- Media monitoring and PR tools at a glance
- Ten tools to consider instead of Meltwater
- The UK licence rule for copying news content
- What to compare in a monitoring tool
- Switching monitoring tools without gaps
- Monitoring mistakes to avoid
- PR software or listening platform?
- My plain advice on Meltwater alternatives
- Frequently asked questions
The right Meltwater alternative tracks your press coverage and social mentions, helps you reach journalists and reports results clearly, at a scale that fits your team. Some tools focus on PR workflows, others on listening and analytics. This page lists ten in no particular order, then covers the UK licence rule that applies when you copy news content.
Media monitoring used to mean a folder of press clippings. Now it covers news sites, broadcast, podcasts, forums and social platforms, and most teams want it joined up with their journalist contacts and reporting.
Below are ten media monitoring and PR tools in no particular order, sorted alphabetically, from small PR software to listening platforms. Each description comes from the tool's own website, re-checked today. If you're building PR skills in-house, my PR guide to connecting with customers is a good starting point.
Be clear about what you need most. A PR team needs a media database and pitching tools, while a marketing team usually wants listening and sentiment.
Media monitoring and PR tools at a glance
In the free plan column, Yes means the tool's own site describes a free plan, Trial only means a time-limited trial, and No means neither is stated. Many tools here are demo-led.
| Tool | Type | Good for | Free plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agility PR Solutions | PR and media monitoring | Comms teams wanting one platform | No |
| Awario | Social listening tool | Mention tracking for small teams | Trial only |
| Critical Mention | Broadcast and online monitoring | TV, radio and online coverage | No |
| Determ | Media monitoring tool | Real-time coverage alerts | Trial only |
| Mentionlytics | Social listening and monitoring | Small business brand tracking | Trial only |
| Notified | PR and IR communications | Press releases and investor news | No |
| Prezly | PR software and newsrooms | Brand newsrooms and pitching | Trial only |
| Prowly | PR software | Small PR teams | Trial only |
| Pulsar | Audience intelligence platform | Audience and trend insights | No |
| YouScan | Visual social listening | Spotting logos in images | Trial only |
Ten tools to consider instead of Meltwater
Agility PR Solutions
Best for: Communications teams that want media monitoring, a journalist database and reporting together.
Awario
Best for: Small teams that want to monitor mentions across social, news and blogs on a trial.
Critical Mention
Best for: PR teams that need broadcast monitoring for TV and radio alongside online news.
Determ
Best for: Teams that want real-time media monitoring and alerts with clear insights.
Mentionlytics
Best for: Small businesses and agencies that want listening across web and social without enterprise complexity.
Notified
Best for: Companies that want press release distribution and investor relations tools with monitoring.
Prezly
Best for: Brands that want an online newsroom, journalist contacts and email pitching in one tool.
Prowly
Best for: Small PR teams that want a media database, press releases and monitoring together.
Pulsar
Best for: Brands that want social listening with audience and trend analysis.
YouScan
Best for: Brands that want social listening that also finds their logo in images and video.
The UK licence rule for copying news content
This one surprises plenty of marketing teams. NLA Media Access says it licenses organisations to make paper and digital copies of newspaper, magazine and news website content on behalf of UK publishers, and it currently licenses more than 200,000 businesses and organisations.
If your team shares copies of articles internally, such as a daily press round-up, check whether your monitoring provider's licence covers it or whether you need your own.
What to compare in a monitoring tool
- Sources: news, broadcast, podcasts, social and forums.
- Journalist database: if your team pitches stories.
- Alerts: real-time notifications for important mentions.
- Reports: coverage, reach and sentiment you can share.
- Licensing: whether content sharing is covered.
Switching monitoring tools without gaps
- Export your saved searches, contacts and past reports.
- Run the new tool alongside the old one for a few weeks.
- Compare coverage found by each.
- Rebuild key alerts and dashboards.
- Cancel the old tool once nothing important is being missed.
Monitoring mistakes to avoid
- Broad search terms. They bring noise.
- No exclusions. Filter out unrelated uses of your name.
- Reports nobody reads. Share the two or three findings that matter.
- Ignoring licensing. Check before you share copies.
If you're pitching journalists, my guide to mastering journalist requests shows how to get quoted.
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PR software or listening platform?
The two jobs overlap, but they're not the same. PR software helps you find journalists, send pitches, host a newsroom and report on coverage. Listening platforms track conversations, sentiment and trends across social media and the web. Many businesses need a little of both, but one usually matters more.
If your team spends most of its time pitching, choose a PR tool with a good media database and add free alerts for wider monitoring. If it spends most of its time reporting on brand health, choose a listening platform and keep a simple contact list for the odd pitch. That way you're not paying in time or effort for features you'll rarely open.
Whichever you choose, it's worth agreeing what counts as a good result before you start. A clear goal, such as coverage in the five publications your customers read, makes it much easier to judge whether a tool is earning its place.
And don't forget your own records. A simple spreadsheet of the journalists who've covered you, and what they wrote about, is a resource no tool can replace.
Do you make media monitoring and PR tools? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.
My plain advice on Meltwater alternatives
Decide whether you're buying for PR or for listening, because the best tool for one is rarely the best for the other. Then test with your real brand name and competitors, not a demo search.
And check what's counted as a mention. A tool that finds fewer, more relevant results can be more useful than one that floods you with noise.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good alternative to Meltwater?
PR-focused teams usually want a media database and pitching tools, while marketing teams want listening and sentiment.
Do I need a licence to share press clippings in the UK?
Copying news content can need a licence. NLA Media Access licenses organisations to make copies of UK publishers' content.
Is there a free Meltwater alternative?
Most tools here are trial or demo-led, though free alert tools can cover basic monitoring.
Can these tools monitor TV and radio?
Some do. Broadcast monitoring is a specialist feature, so check before you buy.
What is media monitoring?
It's tracking where your brand, competitors or topics appear in news, broadcast and social media.
Do I need a journalist database?
Only if your team pitches stories regularly.
How do I measure PR results?
Track coverage, reach, sentiment and, where possible, website visits and enquiries from coverage.
Can small businesses use these tools?
Yes, though smaller tools or trials are often enough at first.
