Free Social Media Monitoring Tools: What Actually Works
The free ways to get alerts from X, Reddit, YouTube, LinkedIn, TikTok and Instagram, what each one misses, and when a paid tool is worth it.
Short answer: the free options are each platform's own notifications, RSS feeds, and F5Bot for Reddit keywords. They work for following a few accounts. They fall short for keyword alerts on X, LinkedIn, TikTok and Instagram, and none of them filter out noise. AyeWatch's Free Preview lets you try one monitor, but it is a trial, not a free plan.
Free options by platform
| Platform | Free way | What it misses |
|---|---|---|
| X | Follow the account, tap the bell, pick all posts | In-app only. Accounts you follow only. No keyword alerts. |
F5Bot for keywords, or a subreddit's RSS feed (reddit.com/r/NAME/new/.rss) in a feed reader | F5Bot emails every match with no filter. RSS needs a reader. | |
| YouTube | The bell set to All, or a channel's RSS feed | Bell notifications are often skipped. No keyword alerts. |
| The bell on a profile | Shows only in LinkedIn's notification tab. No keyword alerts. | |
| TikTok | Follow the account | No hashtag or keyword alerts. |
| Profile → bell → Posts | Accounts you follow only. No hashtag alerts. | |
| Everything | Google Alerts | Rarely includes social posts. |
When free stops working
- You need keyword or hashtag alerts on X, LinkedIn, TikTok or Instagram.
- You want alerts by email, Slack or webhook, not inside each app.
- You get too many matches and need only the relevant ones.
- You want every platform in one feed.
Try AyeWatch on Free Preview
Free Preview gives you 3 credits, no card. Monitors check daily or less often, and alerts arrive in your feed and as mobile push. A Reddit monitor uses 1 credit a check, so 3 credits give you 3 daily Reddit checks. An X check uses 2.
- Open Create a monitor and pick the platform.
- Pick a mode, type a query or paste an account link.
- Click Create monitor.
What ongoing monitoring costs
| Monitor, checked daily | Credits a month |
|---|---|
| Reddit search or subreddit | About 30 |
| YouTube channel, TikTok profile or search | About 30 |
| X search or profile | About 60 |
| LinkedIn post search or company | About 60 |
Pro is $9 a month for 500 credits: roughly 8 to 16 daily monitors, plus email, Slack and webhooks. Failed checks are refunded.
FAQ
Is there a completely free social media monitoring tool?
For Reddit keywords, F5Bot is free. For other platforms, the free options are each app's own notifications and RSS feeds. Tools that cover several platforms with keyword alerts are paid, or free only as a trial.
Is AyeWatch free?
Free Preview gives you 3 credits to try it, with no card. Ongoing monitoring starts at $9 a month on Pro.
What's the cheapest platform to monitor?
Reddit, YouTube and TikTok profile or search monitors cost 1 credit a check. X, LinkedIn and Instagram cost 2.