The 14 services fall into three groups: wires accepted for SEC disclosure (PR Newswire 805 USD, Business Wire 760 USD), pay-per-release distribution (EIN Presswire 149 USD, eReleases 399 USD), and targeted outreach platforms (PressPilot 30 EUR per 100 journalists, Prezly 100 EUR a month, Cision 12,625 USD a year median, Vendr). We make PressPilot.
Key takeaways
- 3 wires, 4 pay-per-release services, 7 platforms. Mixing the categories is how buyers overspend: a wire does not pitch, a platform does not disclose.
- 30 EUR to 25,800 USD. PressPilot starts at 30 EUR per 100 journalists; Meltwater's median contract is 25,800 USD a year (Vendr, February 2026).
- 760 to 805 USD for a 400-word US national release on Business Wire or PR Newswire, before 195 to 245 USD per extra 100 words and 325 to 425 USD per file (Prezly, August 2026).
- 1.4 million contacts at Cision, over 1 million at Prowly and Mynewsdesk, 380,000 at Meltwater, 250,000 at Muck Rack, 45,476 at PressPilot. Only the platforms let you choose the reader.
- 86% of journalists reject a pitch outside their beat (Cision, May 2025). Whatever the service, the list decides the result.
Comparison table: 14 services
Prices are the entry price of the plan named, with the source and its date. Database sizes are the vendor's claim or a dated third-party reading, as noted. Wires are syndication networks: they have no journalist database to compare.
| Tool | Category | Starting price (source, date) | Journalist database size (source) | Contract | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PressPilot | Targeted outreach platform | 30 EUR for 100 journalist credits, 19 EUR a month on subscriptionpresspilot.io/pricing (September 2026) | 45,476 journalists (live count, September 2026) | None, credits never expire | Startups, SMBs and agencies that pitch journalists directly |
| Prowly | Targeted outreach platform | 258 USD a month billed annually, 369 USD month to monthPrezly Academy (28 August 2026) | Over 1 million media contactsProwly Magazine (3 June 2024) | Monthly or annual | Marketing teams that want a database, pitching and a newsroom in one tool |
| Prezly | Targeted outreach platform | 100 EUR a month billed annually, 150 EUR month to monthprezly.com (2 September 2026) | No native database, you import your own contactsAuthorityTech (11 April 2026) | Annual or monthly, 14-day trial | Brands that already own their journalist contacts and want a strong newsroom |
| Mynewsdesk | Targeted outreach platform | No public price, demo or trial firstmynewsdesk.com (2 September 2026) | Over 1 million journalistsmynewsdesk.com (2 September 2026) | Annual, sales-led | Nordic and European mid-market companies |
| Muck Rack | Targeted outreach platform | 13,000 USD a year median, 8,000 to 20,860 USDVendr (February 2026) | 250,000 and more journalistsAuthorityTech (11 April 2026) | Annual only, no free trial | Teams that research journalists deeply and pitch a lot |
| Cision | Targeted outreach platform | 12,625 USD a year median across 107 deals, 3,150 to 30,368 USDVendr (February 2026) | 1.4 million media contactsPrezly Academy (17 June 2026) | Annual, multi-year common | Enterprise communications teams that need monitoring and PR Newswire in one contract |
| Meltwater | Targeted outreach platform | 25,800 USD a year median, 5,375 to 56,993 USDVendr (February 2026) | 380,000 and more contactsAuthorityTech (11 April 2026) | Annual, 12-month minimum | Monitoring-heavy enterprise teams |
| EIN Presswire | Pay-per-release distribution service | 149 USD for one release, 499 USD for 5 plus 1, 999 USD for 15einpresswire.com (2 September 2026) | Syndication to AP News, Google News, Bloomberg Terminals and others, per the vendoreinpresswire.com (2 September 2026) | None, packs valid 365 days | The cheapest syndicated footprint per release |
| eReleases | Pay-per-release distribution service | 399, 499 or 699 USD per releaseereleases.com (2 September 2026) | PR Newswire network plus industry lists; the vendor claims 100,000 plus journalistsereleases.com (2 September 2026) | None | PR Newswire reach without the membership, with a writing option |
| Newswire.com | Pay-per-release distribution service | 399 USD (Starter) to 965 USD (Feature) per releasenewswire.com (2 September 2026) | Not stated on the pricing pagenewswire.com (2 September 2026) | None | AP News and Yahoo syndication bought per release |
| PRWeb | Pay-per-release distribution service | 120 USD (Basic) to 480 USD (Premium) per releaseprweb.com (2 September 2026) | Syndication to 1,200 plus websites, per the vendorprweb.com (2 September 2026) | None | Low-cost online visibility from a Cision-owned service |
| PR Newswire | Wire | 805 USD per US national release (400 words), plus 195 USD annual membershipPrezly Academy (August 2026) | Syndication network, not a journalist databasePrezly Academy (August 2026) | Per release plus annual membership | SEC disclosure and the widest US syndication |
| Business Wire | Wire | 760 USD per US national release (400 words); annual contracts median 19,000 USDPrezly Academy (August 2026), Vendr (February 2026) | Syndication network, not a journalist databasePrezly Academy (August 2026) | Per release or annual | Listed companies with a wire of record |
| GlobeNewswire | Wire | About 350 USD base, 700 to 1,200 USD for a typical releasePrezly Academy (August 2026) | Syndication network, not a journalist databasePrezly Academy (August 2026) | Per release | SEC-compliant disclosure at the lowest wire base price |
How we compared
Three categories, because the three products do different jobs. A wire syndicates the text to websites and financial terminals and produces a time-stamped record accepted for regulated disclosure. A pay-per-release service resells syndication, often PR Newswire's, without a membership. A targeted outreach platform gives you a database, a way to email journalists you chose, and tracking. Within each category the tools are ordered by entry price where one exists. Every price was read on 2 September 2026 on the vendor's page or on the dated source shown; where a vendor publishes nothing, we use Vendr's contract data and say so. We did not include G2 or Capterra scores because both sites blocked our requests.
Targeted outreach platforms
The platforms are where you decide who reads the release. They differ mostly on the database you get and on how they charge: per journalist (PressPilot), per month (Prowly, Prezly) or per annual contract (Mynewsdesk, Muck Rack, Cision, Meltwater).
PressPilot
How much does PressPilot cost in 2026?
Packs of 30 EUR for 100 credits, 135 EUR for 500, 240 EUR for 1,000 and 499 EUR for 2,500, or subscriptions at 19 EUR a month for 100 credits and 49 EUR for 300. One credit is one journalist contacted.
Strengths: You pick every recipient by beat, country and language from 45,476 journalists. AI drafting in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese, hosted newsroom, opens and replies per journalist. No contract, no seat licence, EU data hosting.
Limitations: No wire syndication and no SEC-compliant disclosure. No media monitoring beyond your own campaigns. Smaller database than Cision, Prowly or Mynewsdesk.
Best for: Startups, SMBs and agencies that pitch journalists directly. See PressPilot pricing
Prowly
How much does Prowly cost in 2026?
258 USD a month billed annually or 369 USD month to month for the entry plan (Prezly, August 2026; Prowly's own cost guide gives the same figures, June 2024). Prowly's pricing page redirected to its homepage when we checked on 2 September 2026.
Strengths: Database of over 1 million contacts with pitching and reporting. Newsroom and media monitoring included. Month-to-month option.
Limitations: About 3,100 USD a year at the entry tier, before extra seats. English-first interface. Pricing not readable on the vendor site at the time of writing.
Best for: Marketing teams that want a database, pitching and a newsroom in one tool. Official site Read Prowly pricing 2026.
Prezly
How much does Prezly cost in 2026?
Essential at 100 EUR a month billed annually (150 EUR monthly) for 1 user and 5,000 contacts, Standard at 250 EUR (300 EUR monthly) for 2 users and 10,000 contacts, Enterprise on quote (prezly.com, September 2026).
Strengths: Public, simple pricing. Newsroom, contact CRM and email campaigns in one place. Unlimited stories and campaigns on every plan.
Limitations: No journalist database: the contacts are yours to find. Single user on the entry plan. No wire or monitoring.
Best for: Brands that already own their journalist contacts and want a strong newsroom. Official site Read Prezly pricing 2026.
Mynewsdesk
How much does Mynewsdesk cost in 2026?
Mynewsdesk publishes Essential from 220 EUR per month, buyable inside the free trial; PR Distribution and Media Monitoring stay on quote (mynewsdesk.com, September 2026). Its pricing page returned a 404 when we checked, so no figure is given here.
Strengths: Database of over 1 million journalists, strong in the Nordics. Newsroom, distribution and monitoring in one platform. 4,000 plus customers according to the vendor.
Limitations: No public price and no self-serve purchase. Thinner outside Northern Europe. Annual commitment.
Best for: Nordic and European mid-market companies. Official site Read Mynewsdesk vs PressPilot.
Muck Rack
How much does Muck Rack cost in 2026?
No public price. Vendr's buyer contracts give a median of 13,000 USD a year, from 8,000 to 20,860 USD (Vendr, February 2026). Rephonic's 34 Reddit quotes run from 3,500 USD for one seat to 53,000 USD for 7 to 9 seats, with 5,000 USD the going rate for a single user (Rephonic, August 2026).
Strengths: Journalist profiles with beat history and recent articles. Monitoring and reporting included. Widely used by agencies.
Limitations: Annual contract, no monthly option, no free trial. No wire distribution and no hosted newsroom. Per-seat pricing climbs fast.
Best for: Teams that research journalists deeply and pitch a lot. See Muck Rack pricing 2026
Cision
How much does Cision cost in 2026?
No public price. Vendr reports a median contract of 12,625 USD a year across 107 real deals, from 3,150 to 30,368 USD (Vendr, February 2026). Prezly estimates the platform at about 7,200 USD a year to start and the database alone at 5,700 to 6,000 USD (Prezly, August 2026).
Strengths: Largest database in this list at 1.4 million contacts. Owns PR Newswire, so wire and outreach come from one vendor. Monitoring, analytics and social listening.
Limitations: Quote-only pricing and long contracts. Median contract is 400 times the PressPilot entry pack. Overbuilt for a team that sends a release a month.
Best for: Enterprise communications teams that need monitoring and PR Newswire in one contract. Official site Read Cision pricing 2026.
Meltwater
How much does Meltwater cost in 2026?
Meltwater's own pricing page states annual contracts with a 12-month minimum and no prices (meltwater.com, September 2026), but its blog gives starting points: Starter from 10,000 USD a year, Pro from 25,000, Enterprise from 130,000 (July 2026). Vendr's buyer data gives a median of 25,800 USD a year, from 5,375 to 56,993 USD (Vendr, February 2026).
Strengths: Media and social monitoring across many countries. AI features on top of the monitoring data. Fits a corporate comms team that reports on share of voice.
Limitations: Highest median contract in this list. Minimum 12 months. Distribution is a smaller part of the product than monitoring.
Best for: Monitoring-heavy enterprise teams. Official site Read Meltwater vs PressPilot.
Pay-per-release distribution services
These four sell syndication by the release, with public prices and no contract. They are the honest middle: cheaper than a wire, but you still do not pick the reader.
EIN Presswire
How much does EIN Presswire cost in 2026?
149 USD for a single release, 499 USD for five plus one free, 999 USD for fifteen, all valid for 365 days (einpresswire.com, September 2026). That is 66.60 USD per release at the top pack.
Strengths: Lowest per-release price among syndication services. Names AP News, Google News and Bloomberg Terminals among its outlets. No membership.
Limitations: You choose outlets, not journalists. Not accepted as a disclosure wire. Syndicated copies, not editorial coverage.
Best for: The cheapest syndicated footprint per release. Pricing page.
eReleases
How much does eReleases cost in 2026?
Buzz Builder at 399 USD (400 words, one industry list, two images), Newsmaker at 499 USD (500 words, two lists), PR Pro at 699 USD (600 words, three lists, a direct email to journalists). Writing costs 300 USD when added to a package (ereleases.com, September 2026).
Strengths: PR Newswire distribution included at a fraction of the direct price. Industry target lists and, on PR Pro, a direct email send. Writing service at 300 USD.
Limitations: Word limits per package. Lists chosen by eReleases, not journalist by journalist. No tracking of who opened.
Best for: PR Newswire reach without the membership, with a writing option. Pricing page.
Newswire.com
How much does Newswire.com cost in 2026?
Starter at 399 USD, Basic at 659 USD with AP News, Feature at 965 USD with AP News, Yahoo and Nexstar, State distribution at 599 USD (newswire.com, September 2026). Words and images are unlimited on every package.
Strengths: Unlimited words and images. AP News from the Basic package. Public pricing.
Limitations: No journalist targeting. Feature package costs more than PR Newswire's national base. No database size stated.
Best for: AP News and Yahoo syndication bought per release. Pricing page.
PRWeb
How much does PRWeb cost in 2026?
Basic at 120 USD, Standard at 245 USD with syndication to 1,200 websites, Advanced at 360 USD with an email to one journalist list, Premium at 480 USD (prweb.com, September 2026).
Strengths: Cheapest entry price in the Cision family. Email to a journalist list from the 360 USD tier. Unlimited media assets.
Limitations: The 120 USD plan has no syndication. One curated list, not your own selection. Not a disclosure wire.
Best for: Low-cost online visibility from a Cision-owned service. Pricing page.
Wires
The three wires accepted for regulated disclosure. If you are not a listed company or filing on behalf of one, you probably do not need this section.
PR Newswire
How much does PR Newswire cost in 2026?
195 USD annual membership (249 USD on invoice), 805 USD for the US national circuit at 400 words, 245 USD per extra 100 words, 325 USD per multimedia file, 495 USD for a logo, state circuits from 350 USD and international options up to 8,700 USD (Prezly, August 2026). See PR Newswire pricing 2026.
Strengths: Accepted for regulated disclosure. Widest US circuit, financial terminals included. Owned by Cision, bundles with its platform.
Limitations: Membership before the first release. Word and file surcharges double a typical invoice. You do not choose the reader.
Best for: SEC disclosure and the widest US syndication. PR Newswire pricing 2026
Business Wire
How much does Business Wire cost in 2026?
760 USD for 400 words on the US national circuit, 195 USD per extra 100 words, 425 USD for the first attachment and 225 USD for each one after (Prezly, August 2026). Annual contracts have a median of 19,000 USD, from 14,300 to 29,229 USD (Vendr, February 2026). The official pricing page is a quote form. See Business Wire pricing 2026.
Strengths: No membership fee. Accepted for Reg FD disclosure. Berkshire Hathaway ownership, long track record.
Limitations: 425 USD for the first image. Quote form only. Annual contracts renew automatically unless negotiated.
Best for: Listed companies with a wire of record. Business Wire pricing 2026
GlobeNewswire
How much does GlobeNewswire cost in 2026?
About 350 USD for 400 words, 140 to 175 USD per extra 100 words, 100 USD and up for a logo, 200 USD per image, up to 1,200 USD for video. Prezly's worked example, 600 words with a logo and an image, is 930 USD (Prezly, August 2026). No public rate card; globenewswire.com timed out when we checked.
Strengths: Lowest base price of the three disclosure wires. Part of Notified, with newsroom and IR products. Strong with listed companies in Europe.
Limitations: No public rate card. Per-100-word and per-image fees. You do not choose the reader.
Best for: SEC-compliant disclosure at the lowest wire base price. GlobeNewswire pricing 2026
Wire vs service vs platform
| Question | Wire | Pay-per-release service | Targeted outreach platform |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who receives the release | A circuit of websites and terminals | A syndication network, sometimes plus a curated list | Journalists you selected |
| Accepted for SEC disclosure | Yes | No | No |
| What you learn afterwards | Where the copy was posted | Where the copy was posted | Who opened, who replied |
| Entry price | 350 to 805 USD per release | 120 to 965 USD per release | 30 EUR per 100 journalists to 25,800 USD a year |
| Contract | Per release or annual | None | None to multi-year |
Decision tree
- Filing an SEC disclosure or an exchange announcement? A wire: PR Newswire, Business Wire or GlobeNewswire.
- Need PR Newswire reach without a membership, for a one-off? eReleases from 399 USD, or Newswire.com from 399 USD for AP News.
- Want the cheapest syndicated footprint? EIN Presswire at 149 USD, or PRWeb from 245 USD with syndication.
- Want to choose the journalists, track opens and replies, and pay per send? PressPilot at 30 EUR per 100 credits.
- Already own your contacts and mostly need a newsroom? Prezly at 100 EUR a month.
- Need a million-contact database with a monthly option? Prowly at 258 USD a month.
- Need enterprise monitoring with a database, on an annual contract? Cision (12,625 USD median) or Meltwater (25,800 USD median); Muck Rack (13,000 USD median) if journalist research comes first.
- Nordic or Northern European mid-market? Mynewsdesk, from 220 EUR per month.
Free options
Four sites still publish a release for nothing in September 2026: PRLog (2 links, 1 photo, ads), OpenPR (one release every 30 days), 1888PressRelease (ads, no editing) and Express Press Release (a queue of days or weeks). They give you a dated page, not a reader. The limits of each, read on their own pages, are in free vs paid press release distribution.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the best press release distribution service in 2026?
- It depends on what you need the release to do. To get it read by journalists you chose, PressPilot: 30 EUR for 100 journalist credits, AI writing, newsroom, 45,476 journalists (we make it). To meet a disclosure obligation, PR Newswire at 805 USD, Business Wire at 760 USD or GlobeNewswire from about 350 USD per release (Prezly, August 2026). To research journalists at scale, Muck Rack at a median 13,000 USD a year (Vendr, February 2026).
- How much does press release distribution cost in 2026?
- From 30 EUR to 25,800 USD a year. PressPilot starts at 30 EUR per 100 journalists. Pay-per-release services run from 120 USD (PRWeb) and 149 USD (EIN Presswire) to 965 USD (Newswire.com). Wires charge 350 to 805 USD per release before word and file fees. Platforms on annual contracts have medians of 12,625 USD (Cision), 13,000 USD (Muck Rack) and 25,800 USD (Meltwater) per year (Vendr, February 2026).
- Which press release distribution service is the cheapest?
- PressPilot at 30 EUR for 100 journalists, or 19 EUR a month, is the cheapest way to reach journalists you selected. Among syndication services, PRWeb's Basic plan is 120 USD but has no syndication, and EIN Presswire is 149 USD per release or 66.60 USD each on its 15-release pack (their pricing pages, September 2026). Free sites publish a page and reach nobody in particular; see our free vs paid guide.
- Cision vs Meltwater vs PressPilot: which should I pick?
- Cision if you need PR Newswire, a 1.4 million contact database and monitoring in one contract, at a median 12,625 USD a year (Vendr, February 2026). Meltwater if monitoring is the main job, at a median 25,800 USD. PressPilot if the job is sending releases to journalists you chose, at 30 EUR per 100, with no contract. Most teams below a few hundred employees fit the third profile.
- Is PR Newswire worth it in 2026?
- For a listed company that must disclose, yes: 805 USD plus a 195 USD membership buys the widest US circuit and the record the regulator wants (Prezly, August 2026). For a launch or a funding round at a private company, rarely: the circuit reaches websites and terminals, not the reporters who cover your beat, and 86% of journalists reject a pitch outside their beat (Cision, May 2025). eReleases resells PR Newswire reach from 399 USD if you want the footprint without the membership.
- Which platform has the largest journalist database?
- Cision, with 1.4 million media contacts (Prezly, June 2026), then Prowly and Mynewsdesk at over 1 million each (Prowly, June 2024; mynewsdesk.com, September 2026), Meltwater at 380,000 and Muck Rack at 250,000 and more (AuthorityTech, April 2026). PressPilot counts 45,476 journalists (live count, September 2026). Size matters less than fit: a list of 100 reporters who cover the beat outperforms 10,000 who do not.
- Do I need a press release distribution service for a startup?
- You need a list, a draft and a way to send and track, not necessarily a contract. Below a release a quarter, your own inbox and 20 hand-picked journalists work. Above that, PressPilot at 30 EUR per 100 credits or 19 EUR a month replaces the hours spent on lists and drafts. A wire only becomes necessary when an investor or a regulator asks for a syndicated record.
- Which press release service supports French, Spanish or Portuguese?
- PressPilot writes and targets in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese, with a database that covers those markets. Mynewsdesk is strongest in the Nordics. Cision and Meltwater cover most European languages with English-first interfaces. Prowly is English-first. The US wires syndicate in English; PR Newswire sells separate circuits per country at prices up to 8,700 USD (Prezly, August 2026).
Related guides
- How much does press release distribution cost?
- PR Newswire pricing 2026
- Business Wire pricing 2026
- Cision pricing 2026
- PRWeb pricing 2026
- Meltwater pricing 2026
- Cision alternatives compared
- Muck Rack alternatives compared
- Press release distribution guide
Pick the journalists, pay 30 EUR per 100
PressPilot is the targeted outreach platform in this list: AI drafting in four languages, 45,476 journalists to choose from by beat and country, a hosted newsroom, opens and replies per journalist. No contract, credits never expire. Not a wire.