Brandwatch vs Expandi
Brandwatch
- Platform: Multi-platform listening and management
- Best For: Consumer intelligence and enterprise monitoring
- Strength: AI-powered insights from 1.4T+ posts
- Users: Enterprise brands and agencies
Starting at Custom
Expandi
- Platform: LinkedIn with email multichannel
- Best For: Outbound prospecting and sales automation
- Strength: Smart sequences for personalized outreach
- Users: B2B sales teams and agencies
Starting at $79/month
Table of Contents
At a Glance
Platform Support
| Feature | Brandwatch | Expandi |
|---|---|---|
| ✓ Listening and management across social networks including LinkedIn | ✓ Primary focus with automation for connections, messages, and InMails | |
| Twitter/X | ✓ Full listening and monitoring support | ✗ Not supported; LinkedIn and email only |
| Facebook & Instagram | ✓ Comprehensive listening and management | ✗ Not supported |
| Email Outreach | ✗ No direct email automation | ✓ Integrated with providers for tracked campaigns |
| Multi-platform Listening | ✓ 1.4T+ posts across all major networks and forums | ✗ Limited to LinkedIn data collection |
Social Listening & Intelligence
| Feature | Brandwatch | Expandi |
|---|---|---|
| Historical Data Archive | ✓ 1.4T+ posts with 496M daily additions | ✗ No historical listening; focuses on real-time outreach |
| AI-Powered Search & Insights | ✓ Iris AI for narratives, custom classifiers | ✗ No AI listening; smart sequences for outreach |
| Image & Visual Analysis | ✓ Neural networks for logo, emotion detection | ✗ Video/GIF personalization add-ons only |
| Brand Monitoring & Alerts | ✓ Custom dashboards and real-time alerts | ✗ SSI tracking for personal brand only |
| Consumer Research Tools | ✓ First-party data integration and segmentation | ✗ Prospect data collection from LinkedIn |
Content Management & Scheduling
| Feature | Brandwatch | Expandi |
|---|---|---|
| Collaborative Content Calendar | ✓ Unified for organic/paid posts across platforms | ✗ No content creation or scheduling; outreach-focused |
| Centralized Social Inbox | ✓ For community management and customer care | ✗ No inbox; focuses on outbound messaging |
| Post Scheduling Automation | ✓ Integrated with listening for timely posting | ✗ Connection requests and messages only |
| Campaign Prioritization | ✓ For monitoring and response workflows | ✓ Unlimited campaigns with A/B testing |
Outreach & Lead Generation
| Feature | Brandwatch | Expandi |
|---|---|---|
| Smart Sequences & Automation | ✗ No outreach automation | ✓ Up to 10 actions/conditions based on behavior |
| Multichannel Campaigns | ✗ No direct multichannel outreach | ✓ LinkedIn + email with personalization |
| Connection Requests & Messaging | ✗ No automation for connections | ✓ 300+ weekly requests with safety limits |
| Lead Data Collection | ✓ From listening across platforms | ✓ Consented data from groups, events, posts |
| Personalization Tools | ✗ No personalization for outreach | ✓ Video/GIF via add-ons, image personalization |
Influencer & Media Intelligence
| Feature | Brandwatch | Expandi |
|---|---|---|
| Influencer Discovery Database | ✓ 30M+ creators with campaign reporting | ✗ No influencer tools |
| Expert Analyst Support | ✓ Custom research and strategic insights | ✗ No analyst support |
| Crisis Monitoring | ✓ Real-time alerts and reputation management | ✗ No crisis tools |
| Relationship Management | ✗ No direct relationship workflows | ✓ For prospects via sequences |
Analytics & Reporting
| Feature | Brandwatch | Expandi |
|---|---|---|
| Custom Dashboards | ✓ Fully customizable with AI insights | ✓ Detailed campaign metrics and SSI tracking |
| AI Analytics | ✓ Iris AI for narratives and predictions | ✗ Basic performance stats |
| Benchmarking & Trends | ✓ Competitor and industry benchmarking | ✓ Personal SSI and reply rates |
| White-Label Reporting | ✗ Custom reports but no white-label | ✓ For agencies with client sharing |
| A/B Testing | ✗ No built-in A/B for outreach | ✓ For campaigns and sequences |
Collaboration & Enterprise Features
| Feature | Brandwatch | Expandi |
|---|---|---|
| Team Workspaces | ✓ Global governance and workflows | ✓ Roles, permissions for teams/agencies |
| Multi-Account Management | ✓ For enterprise-scale brands | ✓ From single dashboard for LinkedIn accounts |
| API & Integrations | ✓ Major social and enterprise tools | ✓ Email providers, Sendspark, Hyperize |
| White-Label Capabilities | ✗ Enterprise services but no white-label | ✓ Run under your brand for agencies |
| Account Safety Features | ✗ No automation safety needed | ✓ Dedicated IPs, warm-up, smart limits |
Pricing Comparison
Brandwatch offers custom enterprise pricing with no public tiers, ideal for large-scale needs but opaque for budgeting. Expandi starts at $79/month (annual) with clear per-seat pricing, providing better accessibility for sales and agency teams.
Brandwatch
Consumer Intelligence (Brandwatch Consumer Research)
Custom
Market research teams needing deep data
- Access to the world’s largest archive of consumer opinions
- AI-powered search and Iris AI assistant
- Image analysis and custom classifiers
- Customizable dashboards, alerts, and reporting
- Support for first-party data uploads and integration
Social Media Management
Custom
Enterprise social teams
- All-in-one social media management platform
- Collaborative content calendar for organic and paid posts
- Unified social inbox and social CRM
- Brand monitoring and benchmarking dashboards
Influencer Marketing (Influence)
Custom
Brands running influencer campaigns
- Influencer discovery across 30M+ creators
- Relationship and workflow management
- Multichannel campaign tracking and reporting
Media Intelligence & Insights
Custom
PR and communications teams
- Access to expert analysts and consultants
- Custom research projects and strategic reporting
- Support for crisis monitoring and stakeholder management
Expandi
Business (Monthly)
$99/month
Solo users or small teams starting outreach
- Cloud-based software with dedicated country-based IP address
- Profile auto warm-up with configurable limits and growth rate
- Smart algorithms for daily outreach limit ranges across actions
- Campaign types that help bypass LinkedIn outreach limits (e.g., Mobile Connector)
- Unlimited number of campaigns with campaign prioritization
- Multichannel outreach combining connection requests, messages, and email follow-ups
- Convenient sequence builder with if/action logic
- Image and GIF personalization available as a paid add-on
- Video personalization via Sendspark integration (paid add-on)
- Detailed step-by-step campaign statistics and centralized dashboard
Business (Annual)
$79/month
Ongoing users seeking savings
- All features from Business (Monthly) at a discounted annual rate
- Two months free compared to paying monthly
- Full access to account safety, multichannel outreach, and smart sequences
- Unlimited campaigns and campaign prioritization
- Detailed analytics and centralized reporting dashboard
Agency (10+ Seats, White Label)
Custom
Agencies managing multiple clients
- Everything included in the Business plan for all seats
- Flexible roles and permission management for teams and clients
- Centralized campaign management across multiple accounts
- Transparent reports for clients with easy sharing
- Easy template sharing across workspaces and accounts
- Dedicated Customer Success Manager for onboarding and strategy
- Specialized customer support tailored to agencies and larger teams
- Option to use Expandi under your own brand (white labeling)
Feature Deep Dive
Social Listening & Consumer Intelligence
Brandwatch
Strengths
- Access to 1.4T+ historical posts and 496M daily
- Iris AI for narrative insights and predictive analytics
- Image analysis with neural networks for visuals
- Custom ML classifiers for data categorization
- Fully customizable dashboards with alerts
Workflow
Set queries → Analyze with AI → Segment data → Generate reports → Act on insights
Expandi
Strengths
- Real-time data collection from LinkedIn groups/events/posts
- SSI tracking for personal brand performance
- Prospect behavior-based conditions in sequences
Workflow
Collect leads from LinkedIn → Track interactions → Adjust sequences
Limitations
- No broad listening; focused on outreach targets
- No historical archive or AI narratives
Brandwatch dominates social listening with massive data scale, AI depth, and enterprise tools for intelligence. Expandi offers basic LinkedIn data for outreach but lacks comprehensive monitoring. Choose Brandwatch for insights; Expandi for prospecting data.
Outreach & Lead Generation Automation
Brandwatch
Strengths
- Indirect support via listening for targeted campaigns
- Unified inbox for engagement response
- Influencer outreach workflows
Limitations
- No direct automation for connections or DMs
- Focus on inbound rather than outbound
Expandi
Strengths
- Smart sequences with 10+ actions/conditions
- Multichannel (LinkedIn + email) with personalization
- Safety features: dedicated IPs, warm-up, limits
- Unlimited campaigns with A/B testing
- Video/GIF add-ons for engagement
Workflow
Build sequence → Set conditions → Launch multichannel → Monitor replies → Optimize
Expandi is purpose-built for safe, automated LinkedIn outreach with multichannel capabilities. Brandwatch supports engagement but not outbound automation. For lead gen via prospecting, Expandi wins; for listening-driven responses, Brandwatch.
Content Management & Social Media Operations
Brandwatch
Strengths
- Collaborative calendar for organic/paid content
- Centralized inbox for community and care
- Integrated with listening for timely posting
- Benchmarking dashboards for performance
Workflow
Plan in calendar → Monitor mentions → Respond via inbox → Report on impact
Expandi
Strengths
- No content creation; focuses on messaging in sequences
- Campaign prioritization for outreach
Limitations
- Lacks scheduling, calendars, or inboxes
- Not for broad content management
Brandwatch provides full social media management with collaboration and integration. Expandi has no content tools, emphasizing outreach messages. Brandwatch is ideal for operations; Expandi pairs with other tools for content.
Analytics & Reporting
Brandwatch
Strengths
- Custom dashboards with AI-powered insights
- Trend analysis, benchmarking, and alerts
- Expert analyst support for custom reports
- Integration with enterprise BI tools
Limitations
- No white-label for agencies
- Complex for simple needs
Expandi
Strengths
- Detailed metrics: open/reply rates, SSI, campaign stats
- Step-by-step reporting with A/B results
- White-label client reports for agencies
Limitations
- Limited to outreach performance; no broad social analytics
- No AI narratives
Brandwatch offers enterprise-grade, AI-deep analytics across social data. Expandi provides targeted outreach metrics with agency-friendly reporting. For comprehensive insights, Brandwatch; for sales pipeline tracking, Expandi.
Use Case Comparison
Enterprise Brand Monitoring
Brandwatch 🏆
Excellent
Deep listening, AI alerts, and crisis tools perfect for large-scale reputation management.
Best Plan: Consumer Intelligence (Custom)
Score: 10/10
Expandi
Poor
Limited to LinkedIn; no broad monitoring capabilities.
Best Plan: Not suitable
Score: 2/10
LinkedIn Lead Generation Agency
Brandwatch
Fair
Listening can inform targeting, but no outreach automation.
Best Plan: Social Media Management (Custom)
Score: 5/10
Expandi 🏆
Excellent
White-label, multi-account, smart sequences ideal for client prospecting.
Best Plan: Agency (Custom)
Score: 10/10
B2B Sales Team Outreach
Brandwatch
Poor
No outbound tools; focuses on inbound intelligence.
Best Plan: Not suitable
Score: 3/10
Expandi 🏆
Excellent
Multichannel sequences, safety features, and metrics for scaling prospecting.
Best Plan: Business Annual ($79/month)
Score: 10/10
Influencer Campaign Management
Brandwatch 🏆
Excellent
30M+ database, workflows, and reporting for enterprise campaigns.
Best Plan: Influence (Custom)
Score: 10/10
Expandi
Poor
No influencer discovery or management tools.
Best Plan: Not suitable
Score: 1/10
Market Research Team
Brandwatch 🏆
Excellent
Massive data archive, AI search, and custom classifiers for insights.
Best Plan: Consumer Intelligence (Custom)
Score: 10/10
Expandi
Fair
LinkedIn prospect data useful but narrow scope.
Best Plan: Business ($99/month)
Score: 4/10
Recruiter Candidate Sourcing
Brandwatch
Fair
Listening for talent trends, but no direct sourcing automation.
Best Plan: Consumer Intelligence (Custom)
Score: 6/10
Expandi 🏆
Excellent
Automated connections and sequences for LinkedIn recruiting.
Best Plan: Business Annual ($79/month)
Score: 9/10
PR Crisis Monitoring
Brandwatch 🏆
Excellent
Real-time alerts, analyst support, and media intelligence for reputation.
Best Plan: Media Intelligence (Custom)
Score: 10/10
Expandi
Poor
No monitoring or crisis tools.
Best Plan: Not suitable
Score: 2/10
Startup Founder Prospecting
Brandwatch
Poor
Too complex and costly for solo outbound.
Best Plan: Not suitable
Score: 3/10
Expandi 🏆
Excellent
Affordable, safe automation for growth-focused outreach.
Best Plan: Business Annual ($79/month)
Score: 9/10
Global Enterprise Governance
Brandwatch 🏆
Excellent
Multi-region support, workflows, and integrations for large orgs.
Best Plan: Full Suite (Custom)
Score: 10/10
Expandi
Good
Team roles and multi-account, but LinkedIn-limited.
Best Plan: Agency (Custom)
Score: 7/10
Social Media Team Collaboration
Brandwatch 🏆
Excellent
Unified inbox, calendar, and dashboards for team ops.
Best Plan: Social Media Management (Custom)
Score: 9/10
Expandi
Fair
Workspaces for outreach teams, but no content tools.
Best Plan: Agency (Custom)
Score: 5/10
Budget-Conscious Sales Team
Brandwatch
Poor
Custom pricing too high for small teams.
Best Plan: Not suitable
Score: 2/10
Expandi 🏆
Excellent
Clear, affordable pricing with high ROI for leads.
Best Plan: Business Annual ($79/month)
Score: 9/10
Agency Multi-Client Management
Brandwatch
Good
Suite for client insights, but sales-led and no white-label.
Best Plan: Full Suite (Custom)
Score: 7/10
Expandi 🏆
Excellent
White-label, roles, and centralized for LinkedIn clients.
Best Plan: Agency (Custom)
Score: 10/10
Pros and Cons
Brandwatch
Pros
- Extremely deep data coverage with 1.4T+ historical posts
- Powerful AI like Iris, image analysis, custom classifiers
- Integrated suite for intelligence, management, influencer
- Enterprise-ready with global support and integrations
- Customizable dashboards and alerts for advanced users
- Expert analysts for strategic insights
- Strong for crisis and reputation management
Cons
- No public pricing or self-serve plans
- Sales-led onboarding with multi-step demos
- Steep learning curve due to complexity
- Overkill for simple scheduling or outreach
- Heavier implementation for smaller teams
- No direct outbound automation tools
- Lacks white-label for agencies
Expandi
Pros
- Strong account safety with IPs, warm-up, smart limits
- Smart sequences with behavior-based multichannel
- Unlimited campaigns, A/B testing, detailed stats
- Team features: workspaces, roles, white-labeling
- Affordable starting at $79/month annual
- Personalization add-ons for engagement
- Centralized multi-account dashboard
Cons
- Interface complex for beginners
- Per-seat pricing for heavy users
- Relies on user strategy; no listening depth
- Paid add-ons for video/GIF
- No content creation or broad social management
- Limited to LinkedIn/email; no multi-platform listening
- No historical data or AI insights beyond outreach
Final Verdict
Brandwatch and Expandi target different ends of social media tools: Brandwatch as an enterprise intelligence powerhouse for listening and management, Expandi as a specialized LinkedIn automation for outbound leads. They complement rather than compete directly.
Choose Brandwatch for comprehensive social intelligence and management in enterprise settings. Opt for Expandi if LinkedIn outreach and lead automation are core. For hybrid needs, use Brandwatch for insights and Expandi for execution.
Overall Scores
Brandwatch
Lead Generation: 4/10
Value: 6/10
Expandi
Lead Generation: 10/10
Value: 9/10
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