Top 10 Meltwater Alternatives for Influencer Marketing

To scale influencer marketing without getting stuck in manual work, brands turn to advanced platforms. Meltwater is one such solution, built to support brands and agencies in running effective influencer campaigns and social media management. It offers tools for finding the right creators, managing partnerships, tracking performance, and also includes powerful media intelligence and social listening features.

Meltwater is a well-established platform known for its media monitoring and influencer marketing capabilities. Still, some brands are exploring other options that better match their unique needs. Let’s look at 10 top Meltwater alternatives and why brands might choose to move beyond Meltwater.

Drawbacks and Limitations of Meltwater:

1. Irrelevant or inaccurate insights: Social listening data can sometimes be off-target or lack precision.
2. Steep learning curve: Despite being user-friendly, the platform’s depth can overwhelm new users.
3. Extra costs for added features: Accessing new tools or markets often requires upgrading your plan.
4. Exporting and formatting issues: Exported data may be difficult due to its raw format.‍
5. Difficulty in adopting new channels: Meltwater may lag in supporting the latest social platforms or full publishing capabilities.‍
6. Too Many Unnecessary Features: Social media management tools may feel excessive for teams focused solely on influencer campaigns, adding unnecessary complexity and cost.

Meltwater Alternatives: All Tools at a Glance

1. SARAL

Who Should Use This?

Ecommerce and DTC Brands of all sizes can use SARAL. Influencer Marketing Agencies of any scale. We developed this platform for influencer managers, CMOs, and CEOs/Founders. Anyone can use it and build your ambassador programs.

Pricing:

SARAL offers flexible quarterly pricing to suit different stages of your influencer marketing journey:

• Starter: $3.6k per quarter. Ideal for those just beginning to explore influencer marketing.
• Business: $4.5K per quarter. Well-suited for businesses looking to expand their existing influencer programs.
• Professional: $7.5K per quarter. Designed to help streamline large-scale influencer initiatives.

Check out each plan in detail here.

Free Trial?

Yes, a free trial is available for you to explore SARAL's features once a call is complete. Try it out for yourself here.

Key Features:

1. Find Influencers: Easily find creators across TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram. SARAL offers in-depth metrics, audience demographics, and contact details to help you connect with the best influencers for your brand.
2. Streamline Outreach: Automate personalized outreach campaigns at scale with our email drips feature and an AI-powered inbox, saving time while maintaining genuine engagement.
3. Influencer Management: Build and nurture long-term relationships with creators by managing all affiliates, brand ambassadors, and influencers in one intuitive CRM.
4. Track Sales: Generate affiliate links, discount codes, and UTM links to accurately measure each influencer’s impact on your sales.
5. Track UGC: Utilize SARAL’s social listening tool to automatically track influencer UGC, ensuring you never miss key mentions or engagement opportunities.
6. Ecommerce Integrations: Seamlessly connect your Shopify, WooCommerce, Klaviyo, and PayPal accounts to streamline influencer program management.
7. Built-in Automation: Simplify repetitive tasks like product shipping, follow-ups, post tracking, and influencer performance monitoring with SARAL’s automation features.

Customer Case Studies:

1. Learn how Heart & Soil built brand awareness with influencers and saved hours on influencer discovery with SARAL.
2. Learn how Nooma built a diverse influencer portfolio and streamlined influencer management with SARAL.
3. Learn how Augmentum turned influencer seeding into growth engine for their clients with SARAL.

Pros:

1. Intuitive Interface built for seeding/ambassador programs.
2. Built-in CRM To Manage Influencer Relationships.
3. Hand Held Onboarding and Monthly Reviews of Performance With Our Success Team
4. Saves Time With Built-In Automations.
5. 24/7 Customer Support.
6. No Percentage Cut From Your affiliate commissions.
7. Influencer Search Engine with access to 100M+ Creators.
8. Friendly Contracts & Dynamic Pricing for eCommerce Brands of All Sizes.

Cons:

1. Not A Creator Marketplace or a Limited Database.
2. Not Suitable For Passive Affiliate Programs.
3. Not Suitable For Influencer Whitelisting.
4. Not Suitable To Track Conversions From Creator’s Ads.

User Reviews on G2:

Meltwater Vs. SARAL:

If you are an enterprise brand that requires a complex workflow across influencer and social media teams, then Meltwater is a good choice. But suppose you want a simpler, more intuitive way to find the right influencers quickly, reach out with personalized messages that get real responses, and manage collaborations without unnecessary complexity. In that case, SARAL is the best platform to go with.

2. GRIN

Who Should Use This?

Medium-to-Large sized eCommerce Brands with at least 10+ member teams and $1M+ budgets

Pricing:

$25K - $40K per year. Custom plans are provided upon request only after a demo.

Free Trial? No.

Key Features:

1. Influencer Recruitment, Audience Analysis, Scoring, & Segmentation.
2. Influencer Collaboration.
3. UGC Management.
4. Influencer Compensation.
5. Reporting & Dashboards.
6. Campaign Analytics.
7. Data Import & Export Tools.

Pros:

1. Ease Of Use
2. Influencer Management
3. Organization
4. Campaign Management
5. Customer Support

Cons:

1. Toxic Contracts Lock Brands in With No Way To Cancel.
2. Onboarding is Long and Takes Forever To Train The Team
3. Poor Customer Support.
4. Software is Clunky and Not Easy To Use
5. Limited Features and Hidden Fees, Constant Upselling.
6. Instagram Search Functionality isn’t available.

User Review on G2:

Meltwater Vs. GRIN:

Choose GRIN if you want a platform that's easier to use, offers better support, and integrates smoothly with e-commerce tools. It's especially strong in managing influencer payments and segmentation, making it a better fit for brands focused on influencer-driven campaigns. While Meltwater has solid analytics and media monitoring, GRIN is more tailored for influencer marketing teams.

3. CreatorIQ

Who Should Use This?

Global eCommerce Brands and Enterprise brands having large influencer marketing budgets with large teams.

Pricing:

While specific pricing details are not publicly disclosed, reports suggest that plans typically start at approximately $2,350 per month with an annual commitment, totaling around $28,200 per year. Other sources indicate that pricing may begin at $36,000 per year, depending on the selected features and services.

Free Trial? No.

Key Features:

1. 20M Creators in its database.
2. Influencer Recruitment, Audience Analysis, Scoring, & Segmentation.
3. Influencer Collaboration.
4. UGC & Campaign Management.
5. Influencer Whitelisting.
6. Influencer Compensation.
7. Reporting & Dashboards.
8. Social Commerce. Integrations with social platforms APIs.
9. Heavy Data Analytics.
10. Data Import & Export Tools.

Pros:

1. Influencer Management.
2. Campaign Management.
3. Ease of Use.
4. Detailed Information
5. Customer Support.

Cons:

1. Technical Issues.
2. Complexity. Very hard and clunky interface to use.
3. Very Expensive Annual Contracts.
4. Inaccurate data of some of the creators and their audiences.
5. Creator Issues. Certain analytics may not exist for all the creators or be outdated.

User Review on G2:

Meltwater Vs. CreatorIQ:

Choose CreatorIQ if you’re looking for a more intuitive platform with stronger influencer marketing features. Users find it easier to navigate, with better support and more advanced tools for audience analysis, campaign tracking, and content collaboration. While Meltwater performs well in areas like support and planning, CreatorIQ offers a more complete solution for teams focused on influencer discovery, management, and performance insights.

4. Upfluence

Who Should Use This?

Medium to large businesses, especially e-commerce brands, marketing agencies, and enterprises that run high-volume influencer campaigns.

Pricing:

Basic Packages: Some reports indicate that the platform can start as low as $478/month for smaller-scale businesses or more limited feature sets.

Enterprise Packages: For larger businesses or those needing more advanced features, the pricing can go up to $2,000/month or more.

Free Trial? No.

Key Features:

1. Creator + Blogger Database.
2. Influencer Recruitment, Scoring, & Segmentation.
3. Influencer Collaboration.
4. UGC & Campaign Management.
5. Influencer Whitelisting.
6. Influencer Compensation.
7. Reporting & Dashboards.
8. Campaign Analytics.
9. Data Import & Export Tools.

Pros:

1. Campaign Management
2. Ease of Use.
3. Influencer Management
4. Customer Support
5. Easy Integrations

Cons:

1. Audience Analysis is Limited.
2. Poor Customer Support.
3. Inaccuracies in Creator Data.
4. Locked-in Contracts Despite Early Dissatisfaction.
5. Lack of Clarity regarding pricing.

User Review on G2:

Meltwater Vs. Upfluence:

Choose Upfluence if you’re focused on influencer marketing only. It’s built for discovery, outreach, and campaign tracking, ideal for brands and agencies running influencer campaigns. Meltwater, on the other hand, suits PR and marketing teams needing media monitoring and social listening tools for holistic marketing campaigns.

5. Later

Who Should Use This?

Global/Enterprise Brands running high-volume influencer and customer loyalty campaigns.

Pricing:

No set prices. Custom pricing plans will be provided upon request after a demo.

Free Trial? No.

Key Features:

1. Influencer Recruitment, Audience Analysis, Scoring, & Segmentation.
2. Influencer Collaboration.
3. UGC & Campaign Management.
4. Customer Loyalty Engine.
5. Influencer Compensation.
6. Reporting & Dashboards.
7. Campaign Analytics.
8. Data Import & Export Tools.
9. Social Commerce.

Pros:

1. Ease of Use.
2. Influencer Management.
3. Campaign Management.
4. Communication.
5. Customer Support.

Cons:

1. Creator Database is Very Small.
2. Technical Issues.
3. Bug Issues.
4. Technical Complexity.
5. Poor User Interface.

User Review on G2:

Meltwater Vs. Later:

Choose Later Influence if you want a dedicated influencer marketing platform built to manage campaigns from start to finish. It's ideal for brands focused solely on creator partnerships. Meltwater, on the other hand, is a broader media intelligence tool with influencer marketing as one part of a larger suite—better suited for teams needing PR, social listening, and brand monitoring alongside creator tools.

Getting authentic, high-converting UGC from influencers—without the high price tag is highly possible with the right tactics. Check out this FREE guide to learn proven strategies for sourcing cost-effective but authentic influencer content that feels real and drives tangible results.

6. Tagger Media(Now Sprout Social)

Who Should Use This?

Large-sized eCommerce brands and influencer marketing agencies that work with large-sized brands.

Pricing:

No public pricing or monthly plans are available. All prices will be provided upon request after a demo.

Free Trial? No.

Key Features:

1. Influencer Recruitment, Audience Analysis, Scoring, & Segmentation.
2. Influencer Collaboration.
3. UGC & Campaign Management.
4. Influencer Compensation.
5. Reporting & Dashboards.
6. Monitoring.
7. Campaign Analytics.
8. Data Import & Export Tools.

Pros:

1. Influencer Discovery
2. Ease Of Use
3. Customer Support
4. User Interface

Cons:

1. Influencer Management
2. Search Functionality Issues
3. Takes Weeks To Set it up.
4. Creator Issues
5. Training Your Team Takes Time.

User Review on G2:

Meltwater Vs. Tagger:

Choose Tagger if you’re looking for an intuitive platform with strong scheduling, reporting, and support. It’s especially praised for its user-friendly interface, customizable reports, and scalable features, ideal for growing teams with bigger budgets. Meltwater, while solid in media intelligence, falls short in ease of use and flexibility, making Tagger a better fit for brands focused on social media performance and content planning.

7. Aspire

Who Should Use This?

Large-sized eCommerce brands and influencer marketing agencies that work with large-sized brands.

Pricing:

No public pricing or monthly plans are available. All prices will be provided upon request after a demo.

Free Trial? No.

Key Features:

1. Influencer Recruitment, Audience Analysis, Scoring, & Segmentation.
2. Influencer Collaboration.
3. UGC & Campaign Management.
4. Influencer Compensation.
5. Reporting & Dashboards.
6. Monitoring.
7. Campaign Analytics.
8. Data Import & Export Tools.

Pros:

1. Influencer Discovery
2. Ease Of Use
3. Customer Support
4. User Interface

Cons:

1. Influencer Management
2. Search Functionality Issues
3. Takes Weeks To Set it up.
4. Creator Issues
5. Training Your Team Takes Time.

User Review on G2:

Meltwater Vs. Aspire:

Choose Aspire if your main goal is to run streamlined influencer marketing campaigns, especially with a focus on product gifting for e-commerce. It’s easy to use, quick to set up, and backed by solid customer support. On the other hand, Meltwater is better suited for businesses that need a comprehensive platform for media monitoring, social listening, and intelligence gathering beyond just influencer marketing.

8. Captiv8

Who should use this?

Large-sized eCommerce brands and marketing agencies with larger marketing budgets running high-volume influencer campaigns.

Pricing:

Reports have said that basic plans start from $2000/month with a commitment period of 6 months. Custom pricing plans will be provided after a demo call.

Free Trial? No.

Key Features:

1. Influencer Recruitment, Audience Analysis, Scoring, & Segmentation.
2. Influencer Collaboration.
3. UGC & Campaign Management.
4. Influencer Compensation.
5. Reporting & Dashboards.
6. Influencer whitelisting.
7. Campaign Analytics.
8. Data Import & Export Tools.
9. Ecommerce Integrations
10. Social Commerce

Pros:

1. Track hashtags and locations for better discovery.
2. Hourly post analysis suggests the best time to post.
3. AI tags and categorizes influencers for precise results.
4. Campaign Management

Cons:

1. Limited onboarding makes learning slower.
2. New features launch with little guidance.
3. Data Inaccuracy
4. Technical Issues

User Review on G2:

Meltwater Vs. Captiv8:

Choose Captiv8 if you need powerful tools for influencer recruitment, campaign analytics, and streamlined content approvals. It’s especially favored for its responsive support and deeper engagement features, making it a strong fit for brands focused on influencer performance and collaboration. Meltwater, while strong in media database access and broader media monitoring, may feel less specialized for influencer-focused teams.

9. Traackr

Who Should Use This?

Large Enterprise Brands, Brands Focused on Influencer Spend Compliance, Agencies Managing Enterprise Clients, and Data-Driven Marketing Teams.

Pricing:

Growth Plan - $25K/year, Standard Plan - $32K/year, Plus Plan - $55K/year.

Free Trial? No.

Key Features:

1. Influencer Recruitment, Audience Analysis, Scoring, & Segmentation.
2. Influencer Collaboration.
3. UGC & Campaign Management.
4. Influencer Whitelisting.
5. Influencer Compensation.
6. Reporting & Dashboards.
7. Social Commerce.
8. Data Analytics.
9. Data Import & Export Tools.

Pros:

1. Ease of Use.
2. Influencer Management.
3. Campaign Management.
4. Detailed Influencer Data.
5. Metrics Tracking.

Cons:

1. Slow Loading.
2. Inaccurate Influencer Data.
3. Automated Influencer Outreach Isn’t Possible.
4. Search Functionality Issues.
5. Clunky and Hard To Use.

User Review on G2:

Meltwater Vs. Traackr:

Choose Traackr if you’re focused on influencer discovery and scoring, with an easy setup and strong support. It’s ideal for brands requiring influencer evaluation over broader media functions. Meltwater, however, stands out in content planning, customizable reporting, and social analytics—making it better suited for teams needing a more comprehensive media and campaign management tool.

10. Shopify Collabs(formerly Dovetale)

Who Should Use This?

Small-to-medium-sized eCommerce businesses, exclusively Shopify merchants new to influencer and affiliate marketing.

Pricing:

Shopify Collabs is free for both merchants and creators to use. The only cost is a 2.9% fee on automated payments for sales driven through creator collaborations.

Free Trial? Yes.

Key Features:

1. Creator Marketplace.
2. Creator Management.
3. Creator Performance Tracking.
4. Affiliate Payments.

Pros:

1. Easier Access to Influencers
2. Simple Management
3. Automated Payments & Tracking
4. Creator Recruitment
5. Ideal For New Brands

Cons:

1. Restricted Marketplace Network
2. Not Suitable for Long-Term Influencer Seeding/Ambassador Programs
3. Bulk Email Outreach Isn’t Possible
4. Limited Features
5. Unresponsive Customer Support

User Review on G2:

Shopify Collabs Vs. Meltwater:

Choose Shopify Collabs if you're a Shopify merchant focused on influencer marketing. It’s built specifically for e-commerce, making it easy to manage collaborations, content, and payouts in one place. Meltwater, on the other hand, is better for businesses needing comprehensive media monitoring, journalist outreach, and broader intelligence tools beyond influencer marketing.

Which Platform To Choose?

If you’re exploring alternatives to Meltwater, it’s important to find a platform that matches your specific goals, budget, and team structure. Tools like Traackr, CreatorIQ, and Captiv8 are well-suited for enterprise teams managing high-volume influencer campaigns with a need for deep analytics. Meanwhile, platforms like Shopify Collabs, Aspire, and Upfluence offer a more focused and accessible approach for e-commerce brands or smaller teams starting out.

Depending on what you prioritize—be it influencer discovery, media monitoring, or ease of use—there may be a platform that fits your workflow even better.

You can use SARAL, which has one of the largest influencer search engines(100M+), bulk outreach automation tools, influencer management features, social listening, and advanced reporting & analytics tools, making it an excellent choice to launch and scale your influencer marketing efforts at a brand-friendly pricing.

If you're tired of cobbling together solutions that weren't built for DTC brands, let's talk. Not a high-pressure sales call. Just a conversation between people who understand the unique challenges of influencer marketing when it's a core revenue channel, not just a nice-to-have.

Book a 30-minute call. We'll show you what we've built, and you tell us if it solves your problems.