwide peaked at 25.8% in October 2025 and was lowest at 14.5% in July 2026.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, SocialPilot’s estimated Share of Search among social media analytics platforms worldwide peaked at 5.3% in November 2025 and was lowest at 2.7% in July 2026.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Agorapulse’s estimated Share of Search among social media analytics platforms worldwide peaked at 4.5% in December 2025 and was lowest at 2.4% in August 2026.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Iconosquare’s estimated Share of Search among social media analytics platforms worldwide peaked at 2.4% in November 2025 and was lowest at 0.88% in August 2026.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Buffer rose from 3rd to 2nd among social media analytics platforms worldwide.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Sprout Social fell from 2nd to 3rd among social media analytics platforms worldwide.

## Compare search popularity between leading brands

- [Metricool vs Buffer: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/buffer-vs-metricool): 59.6% against 18.1% Share of Search.
- [Metricool vs Sprout Social: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/metricool-vs-sprout-social): 59.6% against 15.5% Share of Search.
- [Metricool vs SocialPilot: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/metricool-vs-socialpilot): 59.6% against 2.9% Share of Search.
- [Metricool vs Agorapulse: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/agorapulse-vs-metricool): 59.6% against 2.4% Share of Search.
- [Buffer vs Sprout Social: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/buffer-vs-sprout-social): 18.1% against 15.5% Share of Search.
- [Buffer vs SocialPilot: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/buffer-vs-socialpilot): 18.1% against 2.9% Share of Search.
- [Buffer vs Agorapulse: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/agorapulse-vs-buffer): 18.1% against 2.4% Share of Search.
- [Sprout Social vs SocialPilot: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/socialpilot-vs-sprout-social): 15.5% against 2.9% Share of Search.
- [Sprout Social vs Agorapulse: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/agorapulse-vs-sprout-social): 15.5% against 2.4% Share of Search.
- [SocialPilot vs Agorapulse: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/agorapulse-vs-socialpilot): 2.9% against 2.4% Share of Search.

## How did search popularity change for social media analytics platforms worldwide in August 2026?

- In August 2026, Metricool gained estimated Share of Search among social media analytics platforms worldwide, from 55.2% to 59.6%.
- In August 2026, Sprout Social gained estimated Share of Search among social media analytics platforms worldwide, from 14.5% to 15.5%.
- In August 2026, Buffer lost estimated Share of Search among social media analytics platforms worldwide, from 23% to 18.1%.
- Agorapulse’s estimated Share of Search among social media analytics platforms worldwide has lost ground for 3 months in a row, from 3% to 2.4% in August 2026.
- Iconosquare’s estimated Share of Search among social media analytics platforms worldwide has lost ground for 3 months in a row, from 1.4% to 0.88% in August 2026.
- In August 2026, SocialPilot rose from 5th to 4th among social media analytics platforms worldwide.
- Estimated monthly branded searches for Rival IQ worldwide fell 45.1% over 11 measured months, from 8.1K to 4.5K in August 2026.

## Share of Search ranking

| Rank | Brand | Share of Search | Estimated monthly branded searches | Change vs prior month | Owned by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | Metricool | 59.6% | 368K | 0.0% | Metricool |
| 2 | Buffer | 18.1% | 112K | -27.3% | Buffer |
| 3 | Sprout Social | 15.5% | 95.6K | -0.9% | Sprout Social |
| 4 | SocialPilot | 2.9% | 18.1K | 0.0% | SocialPilot |
| 5 | Agorapulse | 2.4% | 14.8K | -18.2% | Agorapulse |
| 6 | Iconosquare | 0.88% | 5.4K | -20.8% | Iconosquare |
| 7 | Rival IQ | 0.72% | 4.5K | -17.8% | Rival IQ |

## Historical estimated branded-search demand

| Month | Brand | Estimated monthly branded searches | Share of Search | Rank |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Oct 2025 | Metricool | 302K | 54.9% | 1 |
| Oct 2025 | Sprout Social | 142K | 25.8% | 2 |
| Oct 2025 | Buffer | 36.4K | 6.6% | 3 |
| Oct 2025 | SocialPilot | 27.1K | 4.9% | 4 |
| Oct 2025 | Agorapulse | 22.2K | 4% | 5 |
| Oct 2025 | Iconosquare | 12.3K | 2.2% | 6 |
| Oct 2025 | Rival IQ | 8.1K | 1.5% | 7 |
| Nov 2025 | Metricool | 302K | 58.5% | 1 |
| Nov 2025 | Sprout Social | 116K | 22.4% | 2 |
| Nov 2025 | Buffer | 28.9K | 5.6% | 3 |
| Nov 2025 | SocialPilot | 27.1K | 5.3% | 4 |
| Nov 2025 | Agorapulse | 22.2K | 4.3% | 5 |
| Nov 2025 | Iconosquare | 12.2K | 2.4% | 6 |
| Nov 2025 | Rival IQ | 8.1K | 1.6% | 7 |
| Dec 2025 | Metricool | 301K | 61.4% | 1 |
| Dec 2025 | Sprout Social | 95.5K | 19.5% | 2 |
| Dec 2025 | Buffer | 33.9K | 6.9% | 3 |
| Dec 2025 | Agorapulse | 22.2K | 4.5% | 4 |
| Dec 2025 | SocialPilot | 22.2K | 4.5% | 5 |
| Dec 2025 | Iconosquare | 10.2K | 2.1% | 6 |
| Dec 2025 | Rival IQ | 5.4K | 1.1% | 7 |
| Jan 2026 | Metricool | 301K | 57.5% | 1 |
| Jan 2026 | Sprout Social | 116K | 22.1% | 2 |
| Jan 2026 | Buffer | 46K | 8.8% | 3 |
| Jan 2026 | Agorapulse | 22.2K | 4.2% | 4 |
| Jan 2026 | SocialPilot | 22.2K | 4.2% | 5 |
| Jan 2026 | Iconosquare | 10K | 1.9% | 6 |
| Jan 2026 | Rival IQ | 6.6K | 1.3% | 7 |
| Feb 2026 | Metricool | 301K | 58.8% | 1 |
| Feb 2026 | Sprout Social | 96.1K | 18.8% | 2 |
| Feb 2026 | Buffer | 58.9K | 11.5% | 3 |
| Feb 2026 | SocialPilot | 22.2K | 4.3% | 4 |
| Feb 2026 | Agorapulse | 18.1K | 3.5% | 5 |
| Feb 2026 | Iconosquare | 10.1K | 2% | 6 |
| Feb 2026 | Rival IQ | 5.4K | 1.1% | 7 |
| Mar 2026 | Metricool | 368K | 60% | 1 |
| Mar 2026 | Sprout Social | 117K | 19.1% | 2 |
| Mar 2026 | Buffer | 62.3K | 10.2% | 3 |
| Mar 2026 | SocialPilot | 27.1K | 4.4% | 4 |
| Mar 2026 | Agorapulse | 22.2K | 3.6% | 5 |
| Mar 2026 | Iconosquare | 10K | 1.6% | 6 |
| Mar 2026 | Rival IQ | 6.6K | 1.1% | 7 |
| Apr 2026 | Metricool | 368K | 61.6% | 1 |
| Apr 2026 | Sprout Social | 96K | 16.1% | 2 |
| Apr 2026 | Buffer | 78.1K | 13.1% | 3 |
| Apr 2026 | SocialPilot | 22.2K | 3.7% | 4 |
| Apr 2026 | Agorapulse | 18.1K | 3% | 5 |
| Apr 2026 | Iconosquare | 8.1K | 1.4% | 6 |
| Apr 2026 | Rival IQ | 6.6K | 1.1% | 7 |
| May 2026 | Metricool | 368K | 61.9% | 1 |
| May 2026 | Sprout Social | 96.5K | 16.2% | 2 |
| May 2026 | Buffer | 77.2K | 13% | 3 |
| May 2026 | SocialPilot | 22.2K | 3.7% | 4 |
| May 2026 | Agorapulse | 18.1K | 3% | 5 |
| May 2026 | Iconosquare | 8.2K | 1.4% | 6 |
| May 2026 | Rival IQ | 4.4K | 0.74% | 7 |
| Jun 2026 | Metricool | 369K | 61.3% | 1 |
| Jun 2026 | Sprout Social | 97.3K | 16.2% | 2 |
| Jun 2026 | Buffer | 83.5K | 13.9% | 3 |
| Jun 2026 | SocialPilot | 22.2K | 3.7% | 4 |
| Jun 2026 | Agorapulse | 18.1K | 3% | 5 |
| Jun 2026 | Iconosquare | 6.7K | 1.1% | 6 |
| Jun 2026 | Rival IQ | 4.4K | 0.74% | 7 |
| Jul 2026 | Metricool | 368K | 55.2% | 1 |
| Jul 2026 | Buffer | 154K | 23% | 2 |
| Jul 2026 | Sprout Social | 96.5K | 14.5% | 3 |
| Jul 2026 | Agorapulse | 18.1K | 2.7% | 4 |
| Jul 2026 | SocialPilot | 18.1K | 2.7% | 5 |
| Jul 2026 | Iconosquare | 6.9K | 1% | 6 |
| Jul 2026 | Rival IQ | 5.4K | 0.82% | 7 |
| Aug 2026 | Metricool | 368K | 59.6% | 1 |
| Aug 2026 | Buffer | 112K | 18.1% | 2 |
| Aug 2026 | Sprout Social | 95.6K | 15.5% | 3 |
| Aug 2026 | SocialPilot | 18.1K | 2.9% | 4 |
| Aug 2026 | Agorapulse | 14.8K | 2.4% | 5 |
| Aug 2026 | Iconosquare | 5.4K | 0.88% | 6 |
| Aug 2026 | Rival IQ | 4.5K | 0.72% | 7 |
| Sep 2026 | Agorapulse | — | — | — |
| Sep 2026 | Buffer | — | — | — |
| Sep 2026 | Iconosquare | — | — | — |
| Sep 2026 | Metricool | — | — | — |
| Sep 2026 | Rival IQ | — | — | — |
| Sep 2026 | SocialPilot | — | — | — |
| Sep 2026 | Sprout Social | — | — | — |

## What is being compared

- **Agorapulse**: Measured on the search terms “agorapulse” and “agorapulse social media”, summed into one figure.
- **Buffer**: Measured on the search terms “buffer app for instagram”, “buffer app instagram”, “buffer app twitter”, “buffer com”, “buffer for instagram”, “buffer for twitter”, “buffer instagram scheduling”, “buffer linkedin”, “buffer linkedin scheduling”, “buffer pricing”, “buffer publish”, “buffer scheduling tool”, “buffer social”, “buffer social management”, “buffer social media”, “buffer social media management”, “buffer social media management tool”, “buffer social media marketing”, “buffer social media marketing tool”, “buffer social media scheduling”, “buffer social media tool”, “buffer social tool” and “Buffer.com”, summed into one figure.
- **Iconosquare**: Measured on the search terms “iconosquare” and “iconosquare instagram analytics”, summed into one figure.
- **Metricool**: Measured on the search terms “metricool” and “metricool social media”, summed into one figure.
- **Rival IQ**: Measured on the search terms “rival iq” and “rivaliq.com”, summed into one figure.
- **SocialPilot**: Measured on the search terms “social pilot” and “socialpilot”, summed into one figure.
- **Sprout Social**: Measured on the search terms “social listening sprout social”, “social media sprout social”, “sprout social”, “sprout social analytics”, “sprout social app”, “sprout social com”, “sprout social community management”, “sprout social cost”, “sprout social for agencies”, “sprout social for nonprofits”, “sprout social influencer marketing”, “sprout social influencers”, “sprout social link in bio”, “sprout social listening”, “sprout social management”, “sprout social media”, “sprout social media analytics”, “sprout social media management”, “sprout social media monitoring”, “sprout social platform”, “sprout social premium analytics”, “sprout social pricing”, “sprout social reporting”, “sprout social social listening”, “sprout social social media”, “sprout social tiktok” and “sproutsocialcom”, summed into one figure.

- [Agorapulse](/demand/global-en/brands/agorapulse)
- [Buffer](/demand/global-en/brands/buffer)
- [Iconosquare](/demand/global-en/brands/iconosquare)
- [Metricool](/demand/global-en/brands/metricool)
- [Rival IQ](/demand/global-en/brands/rival-iq)
- [SocialPilot](/demand/global-en/brands/socialpilot)
- [Sprout Social](/demand/global-en/brands/sprout-social)

## Methodology

- [How is branded search demand measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused.

## Frequently asked questions

### Which brand is most popular in search among social media analytics platforms worldwide?

In August 2026, Metricool was the most searched among social media analytics platforms worldwide, with an estimated 368K branded searches and 59.6% estimated Share of Search within this set. Worldwide · English terms: these are worldwide searches for English-language branded terms.

## Cite this page

Brandwave. "Social media analytics platforms: Which brands are most popular in search?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/social-media-analytics-platforms

This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/social-media-analytics-platforms. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.