The 7 Best Cision Alternatives for 2025 (Features & Pricing)

Cision is one of the most widely recognized PR tools— used for media monitoring, journalist outreach, and press release distribution. But depending on your team’s size and needs, it may not always be the best fit.

Whether you're a fast-growing brand, a small in-house comms team, or a PR agency looking for a more intuitive, flexible, or cost-effective solution, this guide will help you explore the best Cision alternatives of 2025.

Below, you’ll find a breakdown of tools that offer strong media relations capabilities—many with faster onboarding, more user-friendly interfaces, and modern features built for agile teams.

You will also learn about alternatives to Cision’s PR Newswire in the areas of:

• Alternative to PR Newswire: media pitching tools
• Alternative to PR Newswire: distribution websites

TL;DR: Why consider Cision alternatives?

Cision is a legacy platform with powerful capabilities—but it isn’t always the right fit, especially for smaller teams. If you’ve experienced any of the following, it might be time to explore your options:

• Lack of pricing transparency
  Cision does not publicly share its pricing plans; subscriptions often start around $10,000/year, average between $12,000–$15,000, and can reach up to $30,000/year depending on contract scope and features.
• Complicated interface and steep learning curve
  Adjusting search queries often requires advanced Boolean logic, making everyday tasks harder than they need to be.
• High cost for diminishing value
  Many users report rising prices alongside declining monitoring quality, especially since migrating to CisionOne.
• Inconsistent coverage and missed mentions
  Even long-time users have noted gaps in tracking—sometimes for outlets previously monitored.
• Fragmented customer support experience
  Frequent turnover among account reps and long response times can lead to delays and repeated explanations.
• Built for enterprises, not lean PR teams
  Cision’s structure and features are often better suited to large corporations with compliance-heavy needs, not smaller teams looking for efficiency and flexibility.

When to explore Cision competitors

Not every PR team needs an enterprise-grade platform. Here are a few signs that it might be time to consider alternatives to Cision:

• Your team is small but growing
  If you're part of a lean in-house comms team or a mid-sized agency, you may not need all the advanced, compliance-focused features that Cision provides.
• You value usability and speed
  If your team spends more time navigating the platform than using it to get results, a more intuitive tool could save hours each week.
• You want more flexible, transparent pricing
  Budget-conscious teams often find Cision's pricing hard to justify—especially when costs increase without a clear return on value.
• You need modern outreach features
  Tools like AI-powered journalist discovery, real-time analytics, or Semrush-backed media insights can dramatically improve pitching outcomes—and aren't always available in legacy platforms.
• You’re not getting the support you need
  If switching reps, long wait times, or lack of onboarding are blocking your progress, it may be time for a more responsive solution.

Best Cision alternatives: shortlist

Here’s a quick overview of the top Cision alternatives to consider in 2025:

• Prowly – best all-in-one PR platform for small and mid-sized teams
• Meltwater – ideal for enterprise teams needing deep media intelligence
• Muck Rack – known for a strong media database and journalist profiles
• Mynewsdesk – suited for companies focused on newsroom publishing
• Critical Mention – strong real-time broadcast monitoring
• AgilityPR – balanced mix of media database and distribution tools
• Brand24 – lightweight, budget-friendly media monitoring option

Cision alternative #1: Prowly

Prowly is an all-in-one public relations software solution that helps small and medium PR agencies and in-house PR teams manage media relations, create press releases, pitch the right journalists, and monitor PR campaigns, all backed by the power of AI.

Best for: Small to mid-sized PR teams looking for smart journalist targeting and built-in PR tools.

Pricing: Starts at $258/month, billed annually.

Free trial: Free 7 day trial available.

Key features:

• AI-powered journalist search enhanced by Semrush traffic and audience insights
• Pitching tools with personalization and automated follow-ups
• Press release creator with built-in newsroom hosting
• Advanced email analytics (open rates, clicks, optimal send times)
• Print and broadcast media monitoring
• Intuitive UI and fast onboarding
• Live customer support and dedicated onboarding help

Prowly vs. Cision: Which one’s right for you?

If your team is smaller, more agile, or just tired of overbuilt legacy software, Prowly may be a better fit. It’s designed to help you get results faster—without needing to decipher Boolean logic or go through layers of account reps to make changes.

Where Cision leans towards enterprise, Prowly is optimized for usability, flexibility, and modern PR workflows.

Why PR teams choose Prowly

Prowly stands out for teams who value speed, flexibility, and smart workflows over complex enterprise features. Here’s why small and mid-sized PR teams are making the switch:

• Faster, smarter media outreach
  With AI-powered journalist discovery backed by Semrush audience insights, Prowly helps you target the right contacts with less guesswork.
• Intuitive and easy to adopt
  No complex setup, no long learning curve—teams can get started quickly without training sessions or tech support tickets.
• Support that feels like an extension of your team
  Real human support, one-on-one onboarding, and responsive live chat make a difference when you’re on a deadline.
• Built for your budget
  Transparent pricing, a 7-day free trial, and no enterprise upsells. Prowly is designed to deliver real value without the overhead.

“As a fast-moving agency, we needed a tool that scaled with us—not slowed us down. Prowly gave us speed, flexibility, and access to niche media that larger platforms just didn’t.” — She-PR agency team. Read the full case study →

Lakesha Cole, CEO and Founder at ShePR, after evaluating various options, chose Prowly to streamline their PR workflow. A choice which saved them time, effort, and on the costs associated with running their agency.

Cision vs Prowly: pricing

Cision alternative #2: Mynewsdesk

MyNewsDesk is a digital PR and communications platform that helps organizations manage public relations efforts. It allows users to create and distribute press releases, manage media contacts, and analyze PR campaign performance.

Best for: Companies that want to centralize their PR content and focus on visibility through an owned newsroom.

Pricing: Unknown.

Free trial: Yes.

Key features:

• Digital newsroom creation and hosting
• Press release distribution to Mynewsdesk's media network
• Basic media monitoring and analytics
• Contact database and pitching tools
• Multimedia content support (images, videos, documents)

Cision vs MyNewsDesk: pricing

Mynewsdesk offers an all-in-one PR solution: from preparing and pitching press releases, to newsrooms, media monitoring, and a contact database.

✅ Pros

• you can manage the entire pitching process, together with communication analysis
• content agency offers

source: G2

🔻Cons

Users on G2 complain a bit about their editing tool. One person also advises you to keep track of the notice period and remember to terminate it 3 months before the contract expires.

source: G2

Cision alternative #3: Meltwater

Meltwater is an enterprise-grade media intelligence platform offering global media monitoring, social listening, and analytics. It’s best known for its extensive data coverage and advanced reporting capabilities for large-scale PR and marketing teams.

Best for: Large enterprises and corporate comms teams managing complex, multi-market campaigns with high compliance or investor relations needs.

Pricing: Based on our research, Meltwater costs an average of $15,000 to $20,000 per year.

Free trial: No, you can only request a demo call.

Key features:

• Global media monitoring (online, print, broadcast, social, podcasts)
• AI-powered sentiment analysis and brand tracking
• Influencer identification across earned and social media
• Competitive benchmarking and market intelligence tools
• Collaboration and workflow features for large comms teams

Cision vs Meltwater: pricing

Both tools require custom quotes, but Meltwater can often be slightly more affordable than Cision depending on the scope. However, many teams find both platforms overbuilt or overpriced for small to medium PR operations.

✅ Pros

Cision shares many similarities with Meltwater. According to user reviews on G2, Meltwater assists in identifying relevant media for pitches and offers strong media monitoring capabilities, as well as the following benefits:

• quality of mentions
• no limits on queries
• customer service is often praised

source: G2

🔻Cons

Users have reported outdated information in the media database and slow responses from customer service.

source: G2

Cision alternative #4: Muck Rack

Muck Rack is a PR software platform known for its journalist database and media monitoring capabilities. It offers tools for media outreach, press release distribution, and coverage tracking, with a strong focus on transparency and reputation management.

Best for: PR professionals who prioritize journalist research, tracking their brand's media presence, and pitching based on verified reporter profiles.

Pricing: We estimate that Muck Rack costs an average of $15,000 annually.

Free trial: No, you can only request a demo call.

Key features:

• Verified media database with dynamic journalist profiles
• Real-time media monitoring and alerts
• Pitching tools with engagement tracking
• Centralized newsroom for press release hosting
• Collaboration tools for agencies and large teams

Cision vs Muck Rack: pricing

✅ Pros

Users on G2 commend Muck Rack for its effective TV and radio monitoring capabilities. Additionally, the tool is noted for its excellent user experience and intuitive interface. The coverage reports are particularly valuable for identifying new individuals discussing your company.

🔻Cons

Muck Rack is positioned at the higher end of the pricing scale, making it suitable for teams with larger budgets. However, despite the cost, it has several drawbacks, such as inconsistent results compared to other tools and an abundance of media alerts without the ability to prioritize key mentions.

Cision alternative #5: Critical Mention

Critical Mention is a media monitoring service that tracks and analyzes broadcasts, online channels, and social media content. It provides real-time insights and analytics to help organizations manage their media presence and public relations efforts.

Best for: PR and comms teams that prioritize broadcast media monitoring—especially in regulated industries or high-visibility campaigns.

Pricing: Critical Mention costs between $2,500 and $10,000 per year.

Free trial: No, you can only request a demo call.

Key features:

• Real-time monitoring of TV, radio, and online broadcasts
• Instant access to video/audio coverage and transcripts
• Searchable media archive
• Media contact database and distribution tools
• Coverage reports and engagement metrics

Cision vs Critical Mention: pricing

✅ Pros

• they monitor various sources: broadcasts, podcasts, and even paywall content (through print-only stories)

source: G2

🔻Cons

• no details on their media database - you need to schedule a demo to learn more
• to cover other PR activities, you'd need a separate PR tool

source: G2

Cision alternative #6: AgilityPR

Agility PR Solutions is a comprehensive PR platform offering media database access, press release distribution, and media monitoring. It’s positioned as a more affordable, mid-market alternative to traditional enterprise platforms like Cision.

Best for: Mid-sized PR teams that want a mix of media outreach, monitoring, and basic analytics in a single tool.

Pricing: Unknown—you need to request a demo call to find out.

Free trial: No—you can only schedule a demo call.

Key features:

• Global media contact database
• Press release distribution via AgilityWire
• Media monitoring and sentiment tracking
• Customizable coverage and performance reporting
• Email outreach tools with limited automation

Cision vs AgilityPR: pricing

✅ Pros

• if you need to cover just one area with a PR tool, you can buy one package
• you can ask the team for a full editorial review of your press release
• the customer service is widely appreciated
• a bunch of recognition badges from G2

Source: G2

🔻Cons

• with annual plans, there's little space for flexibility
• they offer poor message personalization options
• users claim its pricing lies on the higher side
• some features are only available for extra money

Source: G2

Cision alternative #7: Brand24

Brand24 is a social listening and media monitoring tool designed to track online mentions across news sites, blogs, forums, and social media platforms. It's lightweight, fast, and built for teams that want to stay on top of conversations about their brand.

Best for: Small businesses, start-ups, and marketing teams looking for a simple, affordable way to monitor media and social chatter.

Pricing: From $199/month.

Free trial: Free 14-day trial available.

Key features:

• Real-time media and social media monitoring
• Sentiment analysis and trend detection
• Shareable reports and alerts
• Influencer identification
• Slack and mobile app integrations

Cision vs Brand24: pricing

✅ Pros

• cool brand monitoring options and mention sources
• clear interface
• numerous teams (marketing, product, customer service, sales) will benefit from Brand24

🔻Cons

• it's not a PR-focused platform - you'd need other tools to support different PR activities

💡 Brand24 is a great choice if you only need media monitoring and want to keep your PR work in Excel. When you prefer to keep your work all in one place, an all-in-one solution like Prowly might fit you better.

Alternative to PR Newswire: media pitching tools

PR Newswire is a global news distribution service by Cision that helps companies and organizations disseminate their press releases and other information to media, investors, and the public.

PR Newswire pricing

Starting price: From $195 per release

🔻Additional costs:

Determining the exact cost of a service can be challenging, especially with no free plans or trial offers available. Additional add-ons or membership fees can further complicate an understanding of the final amount you'll need to pay.

Pitching vs. Cision PR Newswire

PR Newswire is a news distribution service from Cision. It ensures broad reach and visibility, but what about outcomes?

Here's why you should consider sending personalized emails to journalists as a PR Newswire alternative:

• targeted outreach: with a personal email pitch, you increase the chance of getting published
• strategic releases: media pitching lets you go with exclusive pitches and embargoed releases - a valuable aid in building relationships
• measurable ROI: the stable, monthly cost of Prowly gives you a clearer expense and ROI estimation - and a chance to make an impact with each press release
• investment in strategic partnerships: the focus for 37% of PR specialists, according to our latest research in PR trends for 2024, well-thought out, personalized messages help you foster closer relationships

The difference? PR platforms offer a noteworthy advantage regarding the volume of press releases you can send. Using their extensive media databases, you can efficiently reach out to numerous media contacts for announcements for a fraction of the cost.

Pitching tool examples

You can try pitching the right media with Prowly, where you can get everything: from a media pitching tool to craft your message, through a huge database to find the right contacts right away, to an AI Assistant that helps you write your pitch, tweak it, and find the best media contacts.

Plus the press release creator, PR reports, media monitoring and online newsrooms are already counted into the price.

Who is Prowly best for?

PR agencies and in-house teams that are focused on building relationships and don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars on a single press release. A perfect mix of efficiency and cost effectiveness.

No newswire service can guarantee your story gets picked up - so you need to invest in other distribution methods anyway.

Alternative to PR Newswire: distribution websites

Another alternative to Cision’s PR Newswire is to use other PR websites, like Business Wire, for their press release fee distribution.

Who is it best for?

Corporations who need to share press releases through newswire services - e. g. for legal reasons.

You can try out solutions like:

• EIN Presswire (from $99.95 /release)
• Globe Newswire (contact for a quote)
• Newswire (from $349.00 /release)
• Presswire (from $250 /release)

💡 Compare the most popular choices and learn more about the best press release distribution websites in this article.

Which solution fits you best?

With numerous Cision alternatives, it can be challenging to make up your mind. Here are our takeaways:

• pricing might be the biggest differentiator, especially with tools that don't share it upfront
• all-in-one PR platforms let you combine data from various PR areas all in one tool
• not all media databases are equal, so make sure to test them out or ask for a sample

While there’s no simple answer, the best way to choose your solution is by trying it out on your own.

Ready to start testing your options?

Besides transparent pricing plans, Prowly offers you a full 7-day free trial period. No credit card required, no pressure 👇