Muck Rack Pricing (2026), What One Seat Costs and Is It Worth It

Muck Rack does not publish its prices. In 2025 and 2026 buyer reports, one seat cost about $4,400 to $6,000 a year, billed by the year.⁵⁶⁹ Vendr's median Muck Rack deal is $13,000 a year.³ Journalists use Muck Rack free, and PR teams pay.

Prices and facts checked October 3, 2026. See something wrong? Tell us.

This guide shows every price we could source, what makes the quote go up, and the contract terms to check before you sign. It ends with what $99 a month buys on Media List instead.

Reported Muck Rack prices, 2025 to 2026

Muck Rack says its price "depends on a few factors specific to your team including the number of users".¹ So the best guide is what real buyers paid. Reddit figures below are what individual buyers posted, not quotes from Muck Rack.

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Read the table this way. A single seat on a starter plan sits near $4,400 to $6,000 a year. Teams of 2 to 4 people land near $5,750 to $10,000. Larger teams and add-ons push deals into five figures, which is why the Vendr median is $13,000.

Muck Rack's three plans

Muck Rack sells three tiers. Starter is for "basic access", Standard is labelled "most popular" and Premier is "most flexible".¹ None shows a price.

• Exports are "Limited" on Starter. Standard and Premier have unlimited exports.¹
• The AI media list builder is "Only Standard and Premier".¹⁴
• Online news monitoring comes with every tier. Print, broadcast and social listening are add-ons.¹¹⁵
• Coverage reports come in packs, from 10 reports on Brand Starter to 100 on Agency Premier.¹
• Onboarding is "self-led" on Starter and "instructor-led" on Standard and Premier.¹

The FAQ is honest about fit. It says Starter suits individuals, "though sporadic users may find alternatives better suited".¹

What pushes the price up

• Seats. Muck Rack prices by named user, and "Generic or shared emails cannot be used for accounts".² One Reddit user said Muck Rack is "really cracking down on shared accounts".⁸
• Tier. Unlimited exports and the AI list builder start at Standard, not Starter.
• Add-ons. Print, broadcast and social listening each add to the bill.
• Onboarding. Vendr lists onboarding fees of $1,000 to $5,000.³
• Renewal. One buyer said Muck Rack "tried to bump me up to $6,500" at renewal.⁵ Another said "they removed several products from our base plan after renewing".¹²

Contract terms to read before you sign

Muck Rack sells yearly plans that renew. Its terms say "To cancel, email your Customer Success Manager."²

If you cancel mid-year, fees for that annual cycle are not returned.² The terms also give no credit for downgrades during the year. Late payments carry "the lesser of four percent (4%) per month or the maximum lawful rate".²

So put your renewal date in your calendar the day you sign. If you plan to leave, give notice well before it.

How to get a better Muck Rack price

Muck Rack prices are negotiated, and buyers who push often pay less. Vendr reports an average saving of 16.97% on Muck Rack deals.³

• Get a quote for Starter and Standard. Ask what you lose on Starter before you pay for Standard.
• Drop add-ons you will not use every week, such as broadcast or print monitoring.
• Ask for the seat count you really need. One buyer was first asked $10,000 for one seat, and talks ended at $6,000.⁹
• Watch for deadline offers. One buyer was offered a "special 30% discount for your team" if they signed by a set date.¹¹
• Get a second quote from a rival before your renewal call.

Is Muck Rack free?

Muck Rack is free for journalists. They use it to claim profiles and show their work, and Muck Rack says journalists "never pay for Muck Rack access".¹

For PR teams, there is no free version and no free trial. Every PR plan starts with a demo and a quote.¹ If you search for a Muck Rack free trial, you will find a demo form, not a trial.

Does Muck Rack have a monthly plan?

No monthly plan is published. One buyer wrote "No monthly option."⁶ Another was told to "pay in full for the year".⁷ A one-seat plan at $4,400 to $6,000 a year works out to about $367 to $500 a month, but it is billed by the year, not by the month.

Is Muck Rack worth it?

For many teams, yes. Users praise its data. One Reddit user wrote "if you can't find someone in Cision they are almost always in Muckrack."¹⁷

The value depends on how much of the platform you use. If you use monitoring, coverage reports and the pitch tools every week, the price buys a lot. If you mainly need journalist emails a few times a year, you pay for much more than you use.

Choose Muck Rack if

• Your agency runs monitoring and coverage reports for several clients every week.
• You pitch national and trade press in several countries.
• You want journalist-maintained profiles with verified badges.
• You want to pitch from your Gmail or Outlook inbox inside the app.

Choose Media List if

• You are a solo publicist or freelancer and want to pay by the month.
• You are a founder who needs a press list this week, with no sales call.
• You run a small agency and want seats included in one price.
• You pitch podcast hosts and YouTube creators as well as reporters.

What $99 a month gets you instead

Media List is a media database with published prices. You can start a 3-day trial today for $0, with a card or PayPal, and export up to 25 contacts before you pay.

Every plan includes 31,000+ journalists, editors and producers, 22,000+ of them in the US. Every plan also includes 189,000+ YouTube channels and 1.2 million podcasts.

There is no annual contract. You can cancel anytime from your billing page. Every contact shows its verification status before you export, and if an exported email bounces, we replace it at no cost. At full use, Basic costs about $0.04 per exported contact.

A year of Muck Rack vs a year of Media List

These examples use the buyer-reported Muck Rack figures above and Media List's live prices.

Freelance publicist, one seat

Buyers reported one Muck Rack seat at about $4,400 to $6,000 a year.⁵⁶⁹ Media List Basic at $99 a month is $1,188 over 12 months at the October 2026 price. Paid yearly, Basic costs 10 months' worth, or $990.

Small agency, three seats

One buyer reported a "$10k/year plan" with 3 seats.⁵ Media List Professional includes up to 3 seats for $399 a month. That is $4,788 over 12 months at the October 2026 price, or $3,990 paid yearly.

Both examples assume you do not need monitoring. If you do, count the value of Muck Rack's monitoring in the comparison.

How Muck Rack's price compares with Cision and Meltwater

The big three are close in price. Vendr's median Cision deal is $12,625 a year.¹⁸ Meltwater's own blog says its Starter plan starts from $10,000 a year.¹⁹ All three are sold by quote with yearly contracts.

What buyers say about Muck Rack's price

• "In different conversations I have had, it seems the pricing is random." A Reddit user, March 2026.⁵
• "It's expensive for we small biz owners." A reviewer on Software Advice.¹⁶
• "MuckRack is adding a lot of new junk that I don't need." A Reddit user, February 2025.⁹
• "if you can't find someone in Cision they are almost always in Muckrack." A Reddit user, March 2025.¹⁷

Switching at renewal

The best time to leave is just before your renewal date, because fees for the current year are kept. Start a Media List trial about a month before that date and run your usual searches in both tools.

Do not upload Muck Rack exports into another tool, because its terms limit copying its data for other services. Rebuild your lists in Media List with filters for beat, outlet, US state and media type, then turn on the verified emails filter and export.

Questions, answered

How much does Muck Rack cost?

Muck Rack does not publish prices. Buyers reported about $4,400 to $6,000 a year for one seat in 2025 and 2026, and Vendr's median deal is $13,000 a year.

How much does Muck Rack cost per month?

There is no monthly plan. A one-seat plan at $4,400 to $6,000 a year works out to about $367 to $500 a month, billed by the year.

Is Muck Rack free?

Muck Rack is free for journalists. PR teams pay for a yearly plan after a demo.

Is Muck Rack free for journalists?

Yes. Journalists can claim and manage their profiles free, and Muck Rack says they never pay for access.

Does Muck Rack have a free trial?

Not for PR users. Every PR plan starts with a demo and a custom quote.

Why doesn't Muck Rack publish its prices?

Muck Rack says pricing depends on team factors, including the number of users. Seats, tier and add-ons all change the quote.

Is Muck Rack worth it?

It can be worth it for agencies that use monitoring and reports every week. For solo users who mainly need contacts, a monthly database such as Media List costs far less.

What do Reddit users say Muck Rack costs?

Reddit users reported $4,400 for one seat, $5,750 for two seats and about $10,000 for three seats. A team of about 12 was quoted $34,000 a year.

Is there a cheaper alternative to Muck Rack?

Yes. Media List starts at $99 a month with no contract, and the 3-day trial costs $0 today.

Sources

1. Muck Rack pricing page and FAQ, checked 2026-10-09
2. Muck Rack Terms of Service (last updated March 12, 2025), checked 2026-10-09
3. Vendr, Muck Rack pricing data, checked 2026-10-09
4. SpendHound, Muck Rack pricing, checked 2026-10-09
5. Reddit r/PublicRelations, Muck Rack Rates and Pricing (March 2026), checked 2026-10-09
6. Reddit r/PublicRelations, Cheap Muck Rack competitor (April 2025), checked 2026-10-09
7. Reddit r/PublicRelations, Media Database for Freelancer? (August 2026), checked 2026-10-09
8. Reddit r/PublicRelations, Journalist Database, is there truly anything comparable to Muckrack? (November 2025), checked 2026-10-09
9. Reddit r/PublicRelations, Is Muck Rack pricing inconsistent? (February 2025), checked 2026-10-09
10. Reddit r/PublicRelations, MuckRack new offer, what do you think? (July 2025), checked 2026-10-09
11. Reddit r/PublicRelations, thread on a Muck Rack contract and discount deadline (June 2025), checked 2026-10-09
12. Reddit r/PublicRelations, thread on Muck Rack plan changes at renewal (March 2026), checked 2026-10-09
13. TrustRadius, Muck Rack reviews and pricing, checked 2026-10-03
14. Muck Rack Help Center, Create a Media List, checked 2026-10-03
15. Muck Rack Help Center, An Overview of Add-Ons in Muck Rack, checked 2026-10-03
16. Software Advice, Muck Rack reviews, checked 2026-10-03
17. Reddit r/PublicRelations, How much do you pay for Cision, etc? (March 2025), checked 2026-10-09
18. Vendr, Cision pricing data, checked 2026-10-09
19. Meltwater blog, Meltwater Pricing, Plans, Costs and What to Expect (9 July 2026), checked 2026-10-09
20. Reddit r/PublicRelations, Good Alternatives to MuckRack? (February 2025), checked 2026-10-09

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