The Best Online PR Tools & Media Tracking Services

Part of EPR's Digital PR pillar. See also: Ten Best Digital PR Databases (2026) · The Digital PR Suite Revolution: End-to-End Platforms.

Originally published February 2016. Tool feature sets, ownership, and pricing have shifted since publication. For current coverage of the databases and end-to-end platforms in this category, see Ten Best Digital PR Databases (2026).

Every PR pro needs a stack. Alerts, monitoring, distribution, analytics. The market is crowded with tools claiming to solve all four. Most solve one well and the others poorly. The trick is knowing which combination matches the work.

Free Tools Worth Building Around

Before paying for anything, most PR programs can get real leverage from free services. Three that consistently earn their keep:

• Google Alerts and Talkwalker Alerts — inbound monitoring of the web for brand, competitor, and topic mentions. Well-constructed content finds its way to the audiences that want it.
• Google Analytics — understand what the target market is searching for. Refine content based on what actually converts, not what feels clever.
• Hootsuite — manage social networks, schedule posts, measure ROI from a single dashboard. Free tier handles most small-team needs.

Paid Services When the Freebies Stop Scaling

Eventually every PR operator hits the ceiling on free tools. Four paid platforms that have earned the seat at the table:

• Cision — the comprehensive incumbent. Data-driven decision support across earned media tracking, journalist databases, and distribution.
• Meltwater — modern PR tracking plus online and print monitoring. Mines volume for immediate insight — best in class on cross-channel aggregation.
• IQ Media — real-time audience engagement insights across paid, earned, shared, and owned media. Strong on competitive benchmarking.
• TV Eyes — broadcast monitoring across every U.S. DMA, national cable, and leading international stations. The go-to for anyone tracking on-air.

Four Questions Before You Buy Anything

• What do I actually need? Work backward from the workflow to the features. Not the other way around.
• What am I trying to do? Monitor, engage, create, or influence. These are different jobs. Different tools.
• What is the priority? Naming the top job forces the right shortlist.
• What is the budget? Decide the ceiling before pricing the tools. Otherwise every rep will sell you the top tier. You don't need the best system — you need the best one you can afford.

Hot tip: Once the shortlist is down to two or three, run free demos on all of them. Get a service rep to walk through the features that matter to your specific workflow. Cross-reference case studies and product reviews against your actual goals. The wrong tool is the one you chose because the demo dazzled you and you never used half the features.

Related Coverage

• Digital PR: The Discipline, the Strategy, and the 2026 Operating Model — the EPR Digital PR hub.
• Ten Best Digital PR Databases: Cision, Meltwater, Buzzsumo & More
• The Digital PR Suite Revolution: End-to-End Platforms
• The PR Firms Directory