How we make this list: we compare pricing pages, product documentation and public user reviews. Ratings come from G2, Capterra or Trustpilot, with the date we checked them.
Key takeaways
- Muck Rack leads on journalist data accuracy, and Cision is the pick for large teams that also need wire distribution.
- Only Prowly, now the Semrush AI PR Toolkit, and Prezly publish starting prices, at $149 and $120 a month.
- Most PR databases sell by quote on annual contracts, so budget for a sales call.
- Prezly and JournoLink are not full media databases, so check what each one includes before you buy.
Media and influencer targeting software is a searchable database of journalists, outlets, bloggers, podcasters, and creators, with tools to build lists, send pitches, and track coverage. You search by beat, outlet, region, or topic, then pitch the people who cover your story. The best tools keep contact details current by tracking what each journalist publishes. This guide covers PR media databases and journalist targeting tools. It does not cover influencer campaign platforms such as CreatorIQ or Aspire, which manage paid creator deals.
Media targeting software costs from about $120 a month to tens of thousands of dollars a year, and most vendors hide prices behind a sales call. Prezly starts at $120 a month billed annually, and Prowly, now the Semrush AI PR Toolkit, starts at $149 a month billed annually. Those are the only two tools here with a published starting price. Muck Rack, Cision, Meltwater, Agility PR Solutions, and Roxhill all sell by quote. Third party reports put a one user Muck Rack licence near $5,000 a year, with a Vendr median of $13,000 a year, while Cision has a Vendr median near $12,625 a year.
Check database coverage in your region, how often contacts are verified, and what the quoted price actually includes before you buy. A tool that is strong in the United States may be thin in the United Kingdom or Europe, so ask for a sample list in your exact beats and regions during the demo. Ask how the vendor verifies email addresses and job moves, because a list full of dead addresses wastes pitching time and harms your sender reputation. Ask whether monitoring, distribution, and extra seats are included or sold as add-ons.
A media database is better when your goal is earned press coverage from journalists, and an influencer campaign platform is better when your goal is paid posts from creators. The two solve different problems. Media databases help you find reporters, podcasters, and bloggers, pitch them by email, and track the coverage that follows. Influencer campaign platforms help you find creators by audience and engagement, agree fees, manage gifted product, and track paid posts. Some media databases also list bloggers and podcasters, so a small team can cover light creator outreach with Muck Rack or Meltwater.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Best for | Starting price | Free plan |
|---|
 Muck Rack | PR teams and agencies that pitch journalists daily | quote (one-user licence reported near $5,000 per year; Vendr median $13,000 per year, checked 12 Nov 2026) | No free plan; demo only |
 Cision | Large teams that need a big database plus wire distribution | quote (Vendr median about $12,625 per year; database alone reported at $5,700 to $6,000 per year, checked 12 Nov 2026) | No free plan; demos available, with a CisionOne trial in some regions |
 Prowly | Small and mid-size teams that want published pricing and a trial | $149 per month for Base, billed annually (now the Semrush AI PR Toolkit; Pro $279, Business $499, checked 12 Nov 2026) | 7-day free trial |
 Meltwater | Teams that need monitoring and social listening with a journalist database | quote on the pricing page (vendor blog: Starter from $10,000, Pro from $25,000, Enterprise from $130,000 per year, checked 12 Nov 2026) | No free plan and no self-serve trial; guided demo only |
 Prezly | Teams that own their contacts and need a PR CRM, newsroom, and pitching tool | $120 per month for Essential, billed annually (Standard $300 per month, checked 12 Nov 2026) | 14-day free trial, no credit card required |
 Agility PR Solutions | Mid-size to large teams that want a guided platform with strong support | quote (third-party estimates put entry-level access near $7,200 per year for one user, checked 12 Nov 2026) | No free plan; demo only |
 Roxhill | UK-focused teams that pitch British journalists and broadcasters | quote (UK G-Cloud 14 listing: £6,450 to £25,000 per instance per year; earlier listing near £3,000, checked 12 Nov 2026) | No free plan or free trial listed |
 JournoLink | UK small businesses that want low cost publicity help | quote (the vendor does not publish plan prices; review directories list no starting price, checked 12 Nov 2026) | Free version listed on Capterra and GetApp; free trial also listed |
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#1Muck Rack
Best for: PR teams and agencies that pitch journalists daily4.5/5 on
G2 (537 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit muckrack.com
Starting pricequote (one-user licence reported near $5,000 per year; Vendr median $13,000 per year, checked 12 Nov 2026)
Free planNo free plan; demo only
Muck Rack builds each journalist profile from the stories that person publishes, which is why its data stays current when reporters change beats or outlets. You can search by beat, outlet, region, or topic, build a list, send a personalised pitch, and track opens, replies, and coverage in the same place. Monitoring covers online news, with print, broadcast, and social coverage as add-ons. The platform added Generative Pulse in 2025 to track how brands appear in AI generated answers. Price reports conflict: a one-user licence is reported near $5,000 a year and the Vendr median is $13,000, so get a written quote.
What we like- Profiles built from published work
- Pitching, monitoring, and reporting in one place
- AI visibility tracking
Watch out for- No published price, so a sales call is needed
- Annual contracts only
#2Cision
Best for: Large teams that need a big database plus wire distribution3.9/5 on
G2 (1,235 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit cision.com
Starting pricequote (Vendr median about $12,625 per year; database alone reported at $5,700 to $6,000 per year, checked 12 Nov 2026)
Free planNo free plan; demos available, with a CisionOne trial in some regions
Cision is the long standing enterprise choice here, and its main strength is scale. The media database covers journalists and outlets across many countries, and monitoring tracks online news, print, broadcast, podcasts, and social media. PR Newswire, owned by Cision, handles press release distribution, which matters for public companies and teams that send releases every week. Distribution is charged per release on top of the subscription, so budget for that separately. CisionOne is a lighter product, reported near $3,600 to $6,000 a year, without the full database or distribution. Vendr data puts the median near $12,625 a year, with large enterprise deployments reported above $150,000 a year.
What we like- Very large database
- PR Newswire distribution included
- Monitoring across online, print, broadcast, and social
Watch out for- Modules are often quoted separately, so the total can climb above the first figure
#3Prowly
Best for: Small and mid-size teams that want published pricing and a trial4.2/5 on
G2 (111 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit prowly.com
Starting price$149 per month for Base, billed annually (now the Semrush AI PR Toolkit; Pro $279, Business $499, checked 12 Nov 2026)
Free plan7-day free trial
Prowly stopped being sold on its own in December 2025, and its features now live inside the Semrush AI PR Toolkit. The Prowly website now points buyers to Semrush, and the toolkit costs $149 a month for Base, $279 for Pro, and $499 for Business, all billed annually, with a 7-day trial. The toolkit includes an AI-cited media database, email outreach, media monitoring, and competitor benchmarking. The database holds about 600,000 journalist profiles, per a February 2026 report. Base includes 250 contacts added and 500 email sends a month, with no exports and no monitoring, so Pro at $279 a month is the realistic entry point.
What we like- Published prices and self-serve signup
- Database, pitching, newsroom, and monitoring in one tool
Watch out for- No longer sold standalone
- Base plan caps contacts, sends, and exports
#4Meltwater
Best for: Teams that need monitoring and social listening with a journalist database4.1/5 on
G2 (2,677 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit meltwater.com
Starting pricequote on the pricing page (vendor blog: Starter from $10,000, Pro from $25,000, Enterprise from $130,000 per year, checked 12 Nov 2026)
Free planNo free plan and no self-serve trial; guided demo only
Meltwater is a media intelligence suite that combines a journalist database with monitoring, social listening, and analytics, so it suits teams that want one vendor for pitching and listening. The database helps you find journalists and influencers by beat and region, and the monitoring side tracks brand mentions, competitors, and industry topics across online news, print, broadcast, podcasts, and social media. Mira, the built-in AI assistant, summarises mentions, and GenAI Lens tracks how a brand appears in AI generated answers. The pricing page lists four plans but shows no prices, only a contact button. The vendor blog gives floors of $10,000 for Starter, $25,000 for Pro, and $130,000 for Enterprise, while its FAQ says $120,000, so treat the Enterprise figure as unsettled. Vendr data puts the median contract near $25,800 a year.
What we like- Strong monitoring across news and social media
- AI assistant Mira
- Large global coverage
Watch out for- No prices on the pricing page, and the vendor blog gives two Enterprise figures, $130,000 and $120,000
#5Prezly
Best for: Teams that own their contacts and need a PR CRM, newsroom, and pitching tool4.3/5 on
G2 (77 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit prezly.com
Starting price$120 per month for Essential, billed annually (Standard $300 per month, checked 12 Nov 2026)
Free plan14-day free trial, no credit card required
Prezly takes a different position: it assumes you already know your journalists and gives you the workflow around them. You get a PR CRM for organising contacts, personalised email pitching with engagement analytics, a multimedia story editor, branded online newsrooms, and coverage logging that ties back to campaigns. Essential costs $120 a month billed annually, covers one user, one newsroom, and up to 5,000 contacts, and Standard at $300 a month adds a second user and white-label publishing. The vendor says more than 500 PR teams use the product. The limit is clear: there is no shared journalist database, so Prezly cannot help you discover new reporters. One price conflict: G2 still lists Essential from $100 a month, while the vendor's own pages show $120.
What we like- Published pricing, monthly billing available
- Branded newsrooms and a contact CRM
- Pitching from your own domain
Watch out for- No searchable journalist database, so new contacts must come from your own list or a paid list-building service
#6Agility PR Solutions
Best for: Mid-size to large teams that want a guided platform with strong support4.1/5 on
G2 (413 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit agilitypr.com
Starting pricequote (third-party estimates put entry-level access near $7,200 per year for one user, checked 12 Nov 2026)
Free planNo free plan; demo only
Agility PR Solutions sells the full PR workflow in one platform: find journalists in a global media database, pitch them, monitor the results, and report on coverage. The vendor says the database holds more than 1.1 million media contacts and outlets, maintained by an in-house research team, and that monitoring covers more than 200,000 sources across online news, print, broadcast, radio, podcasts, and social media. PR CoPilot, the built-in AI layer, helps draft pitches and analyse coverage, and the Enterprise tier adds dedicated analyst support. Pricing is quote-based, with annual billing as the standard. One figure to treat with care: a third-party review puts the database at 820,000 contacts, against the vendor claim of 1.1 million.
What we like- Large global database
- Monitoring across online, print, broadcast, podcast, and social
- Analyst support on Enterprise
Watch out for- No published prices, so no cost benchmark before a sales call
- Heavy process for a small team
Starting pricequote (UK G-Cloud 14 listing: £6,450 to £25,000 per instance per year; earlier listing near £3,000, checked 12 Nov 2026)
Free planNo free plan or free trial listed
Roxhill is a London-based media intelligence company, and its strength is UK media. The database covers UK and international journalists, broadcasters, bloggers, and podcasters, with beat-level detail that helps you find the right person at an outlet rather than a shared inbox. A forward features diary lists upcoming editorial opportunities, and media request alerts flag journalists looking for sources. It also includes a directory of more than 2,000 standing editorial slots in UK lifestyle titles, plus monitoring with AI sentiment scoring and spokespeople analytics. Subscriptions are sold in Core, Boutique, Enterprise, and Premium bands. The only public figures come from the UK Digital Marketplace, where the G-Cloud 14 listing shows £6,450 to £25,000 per instance per year, while an earlier listing showed a lower floor near £3,000.
What we like- Deep UK data with beat-level detail
- Forward features diary and media request alerts
- Spokespeople analytics
Watch out for- Thinner coverage outside the United Kingdom
- No prices on the vendor site
Starting pricequote (the vendor does not publish plan prices; review directories list no starting price, checked 12 Nov 2026)
Free planFree version listed on Capterra and GetApp; free trial also listed
JournoLink is a UK publicity tool for small businesses rather than large PR teams. It helps you write press releases, target journalists, and distribute your news, with an AI tool that helps draft releases. User reviews on Capterra praise the value for money and the support, with one reviewer reporting 4 releases a month on their plan for far less than many PR newswires charge for a single release. The vendor does not publish plan prices, and Capterra and GetApp both list the starting price as not provided by the vendor. Both directories list a free version and a free trial. JournoLink will not replace a large media database for an agency or an enterprise team.
What we like- Press release writing help and journalist targeting in one place
- Low cost against newswire pricing
Watch out for- Much smaller than the enterprise databases
- No published prices
- Little detail on database size
Comparison table
| Tool |
Best for |
Starting price |
Free plan or trial |
Main strength |
| Muck Rack |
Daily pitching teams |
Quote, near $5,000 per year reported |
Demo only |
Journalist data from published work |
| Cision |
Large teams needing distribution |
Quote, median about $12,625 per year reported |
Demo, CisionOne trial |
Scale plus PR Newswire |
| Prowly |
Small and mid-size teams |
$149 per month, billed annually |
7-day free trial |
Published pricing |
| Meltwater |
Monitoring plus pitching |
Quote, Starter from $10,000 indicated |
Guided demo only |
Monitoring and social listening |
| Prezly |
Teams with their own contacts |
$120 per month, billed annually |
14-day free trial |
Newsroom, CRM, and pitching |
| Agility PR Solutions |
Mid-size to large comms teams |
Quote, near $7,200 estimated |
Demo only |
Global database |
| Roxhill |
UK-focused PR teams |
Quote, £6,450 to £25,000 listed |
None listed |
UK data |
| JournoLink |
UK small businesses |
Quote, no published price |
Free version and trial listed |
Low cost publicity help |
| Buyer type |
Best pick |
Why it fits |
Budget note |
| In-house PR team |
Muck Rack |
Accurate journalist data and pitching in one place |
About $5,000 a year for one user, by quote |
| Agency |
Cision |
Big database plus wire distribution |
From about $12,625 a year, plus per-release fees |
| Startup |
Prowly, now the Semrush AI PR Toolkit |
Published pricing, a trial, and basic database coverage |
Start at $149 a month; plan on Pro at $279 for exports |
| Nonprofit |
Prezly |
Low price, a trial, and a newsroom |
Start at $120 a month, using your existing contacts |
Frequently asked questions
How much does media and influencer targeting software cost?
Prices in this list run from $120 a month for Prezly and $149 a month for Prowly, now the Semrush AI PR Toolkit, up to tens of thousands of dollars a year for the enterprise suites. Muck Rack, Cision, Meltwater, Agility PR Solutions, and Roxhill all sell by quote, so the only firm figure is the one on your written quote. Third-party reports put a one-user Muck Rack licence near $5,000 a year.
Which tool is best for a small PR team on a tight budget?
Prowly, now the Semrush AI PR Toolkit, fits a small PR team on a tight budget, because it publishes prices and offers a 7-day trial. Base costs $149 a month billed annually, but the plan caps contacts, sends, and exports, so most working teams need Pro at $279 a month. Prezly at $120 a month is cheaper, but it has no journalist database, so it needs your own contacts.
Do I need a media database if I already have a press list?
You still need one if your press list is more than a year old, because journalists change beats and outlets often. A database checks contacts against recent published work, flags job moves, and helps you find new reporters on a beat. If your list is current and small, a tool like Prezly may be enough, since it manages contacts, pitching, and newsrooms.
Can these tools find influencers as well as journalists?
These tools can find bloggers, podcasters, and some online creators, but they are built for earned media, not paid influencer campaigns. Muck Rack, Meltwater, Cision, and Agility list bloggers and podcasters alongside journalists, so a small team can cover light creator outreach with them. They do not manage creator fees, gifted product, or paid post tracking, so buy a dedicated influencer platform if paid creator work is a core channel.
What is the cheapest way to start with media targeting?
Take a free trial of a tool with published pricing, then build a small list of ten to twenty journalists and pitch them by hand. Prezly offers a 14-day trial at $120 a month, and Prowly, now the Semrush AI PR Toolkit, offers a 7-day trial from $149 a month. JournoLink lists a free version for UK small businesses. Use the trial to test list quality in your beats before you sign an annual contract.
Sources we checked (17)
- https://muckrack.com
- https://www.presspilot.io/academy/muck-rack-pricing
- https://www.cision.com
- https://www.vendr.com/marketplace/cision
- https://prowly.com
- https://www.semrush.com/pricing/pr/
- https://www.presspilot.io/compare/prowly-vs-muck-rack
- https://www.meltwater.com
- https://www.meltwater.com/en/blog/meltwater-pricing
- https://www.prezly.com
- https://www.prezly.com/academy/muck-rack-competitors
- https://www.agilitypr.com
- https://everything-pr.com/ten-best-digital-pr-databases-cision-meltwater-buzzsumo-more
- https://www.roxhillmedia.com
- https://everything-pr.com/ten-best-digital-pr-databases-cision-meltwater-buzzsumo-more
- https://journolink.com
- https://www.capterra.com.au/software/196239/journolink
How we picked
We picked tools that help PR teams find journalists, build targeted lists, and pitch them, and we left out influencer campaign platforms that manage paid creator deals. We checked each vendor pricing page on 12 November 2026, and where the vendor hides its price we give the best third-party figure with its source. We flagged price conflicts instead of picking one figure silently.
Last verified: 12 November 2026
Is your product missing or out of date?
We review this list regularly. Vendors can request a listing, send updated pricing or ask about featured placement.
Shihab Mia · Founder, Rankite
Shihab has 5+ years in B2B and SaaS SEO. He writes Rankite's software buying guides from pricing pages, documentation and public user reviews. More about Shihab.