Open-source brand monitoring with Harken instead of Brand24 or Mention
A self-hosted program that tracks a keyword, brand or product across Hacker News, Bluesky and Stack Overflow, plus Reddit, Mastodon, RSS, X and YouTube once configured. It removes duplicates, scores sentiment with a built-in analyzer and groups mentions into themes such as pricing or docs, all shown in a local dashboard. An AI model is optional and only gives richer theme labels.
Setup steps
- Clone the repo and install it with uv (Python 3.10+)
- Run harken demo to see the dashboard on sample data
- Run harken track "your-product" to search Hacker News and Bluesky
- Open the dashboard with harken serve (localhost:8042)
- Optional: set HARKEN_LLM_PROVIDER for AI theme labels, and run harken watch --every 900 for repeated scans
Steps summarized from the original GitHub source ↗. Use “Copy” to grab them with the tools and source link, or copy an AI prompt.
Try it with AI
Paste this into ChatGPT, Claude or your own agent for step-by-step help. Prompt written by AppToBot from this recipe's data, not by the original author. It keeps drafts for your review and asks before anything is sent or paid.
Help me set up this automation using Harken (open source, MIT) + optional Anthropic, OpenAI or Ollama: "Open-source brand monitoring with Harken instead of Brand24 or Mention". Goal: replace Brand24 / Mention brand monitoring. How it should work: - Trigger: Every 15 minutes (harken watch) - Then: Searches Hacker News, Bluesky and other sources for your keyword - Then: Scores sentiment and groups themes - Then: Saves everything to SQLite - Result: A local dashboard of what people say Setup steps (summarized from the original source): 1. Clone the repo and install it with uv (Python 3.10+) 2. Run harken demo to see the dashboard on sample data 3. Run harken track "your-product" to search Hacker News and Bluesky 4. Open the dashboard with harken serve (localhost:8042) 5. Optional: set HARKEN_LLM_PROVIDER for AI theme labels, and run harken watch --every 900 for repeated scans Guide me one step at a time. Ask me for anything you need (accounts, sheet or channel names) before you start. Safety rules: - Build and test with sample data first, and show me a sample result before anything goes live. - Keep anything that goes to other people (emails, posts, replies, record updates) as drafts for my review until I say otherwise. - Never send, post, buy, pay, delete or change records without my approval. - Tell me about any cost (paid plans, API usage) before I'd incur it, and help me set a spending limit. - Keep API keys and passwords out of shared docs and chats. - Privacy: Data stays in one SQLite file on your machine, with no telemetry (per README). Based on: https://github.com/VladUZH/harken
Tool names link to each official site (opens in a new tab).
Running cost: Free to run Free MIT software; an LLM is optional, per the README. Self-hosted How we sort costs
App vs bot, side by side
| Old app / habit | Bot | |
|---|---|---|
| Tool | Brand24, Mention | Harken on your own computer, storing everything in one SQLite file |
| Monthly cost | 'Hundreds of dollars per month' (per README) | Free |
| Setup | None (already in use) | Not reported · Intermediate |
| Your time | Baseline | Not reported |
| Maintenance | Handled by vendor/you as before | Run harken watch under a service manager for repeated scans; update from the repo. |
| Privacy | Data stays with the app vendor | Data stays in one SQLite file on your machine, with no telemetry (per README). |
Full comparison
| Replaces | Brand24, Mention |
|---|---|
| Bot / agent stack | Harken on your own computer, storing everything in one SQLite file |
| Monthly cost before | 'Hundreds of dollars per month' (per README) |
| Monthly cost after | Free |
| Setup time | Not reported |
| Time saved | Not reported |
| Skill level | Intermediate |
| Reliability | 2/5: a new, self-maintained open-source tool with no usage reports yet. |
| Maintenance | Run harken watch under a service manager for repeated scans; update from the repo. |
| Privacy & data | Data stays in one SQLite file on your machine, with no telemetry (per README). |
| Best for | Indie founders and open-source maintainers who want to hear what people say about them |
| Not for | Teams that want a hosted service with vendor support |
Pros and cons
Pros
- Free, with no account or telemetry
- Hacker News and Bluesky work with no API key
- The AI model is optional and swappable
Cons
- No usage reports yet
- Reddit, X and YouTube need their own credentials
Source and evidence
Open-source GitHub project (Jun 2026) built as a Brand24 and Mention alternative. The README describes features; there are no usage reports or figures.
Read the original GitHub source ↗
“Not reported” means the source doesn't say. We never fill gaps with guesses. Numbers marked “per author” or “vendor claim” are the source's own and weren't independently tested. Source last checked Nov 2, 2026.
Our rating is an editorial opinion based on the public source above, not lab testing. Spot an error? Request a correction.
Plain-text summary (for search and AI assistants)
Open-source brand monitoring with Harken instead of Brand24 or Mention. Replaces Brand24, Mention with Harken on your own computer, storing everything in one SQLite file. Cost before: 'Hundreds of dollars per month' (per README). Cost after: Free. Setup: Not reported, Intermediate. Time saved: Not reported. Reliability 2/5: 2/5: a new, self-maintained open-source tool with no usage reports yet. Best for: Indie founders and open-source maintainers who want to hear what people say about them. Not for: Teams that want a hosted service with vendor support. Source: https://github.com/VladUZH/harken
Related recipes
- Self-hosted n8n social media scheduler for LinkedIn and X (4/5)
- n8n SEO automation: an AI content pipeline (4/5)
- Postiz self-hosted: replacing Buffer for a 3-person team (3/5)
- Self-hosted Mailchimp alternative: Listmonk and n8n for 8,400 contacts (3/5)
More: all Marketing recipes · AI agents that replace browsing and search
Questions, corrections or ideas?
Spotted an error, want a recipe covered, or have a partnership idea? Send us a message and we'll get back to you.
Starting your own newsletter? Try beehiiv ↗
What is beehiiv?
beehiiv is a newsletter platform: you write and send emails, host a newsletter website, and grow and monetize a list from one place. We've used it for our own newsletter.
beehiiv says (vendor claims, not tested by us):
- Free plan with up to 2,500 subscribers and unlimited sends
- Built-in website, recommendation network and analytics
- 0% cut of paid subscription revenue (Stripe fees apply)
Good for: starting or growing an email newsletter. Not ideal for: email automations or removing beehiiv branding on a $0 budget (those need Lite or Pro).
Free plan: $0, no card needed. Paid plans from $49/mo billed annually (Lite, up to 1,000 subscribers). People who sign up through our link get a 14-day trial plus 20% off their first 3 months, per beehiiv's partner page. Facts as of Oct 2026, from beehiiv's own website. More about beehiiv →