Spotting trends before the competition can be a massive advantage. But which websites and tools are the best to do it?
There are a bunch of options and each one is best for a specific type of use case. Below, we'll cover the best trend spotting websites and tools given your situation and goals.
Quick Comparison
Glimpse
Google Trends
TrendHunter
TrendWatching
Meltwater
1. Glimpse
Glimpse is a Chrome extension that enhances Google Trends to help you to discover the top search trends within any category, then pull rich keyword insights like absolute search volume, growth rate, forecasted growth, and more.
Pros
Customizable: Glimpse can help you spot search trends in any category and dive deep into any keyword.
Accurate: Glimpse is built directly on top of Google Trends, so the data will always match data straight from Google.
Real-time and historical: Track a trend on any time horizon. Zoom in to view minute-to-minute changes or zoom way out to see the long-term trajectory over decades.
Easy to use: The UI is simple and similar to the Google Trends layout, therefore taking little time to learn or train.
Affordable: Plans start at $49/mo, as compared to $300+ minimums common in other tools
Cons
Limited browser support: Glimpse is only available on Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Opera, Brave, and Vivaldi.
Trends, not “trending”: Glimpse won't help you much in detecting fleeting, "trending" news or celebrity events. Rather, it's built to identify and pull insights on emerging, sustainable trends.
No reports: Glimpse is an data analytics software, meaning you shouldn't expect custom written reports or in-depth analyses.
Feature Preview
Let's say you want to spot new beauty trends. Just enter “Beauty” into the Discover Trends section and you’ll immediately see dozens of emerging, high-growth beauty search trends:
Glimpse surfaces true long-term trends—rather than fads that spike for a week then fall into oblivion—by looking at the historical Google search volume, arguably the best predictor of a trend’s future performance. If searches have been rising steadily over time, then it’s likely that it will continue.
It also provides the absolute number of searches, as opposed to a relative, 0-100 interest score like Google Trends, so you can see exactly how big it is right now and therefore how much room it may have to grow.
For a data-driven prediction of what this growth might look like, you can use the Forecast feature to see the trend’s projected trajectory and volume over the next year.
Here are the results for an emerging trend, "exfoliating acid":
Forecasting trends like this gives you the confidence to start longer-term projects, such as developing a product or forming strategy.
Glimpse can also give you rich insights on a trend to help you plan your next move, like the most common searches alongside it, which social platforms it’s being discussed most on, and more.
Price
Free plan provides up to 10 free searches per month, with additional access starting at $49/mo.
Who should use Glimpse?
Glimpse is the best trend spotting tool for someone who wants a self-service tool to spot search trends in any industry and pull rich keyword insights.
Get started with Glimpse for free and spot your next trend in minutes.
2. Google Trends
Google Trends is often cited among the top tools for trend research. It’s a powerful tool built by Google to show search interest in a given topic over time, and can be used for a bunch of use cases like product research, SEO/keyword research, and even stock market trading.
We’re big fans of Google Trends and it has many pros, though there are also some cons to be aware of.
Pros
Track topics in real-time, minute-by-minute.
Transparent data - comes right from Google.
Analyze interest by geography.
It's free.
Cons
No absolute search volume: Rather than showing the real number of searches, Google Trends shows a normalized, 0-100 search interest score. This makes it impossible to tell the size of a trend.
Doesn't recommend any new trends, only allows you to search something you already know about.
No official Google Trends API (although the Glimpse API can be used as a substitute).
Price
Free.
Who should use Google Trends?
Given that Glimpse is built on top of Google Trends, therefore providing all of its features plus loads more, the only real reason to use Google Trends instead is that it's completely free.
3. TrendHunter
TrendHunter is a trend research company that provides customized reports and strategic advice—primarily for companies in the tech space—rather than a self-serve platform. While they offer in-depth, tailored insights, they don’t show the underlying data (like search volumes), and there’s no API access or real-time tracking.
Pros
Customized reports with expert analysis.
Strong focus on tech and innovation.
Consulting on strategy and capitalizing on trends
Cons
Expensive—plans start above $2K/year, with many undisclosed or in the tens of thousands.
Not useful for non-tech sectors.
Little transparency on data sources or trend metrics.
Reports can be overwhelming, aren’t beginner-friendly.
No API or real-time tracking.
Price
Plans start at $199/mo, with higher plans undisclosed.
Who should use TrendHunter?
Ideal for tech-focused companies with large budgets that want custom reports and hands-on training as opposed to a self-service tool.
4. TrendWatching
TrendWatching is a trend intelligence platform that provides curated insights, reports, and workshops focused on global consumer behavior. It's also not a plug-and-play tool. Rather, it's a research-heavy service largely for teams that want structured frameworks and education. Like TrendHunter, it doesn't have real-time tracking and gives limited transparency on the data behind the trends they surface.
Pros
Curated insights across industries—not just tech.
Includes frameworks and hands-on training.
Useful for strategy and innovation teams looking to apply trends.
Cons
Pricey—starts at $549/month for a team plan.
Not beginner-friendly; interface is dense and often overwhelming.
Lacks real-time data and API integration.
Underlying data methodology isn't always available.
Price
Plans start at $549/mo.
Who should use TrendHunter?
Ideal for mid-to-large teams with large budgets looking for hands-on training and education on trends rather than a self-serve trend spotting tool.
5. Meltwater
Meltwater is traditionally a PR and social listening tool that offers social media monitoring, management, and analytics. However, it provides some trend discovery via its Explore feature, where you can enter a keyword in see its usage frequency across various social media platforms over time, basically a social media equivalent of Google Trends.
Pros
Customizable: Enter any keyword and view the usage over time.
Broad: Covers a bunch of different platforms, from social media platforms like Instagram and X to news sites.
Geographic filtering: Filter results to certain countries or regions.
Custom dashboards: Build out custom views to track the most important and relevant trends.
Cons
Expensive: $6,000 minimum annual subscription.
Complex: Meltwater has been around for a while, so there are lots of features and a steep learning curve.
Limited discovery: Best for monitoring topics you already know about like Google Trends, rather than discovering new ones.
Social data, not search: Search trends often reveal intent, while social ones reflect public discussion, which often lags behind, meaning Meltwater might surface trends that are already in the conversation phase as opposed to discovery. This makes it less useful for spotting early trends before they go mainstream.
Price
Plans start at $500/mo.
Who should use Meltwater?
Ideal for brands with large budgets mainly interested in monitoring mentions and social analytics related to their brand, with some trend discovery functionality within the latter.
Conclusion
And that's it! Hopefully this list of trend spotting websites and tools helped you find the best fit for you.
FAQ
What is the best trend spotting website?
Glimpse is the best trend spotting website given its customizability, ease of use, and early trend detection.