HARO, Qwoted, Featured and Connectively all start the same way. A journalist posts a request, and you answer it. Media List starts the other way round, so you find the journalists who cover your story and pitch them first, on your own date.
Below you can compare the four request platforms with a media database, with prices checked in October 2026. You can also use both kinds of tool.
HARO alternatives at a glance
| Tool | Best for | Starting price (Oct 2026) | How coverage starts | Contacts you can export | Where it wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Media List | Pitching your own story on your own launch date | $99 a month, or a 3-day trial at $0 today | You choose the journalists and pitch first | 2,500 a month on Basic | Search 31,000+ journalists, editors and producers by beat, outlet and state |
| HARO | Free inbound quote requests | Free for sources and journalists1 | A journalist posts a request and you reply | None, it is an email of requests | Costs nothing, with three request emails a day1 |
| Qwoted | Answering expert requests with pitch stats | Free tier with 2 pitches a month, Pro at $149 a month7 | A journalist posts a call for experts | A free media database with exportable contact info9 | Free tier, journalists come to you, read receipts |
| Featured | An AI chat for many PR jobs, from requests to bylines | Free tier, Lite at $39 a month, Pro at $99 a month4 | Requests, plus AI workflows that find journalists | Journalist email shown "where known"5 | Free tier, team plans for up to 25 seats4 |
| Connectively | A low-cost media database plus early HARO queries | Free tier, Business at $99 a month or $59 a month billed yearly, per seat6 | Early access to HARO queries | Business includes a media database and media list exports6 | Billed yearly, Business costs less per month than Media List Basic |
| Cost to try | All five | HARO is free. Qwoted, Featured and Connectively have free tiers. Media List has a trial with $0 today and a card or PayPal on file. | Rivals win on a $0 start |
Try Media List for 3 days, $0 today, then from $99 a month. No contract. No sales call.
Start 3-day free trial →Is HARO still around? A short history
Yes. HARO is live today and still sends request emails. Its story has a gap in the middle, which is why so many people think it closed.
- 2007 to 2008. HARO starts as a free email that sends journalist requests to sources17.
- 2010 to 2014. Vocus buys HARO, and Vocus later merges with Cision, so HARO becomes a Cision brand17.
- Early 2024. Cision renames HARO as Connectively and adds paid tiers17.
- 9 December 2024. Cision says the Connectively (HARO) platform "has been permanently discontinued"2.
- April 2025. Featured.com buys HARO from Cision and plans to bring back "HARO's original daily-email format"3.
- Today. HARO runs again at helpareporter.com with "three daily HARO emails featuring journalist requests"1. Connectively is back too, now under the same owner as Featured18.
So HARO did not die. It changed hands, went quiet for a few months, and came back with a new owner.
Pitch first instead of waiting for a request
Request platforms are reactive by design. Qwoted's own help center sums it up as "No cold outreach, no guessing who covers what"12. That is a real comfort. You only pitch people who already asked.
The catch is timing and fit. You can only answer the requests that show up. If you launch a product on a Tuesday, no request may match it that week. If a request does match, other sources may answer the same one.
A media database flips that. You start with your story, not with someone else's question. In Media List you filter by beat, outlet, media type and US state. You see who covers your topic, then you write to them before they ask. Every email shows its verification status before you export, and you can filter to verified emails.
Media List also covers more than print and web reporters. The same search reaches TV and radio producers, 189,000+ YouTube channels and 1.2 million podcasts. A launch can go to a trade editor, a morning show producer and a podcast host from one list.
The tools, one by one
1. Media List
Best for founders, publicists and agencies who want to pick their own targets and pitch on their own schedule.
Basic costs $99 a month with 2,500 exports. Professional costs $399 a month and Scale costs $999. The trial lasts 3 days at $0 today, with up to 25 exports.
You get 31,000+ journalists, editors and producers, with 22,000+ in the US. Searches and lists are unlimited on every plan. Plans are monthly with no contract, so you can cancel anytime from your billing page. If an exported email bounces, we replace that export at no cost. Professional adds campaigns with follow-ups and open and click tracking, plus up to 3 seats.
2. HARO (Help a Reporter Out)
Best for experts who want free, easy chances at a quote.
HARO is free for sources and journalists, as of October 20261. It sends three request emails a day1. You read them, find a fit, and reply to the reporter.
Where it beats Media List. It costs nothing, and the reporter has already said they want sources. For a busy expert with a clear specialty, a few minutes a day can lead to quotes.
3. Qwoted
Best for publicists and experts who want journalist requests plus pitch tracking.
Qwoted's Basic tier is free with 2 pitches a month and a "2 Hour Delay"7. Pro costs $149 a month on its pricing page, as of October 20267. In the app, Pro shows as $1,188 a year for "Individual use only"8.
Qwoted also offers what it calls "The largest free Media Database in the world"9. Pitches to Qwoted requests must stay inside Qwoted, since "pitching Qwoted opportunities outside the platform goes against our Community Guidelines"10. Its help center also says "Using AI to write your pitches is against Qwoted's Terms & Conditions"11.
Where it beats Media List. Qwoted has a free tier, read receipts and pitch stats, and journalists come to you with a request already written.
4. Featured
Best for teams who want one AI chat for requests, bylines, awards and journalist search.
Featured has a free tier with "No credit card required"4. Lite costs $39 a month and Pro costs $99 a month, as of October 20264. Billed yearly, Pro works out to "$79" a month4.
Featured plans differ "only by how much AI usage you get per day"4. Its journalist search shows an email "Where known"5. You describe what you want in plain words, and the chat finds it.
Where it beats Media List. Featured has a free tier, team plans for up to 25 seats, and many PR jobs in one place beyond a contact list.
5. Connectively
Best for budget buyers who want a media database and early HARO queries in one plan.
Connectively has a free tier. Its Business plan costs $99 a month, or $59 a month per seat billed yearly, as of October 20266. Business includes a "Media database", tools to "Build & manage media lists" and "Media list exports"6. You can also buy pay-as-you-go credits from $6.99, and its pricing page says "CREDITS NEVER EXPIRE"6.
Where it beats Media List. Billed yearly, Connectively Business costs less per month than Media List Basic, and it still includes a database with exports. If price is your first filter, look at it closely.
Who each tool fits best
Agencies
- Choose Media List if you run campaigns for many clients and need new lists by beat, outlet and state. Scale adds private-label reports and up to 10 seats.
- Choose Featured if you want one AI tool for requests, bylines and awards across a team of up to 25 seats.
- Choose Qwoted if your clients are experts who win by answering requests, and you want read receipts on every pitch.
Solo publicists
- Choose Media List if you pitch stories, not only answers, and want 2,500 exports a month for one price.
- Choose Connectively if your budget is tight and a yearly Business plan fits it.
- Choose HARO if you want a free daily source of quote chances next to your own pitching.
Founders and startups
- Choose Media List if you have a launch date and need the right reporters, podcasts and YouTube channels ready that week.
- Choose HARO or Qwoted's free tier if you have no budget yet and want your first quote.
- Choose Featured if you like working in a chat and want help with many PR tasks at once.
What a year costs
These examples use list prices as of October 2026. We assume monthly billing unless a yearly price is shown. Taxes are left out.
| Tool and plan | Solo publicist, one year | 3-person agency, one year |
|---|---|---|
| HARO | $01 | $01 |
| Qwoted Pro | $1,788 monthly, or $1,188 yearly in the app78 | Team plan is a quote, Pro is for individual use8 |
| Featured | Pro at $99 a month is $1,188, or $948 yearly4 | Team Lite at $199 a month is $2,388, or $1,908 yearly4 |
| Connectively Business | $708 yearly, at $59 a month per seat6 | $2,124 yearly for 3 seats6 |
| Media List | Basic at $99 a month is $1,188, or $990 yearly | Professional at $399 a month for 3 seats is $4,788, or $3,990 yearly |
Some request tools cost less, and HARO costs nothing. The difference is what you get for the money. A request tool sells chances to answer. Media List sells a list you choose, with 2,500 exports a month on Basic and 10,000 on Professional.
What users say
Reviews below are quoted from Trustpilot as they appeared in October 2026.
- A Featured user wrote in January 2025, "This site is a hidden gem ... I have a selected rate of about 25%"13.
- A Connectively reviewer wrote in July 2026, "A shadow of its former self ... It's a shame because HARO was once great."14
- A journalist on Qwoted wrote on 1 October 2026 that it is "easy to connect with journalist quickly"15.
- A Qwoted reviewer wrote in August 2026, "A few days after signing up, my account was suddenly disabled without any clear reason"15.
On Trustpilot, Featured shows 3.9 from 17 reviews, Connectively shows 2.8 from 7 and Qwoted shows 3.3 from 121, as of October 2026131415.
Use both, a simple weekly routine
You do not have to pick one side. Requests and planned pitches work well together.
- Keep the free HARO email, or a Qwoted free tier, for inbound chances. Answer the ones that fit in a few minutes a day.
- Use Media List for the stories you want told. Build a list for each launch, study the outlets, and pitch first.
- When a reporter quotes you from a request, look that reporter up in Media List and save them to a list. Next time you have news, you already know who to tell.
- On Professional, send the pitch from your own mailbox with follow-ups, and watch opens and clicks.
How to start pitching first
If you pay for a request tool now, check its renewal date before you change anything. Featured's terms say "You may cancel at any time through your Account settings"16. Qwoted says you can cancel with its online form, and access runs to the end of the period you paid for19. You do not have to cancel either one to try Media List.
- Start the 3-day trial. It is $0 today, and you need a card or PayPal.
- Pick your beat, such as health tech or consumer finance.
- Add filters for outlet, media type and US state. Sort so verified emails come first.
- Save the list and export up to 25 contacts during the trial.
- Write one short pitch per beat and send it before your news goes out.
Little carries over from a request platform, since most of what it holds is requests. You can rebuild your past reporter contacts with a keyword or outlet search.