Use BuzzSumo when you want to count social buzz across the web. Use ShareThis when you want to count shares from your own site buttons. That is the simple answer. One is a research tool. The other is a sharing tool with analytics attached.
TLDR: BuzzSumo is better for checking how many times a page was shared or engaged with across social platforms. ShareThis is better for tracking what visitors do on your site, especially clicks on share buttons. For example, a food blog with 50,000 monthly visits might see 780 ShareThis button clicks, while BuzzSumo reports 2,400 total engagements because people also shared the post elsewhere. Pick BuzzSumo for market research and content spying; pick ShareThis for on-site share tracking.
Why social share counts are messy now
Counting social shares used to be easy. You pasted a URL into a tool. Boom. Numbers appeared. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and others all gave neat public counts.
Then the platforms got stingy. Some closed APIs. Some changed rules. Some counts became private. Twitter removed public share counts years ago. LinkedIn also stopped sharing easy public count data.
So now, every social share count tool is working with limits. That includes BuzzSumo and ShareThis. Neither has a magic window into every private post, group, message, email, or app.
Honestly, it feels like trying to count confetti after a parade. You can get a useful estimate. You cannot get every tiny piece.
BuzzSumo in plain English
BuzzSumo is built for content research. It helps you see what articles, videos, pages, and posts get attention online.
You enter a topic, domain, or URL. BuzzSumo shows content performance. It may include Facebook engagement, Pinterest shares, Reddit engagement, backlinks, evergreen scores, and other content signals, depending on the report and available data.
That makes it helpful for questions like:
- Which blog posts are getting shared in my niche?
- What content worked for my competitors?
- Which headlines attract clicks and shares?
- Which topics are cooling off?
- Who is linking to this content?
BuzzSumo is more like a content detective. It follows clues. It spots winners. It helps you see patterns.
It is not just a tiny share counter. It is a full research platform. That means it can feel bigger than needed if you only want one number for one blog post.
ShareThis in plain English
ShareThis is best known for share buttons. You have seen them before. Tiny icons for Facebook, X, WhatsApp, Pinterest, email, and more.
You add ShareThis buttons to your website. Visitors click them to share your pages. ShareThis can then track those clicks and show analytics.
This makes it useful for questions like:
- How many people clicked my share buttons?
- Which pages are shared most from my site?
- Which social channels do my visitors prefer?
- Do floating buttons get more clicks than inline buttons?
- Are mobile users sharing more than desktop users?
ShareThis is more like a cash register for share clicks. It tracks actions that happen through its tools.
The annoying part? If someone copies your link and posts it manually, ShareThis may not count that as a button share. If a reader texts the link to a friend, that can vanish from the report too.
BuzzSumo vs ShareThis: the key difference
The biggest difference is where the count comes from.
| Feature | BuzzSumo | ShareThis |
|---|---|---|
| Main job | Research content performance | Add share buttons and track clicks |
| Best for | Competitor research | Your own website analytics |
| Counts | Social engagement and content signals | Shares made through ShareThis tools |
| Setup | No site install needed for URL checks | Usually needs code or plugin install |
| Ease | Great for marketers and SEO teams | Great for publishers and site owners |
If you want to know how a competitor’s article performed, use BuzzSumo. If you want to know how many users clicked your own share buttons, use ShareThis.
A simple user case
Meet Mia. She runs a fitness blog. Her article is called “10 Morning Stretches for People Who Hate Mornings.” Very relatable. Very bendy.
After 30 days, her analytics look like this:
- Page views: 32,000
- ShareThis button clicks: 410
- Facebook button clicks: 190
- Pinterest button clicks: 150
- Email shares: 70
That tells Mia how people shared from her website. Great. Very useful.
Then she checks BuzzSumo. It shows that the same article has around 1,850 total engagements. That number is higher because the post was also shared by a larger Facebook page, pinned by fitness fans, and mentioned in a Reddit thread.
Both numbers are useful. They just answer different questions.
ShareThis answers: “What did my visitors do on my site?”
BuzzSumo answers: “How much attention did this content get online?”
When BuzzSumo is the better pick
Pick BuzzSumo if your job is content planning, SEO, PR, or competitor research.
It is strong when you need to:
- Find popular content in your industry.
- Compare articles across many websites.
- Spot share patterns by topic.
- Track content that gets links.
- Build reports for clients or bosses.
BuzzSumo is also handy when you are planning headlines. You can search a phrase and see what style wins. List posts? How-to guides? Hot takes? Cute hamster rankings? The data will give hints.
The downside is price. BuzzSumo can cost more than a simple share button tool. It may also show social engagement, not pure “shares” in the old-school sense.
When ShareThis is the better pick
Pick ShareThis if you own a website and want easy share buttons with built-in tracking.
It is strong when you need to:
- Add social sharing buttons fast.
- Show share counts on pages.
- Track button clicks by page.
- See which channels your visitors use.
- Test button placement.
ShareThis is simple. That is the charm. You add the buttons. You watch the clicks. You tweak things.
But do not treat it as a full social popularity score. It mostly tracks shares it can see. If your link spreads outside the buttons, the trail can get blurry.
Which count should you trust?
Trust the count that matches your question.
- For total content performance: trust BuzzSumo more.
- For button clicks on your site: trust ShareThis more.
- For exact public share totals: be careful with both.
Social platforms do not expose everything. Private groups are hidden. Direct messages are hidden. Many app shares are hidden. Cookie rules and browser settings can also affect tracking.
So do not obsess over one count. Watch trends instead.
If BuzzSumo shows one article getting 300% more engagement than your usual posts, pay attention. If ShareThis shows Pinterest makes up 60% of your share clicks, add better vertical images. That is useful data.
Best setup for most teams
The best setup is often both tools together.
Use BuzzSumo before publishing. Research topics. Study competitors. Find winning angles. Check which formats get shared.
Use ShareThis after publishing. Let visitors share fast. Track clicks. Test button styles. See which channels your audience uses.
This combo gives you the full story. BuzzSumo helps you decide what to create. ShareThis helps you see what your own readers do with it.
Final verdict
BuzzSumo wins for social share research. It is better for content analysis, competitor checks, and overall content engagement.
ShareThis wins for on-site sharing. It is better for adding buttons and tracking share clicks from your own pages.
If you only need a share button, BuzzSumo is overkill. If you need serious content research, ShareThis is too narrow.
So here is the clean pick: choose BuzzSumo to measure buzz. Choose ShareThis to measure button behavior. And please, do not panic when the numbers do not match. They are counting different things. Software loves making simple stuff weird.