Head to head
Birdeye vs Tailwind
Last updated 4 June 2026
Birdeye is a reputation and customer-experience platform, reviews, listings, messaging, surveys, with social media management bolted on. It's priced per location, from around $299 a month, and aimed at multi-location brands rather than creators or small teams.
- From
- $299 per location / mo
- Free plan
Tailwind is a visual-social specialist: it grew up on Pinterest, added Instagram and Facebook, and pairs scheduling with AI that writes posts and designs images. It publishes to just those three networks, runs flat plans from a free tier up to $49.99 a month on annual billing, and ignores X, LinkedIn, and TikTok entirely.
- From
- $17.99 /mo
- Free plan
Bottom line
Tailwind is the pick for Pinterest and Instagram creators and small businesses, and it's the only one of the two with a free plan. Birdeye fits multi-location brands and franchises focused on reviews and reputation better, and it reaches X (Twitter) and LinkedIn among others, which Tailwind doesn't.
Tailwind starts cheaper, $17.99 a month against $299 per location / mo for Birdeye. Birdeye brings social listening that Tailwind skips, while Tailwind has evergreen recycling Birdeye doesn't.
Key differences
Where the two actually diverge, before the full tables.
- Tailwind has a free plan; Birdeye doesn't.
- Tailwind starts at $17.99 a month, Birdeye at $299 per location / mo.
- Birdeye posts to 8 networks, Tailwind to 3.
- Only Birdeye reaches X (Twitter), LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube, and Google Business.
- Birdeye has social listening; Tailwind doesn't.
- Birdeye has competitor tracking; Tailwind doesn't.
- Birdeye has approvals; Tailwind doesn't.
- Birdeye has social inbox; Tailwind doesn't.
Features compared
| Feature | Birdeye | Tailwind |
|---|---|---|
| AI captions | Yes | Yes |
| Basic analytics | Yes | Yes |
| Advanced reports | Yes | Yes |
| Bulk upload | Not assessed | Yes |
| Evergreen recycling | No | Yes |
| Team roles | Yes | Yes |
| Approvals | Yes | No |
| Link in bio | Not assessed | Yes |
Platforms compared
| Network | Birdeye | Tailwind |
|---|---|---|
| Auto | Auto | |
| Auto | Auto | |
| X (Twitter) | Auto | No |
| Auto | No | |
| TikTok | Auto | No |
| Auto | Auto | |
| YouTube | Auto | No |
| Google Business | Auto | No |
Pricing
Headline prices are for a single unit. Here is the real monthly cost as each tool scales, costed on its own unit so the two stay honest.
Birdeye
Starter
- About $299 per location/mo
- Core review management and reputation tools
- Basic social publishing
Growth
Popular- About $349 per location/mo
- Adds Social AI for publishing and replies
- Reviews, listings, messaging, and analytics
Dominate
- About $449 per location/mo
- Adds a dedicated chatbot AI
- Full reputation, social, and customer-experience suite
- Birdeye is priced per location, starting around $299 (Starter), $349 (Growth), and $449 (Dominate) a month per location. These are starting rates; multi-location and enterprise deals are custom-quoted, and many buyers negotiate.
- It's a reputation and customer-experience platform first, reviews, listings, webchat, surveys, and referrals, with social media management as one module. Social AI arrives on Growth.
- There's no free plan and no public self-serve checkout; you go through sales.
- Prices are USD from current listings; Birdeye doesn't publish a fixed price ladder, so treat these as approximate starting points.
Tailwind
Free Forever
- Seats
- 1
- Accounts
- 1
- Scheduled posts
- 5
- 1 account, 1 user, 5 posts a month across Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook
- 5 Tailwind credits and 5 post designs a month
- Smart.bio link, basic analytics
Pro
$17.99/mo billed annually
- Seats
- 1
- Accounts
- 1
- Scheduled posts
- 150
- $29.99/mo, $17.99 on annual (save $144/yr)
- 1 account, 1 user, 150 posts a month
- 150 Tailwind credits, 200 post designs, advanced analytics, Smart.bio
Advanced
$29.99/mo billed annually
- Seats
- 2
- Accounts
- 2
- Scheduled posts
- 300
- $54.99/mo, $29.99 on annual (save $300/yr)
- 2 accounts, 2 users, 300 posts a month
- 300 Tailwind credits, unlimited post designs, advanced analytics
Max
$49.99/mo billed annually
- Seats
- 5
- Accounts
- 3
- Scheduled posts
- Unlimited
- $99.99/mo, $49.99 on annual (save $600/yr)
- 3 accounts, 5 users, unlimited posts a month
- 1,000 Tailwind credits, unlimited post designs, advanced analytics
- Flat, quota-bundled plans: each tier bundles a number of accounts (social profiles), monthly posts, Tailwind credits, and users. Publishing is limited to Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook; there's no X, LinkedIn, TikTok, or YouTube.
- There's a genuine Free Forever plan (1 account, 5 posts a month) and no separate trial; you upgrade when you outgrow it.
- Annual billing is steeply discounted, 40% to 50% off, so Pro is $17.99 a month, Advanced $29.99, and Max $49.99.
- Tailwind Credits power the AI features (Ghostwriter writing and Tailwind Create designs) and refill at about $10 per 100 credits when you run out.
- Separately, Tailwind sells Pinterest-only products (Pin Scheduling and Creation, Pinterest SEO, Pinterest Engagement) priced per Pinterest account; the plans above are the main multi-network suite. Nonprofits get 50% off.
- Prices are USD, read off the live pricing page by toggling monthly and annual and cross-checked against current third-party listings.
Pros and cons
Birdeye
- Best-in-class review and reputation management
- Social publishing, inbox, and AI in the same platform
- Revenue-tied outcome dashboards and listening
- Built for multi-location scale
- Social is a secondary module, not a dedicated scheduler
- Expensive: per-location pricing from ~$299/mo, sales-led only
- No free plan or self-serve checkout
- Overkill if reputation isn't your priority
Tailwind
- Best-in-class for Pinterest, with SmartSchedule, SmartLoop, and Communities
- AI that both writes posts (Ghostwriter) and designs images (Tailwind Create)
- Instagram feed planner and Smart.bio link-in-bio built in
- Genuine free plan and steep annual discounts
- Only publishes to Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook
- AI features are metered by credits that cost extra to top up
- No social inbox or approval workflows
- Not built for agencies or client management
Birdeye vs Tailwind: FAQ
- Is Birdeye or Tailwind cheaper?
- Tailwind is cheaper to start, from $17.99 against $299 for Birdeye. The unit each one charges by differs, so the real bill depends on how many channels or seats you run.
- Does Birdeye or Tailwind have a free plan?
- Tailwind has a free plan; Birdeye does not.
- Which is better, Birdeye or Tailwind?
- Birdeye is the stronger pick for multi-location brands and franchises focused on reviews and reputation, while Tailwind is the better fit for Pinterest and Instagram creators and small businesses. We don't score them; the right call comes down to how you post.