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Upthread vs Pulsar

Pulsar is audience intelligence: social listening and media monitoring that map the communities behind a conversation across social, news, broadcast and search, Reddit among them. Upthread acts on Reddit alone: it ranks the threads Google and AI answers cite and drafts replies.

Last checked Nov 8, 2026. Every fact about Pulsar is numbered to its source at the bottom of the page.

On this page
  1. Why look beyond Pulsar
  2. Who should choose which
  3. Pulsar in brief
  4. Pricing, plan by plan
  5. Point by point
  6. What it watches
  7. Replying
  8. After you post
  9. Price and plans
  10. Switching from Pulsar
  11. Reddit access is changing
  12. Questions
  13. Sources
  14. Related comparisons

Why people look beyond Pulsar.

Pulsar is an audience intelligence platform for marketing and communications teams. It sets out to go beyond traditional social listening and media monitoring by showing how different communities engage with the same topic, and it covers media monitoring, reputation, trend and narrative detection, and campaign analytics. 1

Its listening platform, TRAC, ingests 45+ source types, from X, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and LinkedIn to forums, review sites, licensed news, broadcast and Google search data. It groups the conversation into communities and narratives, and scores sentiment, emotion, topics and entities with AI. 2

TRAC is priced on an enterprise basis. Pulsar publishes no tier list and has no self-serve checkout; each quote depends on team size and seats, data volume and source coverage, language and regional scope, and the support and integration you need. 2

Upthread looks at a smaller surface. It works only on Reddit, ranks the threads that Google and AI answers put in front of your buyers, drafts a reply that follows each subreddit's rules, and tracks the reply after you post it from your own account.

Who should choose which.

Who should choose Pulsar

  • You need 45+ source types, from TikTok and LinkedIn to licensed news, TV, radio and podcasts, analysed together. Upthread covers Reddit only. 2
  • You want to know who is talking: TRAC maps the communities and narratives behind a conversation, and its audience segments become reusable filters. 2
  • You want analysts as well as software: Pulsar sells research and consultancy programs from its insight team alongside the platform. 3

Who should choose Upthread

  • You already know your audience; what you need is to show up well in the Reddit threads they read, with a reply your team can stand behind.
  • You want a plan you can buy today, sized by brands, keywords and drafts, with a trial that asks for no card.
  • You want Reddit as a place to act, with a drafted reply for each thread that follows that subreddit's own rules.

Pulsar in brief

Audience intelligence and social listening for brands, agencies and communications teams, with community mapping.

  • Describes itself as an audience intelligence and social listening platform that goes beyond traditional social listening and media monitoring. 1
  • Its TRAC platform combines social listening and media monitoring with audience segmentation, on social, search, news and web data from 195 countries. 4
  • TRAC ingests 45+ source types: social networks such as X, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and LinkedIn, plus forums, review sites, licensed news, broadcast and Google search data. 2
  • A Pulsar guide lists Reddit among the platforms its data covers, beside X, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, Threads, TikTok and Bluesky. 5
  • Groups conversation into communities and narratives, and scores sentiment, emotion, topics and entities with AI. 2
  • Outputs include dashboards, coverage reports, KPI and instant alerts, email digests, exports, a Hootsuite integration and a full API. 2
  • TRAC is priced on an enterprise basis, per contract, with no published tier list and no self-serve checkout. 2
  • Sells a self-serve SaaS subscription and, separately, research and consultancy programs from its insight team. 3

Pricing, plan by plan.

Pulsar

  • Pricing is not public: TRAC is quoted per contract, with no published tier list and no self-serve checkout. 2
  • Quotes depend on team size and seat count, data volume and source coverage, language and regional data scope, and the level of support and integration. 2
  • There are two ways to buy: a self-serve SaaS subscription with training and customer success support, or research and consultancy programs. 3
  • No free trial is described; the site offers a demo. 1

Upthread

Starter$49 a month
1 brand, 25 keywords, 25 buyer questions, 3 engines, 150 drafts a month, 1 seat. Discovery: Daily.
Growth$149 a month
3 brands, 100 keywords, 75 buyer questions, All engines, 600 drafts a month, 3 seats. Discovery: Every 6 hours.
Agency$499 a month
15 brands, 500 keywords, 300 buyer questions, All engines, 2,500 drafts a month, 10 seats. Discovery: Every 6 hours.

Yearly billing gives 2 months free. Every workspace starts with a 7-day trial on Starter limits, with no card. See full pricing.

Pulsar and Upthread, point by point.

Each row sets a sourced fact about Pulsar next to what Upthread does, grouped by what you would check first.

What it watches

SourcesThey do more
Pulsar45+ source types: X, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, LinkedIn and more, plus forums, reviews, licensed news, broadcast and search data. 2
UpthreadReddit only.
What it tracksDifferent approach
PulsarThe communities, narratives and audience segments behind a topic, with sentiment, emotion, topics and entities. 2
UpthreadReddit threads cited by AI answers or ranked by Google for your buyer questions, and threads naming your brand, labelled praise, complaint, support question and more.
RedditUpthread does more
PulsarListed among the platforms its data covers. No Reddit-specific feature is described. 5
UpthreadBuilt around Reddit threads: discovery, drafts, mentions and reply tracking all work on them.
AI answersUpthread does more
PulsarNo AI answer tracking listed. 2
UpthreadGoogle AI Overviews and AI Mode twice a week, from live Google results. ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Claude weekly through their APIs, labelled API.
How it reads RedditDifferent approach
PulsarNo Reddit data source stated. 5
UpthreadBuilt on your own logged-in browser, so Reddit's move to logged-in-only viewing doesn't break it. Discovery comes from Google results and AI citations, with no Reddit API.

Replying

Acting on itDifferent approach
PulsarAI models that surface the most relevant conversations, plus research and consultancy from its insight team. No reply drafting is described. 3
UpthreadTwo drafts per thread, grounded in the thread, its top comments, the subreddit's rules and your facts. A lint and an AI judge check each one first.

After you post

After postingUpthread does more
PulsarDashboards, coverage reports, alerts and digests on the conversation. No reply tracking is described. 2
UpthreadScore over time, moderator removals, and the thread's citation history before and after your reply. Links carry UTM tags for your own analytics.

Price and plans

PriceDifferent approach
PulsarPricing is not public: TRAC is quoted per contract, with no published tier list or self-serve checkout. 2
Upthread$49 / $149 / $499 a month, or 2 months free yearly. A 7-day trial with Starter limits. No card required.
AgenciesDifferent approach
PulsarUsed by global agencies, among others. Agency terms aren't published. 2
UpthreadAgency plan: 15 brands, 10 seats and shareable client reports. No white-label yet.

Switching from Pulsar.

Upthread needs no contract or onboarding call. Enter your website and it drafts a brand profile, then offers keywords, competitors, buyer questions and focus subreddits to keep or change; the search terms you use in Pulsar fit straight in. Add your role and disclosure, choose engines and a country, and watch the first discovery and visibility runs fill a ranked inbox, with three minutes as the target. The extension is optional.

What you bring across

  • Your topic searches. The brand and product terms in them become Upthread keywords, and your exclusions become negative keywords.
  • The competitor set you benchmark against, each with its aliases, for share of voice in AI answers.
  • The questions your audience keeps asking. Add them as buyer questions, and Upthread checks which Reddit threads each AI engine cites for them.

What works differently

  • Pulsar groups a conversation into communities and narratives across 45+ source types. Upthread reads only Reddit and ranks single threads by Google rank, AI citations, buying intent, freshness and how the subreddit treats brands. 2
  • Pulsar's outputs are dashboards, coverage reports, alerts and digests on the conversation. Upthread's output is a drafted reply for each thread, grounded in its top comments and the subreddit's rules, for you to edit and post. 2
  • Pulsar quotes TRAC per contract. Upthread's plans are public, from $49 to $499 a month, and start with a 7-day trial that needs no card. 2
  • Upthread also keeps the AI side in view: it checks Google AI Overviews and AI Mode twice a week and ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Claude weekly, and records which Reddit threads each one cites.

How Reddit access is changing

Reddit is closing its public API and moving toward logged-in viewing. This matters for any tool that reads Reddit, so each comparison states only what the tool itself says about its data source.

  1. On Oct 29, 2026, Reddit said it will shift to a primarily logged-in experience, starting with tests in select markets outside the US. 6
  2. 9to5Mac reported that Reddit will start requiring a logged-in account for most of its content. 7
  3. Reddit's CEO said most unauthorized access to its content happens through the logged-out experience. 8

Pulsar and Upthread: questions.

How much does Pulsar cost?

Pulsar doesn't publish prices: TRAC is quoted per contract, based on seats, data volume, source coverage, languages and support. Upthread's plans are public, from $49 to $499 a month. 2

Does Pulsar monitor Reddit?

Its guide lists Reddit among the platforms its data covers, beside X, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, Threads, TikTok and Bluesky. Upthread covers only Reddit, starting from the threads Google and AI answers show buyers. 5

Does Pulsar draft replies?

No reply drafting is described. Pulsar offers AI models that surface relevant conversations, plus research and consultancy from its insight team. Upthread drafts two replies per Reddit thread, and you post the one you pick. 3

Who is Pulsar built for?

Enterprise brands, global agencies and government communications teams, according to its TRAC guide. Upthread is built for brands and agencies that want to act on Reddit, with self-serve plans for 1 to 15 brands. 2

Can I use Pulsar and Upthread together?

Yes. Pulsar can keep mapping audiences and narratives across every channel, and Upthread can handle the Reddit threads those audiences find through Google and AI answers, from draft to tracked reply.

Sources

We read each page on the date shown. Pulsar's own pages are named, not linked. Spotted something out of date? Email [email protected] and we will fix it.

  1. [1]Pulsar homepage, checked Nov 8, 2026.
  2. [2]Pulsar guide to TRAC features and pricing, checked Nov 8, 2026.
  3. [3]Pulsar social listening page, checked Nov 8, 2026.
  4. [4]Pulsar TRAC page, checked Nov 8, 2026.
  5. [5]Pulsar guide to sentiment analysis, checked Nov 8, 2026.
  6. [6]Engadget, checked Oct 29, 2026.
  7. [7]9to5Mac, checked Oct 29, 2026.
  8. [8]CyberInsider, checked Oct 30, 2026.

Run your first discovery, then judge for yourself.

Enter your website. Upthread drafts your brand profile, suggests buyer questions and subreddits, and runs your first discovery.

Start free trialSee pricing

No card required. 7 days with Starter limits.