FAQ: Meltwater alternatives. What is the biggest complaint about Meltwater? The biggest complaints about Meltwater are its learning curve, complexity, and cost. It covers a lot of ground, but that can feel like more platform than some teams need, especially if only a few people use the deeper monitoring and reporting features. Who are Meltwater's main competitors? The main Meltwater competitors include Hootsuite, Muck Rack, Cision, Brandwatch, Sprinklr, Sprout Social, Agorapulse, and Brand24. The best fit depends on what you need most, whether that's deeper consumer intelligence, day-to-day social management, or a media database. Hootsuite, for example, is a strong option for social-first teams that want to bring listening closer to the rest of their work. What are the best alternatives to Meltwater for media monitoring? The best alternatives depend on what kind of monitoring you need. For example, Hootsuite is a powerful social listening platform that monitors over 150 million web sources and 30+ social platforms. Muck Rack and Cision, meanwhile, lean more heavily into PR and earned media. Is Hootsuite a good alternative to Meltwater? Yes, especially for teams that are more social-first than PR-first. Hootsuite combines social intelligence with publishing, engagement, and reporting, so the insights you uncover can feed directly into the work your team is already doing. Meltwater makes more sense if PR and broad media monitoring are a big part of your day. Hootsuite is a better fit when social is where most of the work happens, and you want to move from insight to action faster. Move from insight to action faster with Hootsuite. Spot what's happening with Lumen, turn it into content with Perch, and manage customer conversations with Nest, all in one connected workflow. Try Hootsuite free today.

Meltwater earns three Comparably Awards for benefits, culture, and employee happiness. Sep 25, 2026 San Francisco, CA, September 25, 2026 - Meltwater, the global leader in actionable intelligence for PR, Communications and Marketing teams, has been recognized with three Comparably Awards, reflecting the company's continued commitment to creating a positive, supportive workplace where employees can do their best work. Based entirely on anonymous employee feedback, Meltwater received recognition in the following categories: * Best Company Perks & Benefits * Best Company Work-Life Balance * Best Company Happiness Meltwater's employee experience reflected in anonymous feedback. "These awards are especially meaningful because they reflect the experiences and feedback of our employees," said Peyton O'Connor, Chief People Officer at Meltwater. "Creating an environment where people feel supported, valued and able to do their best work is something we continue to prioritize. From the benefits we provide to the flexibility and culture we build together, we want employees to have the support they need to thrive both at work and outside of it." The recognition reflects Meltwater's continued focus on the overall employee experience, including programs and benefits designed to support employee wellbeing, flexibility and engagement. With a global workforce spanning 50+ locations around the world, Meltwater's culture is rooted in the belief that when the right people are in the right environment, great things happen. The company remains committed to providing employees with opportunities to make an impact, learn and grow, while ensuring people feel supported throughout their careers. Meltwater's recognition streak continues in 2026. Earlier this year, Meltwater received 8 additional Comparably Awards, including Best Sales Teams, Best Product & Design Teams, Best Engineering Teams, Best Leadership Teams, Best Career Growth, Best Company Outlook, Best Company for Diversity, and Best Company for Women. Comparably Awards are determined by sentiment feedback from current employees who anonymously rate their employers on Comparably.com. The data for these awards was collected over the past 12 months, ensuring an accurate representation of employee experiences. About Meltwater Meltwater is the global leader in actionable intelligence for PR, Communications, and Marketing teams. By analyzing 1.3 billion pieces of content daily, Meltwater transforms media, social, and AI signals into intelligence that leaders rely on to make faster, more confident decisions. With 27,000 customers worldwide, Meltwater is the intelligence platform global brands trust to stay ahead. Meltwater: Intelligence you can act on. Learn more at meltwater.com.

In case you missed it... Big ideas, industry shifts and rising young chefs! 03.09.2026 AI advertising advances Just 200 days after launching its self-serve advertising platform to brands worldwide, ChatGPT has already reached an annualised advertising run rate of US$1 billion. OpenAI reports tens of thousands of brands worldwide have adopted the platform. It works by letting companies place targeted ads directly within ChatGPT conversations. Advertisers provide topic descriptions that help determine when their products or services are relevant to a user's query, ensuring placements appear in appropriate contexts. The rapid growth of ChatGPT's advertising business highlights the increasing interest from brands looking to connect with consumers in conversational environments, as AI-powered platforms continue to become a larger part of everyday online activity. However, it's important to remember that while paid ads can accelerate brand awareness, they won't improve search citation rates. Long-term visibility in AI search still depends on strong content, consistent messaging, and third-party validation. Ads currently only appear to users on ChatGPT's Free and Go plans, while premium subscription tiers remain ad-free. A festival with purpose This past weekend, Olivia Rodrigo's Daisy Chain Fields Festival made a powerful debut, bringing together music, activism and advocacy in a celebration of women's voices and achievements. Held in Irvine, California, the festival was created to honour the artistry and influence of women in music while supporting causes that impact females around the world. The event raised awareness and funds for a range of issues, including reproductive rights, maternal health, economic empowerment, domestic violence prevention and gender equality. All net proceeds were directed to the Daisy Chain Fields Fund, which supports 10 nonprofit organisations, including Planned Parenthood, Baby2Baby, Black Mamas Matter Alliance and the National Women's Law Centre. The all-female lineup featured some of the industry's biggest names, including Olivia Rodrigo, Chappell Roan, Doechii, Stevie Nicks, Garbage, Die Spitz and Not For Radio. Each artist performed without pay, ensuring that more funds could be directed towards charity. The festival initially raised $10 million, with philanthropist Melinda French Gates pledging to match the amount, doubling the total to $20 million. At a time when women's rights are facing growing challenges globally, the festival brought people together for important conversations, creating a powerful platform for women's voices, stories and advocacy. Seeing women use their platforms to drive meaningful change is a powerful reminder that progress happens when women support, advocate for and invest in one another. A new player in media monitoring Former Isentia leader, John Croll, has officially brought his own media intelligence platform to Australia. Founded seven years ago, the software has already established a presence in Singapore, New Zealand and the United States. However, it previously avoided the Australian market due to the high costs associated with accessing copyrighted media content. The platform is designed to help PR, communications, marketing and government teams monitor and analyse media coverage in real time. Using artificial intelligence, Truescope offers sentiment analysis, competitive benchmarking, custom reporting and instant alerts, providing organisations with valuable insights into public perception and media performance. Speaking to Mumbrella, John said growing demand from Australian clients ultimately drove the decision to launch locally. Confident in the company's position, he noted that Truescope understands the industry well and is focused on delivering high-quality media intelligence solutions. With its arrival, Truescope becomes the fourth major player in Australia's media monitoring sector, joining established competitors such as Streem, Meltwater and Cision. As competition in the space continues to grow, it will be interesting to see how Truescope's capabilities compare and what new opportunities it may bring to communications and marketing teams. Melbourne turns up the heat with a week of culinary action IMPACTers Trish McGee and Eva Macquet were on the ground in Melbourne this week, soaking up all the energy and excitement at the 2026 Nestlé Golden Chef's Hat Award grand finals. Held as part of Fine Food Australia, the two-day live cook-off saw 11 of Australia's brightest emerging chefs battle it out for one of the industry's most coveted titles. With standout dishes on the pass and plenty of support from the sidelines, the atmosphere was electric. The celebrations wrapped up in style last night at Melbourne's trendy Half Acre, where chefs, mentors and foodservice leaders came together to recognise the passion, creativity and hard work of the next generation of culinary stars. A huge congratulations to all finalists and winners who proved the future of Australia's culinary industry is in very good hands. Nestlé Professional is an IMPACT client.