Looking for an all-in-one platform to cover your PR needs? You've probably heard of software solutions like Muck Rack, Prowly, and of course Cision, currently one of the oldest and most established players in the media database and intelligence industry.
It's easy to find Cision's homepage and surf its services. But there's one burning question: how much does Cision cost?
This article provides information on Cision pricing and introduces some of its PR platform and media database alternatives.
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How much does Cision cost?
Cision doesn’t have a one-size-fits-all price, or even pricing tiers. To learn anything about how much it’s going to cost you, your company or agency you need to talk to one of their sales reps to decide what you need and how many people will use it.
So, you won't find up-front costs on the Cision website, but we've found some online clues that shine a light on some of the likely scenarios and costs you might face.
What do people say about Cision on G2?
G2 is a software marketplace where you'll find unbiased user reviews of B2B software, hardware, and services. In their pricing review section for Cision, you may get a pricing estimate by entering your work email "to see what companies like yours are paying."
What do people say about Cision on Reddit?
Reddit is a network of online communities where users submit, vote on, and discuss content and news from around the web. It's seen as a go-to platform where users gather advice and promote their opinions, so it's a good place to ask for clues on Cision pricing.
From people’s comments, it seems like Cision clients have seen a staggering variety in pricing.
We’ve created a table, ordered from low to high, to reflect their use. People do call features by different names in their reviews, and we can’t confirm any of these reports; however we’ve tried our best to align them in this table.
| Cost | Muck Rack Features | Users |
|---|---|---|
| $3,500 | Media database | 2 |
| $6,000 | Media database | Unknown |
| $10,000 | Media database + media monitoring | 2 |
| $13,000 | Media database, media monitoring, social listening | 4 |
| $23,000 | Media database, media monitoring, social listening, unlimited searches | 5 |
Sources: Reddit thread one and Reddit thread two
Cision features
Cision is a media database and services provider for communications and PR professionals working in the private or public sector. It’s designed to help users connect with relevant journalists working in print media, radio, podcasts or online.
Its flagship platform is the AI-powered CisionOne, which brings all its functions into one end-to-end workflow. At the time of writing, the company still offers older software like Cision Communications Cloud, and some of our pricing clues (below) may reflect that.
Cision alternatives for PR
You can find similar services (press releases, media mentions alerts, relevant journalists, Customer Relationship Management tools etc.) on a number of other media database platforms. Muck Rack, Prowly, Prezly and Meltwater are some of the most-mentioned Cision alternatives, so we took a look at what they offer.
Together, these databases cover a variety of media (print, online etc.), however if you're podcast focused, Rephonic is probably your best bet.
Muck Rack
Muck Rack is a PR and media management platform designed to encompass users' PR workflows, including pitching, monitoring and reporting. It includes tools for PR & Comms teams (e.g., PR software, media database, press releases, social media listening, AI, etc.) and offers journalists the use of free portfolios and a Job Board.
Like Cision, Muck Rack doesn’t reveal pricing information on its website. Instead, it offers a demo call with an agent to determine the cost based on user numbers and needs. However, it has a taster, where users can create a free account, which gives them access to the search tools and the website’s Help and Resources section.
Best for:
In Reddit discussions (like this one), Muck Rack users say the company began as a media database, and in their opinion, that's where its strengths lie.
Prowly
Prowly is an AI-powered PR and media relations software platform with tools for creating and maintaining a media list and contact details.
Like Muck Rack and Cision, Prowly maintains a media database including bloggers, influencers, podcasters and traditional media journalists. Other products include a media pitching tool, a Press Release creator, social media listening, PR reporting and online newsrooms.
Prowly doesn't have a free option, but each tier offers a free 7-day trial. Their Basic Plans start at $369/month while the Pro Plans are $589/month (both paid annually).
Best for:
PR agencies and individuals looking to organize and track PR and media contacts.
Rephonic
Rephonic is a podcast database covering 3m+ shows (compared to Cision's 35k.) Its software helps individuals and agencies to pitch the right podcasts for guest spots or ads, and monitor podcasts for brand or keyword mentions.
It offers a seven-day free trial, and three paid tiers: Light ($99/month), Standard ($149/month) and Business ($299/month).
Best for:
PR professionals who want in-depth podcast data and quality contacts for 3m+ shows. One user stated, "Rephonic's the best platform for anyone who books podcasts."
Prezly
Prezly offers PR software for company teams, including the usual online newsrooms, press releases, email campaigns, media monitoring, a CRM and Press Kit Creator. It also has a separate service for PR agencies.
Prezly has three annual pricing tiers: Essential ($100/mo), Standard ($150/mo) and Enterprise (custom.)
Best for:
Those seeking an affordable alternative for press release distribution and maintaining media contacts.
Meltwater
Meltwater was one of the first online media monitoring companies and today offers a suite of products. As well as social media listening, media database and contacts, it also offers insights into your audience, influencer marketing and sales, as well as data and API integration.
The company says each product package is customized to individual needs, and prospective users should contact the sales team or request a demo.
Best for:
Identifying journalists and the specific topics they write about. Users say they find it useful for conducting searches, keeping track of clips and for sentiment analysis in social media listening.
Final thoughts
If you're looking to contact print or online journalists, go to Cision, Muck Rack or one of the many alternatives.
But if you want to get your client's message out to podcast listeners, check out Rephonic's podcast search data, contacts and pitching tools.
Looking for the best podcast info? Get it here with a 7-day free trial.
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