Pricing

Meltwater Pricing 2026: Plans, Costs & Complete Breakdown

Matt
Matt
8 min read
โšก

TL;DR - Quick Answer

11 min read

Tips you can use today. What works and what doesn't.

Quick answer: Custom pricing only. Median: $25,000/year. Range: $6,000 to $100,000+.

See our Meltwater review for features breakdown.

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Meltwater Pricing Overview 2026

PlanEstimated Annual CostBest For
Essentials$6,000-12,000Basic monitoring
Suite$15,000-35,000Full social + media
Enterprise$40,000-100,000+Large organizations

All pricing is custom. No public pricing page exists.


What Users Actually Pay

Based on real user reports and industry data:

ScenarioReported Cost
Media monitoring only$6,900/year
4 users, 16 profiles (social only)$15,000/year
Reporting and insights$16,000/year
20 users, full features$33,000/year
Enterprise package$43,000-100,000/year

Median buyer cost: $25,000/year according to Vendr data.


Quick Quiz
Easy

What's the median annual cost for Meltwater according to buyer data?

๐Ÿ’ก Tip: Think carefully before selecting your answer!


Three Main Plans

Essentials

Estimated: $6,000-12,000/year

Entry-level media intelligence:

  • Core media monitoring
  • Basic social listening
  • 24/7 training access
  • Easy implementation
  • Standard support

Best for small teams starting with media monitoring.


Suite

Estimated: $15,000-35,000/year

Full feature set:

  • Everything in Essentials
  • Advanced social management
  • Audience tracking
  • Engagement tools
  • Performance analytics
  • Multi-platform posting

Best for marketing teams consolidating media and social.


Enterprise

Estimated: $40,000-100,000+/year

Enterprise-grade:

  • Everything in Suite
  • Global coverage
  • Heavy data usage
  • Dedicated support
  • Custom integrations
  • Advanced API access
  • Compliance features

Best for large organizations with complex needs.


Quick Quiz
Medium

A marketing team needs social management AND media monitoring. Which plan?

๐Ÿ’ก Tip: Think carefully before selecting your answer!


Pricing Factors

What affects your quote:

FactorImpact
Number of usersMore users = higher cost
Social profilesMore profiles = higher cost
Data volumeHigher usage = higher cost
Features selectedMore modules = higher cost
Global coverageInternational = higher cost
Support levelPremium support = higher cost

Contract Terms

Renewal Policies

Important to know:

  • Auto-renewal is standard
  • 5% price increase common at renewal
  • Early renewal (30+ days ahead) may waive increase
  • Sales may push early renewals

Negotiation Tips

Users report success with:

  • Getting competitor quotes first
  • Negotiating during Q4
  • Committing to multi-year deals
  • Bundling multiple products
  • Asking about promotional pricing

Quick Quiz
Medium

How can you potentially avoid Meltwater's renewal price increase?

๐Ÿ’ก Tip: Think carefully before selecting your answer!


Meltwater vs Competitors Pricing

ToolEstimated Annual CostBest For
Meltwater$15,000-50,000PR + social
Brandwatch$20,000-60,000Social intelligence
Sprinklr$50,000-100,000+Full CXM suite
Khoros$10,000-50,000Social management
Cision$10,000-30,000PR focus
SocialRails$348-1,188Content + scheduling

For the Same Budget...

With $25,000/year (Meltwater median), you could afford:

AlternativeWhat You Get
Sprout Social (5 users)$15,000 + $10K for ads
Hootsuite + MentionFull suite + monitoring
SocialRails + Brand24AI content + listening
Quick Quiz
Easy

$25K/year Meltwater budget could instead buy how many years of SocialRails?

๐Ÿ’ก Tip: Think carefully before selecting your answer!


What You Get With Meltwater

Core Features (All Plans)

FeatureEssentialsSuiteEnterprise
Media monitoringโœ…โœ…โœ…
News sources (300K+)โœ…โœ…โœ…
Basic alertsโœ…โœ…โœ…
Training accessโœ…โœ…โœ…
Social listeningLimitedโœ…โœ…
Social publishingโŒโœ…โœ…
Advanced analyticsโŒโœ…โœ…
API accessโŒLimitedโœ…
Dedicated supportโŒโŒโœ…

Add-On Modules

Additional costs for:

  • Influencer marketing
  • Consumer research
  • Sales intelligence
  • Custom integrations
  • Extended data retention

Quick Quiz
Easy

Meltwater is strongest in which area compared to alternatives?

๐Ÿ’ก Tip: Think carefully before selecting your answer!


Is Meltwater Worth the Price?

Worth it if you:

  • Need full media monitoring coverage
  • Require social listening at scale
  • Have PR/comms focus
  • Budget allows $15K+/year
  • Need global coverage
  • Want consolidated platform

Not worth it if you:

  • Only need social scheduling
  • Budget under $10K/year
  • Small team (1-3 people)
  • Focus is content creation
  • Don't need media monitoring
  • Want transparent pricing

Best Alternatives by Budget

Under $5,000/year

ToolAnnual CostBest For
SocialRails$348-1,188AI content + scheduling
Mention$1,188+Basic monitoring
Brand24$948+Social listening

$5,000-15,000/year

ToolAnnual CostBest For
Hootsuite$1,188-4,000All-in-one
Sprout Social$2,988-6,000Teams
Agorapulse$948-1,800Inbox management

Enterprise ($15K+/year)

ToolAnnual CostBest For
Brandwatch$20,000+Consumer insights
Sprinklr$50,000+Full enterprise
Cision$10,000+PR focus

Quick Answers

How much does Meltwater cost? Custom pricing. Median is $25,000/year. Range is $6,000-100,000+ depending on features.

Does Meltwater have a free trial? No free trial. Guided demo with sales only.

Can I get monthly billing? No. Annual contracts are standard.

Is Meltwater cheaper than Brandwatch? Often yes. Meltwater median is $25K vs Brandwatch typically starting higher.

Can I negotiate Meltwater pricing? Yes. Users report success, especially with competitor quotes and early renewals.


Summary

Meltwater Pricing Facts
Public pricingNo
Median cost$25,000/year
Range$6,000-100,000+
Renewal increase~5% annually

Best for: PR teams needing media monitoring at scale.

Alternatives: SocialRails ($29/mo) for scheduling, Brand24 ($79/mo) for budget monitoring.

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Create posts, images, and carousels with AI. Schedule to 9 platforms in seconds.

Start your free trial

Meltwater Guides:

Enterprise Alternatives:

More Affordable Options:

Monitoring Tools:

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