Last Updated: June 1st, 2025
What Is BuzzSumo?
BuzzSumo is an influencer marketing tool designed to help marketers, content creators, and brands identify, analyze, and connect with influencers to amplify their content and campaigns. Let’s check out BuzzSumo review to see how this tool can help.
However, before getting to this comprehensive review, let’s have a quick overview of this company:
- BuzzSumo was launched in 2014.
- The company is headquartered in Brighton, East Sussex, United Kingdom.
- The founders are Henley Wing, James Blackwell, and Stephen Walsh.
- In 2017, Brandwatch acquired BuzzSumo.
- In 2021, a media intelligence company named Cision acquired Brandwatch and BuzzSumo for $450 million.
BuzzSumo started its mission as a content research tool to help content writers, bloggers, and SEO professionals find the most engaging topics.
Now, it’s a widely used content marketing platform with continuous product development and growth throughout its history. However, to determine whether this platform is worth trying, it’s essential to check BuzzSumo reviews, features, and pricing.
BuzzSumo Review: Features & Pricing + Best Alternative
If you’re considering using BuzzSumo as your go-to tool, we recommend you read the BuzzSumo review first so that you can make an informed decision.
BuzzSumo Features
In order to better understand whether BuzzSumo is the right tool for your business, you should have a clear understanding of the features and services they offer.
So, without further ado, here are the key features of BuzzSumo:
1. Content Discovery
As a creator, knowing the latest trends in your industry is essential to grow your online visibility. BuzzSumo offers a content discovery tool that enables you to uncover popular keywords and content ideas that can boost engagement. Using a keyword discovery tool, you can explore search trends and cost-per-click for various keywords and gain insights into keyword performance.
2. Content Research
By using BuzzSumo’s content research tool, you can scan billions of articles and social posts by filtering them based on content type over the past 5 years. You can also use the backlink tool to find out which websites are linking to your competitors.
3. Influencer Discovery
Buzzsumo claims to have a database of 3 million creators across Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Twitter, and YouTube.
You can search for relevant creators within your niche using specific keywords, save them to lists, and preview their profiles on social media.
While BuzzSumo’s influencer search has improved, especially with platform filters and TikTok-specific tools, its filtering options may still be more limited. It tends to suggest accounts that have used the keywords as hashtags.
So, you may see many results for accounts with less than 1k followers and who are not even creators. Moreover, BuzzSumo’s influencer database is not opt-in, and the influencers are not manually vetted, meaning you can’t be sure whether they’re active, authentic, or open to collaboration.
To make things more challenging, BuzzSumo doesn’t offer in-app messaging or campaign tools, so you have to contact influencers manually using external platforms. Essentially, while it helps you find potential names, it doesn’t support outreach or campaign execution.
As you can see, Buzzsumo is not a great option for influencer discovery. But what alternative can you try?
Ainfluencer is the best Buzzsumo alternative, and it has lots of helpful tools for running successful influencer marketing campaigns. Using this tool, you can discover over 5M active Instagram and TikTok creators with more than 20 advanced filters and an AI-powered search tool. You can preview their account insights, past collaborations, and engagement metrics and chat with them inside the app.
How to Find Influencers on Buzzsumo?
To discover creators on BuzzSumo, you should take the following steps:
- Go to the “Find Influencers” tab.
- Enter a keyword related to your niche (e.g., skincare, gaming).
- Use filters to narrow results by platform, category, or metrics.
- Click on profiles to view details such as follower count, engagement rate, and top shared content.
- Use the “Who Shared” tool to discover influencers sharing your competitors’ content.
Finding influencers is not a free feature on BuzzSumo. However, the platform allows you to check this feature using the free trial.
4. Monitoring
Using this tool, you can monitor brand mentions and see what people are saying about your products online. This way, you can access customer reviews and respond to them in time.
BuzzSumo Pricing
BuzzSumo is not a free influencer marketing platform, and its pricing structure is considered to be expensive.
There are no free plans available in BuzzSumo, but users can access a 7-day free trial to test the platform before committing to a plan.
Here are BuzzSumo pricing plans:
- Content Creation: $199 /mo – Access to content discovery tools and brand monitoring for 1 user.
- PR & Comms: $299 /mo – Access to content discovery tools and brand monitoring for 5 users.
- Suite: $499 /mo – Access to content discovery tools and brand monitoring for 10 users. Influencer discovery is available on this plan.
- Enterprise: $999 /mo – Access to content discovery tools and brand monitoring for 30 users. Influencer discovery and customer support are available on this plan.
One major problem with BuzzSumo is its restrictive pricing structure for teams. Each plan limits the number of users, starting with just one user at $199/month, and charges significantly more for additional seats.
If multiple employees or team members need access, you must upgrade to higher-tier plans, such as $299/month for 5 users or $999/month for 30 users.
But what if we tell you there is a BuzzSumo alternative that provides more features and is completely free?
Ainfluencer is an all-in-one free influencer marketing platform that provides everything you need to manage influencer-based campaigns in one place. Using this FREE tool, you can discover influencers, view their detailed account insights, chat with them, and run and manage campaigns
If you want to run an influencer marketing campaign, join Ainfluencer for free and start your journey.
Is BuzzSumo Worth the Price?
Only if you’re focused on content and PR, BuzzSumo is a good option for tracking trending content, backlinks, and media mentions. But for influencer marketing, it’s limited:
- No in-app messaging or campaign tools
- Influencers aren’t opt-in or vetted
- No data on engagement rates or past collaborations
- Influencer tools start at $499/month
Buzzsumo Reviews: What Do Customers Say?
Nothing compares to hearing about some first-hand experiences from BuzzSumo’s real users. And that’s what we’re going to do here.
- On G2, Buzzsumo has a 4.5 rating score among over 100 reviews.
- Most BuzzSumo reviews are about content research tools and how they can help marketers find out the latest trends in their industry.
However, one of the main drawbacks of this service is the high price.
This user explains that they had a hard time finding relevant and trending content because BuzzSumo’s content search isn’t always accurate.
One of the most important disadvantages of this tool is its high price. Businesses have a certain budget for their marketing efforts, and most of them won’t be able to spend a huge amount on platforms such as Buzzsumo.
Here’s an unhappy user highlighting this issue on G2:
In addition to all that, there are reports that show the influencer discovery feature is not as functional as users expect it to be. And, the influencer database is not that extensive compared to similar tools. Let’s take a look:
Now, you must be wondering: ‘Which tool should I employ to maximize revenue while minimizing costs?’
Well, my friend, we have the perfect solution for you! So keep scrolling to learn more about the best BuzzSumo alternative in the market! It’s the key ingredient in every successful influencer marketing strategy.
What Are BuzzSumo Pros And Cons?
Now that you’ve read BuzzSumo reviews, let’s see the benefits and drawbacks of this tool.
Pros
- Free signup
- User-friendly interface
Cons
- Not supporting Instagram
- Limited filtering options
- Lack of in-app messaging tool
- Lack of influencer analytics data
- No free plans
- Lack of campaign creation tool
Ainfluencer: Best BuzzSumo Alternative
While BuzzSumo provides some helpful features to stay updated with the latest industry trends, it’s not a great option for connecting with influencers. The influencer discovery tool is limited, with few filters and no campaign creation feature. Here’s a better alternative.
Here’s a list of Ainfluencer’s Features
- Free to Use: No platform fees for brands—access all features at no cost.
- AI-Powered Search: Instantly find influencers on Instagram and TikTok.
- Advanced Filters: Search by age, gender, location, niche, budget, engagement rate, and more.
- Detailed Influencer Profiles: View account insights, engagement metrics, and past collaborations.
- In-App Chat: Message, negotiate, and invite influencers to your campaigns directly.
- Campaign Management: Create, manage, and run unlimited campaigns.
- Escrow Payment System: Funds are held securely until both parties complete the deal.
- Secure Payments: Make safe transactions through the platform.
- Performance Tracking: Monitor campaign results in real time
| Features | Buzzsumo | Ainfluencer |
|---|---|---|
| Database of Influencers | 3M | +5M |
| Filtering | Basic Filters | AI-powered search engine/
More than 20 filters |
| Pricing Options | $499 - $999/mo | Free |
| Influencer Search | Yes | Yes |
| Platforms | TikTok, Facebook, Twitter,YouTube |
Instagram, TikTok, YouTube |
| Number of Invitations | N/A | Unlimited |
| Number of Campaigns | N/A | Unlimited |
| Campaign Management | Yes | Yes |
| Detailed Insights | No | Yes |
| Shopify Integration | No | Yes |
Other BuzzSumo Alternatives
Are you looking for similar tools to manage your online relations and work with influencers? Here are some of the safe BuzzSumo alternatives.
One of the BuzzSumo alternatives that provides similar features to monitor your market and brand mentions is Meltwater.
Using this tool, you have access to features such as consumer intelligence, media relations, influencer discovery, social listening and analytics, and sales intelligence. However, it’s not free, and you need to contact them for your customized plan.
Read Meltwater (Klear) Reviews.
2. Upfluence
If you like to find creators across different social media platforms, Upfluence is one of the BuzzSumo alternatives that can help you. Upfluence provides a database of over 4M influencers across Amazon, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Pinterest, YouTube, Twitch, and WordPress.
Read Upfluence Reviews.
3. Heepsy
Heepsy gives access to Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube influencers and includes audience authenticity analysis, so you can detect fake followers and engagement rates.
Unlike BuzzSumo, which doesn’t provide influencer vetting or audience quality scores, Heepsy helps ensure your campaigns reach real people. It’s also more budget-friendly, offering affordable monthly plans that are accessible for startups.
Read Heepsy Reviews.
4. Modash
Modash focuses on data accuracy and predictive performance metrics. You can filter influencers by location, followers, engagement rate, and audience demographics, with real-time Instagram and TikTok data.
Unlike BuzzSumo, Modash is specifically designed for influencer marketing, not content trends, and provides higher-quality filtering and outreach support for scalable influencer programs.
Read Modash Reviews.
5. Brandwatch
Brandwatch is a decent BuzzSumo alternative for brands that need advanced social listening, sentiment analysis, and competitive intelligence.
Unlike BuzzSumo, which primarily focuses on content performance and influencer identification, Brandwatch provides more in-depth audience analytics, customizable dashboards, and predictive insights.
Read Brandwatch Reviews.
Conclusion
According to our BuzzSumo review, it offers a range of valuable features for those looking to delve into influencer marketing and content analysis. Its content search, trend analysis, social media monitoring, and influencer discovery tools can provide essential insights for businesses and individuals.
However, the pricing structure of BuzzSumo is relatively high, making it less accessible for smaller businesses.
Real user reviews highlight some limitations of BuzzSumo, including inaccuracies in content search, high pricing, and a limited influencer database. These factors may cause potential users to reconsider whether it’s the right fit for their needs.
FAQs
BuzzSumo is a tool for content research and social media analysis, helping brands and agencies find popular content, track competitor performance, and discover influential trends and influencers in their niche.
No, BuzzSumo is not free. While it offers a limited free trial, access to its full features requires a paid subscription, which can be quite costly, especially for small businesses or startups.
If you are looking for a safe and free tool to run social media campaigns with the help of influencers, you can’t find a better option than Ainfluencer. Using this tool, you can discover creators, chat with them, set up campaigns invite influencers, and monitor results.
