Best Online Tools for Trend Monitoring in 2024

In today’s dynamic and ever-changing world, staying ahead of the curve is crucial for businesses, individuals and organizations to adapt, innovate and thrive. Staying abreast of new trends and popular topics is crucial to making informed decisions, reaching out to target audiences and fostering innovation. Thankfully, there are many online tools to help track trends, analyze data and identify potential opportunities. Here we have compiled a list of the best online tools for trend monitoring in 2024.

We here at Launches Now have spent months researching the best online tools for trend monitoring. Since we make our living by reliably producing data for our readers, we have high standards for our tools. Below you can read more about how we went about choosing our favorites.

1. Exploding Topics

This site tracks social media to identify trending topics and emerging trends. It also provides users with a variety of other data points to help them identify trends, such as the popularity of various hashtags, the number of backlinks to a site, and the number of times a topic is mentioned in the news. It also brings out the search volume via Google Trends.

We at Launches Now use the Pro version of this tool to get all the necessary parameters of our comprehensive trend monitoring. There is also a free version that is relatively limited in scope.

This is our favorite of the best online tools for trend monitoring in 2024.

Advantages of Exploding Topics:

• Free to use: Exploding Topics is available in a free version that can be used by anyone with an internet connection. However, in order to access the most essential features, the Pro version is required, although it is affordable compared to most other tools on the market.
• Easy to use: Exploding Topics has a user-friendly interface that is easy to navigate and understand.
• Comprehensive data: Exploding Topics provides a comprehensive view of trending topics and emerging trends by tracking social media mentions, news articles, Google Trends, Reddit posts, and other relevant data sources.
• Actionable insights: Exploding Topics provides users with actionable insights, such as identifying potential marketing opportunities, researching competitors, and analyzing influencers’ reach.
• Machine learning: Exploding Topics uses machine learning to identify trending topics early, so you can be one of the first to know about new trends.
• Personalized experience: Exploding Topics gives you a personalized experience by tailoring your news feed to your interests.
• A variety of filters: Exploding Topics allows you to filter your results by a variety of criteria such as topic, industry, location and social media platform.
• Trend tracker: Exploding Topics allows you to track trends over time, so you can see how popular a topic is becoming and whether it is likely to continue to grow in popularity.

Disadvantages of Exploding Topics:

• Not always accurate: Exploding Topics is not always 100% accurate, as it can sometimes identify trends that are not actually trends.
• Not always up-to-date: Exploding Topics’ data can be delayed by up to 24 hours, so it may not always be the most up-to-date information available.
• Not as comprehensive as BuzzSumo or Ahrefs: Exploding Topics does not provide as comprehensive a picture of trends as BuzzSumo or Ahrefs, as it does not track as many data points.
• Not as user-friendly as BuzzSumo: Exploding Topics is not as user-friendly as BuzzSumo, and it can take some time to learn how to use the tool effectively.
• Limited customization: Exploding Topics does not have as many customization options as BuzzSumo, and users may not be able to create the exact reports or dashboards they need.

2. Google Trends

This site allows users to track the search volume for different keywords over time. It can be used to identify trends that are just starting to emerge, as well as trends that have already peaked and are heading downward.

Advantages of Google Trends

• Free to use: Google Trends is a free tool that can be used by anyone with an internet connection.
• Easy to use: Google Trends is very easy to use, even for people who are not familiar with data analysis.
• Wide range of data: Google Trends tracks search volume for a wide range of keywords, including both general and niche terms.
• Real-time data: Google Trends provides real-time data, so you can see how the search volume for a particular keyword changes over time.
• International data: Google Trends tracks search volume for keywords in over 200 countries and languages.

Disadvantages of Google Trends:

• Not always accurate: Google Trends is not always accurate, as the search volume for a keyword may not always reflect the actual interest in that topic.
• Limited data points: Google Trends only tracks search volume and therefore provides no information on other factors that may influence a trend, such as social media mentions or news coverage.
• Not always up-to-date: Google Trends data can be up to 24 hours late, so it may not always be the most up-to-date information available.

3. BuzzSumo

This site tracks social media mentions and backlinks to websites to identify trending topics and influencers. It can be used to identify trends that are popular with a particular target audience, such as millennials or Generation Z.

This is perhaps one of the most famous among those looking for the best online tools for trend monitoring, but falls behind our favorites not least because of the price tag.

Advantages of BuzzSumo:

• Comprehensive data: BuzzSumo provides a comprehensive view of trending topics and influencers by tracking social media mentions, backlinks to websites, and other relevant metrics.
• Targeted insights: BuzzSumo allows users to filter data based on specific interests, industries, or geographic locations.
• Actionable insights: BuzzSumo provides users with useful insights, such as identifying potential marketing opportunities, researching competitors, and analyzing the reach of influencers.
• User-friendly interface: BuzzSumo has a user-friendly interface that is easy to navigate and understand.
• Customizable alerts: BuzzSumo allows users to set up customized alerts to be notified when specific topics or influencers are trending.
• Mobile App: BuzzSumo has a mobile app that allows users to access their data and insights on the go.

Disadvantages of BuzzSumo

• Paid subscription: BuzzSumo is a paid tool, and pricing levels can be expensive for some users.
• Not always comprehensive: BuzzSumo’s data is not always comprehensive, as it may not cover all social media platforms or all relevant topics.
• Can be overwhelming: BuzzSumo data and insights can be overwhelming for some users, and it can take time to learn how to use the tool effectively.
• Limited customization: BuzzSumo’s customization options are limited, and users may not be able to create the exact reports or dashboards they need.

4. Ahrefs

This site tracks backlinks to websites to identify trending topics and influencers. It can also be used to track competition for specific keywords and identify opportunities to rank higher in search results.

It’s not ideal for finding the best online tools for trend monitoring, as the tool may be more suited to link building or other similar technical analysis in SEO. However, there are still many features that can be used for trend monitoring as well.

Advantages of Ahrefs:

• Comprehensive backlink data: Ahrefs provides a comprehensive picture of backlinks to websites, including the number of backlinks, the quality of the backlinks, and the anchor text of the backlinks.
• Domain authority: Ahrefs calculates domain authority, which is a measure of a website’s overall authority in the eyes of search engines. However, this has been criticized because it is easy to manipulate, but if you also consider the amount of organic visitors, the measure is more valuable.
• Keyword research: Ahrefs can be used to research keywords, including keyword difficulty, search volume and ranking potential.
• Competitor analysis: Ahrefs can be used to analyze competitors, including their backlink profile, keyword ranking, and social media presence.
• Content optimization: Ahrefs can be used to optimize content for search engines, including identifying keyword opportunities, analyzing competitor content, and identifying content gaps.
• Technical SEO: Ahrefs can be used to audit websites for technical SEO issues, such as crawl errors, broken links, and page load times.
• Mobile SEO: Ahrefs can be used to audit websites for mobile SEO compliance, including mobile-friendliness, page speed, and mobile-specific content.
• International SEO: Ahrefs can be used to track and analyze international SEO results, including backlinks from different countries, keyword rankings in different languages, and social media engagement from different regions.

Disadvantages of Ahrefs:

• Very expensive subscription: Ahrefs is a paid tool, and pricing levels can be expensive for some users. There has also been a deterioration in this area as you now also have to pay for extended use.
• Not ideal for beginners: Ahrefs has a lot of features and data, which can be overwhelming for beginners.
• Can be slow: Ahrefs can be slow to load data, especially for large websites or large-scale keyword research.
• Limited customization: Ahrefs doesn’t offer as many customization options as some other tools, such as BuzzSumo or SEMrush.

5. Talkwalker

This site tracks social media mentions and news articles to identify trending topics and influencers. It can also be used to identify sentiment around specific topics and brands.

Advantages of Talkwalker:

• Comprehensive social media monitoring: Talkwalker offers comprehensive social media monitoring, tracking mentions for a wide range of topics, keywords, brands and influencers across hundreds of social media platforms and forums.
• Sentiment analysis: Talkwalker can analyze sentiment around specific topics, brands and influencers, providing valuable insights into how people react to your messages and those of your competitors.
• Trend detection: Talkwalker can identify emerging trends by analyzing social conversations in real time and detecting spikes in mentions, discussions, and sentiment changes.
• Competitive analysis: With Talkwalker, you can compare your social media with your competitors and identify areas where you can improve and gain a competitive advantage.
• Brand monitoring: Talkwalker helps you monitor your brand’s reputation by tracking mentions of your brand, identifying negative or positive sentiment, and responding to online reviews and comments.
• Issue tracking: Talkwalker allows you to track and manage issues that arise online, providing insights into their evolution and enabling you to develop appropriate responses and mitigation strategies.
• Crisis management: Talkwalker supports crisis management by providing real-time alerts, sentiment analysis, and the ability to track and manage online discussions about crises that may affect your organization or industry.

Disadvantages of Talkwalker:

• Paid subscription: Talkwalker is a paid tool, and pricing levels can be expensive for some users.
• Data volume restrictions: Talkwalker’s basic plans have data volume restrictions, which can limit the amount of data you can collect and analyze.
• User interface: Talkwalker’s user interface can be complex and difficult to navigate, especially for users with limited experience with social media monitoring tools.
• Reporting features: Talkwalker’s reporting features are not as sophisticated as some other tools, such as Brand24 or BuzzSumo.
• Limited customization: Talkwalker’s customization options are limited, and users may not be able to create the exact reports or dashboards they need.

6. Hootsuite

This social media management tool includes a trend tracker that identifies trending topics on social media. It can be used to identify trends that are relevant to your industry or target audience.

Advantages of Hootsuite:

• Ease of use: Hootsuite is one of the easiest social media management tools to use. It has a user-friendly interface that is easy to navigate and understand. It also has a variety of features designed to simplify social media management.
• Multi-platform compatibility: Hootsuite is compatible with a variety of social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Google My Business, YouTube, and Pinterest. This means you can manage all your social media accounts from one centralized location.
• Scheduling and publishing: With Hootsuite, you can schedule and publish posts to your social media accounts in advance. This can save you time and effort, and it can also help you make sure you are consistent with your social media posts.
• Reporting and Analytics: Hootsuite provides you with a variety of reports and analytics that can help you track your social media performance. You can use these reports to identify trends, measure your social media ROI, and improve your social media strategy.
• Collaboration: Hootsuite allows you to collaborate with others on your social media campaigns. You can assign tasks to team members, share reports, and comment on posts. This can help you streamline your social media management process and make sure everyone is on the same page.
• Mobile app: Hootsuite has a mobile app that allows you to manage your social media accounts on the go. This can be a convenient way to check your notifications, respond to comments, and schedule posts.
• Affordability: Hootsuite offers a variety of pricing plans to suit your budget. The basic plan is free to use, and the paid plans offer more features and functionality.

Cons of Hootsuite:

• Limited customization: Hootsuite has limited customization options, and users may not be able to create exactly the reports or dashboards they need.
• Not as powerful as some other tools: Hootsuite is not as powerful as some other social media management tools, such as Sprout Social or Agorapulse. This means it may not be suitable for businesses that need more advanced features.
• Can be slow: Hootsuite can be slow when it comes to loading data, especially for large accounts or large-scale campaigns.
• Not as user-friendly for advanced users: Hootsuite’s user interface may be too simple for some advanced users. This can make it difficult for them to find the features they need.

7. Sprout Social

This social media management tool also includes a trend tracker that identifies trending topics on social media. It can be used to identify trends that are relevant to your industry or target audience.

This tool is by no means bad despite being at the bottom of our list of the best online tools for trend monitoring in 2024. For some who are looking for features for teams to work together on social media campaigns, for example, this may be the optimal tool.

Benefits of Sprout Social:

• Powerful social media management: Sprout Social offers a comprehensive set of social media management features, including scheduling, publishing, engagement, reporting and analytics.
• Streamlined workflow: Sprout Social’s streamlined workflow makes it easy to manage multiple social media accounts and campaigns.
• Intuitive design: Sprout Social has an intuitive and user-friendly design that makes it easy to navigate and use.
• Strong reporting features: Sprout Social provides comprehensive reporting features that allow businesses to track their social media performance and measure the return on their efforts.
• Collaboration Tools: Sprout Social offers collaboration tools that allow teams to work together on social media campaigns.
• Mobile App: Sprout Social has a mobile app that allows businesses to manage their social media accounts on the go.
• Affordability: Sprout Social offers a variety of pricing plans to suit different budgets.
• AI-powered features: Sprout Social uses AI to automate tasks and offer personalized insights.
• Customer Service: Sprout Social offers extensive customer support resources to help businesses get the most out of the platform.

Cons of Sprout Social:

• Price: Sprout Social’s pricing plans can be more expensive than some other social media management tools.
• Learning curve: Sprout Social has a bit of a learning curve, and it can take some time for businesses to get used to the platform.
• Not as user-friendly for advanced users: Sprout Social’s user interface may be too simplistic for some advanced users. This can make it difficult for them to find the features they need.
• Not as intuitive for advanced users: Some features or aspects of Sprout Social’s interface can feel a bit cluttered and confusing, which can frustrate some advanced users.
• Limited customization: Sprout Social has limited customization options, and users may not be able to create exactly the reports or dashboards they need.
• Can be slow: Sprout Social can be slow to load data, especially for large accounts or large-scale campaigns.
• Limited support for international users: Sprout Social may not be as user-friendly for international users who are not familiar with English.
• Limited support for advanced features: Some advanced features may not be supported as well as other features, which can be frustrating for users who rely on those advanced features.

These are just some of the many online tools that can be used to track and analyze trends. Which tool is best for you depends on your specific needs and preferences.

Our selection criteria for choosing the best online tools for trend monitoring

Choosing the best online trend monitoring tool depends on your specific needs and preferences. Here are some factors we considered when selecting the best online tools for trend monitoring in 2024:

1. Purpose: What do you want to use the tool for? Are you tracking industry trends, identifying new marketing opportunities, or monitoring your competitors’ activities? Which tool is best for you depends on your specific goals.
2. Features: What features are important to you? Do you need real-time data, sentiment analysis, competitor analysis or influencer tracking? Make a list of the features that are most important to you and compare the different tools based on their capabilities.
3. Ease of use: How easy is the tool to use? Do you need a lot of training to get started? If you are not tech-savvy, you should choose a tool that is easy to learn and use.
4. Price: How much are you willing to spend on a trend tracking tool? There are a variety of tools available at different prices, so you should be able to find one that fits your budget.
5. Data sources: What data sources does the tool use? Does it only track social media mentions or does it also look at other data sources, such as news articles and Google Trends? The more data sources a tool uses, the more comprehensive the insights will be.
6. Reporting: How does the tool present its data? Are there clear and easy-to-understand charts and graphs? Or does it just give you a bunch of raw data that you have to dig through? The best tools make it easy to understand the trends you’re following.
7. Customization: Can you adapt the tool to your specific needs? Can you create custom dashboards and alerts? The more customizable a tool is, the more it will be able to meet your specific needs.
8. Customer service: What kind of customer support does the tool offer? Is it available 24/7? Are the employees knowledgeable and helpful? Customer support is important if you ever have any questions or problems using the tool.

Once you’ve considered all these factors, you can start to narrow down your options and choose the best online trend monitoring tool for your particular needs.

Summary – Best Online Tools for Trend Monitoring in 2024

According to our tests, Exploding Topics is our favorite of the best online trend monitoring tools. It’s an affordable option that uses advanced machine learning to find the topics and companies that are trending right now.

It’s also a platform that’s easy to use and extract useful information from. A real goldmine whether you’re an interior design blogger who wants to know which interior design style is showing a strong increase in search volume or in a senior position at a cosmetics company who needs to know which beauty products are the next big thing.

Good luck with your 2024 trend watch!

This article was first published on our Swedish sister site Nyalanseringar.se, and is a translation from our editors on Launches Now.