Brandwave

Meltwater vs Sprout Social:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Sprout Social had more branded searches than Meltwater among brand monitoring tools worldwide. Sprout Social had about 91,300 branded searches, while Meltwater had 730. Sprout Social made up 20.5% of all brand monitoring tool searches we track, and Meltwater accounted for 0.16%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about brand monitoring tools, Meltwater appeared in four of the five answers and Sprout Social in three. Meltwater and Sprout Social were each mentioned first in two of the four answers that named either.

Among brand monitoring tools worldwide in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Sprout Social, about 125 searches for every 1 for Meltwater

Sprout Social 91.3K searchesMeltwater 730 searches

Who does AI mention more?

Meltwater, mentioned in 4 of 5 answers, Sprout Social in 3

Meltwater in 4 of 5Sprout Social in 3 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Each is named first in 2 of 4 answers.

Meltwater first in 2Sprout Social first in 2

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Top brand monitoring tools in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Meltwater was mentioned in four out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in both Google AI Overviews. Sprout Social was mentioned in three out of five: in one of the three ChatGPT answers and in both Google AI Overviews. Meltwater and Sprout Social were each listed first in two of the four answers that named either.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Brand241st
  2. Brandwatch2nd
  3. Sprout Social3rd
  4. Meltwater4th
  5. Awario5th
  6. Talkwalker6th
  7. Mention6th
  8. Google Alerts8th
  9. YouScan–

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • Brand245 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Brandwatch4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Meltwater4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Google Alerts3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Sprout Social3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Talkwalker2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Awario2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Mention2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • YouScan0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about brand monitoring tools

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 20, 2026.

Is Meltwater or Sprout Social more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Meltwater and Sprout Social by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all nine brand monitoring tools we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.

Meltwater and Sprout Social among brand monitoring tools worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for Sprout Social, Meltwater. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthGoogle AlertsSprout SocialBrandwatchBrand24TalkwalkerYouScanAwarioMeltwaterMention
Oct 202550.9%23%10.2%6.9%6.9%1.1%0.75%0.14%0.07%
Nov 202549.1%22.1%12.1%8.1%6.6%1.1%0.73%0.14%0.08%
Dec 202553.9%20%10.8%7.3%5.9%1.2%0.65%0.13%0.07%
Jan 202655.7%20.5%9.2%6.1%6.1%1.2%0.83%0.16%0.09%
Feb 202653.4%19.9%10.8%7.2%5.9%1.8%0.8%0.21%0.08%
Mar 202653.9%19.9%10.8%7.3%5.9%1.2%0.66%0.18%0.09%
Apr 202653.7%20%10.8%7.3%5.9%1.4%0.64%0.21%0.1%
May 202653.7%20%10.8%7.3%5.9%1.4%0.54%0.26%0.09%
Jun 202653.7%20%10.8%7.3%5.9%1.4%0.54%0.26%0.07%
Jul 202656.4%20.9%9.3%6.2%5.1%1.2%0.56%0.2%0.09%
Aug 202656.4%20.9%9.3%6.2%5.1%1.2%0.57%0.2%0.05%
Sep 202655.2%20.5%11.1%6.1%5%1.2%0.67%0.16%0.06%

How has the Meltwater and Sprout Social comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings

How did search popularity change for brand monitoring tools worldwide in September 2026?

1 change

  1. Estimated monthly branded searches for Sprout Social worldwide fell 32.8% over 12 measured months, from 136K to 91.3K in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted?

14 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Meltwater’s and Sprout Social’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.

Meltwater

4 branded search terms

  • meltwater media intelligence
  • meltwater media monitoring
  • meltwater social listening
  • meltwater software

Sprout Social

10 branded search terms

  • social listening sprout social
  • social media sprout social
  • sprout social
  • sprout social app
  • sprout social influencers
  • sprout social listening
  • sprout social platform
  • sprout social reporting
  • sprout social social media
  • sprout social tiktok

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among brand monitoring tools

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