Brandwave

Meltwater vs Sprout Social:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Sprout Social had more branded searches than Meltwater among media monitoring and social listening tools in New Zealand. Sprout Social had about 320 branded searches, while Meltwater had 180. Sprout Social made up 23.9% of all media monitoring and social listening tool searches we track, and Meltwater accounted for 13.4%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about media monitoring and social listening tools, Meltwater appeared in four of the five answers and Sprout Social in three. Meltwater was mentioned before Sprout Social in three out of four answers that named either.

Among media monitoring and social listening tools in New Zealand in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Sprout Social, about 78% more searches than Meltwater

Sprout Social 320 searchesMeltwater 180 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?

Meltwater, named ahead of Sprout Social in 3 of 4 answers

Meltwater first in 3Sprout Social first in 1

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Top media monitoring and social listening 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 all three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Sprout Social was mentioned in three out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Meltwater was listed before Sprout Social in three out of four answers that named either.

Most recommended by AI

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

  1. Brandwatch1st
  2. Meltwater2nd
  3. Streem3rd
  4. Brand244th
  5. Sprout Social5th
  6. Talkwalker6th
  7. Isentia7th
  8. Mention8th
  9. Muck Rack–

Mentioned by AI

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

  • Brandwatch5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Meltwater4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Brand244 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Sprout Social3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Streem3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Talkwalker3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Isentia1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Mention1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Muck Rack0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about media monitoring and social listening tools

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in New Zealand on October 21, 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 media monitoring and social listening tools we track, month by month, from searches in New Zealand.

Meltwater and Sprout Social among media monitoring and social listening tools in New Zealand, 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
MonthSprout SocialStreemIsentiaMeltwaterBrandwatchMuck RackTalkwalkerBrand24Mention
Oct 202529.1%17%24.2%10.9%9.1%4.2%2.4%1.8%1.2%
Nov 202525%17.9%25.6%11.5%11.5%2.6%2.6%1.9%1.3%
Dec 202525.8%17.7%25.8%12.9%8.9%3.2%2.4%2.4%0.81%
Jan 202624.4%21.4%20.6%11.5%11.5%3.1%3.1%2.3%2.3%
Feb 202623.9%31.3%16.6%9.8%9.2%3.1%3.1%2.5%0.61%
Mar 202622.5%29.5%19.1%11%8.7%2.3%3.5%2.3%1.2%
Apr 202616.5%31.6%20.3%13.9%10.1%3.2%1.9%1.9%0.63%
May 202620.1%26.4%25.2%11.9%9.4%3.1%1.3%1.9%0.63%
Jun 202621.6%27%22.3%10.1%10.1%3.4%2%2.7%0.68%
Jul 202625.3%22.1%20.8%14.9%9.1%3.2%1.9%1.9%0.65%
Aug 202626.7%24%15.1%13%15.1%2.1%1.4%1.4%1.4%
Sep 202623.9%21.6%20.1%13.4%11.2%3.7%3%2.2%0.75%

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

3 findings

How did search popularity change for New Zealand media monitoring and social listening tools in September 2026?

2 changes

  1. In September 2026, Sprout Social lost share of searches among media monitoring and social listening tools in New Zealand, from 26.7% to 23.9%.

  2. In September 2026, Meltwater rose from 5th to 4th among media monitoring and social listening tools in New Zealand.

How are branded searches counted?

6 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
  • meltwater media monitoring
  • meltwater monitoring
  • meltwater social listening

Sprout Social

2 branded search terms

  • sprout social
  • sproutsocial

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among media monitoring and social listening tools

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