Top 6 Influencer Databases and How to Pick the Best One in 2024

Imagine for a minute that you don’t have to keep scrolling, sending DMs on Instagram or TikTok, and crossing your fingers that an influencer campaign is going to get results.

If this sounds like a dream come true, an influencer database may be the answer to your problems.

But, finding the right social media influencer database for your brand can be hard– there are so many on the market, each claiming to be the best.

In this article, we’ll discuss what to consider when choosing an influencer database– and review the top 6 for 2024. We’ve also included a brief action plan to help YOU find the database that’s best for you.

Let’s get started! 🎉

What factors should you consider when picking an influencer database?

Before we assess the strengths and weaknesses of each platform, let’s talk through what you need to consider before subscribing to a social media influencer database.

Pricing

Fair warning– influencer databases can be expensive. Before you fall in love with a platform:

Check their pricing page
See how much it costs per month
Find out if they require a time commitment or contract. After all, you don’t want to be stuck in a contract if things don’t work out.

Oh, and if their pricing page is hidden, stay away. A hard-to-find pricing page means they’re SUPER expensive.

Influencer metrics

If you’re going to hire influencers, you need to know how their posts usually perform. Start with this question:

Does the influencer database include metrics for their influencers?

If not, look elsewhere. After all, how will you know if their content works if you can’t see their stats?

The second– and equally important– question you need to ask: How do they get these metrics?

If the influencer platform gets its metrics from integration with Meta or another social media platform, that’s the best. If it’s via public data, that isn’t as accurate.

Influencer profiles

You’ll want to be able to check influencer profiles before working with them. Here are some features you’ll want to look for on the influencer platform:

Public reviews: What do past collaborators (brands) have to say about these influencers?
Portfolio: What do their past projects look like, what is the quality of the content delivered?
Audience insights: Where is their audience from? How many age groups do they have? What do their gender demographics look like?
Platform: Most databases include Instagram and TikTok influencers, and some include YouTube, too. If you’re looking to build your brand on a specific platform, make sure you can tell at a glance which one the influencer uses.

Influencer opt-in (or not)

There are two main types of influencer databases on the market:

In one, influencers opt-in to the service, meaning they sign up themselves and go through an approval process.

These generally make it easy to connect with influencers and offer contract and payment protection options. If influencers also sync their accounts (like on Social Cat), they have accurate metrics as well. So, if you’re looking for an easy way to contact and hire influencers, you may want to look for this kind of product or database.

In the second type of influencer database, influencers don’t opt in to being featured on the platform. These databases or products simply import influencer profiles from social media and build their database that way.

Having all of this information in one place can save you a lot of time (and allow you to find details on almost any influencer!), but their data can be outdated. Also, you’ll have to cold email any influencers you find on a non-opt-in platform and hope they respond, which is always risky.

Collaboration types

As you head into an influencer campaign, you likely have some ideas about the way you want to run it.

To make sure you can find influencers who will be willing to work with you, you need access to the following information:

Do influencers do paid collaborations only?
How much do they charge for paid collaborations?
Do they do gifted collaborations?
Does the platform provide contracts so we can iron out all these details and get them in writing?

Goals

The platform you choose also depends on your goals for the campaign.

If you’re looking for UGC (user-generated content): you need a platform where you can see the creators’ portfolios so you can see the work they do. For example, looking at videos like the ones on this page can tell you which creators would give you the kind of content you’re looking for.
If you want to create brand awareness: you need a platform that shows metrics for reach and impressions.
If you’re mainly interested in sales: you need a platform that shows metrics, particularly on audience insights, so that you can figure out if their audience matches your customer avatar.

Now that we’ve discussed what to look for in a platform, let’s cover 5 of the best influencer databases to work with in 2024. It’s worth noting that you usually have to pay for quality– free influencer search tools or influencer databases that are free aren’t usually worth much. You’re better off paying a little bit to ensure quality, rather than trying to find a free influencer marketing platform.

Social Cat makes finding and working with influencers a breeze with an extensive network of influencers. On the Social Cat platform, you’ll find vetted influencers with the metrics, search, and collaboration options you need to create an amazing influencer-driven campaign.

Advantages

Affordable: Social Cat has no contracts and a cancel-at-any-time policy. You can check out our competitive pricing here.
Vetted influencers: Influencers opt-in (sign up) themselves, which means they’re vetted by our team, and we don't simply import profiles.
Large talent pool: There are over 20K influencers on Social Cat in the US alone!
Real-time metrics: Metrics and audience insights come directly via integration with Meta (for our Instagram influencers) and TikTok (for our TikTok influencers). So you can trust the influencer stats in our database are always up-to-date.
Collaboration options: You can do both gifted and paid collaborations on Social Cat– and contracts are available for each.
Messaging: You can communicate directly with influencers via our platform. No cold emailing or DMs on Instagram, that's so 2010!
Search: You can browse and filter through our database to invite influencers to campaigns.
Licensing: Content licensing is included in all the influencers’ pricing, so you don’t have to worry about surprise fees down the road.

Disadvantages

Limited platforms: TikTok and Instagram are the only platforms available.
Limited countries: You can only work with influencers in the US, UK, and Australia
Influencer fees not included: Fees for paid collaborations are not included, but you know how much an influencer wants to charge you, so that's easy. You can also opt-in for gifted collaborations, and that will not cost on top!

Social Cat is designed to be easy to test out, with free trials, expert onboarding calls, and no contracts, so you have the confidence you’ll find the right influencer, every time. That’s probably why the reviews are so great, with 1,500+ users rating them an average of 4.7. If you’d like to start a free trial, you can do that here.

Modash

Modash is a metrics-only database. That means that you can find deets on any influencer or creator with over 1,000 followers on Modash– you just have to reach out to them on your own if you want to work with them.

Advantages

So. Much. Data: Modash has over 250 MILLION profiles of influencers for you to search. Keep in mind that these influencers have not opted in or given information to Modash, so you’ll essentially be cold-emailing them. However, having that amount of information available can be very helpful.
Affordable: Their lower-tiered plans are quite affordable, starting at $99/month.
Influencer metrics: They have influencer metrics available for each of their profiles. Please note that these metrics come from public data, so they might be inaccurate.
Contact details: They have influencer contact details available on their platform but unsure how accurate these are.

Disadvantages

Not vetted: Because influencer profiles are imported from social media, no one vets these influencers. You have to look at the profile, reach out via the contact information provided, and hope for the best.
Expense creep: You don’t have unlimited access to all of their features at the lower price points. If you want to take full advantage of their services, you’ll pay more.
No messaging: Again, because influencers don’t “opt-in” to Modash, there’s no way to connect directly with influencers on the platform. You have to export email addresses (a limited number each month) and see if they’ll work with you.
Influencer pricing not available: Because all of their information is sourced from public data, you have no way of knowing what influencers charge before reaching out to them.
Contracts not included: There are no contracts available on their platform.
Licensing: Content licensing is not included in the pricing for Modash, because they aren’t affiliated with any of the creators on their platform.

Modash empowers you to look up any influencer you’d like, but that’s about it. If you opt for a less-expensive plan, you’ll be frustrated by the limits set on influencer profile views, contact information, and more. Also, you have to cold-email creators yourself, which adds time and effort to your campaigns.

Grin

Grin describes itself as a “creator management platform,” which means they have resources to help you discover influencers and keep yourself organized as you create and review campaigns.

Like Modash, creators do not opt-in to Grin, meaning there is no vetting process in place for them.

Advantages

Tools: Grin has tons of tools for helping you create and manage influencer campaigns. Plus, they integrate with other marketing software to make recordkeeping and data importing as smooth as possible.
Database: There are millions of influencer profiles available to browse on their site.
Influencer types: They have data on different types of influencers, including nanoinfluencers, microinfluencers, and macro-influencers.
Platforms: Grin covers multiple platforms, including TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and more!
Support: There are tons of support options available for paying customers.

Disadvantages

Pricing: Their pricing is only available upon request, which means it’ll be super expensive. To get a price, you need to book a demo with a salesperson, who will likely try to see how much they can charge you.
Not vetted: Influencers do not opt into this platform, so there’s no vetting.
No messaging: Again, because influencers do not opt into this platform, you need to email them and hope they get the message and respond.
Potentially inaccurate data: Their metrics and other data come from public sources, which may or may not be accurate.
Geared for super-premium customers: Their focus seems to be on attracting high-end clients with thousands of dollars per month to spend on influencer campaigns. Their prices and functionality aren’t ideal for small and mid-sized companies.
Influencer pricing/contracts not included: Because they are not affiliated with any of the influencers in their database, you will need to pay them on top of what you’re already paying for access to Grin.
Licensing: Again, because they are not affiliated with any of the creators listed in their database, licensing is not included in their pricing.

Grin offers awesome products and services– however, they’re geared toward super-premium customers who spend thousands of dollars on influencers. Unless you need their suite of tools, there’s not a big difference between what’s available in their database and Modash’s database.

Tribe

Tribe calls itself a “creator community.” They have a ton of features that make creating and executing an influencer campaign easier: including opted-in creators, accurate metrics, and communication via their platform.

Advantages

Opted-in influencers: They have over 80K opted-in influencers on their platform, which makes connecting with and hiring influencers a breeze.
Accurate metrics: They provide post-campaign data directly from social media platforms. Get accurate ROI measurements every time!
Expert team: They have an expert (albeit expensive) team that’s available to help you tailor your campaigns.
AI tools: Their AI tools can help you match your brand with influencers.
Launch campaigns: If you need help launching your campaign, they have resources for that!

Disadvantages

Expensive: There’s no price listed on their website, which, as always, usually means it’s expensive. They also use annual agreements, so you’re locked in for a year. If you’d like to avoid signing a contract, they have a “pay per use” option, but then charge other fees like activation fees to raise the cost.
Licensing: Even though their creators have opted into the platform, licensing is a separate cost, which makes the content you get on Tribe even more expensive.
Influencer fees: We couldn’t find any data on how much influencers charge, but their fees would also be on top of all of Tribe’s other costs and fees.

Basically, Tribe checks all the boxes we like to see on influencer platforms: opted-in influencers, metrics that come directly from social media integrations, and lots of support options for campaigns. The only problem– you’re locked into SO MANY fees, year-long contracts, and unspecified prices just to get access to their network. It’s good, but unnecessarily more expensive than other options on the market.

Collabstr

Collabstr’s home page looks like you landed on the Airbnb website– for booking influencers. This influencer-centric approach means that you get LOTS of information about the influencers themselves– but less about everything else.

Advantages

Vetted influencers: All of their influencers are vetted, and their platform has a review system so that you can hear about other brands’ experiences working with them.
Messaging: You can directly message creators on the platform. Yay!
Multiple platforms: They have influencers who create content on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube.
Payment protection: There’s a payment protection system included, so you don’t have to worry about losing money and not getting content.
Free trial: They allow you to “start for free” before you commit to using the platform.

Disadvantages

Price: While you can view project prices for specific influencers (many of which are thousands of dollars each), it’s unclear how much it costs to get access to Collabstr and whether or not they require a contract.
Database size: Again, it’s unclear exactly how many influencers you have access to when you join Collabstr.
Licensing: Licensing isn’t mentioned anywhere on their website, so you may have to pay extra to use the content their creators make for you.
Metrics: As far as we can tell, there are no metrics available for the creators on Collabstr– they simply post their projects and a price, and you have to look at reviews to decide if you want to hire them.

While Collabstr is visually appealing and has some good features, the pricing is murky. If you’re considering joining, it might be worth reaching out to their team first to chat about pricing, licensing, and whether require you to sign a contract to have access to their platform.

Influencer Hero

Influencer Hero is an all-in-one influencer marketing CRM, where you can streamline every step of your influencer campaign. From influencer search, automated outreach, to post tracking and affiliate, Influencer Hero allows for full management in one place.

Advantages:

Detailed filters for finding influencers: since Influencer Hero has a very large database of influencers across different social media platforms and all around the world, it offers multiple detailed filters to narrow down your search both on the influencer level as well as audience level.
Automated tasks + AI Tools: the outreach is automated thanks to its email drip campaigns, including follow-ups. Also, their AI integrations allow for a highly effective personalized sentence for each influencer.
Very complete CRM: When managing an influencer campaign, Influencer Hero offers all the tools you need. Their intuitive Trello-like board keeps everything organized. Each influencer has a deal page for all information, including posting performance, creative assets, and communication.
Content/UGC Library: if you’re looking to share influencer content on your social media, or to create Paid Ads with UGC content, you can quickly download these from Influencer Hero’s content library.
Shopify integration: with this integration, you can directly dispatch products to influencers, track the shipping, create affiliate links and discount codes to track the influencer’s performance all within Influencer Hero.
Robust reporting capabilities: Influencer Hero provides detailed individual and campaign-level reporting and analytics. Their reports include KPIs like clicks, conversions, and earned media value. You can view country-specific click data, outreach statistics, and top-performing influencers in a clear and accessible format.
Let them do the work for you: agency services are also an option with Influencer Hero, where they can manage your entire influencer campaign for you!

Disadvantages

Influencer pricing not available: There is unfortunately no way of knowing what influencers charge before reaching out to them. Using the negotiation templates that Influencer Hero provides can help to increase ROI.
Licensing: Content licensing will have to be negotiated with each influencer.
Contracts: Influencer Hero does not offer a built-in contract signing system at the moment. The contract will have to be managed through email.

Conclusion

The influencer database that’s best for you is going to depend on different things: your budget, the features that are most important to you, and how long you can commit to working with a specific platform.

Here’s our advice on how to make the best decision: organize demo calls, explore what you can on a free trial, and stay away from longer time commitments to specific Instagram or TikTok influencer databases.

After all, a higher price does not guarantee a higher ROI. So, it’s worth checking out use cases, too. (You can find ours here)

We won’t sugar-coat it: working with influencers can be tough, especially at first. Generally, it takes tens or hundreds of collaborations before you find people who effectively generate sales for your brand.

Because it can be such an involved process, you’ll ideally want to use a platform that has lower fees and does gifted collaborations, so you can figure out what works best for you without going bankrupt.

If you’d like to get started on your influencer marketing journey by booking a free demo with us, you can do that here. We look forward to meeting you!

Top 6 Influencer Databases and How to Pick the Best One in 2024