PRWeb vs PR Newswire: Are they worth it and what are the alternatives?

PRWeb and PR Newswire are two of the biggest newswire distribution powerhouses for PR professionals. But do they live up to the hype and – dare we say – the price tag?

Let’s analyze these two PR software services: their pros, cons, price, and if there might be a better solution for you and your team’s media outreach strategy.

PRWeb is a press release distribution service that public relations professionals can utilize to get potential coverage beyond their immediate network. In short, you can pay for PRWeb to send your press release to their “wire,” which has a decent reach among people who want access to potential news stories for various reasons (aka, journalists).

While newswires have gone out of favor for most PR professionals in the past few years, if you have to use one, PRWeb is one of the most commonly used online distribution services in the game.

They claim that their service is powerful because it goes beyond simply sending out text press releases – they engage their audiences with multimedia releases and use social media and search engines to get the word (and pictures) out. PRWeb is a popular option for smaller businesses that depend mostly on online distribution methods, such as blogs, online news outlets, and digital media.

Cision PR Newswire (or, as its friends call it, just PR Newswire) is another popular newswire with a network of over 82,000 outlets across 170 countries. It functions similarly to PRWeb and is also owned by parent company Cision, which begs the question – what the hell is the difference between them? Great question!

PR Newswire is more popular with larger enterprise clients that are looking to reach a wider audience than smaller businesses tend to need to reach. This includes traditional and legacy media, such as television, print journalism, and radio. This reach is also reflected in its pricing structure.

👉See our comparison of PR Newswire vs Business Wire

• Multimedia press releases
• Better for small businesses, startups, and smaller clients
• Lower price point than many alternatives
• Predominately online distribution
• Better for small and mid-sized businesses

• Distribution network with significant reach to 170 countries and over 82,000 outlets
• Suitable for bigger enterprise clients
• Offline reach to traditional media outlets, including radio, television, and print media

PRWeb pricing varies based on the kind of coverage and visibility you’re looking for, your timeframe, and your budgetary constraints.

Their press release distribution pricing options include the following flat rates:

• Basic - $110
• Standard - $230
• Advanced - $340
• Premium - $455

All but the basic package is distributed by PR Newswire’s extensive network and includes unlimited media assets and visibility in keyword searches.

Wondering how much PR Newswire costs? Aren’t we all.

PR Newswire does not publicly share its pricing information outside its sales process. So we cannot confidently say exactly how much a press release will cost you to distribute with them.

Based on our research, there’s a $195 annual membership fee, and each press release costs about $325-$8,700, which is a totally normal and reasonable price range. The average cost of a United States national distribution press release with 400 words and two images will run you at least $2,985 (allegedly).

PR Newswire charges additional service fees for increased word counts, images, and logos.

Whether or not you find PRWeb effective will largely depend on your ideological opinion on press release distribution in general. Wire distributions have largely gone out of vogue in the past decade or two. This is for various reasons, the main one being the democratization of media and the ability to connect more directly with audiences and members of the media. We no longer need a middle-man to distribute our news to thousands of journalists–we can do it ourselves from the comfort of our Gmail. 

Some might argue that the hundreds (or thousands) of dollars you spend on each PR distribution could be better spent on creating more engaging content by writing a brand story, connecting directly with journalists through media list building, or doing literally anything else.

So, in terms of PRWeb as a tool, it is effective in doing what it does: distributing press releases to an increasingly archaic and outdated wire service that is as inefficient at communicating information as it is gratuitously expensive. But is there a better way?

• More affordable rates than the competitors (including Business Wire)
• A basic service, backed by Cision with a decent user interface (according to various online reviews)
• Potential for increased brand visibility

• Still a wire service
• No guarantees that industry-specific journalists will pick up your news
• Has a 3.8 on G2
• Very little SEO value

The efficacy of PR Newswire, in general, is similar to PRWeb, but with the added benefit of being significantly more expensive.

It's safe to say that the companies with budgets that would allow for a service that costs thousands of dollars for a few hundred words likely aren’t hemming and hawing about the cost or even about how effective the services are.

They may even need to distribute to press release services for reasons that have nothing to do with coverage, such as financial disclosures and other regulatory requirements of public companies.

The rest of us, however, actually want our money to actually produce results.

Whether or not PR Newswire is the best fit depends largely on your budget and your client or agency’s goals. If you're looking for broad distribution to potentially major outlets, PR Newswire could be a good fit. Unfortunately, PR Newswire is not known to provide trials, so you’ll be paying a premium to find out.

• Wide range and distribution
• Reach to legacy and traditional media sources and news outlets
• One of the most recognizable newswire outlets

• Expensive, with each press release costing potentially thousands of dollars and pricing plans are locked behind their sales team
• Has an underwhelming 3.9 on G2 based on customer reviews
• Few companies will need the kind of breadth and reach of PR Newswire
• Does not facilitate building media relations compared to other PR tools and distribution methods

If the idea of spending thousands per press release and potentially gaining absolutely nothing from it doesn’t appeal to you, try Prezly instead.

With Prezly, we help you create gorgeous multimedia news releases, send targeted media campaigns, track analytics, and build media relations with relevant journalists.

Not only will you save money, we won’t make you guess at our pricing. Prezly may be the more affordable option for your distribution strategy, but you won't be sacrificing features or customer service, as our support team is here for you every step of the way.

Instead of spinning your wheels (and paying a ton), do what actually works (and what journalists love) by distributing smart.