Free Media Database (2026), What Is Really Free and What Is Not

A few media databases are truly free, but every free tier holds something back. Most hide the email, cap you at a handful of contacts, or only send you requests from reporters. Media List is a paid tool. You can try it for 3 days at $0 today and see real contacts before your plan starts.

Prices and facts checked October 9, 2026. See something wrong? Tell us.

Free media database options compared (checked October 2026)

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Is there a truly free media database?

Yes, but only in small pieces. No tool we checked shows that it gives a full, searchable list of journalist emails at no cost. Qwoted comes closest, with a free database whose size it does not publish. Each free option solves one slice of the job. One sends you reporter requests. One finds a single email. One lets you look at names with the emails hidden.

That is fine for some people. If you pitch twice a year, a free tier and some patience may be all you need. If you pitch every month, the limits add up fast. You end up doing by hand what a paid database does in a few clicks.

Below is what each free option really gives you, with prices as of October 2026. Every rival price on this page links to its source.

The free options, one by one

HARO (Help a Reporter Out)

HARO is free for sources. It sends three emails a day with requests from journalists who need an expert¹. You read the requests and reply to the ones that fit.

HARO has had a bumpy few years. Cision shut down the platform, then called Connectively, on December 9, 2024². Featured bought HARO from Cision in April 2025 and brought back the daily email³. So yes, HARO still exists.

The catch is that HARO is reactive. You wait for a reporter to ask. You cannot choose the outlet, the beat or the timing of your story.

Qwoted

Qwoted has a free tier for PR people and experts. It gives you 2 pitches a month, and new requests reach free users after a 2 hour delay⁴. Pro costs $149 a month for 35 pitches⁴.

Qwoted also offers a "Free Media Database" with search by name, outlet and beat. Its page says you can download media lists with contact info⁵. Qwoted does not publish how many contacts it holds. You can also earn free pitch credits by adding new reporter contacts⁵.

Hunter

Hunter is an email finder, not a media database. Its free tier gives you 50 credits a month, and one found email costs one credit⁶. That is enough to look up a few reporters you already know by name.

Hunter works best when you know the person and the outlet. It does not tell you who covers your beat. If you only need a handful of emails for named reporters, Hunter's free tier is a smart pick.

Anewstip

Anewstip has a free tier with 2 lists of up to 100 contacts each⁷. It searches journalists by what they write and post. The free tier includes no pitches. Its Standard plan costs $200 a month, billed monthly⁷.

Muck Rack

Muck Rack is free for journalists, who can claim and edit their own profiles. It is not free for PR teams. There is no free tier and no trial for PR buyers, and pricing comes after you contact sales⁸. Buyers on Reddit report paying about $4,400 to $6,000 a year for one seat¹⁶.

JournalistDB

JournalistDB lets anyone browse names, titles, employers and beats for free. The free tier shows masked emails only and has no CSV exports¹¹. Pro costs $79 a month or $299 a year¹¹.

Medialyst

Medialyst gives you one free first list with 100 credits, and no card is needed¹². It is built around one story at a time. You paste a press release and it suggests reporters. Paid plans start at $149 a month¹².

Featured and Connectively

Featured, which now owns HARO, has a free tier with no credit card¹³. Its paid plans start at $39 a month. Connectively also has a free tier that lets you send 3 answers a month¹⁷.

Is Cision free? Is Meltwater free?

No. Cision does not list a price. Its pricing page is a form, and a sales expert calls you back⁹. We found no free tier and no trial.

Meltwater says it "does not offer a self-serve free trial", though you can ask for a free demo¹⁰. Meltwater's own blog puts its Starter tier from $10,000 a year¹⁸.

What free tools cannot do

Free tiers are a good way to start. They are not built to run a real campaign. Here is what you usually give up.

• You cannot pull a full list by beat, outlet and state. Most free tiers show names but hide the email.
• You cannot export at volume. Free tiers cap you at a few contacts, or block CSV downloads.
• You cannot pick your own timing. Request tools like HARO and Qwoted make you wait for a reporter to ask.
• You cannot reach creators in the same place. Most free tools cover journalists only, not YouTube channels or podcasts.
• Few free tiers let you send and follow up from the same tool, so you copy emails into your inbox by hand.

Old free lists online have one more problem. A PDF or spreadsheet from years ago does not change when a reporter moves jobs. Before you pitch from any list, check the reporter's latest byline.

Free trials that hide the contacts

Some paid tools offer a trial, but not every trial lets you see the data. That matters, because the emails are the thing you are paying for.

• The Semrush AI PR Toolkit has a 7-day trial. During the trial, viewing and exporting contact information is turned off¹⁹.
• JournoFinder has a 7-day trial. Its FAQ says you cannot see journalists' contact information during the trial²⁰.
• Reporters.io says it does not offer a free trial²¹.

Ask one question before you start any trial. Will I see real emails, and can I export a few?

How the Media List trial works

Media List is not free, and we would rather say so up front. What we offer is a trial that shows you the real data before you pay.

• You pay $0 today with a card or PayPal.
• For 3 days you can search everything, build lists and export up to 25 contacts.
• The contacts are real. You search the same database a paying customer searches.
• Cancel before the trial ends and you are not charged.
• If you stay, your plan starts on day 3 with its full export allowance.

Basic costs $99 a month and includes 2,500 exports a month. Contacts you already exported never count again. If an email you exported bounces, we replace it at no cost. Plans are monthly with no annual contract, and you can cancel anytime from your billing page.

The database holds 31,000+ journalists, editors and producers, with 22,000+ in the US. Every plan also includes 189,000+ YouTube channels and 1.2 million podcasts. Every contact shows its verification status before you export, and you can filter to verified emails.

Who each option fits best

• Choose HARO or Qwoted if you are an expert who wants to answer reporter requests and you have time to watch for them.
• Choose Hunter's free tier if you already know which five or six reporters you want and just need their emails.
• Choose Anewstip's free tier if you want a small test list of up to 100 contacts, including outside the US.
• Choose JournalistDB's free browse if you only need to check who works at an outlet today.
• Choose Media List if you are a founder, solo publicist or agency that needs a full list by beat, outlet or state, plus creators, and wants to export it to your own tools.

How to build a media list on a small budget

You can get far with free tools and a few hours. Here is a simple path.

• Read the outlets your buyers read. Note the reporters who wrote about your topic in the last few months.
• Use Hunter's 50 free credits to find emails for the reporters you named.
• Sign up for HARO and the Qwoted free tier to catch requests that fit your story.
• Keep your list in a spreadsheet with the date you last checked each reporter.

When the list needs to grow past a few dozen names, start a trial. In Media List, pick a beat, then narrow by outlet, US state and media type, such as TV, radio or newspaper. Add podcasts or YouTube channels if your story fits them. Export your best 25 contacts during the trial, and pitch them the same week.

What a year of each approach costs

The free route costs $0 in fees but takes time. Each reporter you find by hand means reading bylines and then looking up an email.

Hunter's Starter plan costs $49 a month for 2,000 credits⁶. It finds emails, but you still do the research on who covers your beat.

Media List Basic costs $99 a month, with no contract. That includes the research step, 2,500 exports a month and creators in the same search. For a 3-person agency, Professional at $399 a month includes 3 seats and campaigns with follow-ups.

Questions, answered

Is there a free database for journalists?

There are free tiers, but none we found shows that it gives a full list of journalist emails at no cost. HARO, Qwoted, Hunter and Anewstip each offer a limited free tier. Most hide emails or cap you at a few contacts.

Is Muck Rack free?

Muck Rack is free for journalists who manage their own profile. PR teams pay, and pricing comes after you contact sales. There is no free tier or trial for PR buyers.

Is Cision free to use?

No. Cision does not publish a price, and its pricing page is a form that leads to a sales call. We found no free tier or trial.

Can I use Meltwater for free?

Not really. Meltwater says it does not offer a self-serve free trial, though you can request a free demo. Its own blog puts the Starter tier from $10,000 a year.

Does Qwoted have a free tier?

Yes. The Qwoted free tier gives you 2 pitches a month, with new requests shown after a 2 hour delay. Pro costs $149 a month for 35 pitches.

Does HARO still exist?

Yes. Cision shut down Connectively, the renamed HARO, in December 2024. Featured bought HARO in April 2025 and brought back the free daily emails.

Is Media List free?

No. Media List is a paid tool from $99 a month. You can start a 3-day trial at $0 today with a card or PayPal, see real contacts and export up to 25.

Is there a free way to find a journalist's email?

Yes, for a few at a time. Hunter's free tier gives 50 credits a month if you know the reporter and their outlet. You can also check the reporter's author page or social profile.

Sources

1. HARO homepage and sources page, checked 2026-10-09
2. Cision, Connectively has been discontinued, checked 2026-10-09
3. Cision press release, sale of HARO to Featured.com, checked 2026-10-09
4. Qwoted pricing page, checked 2026-10-09
5. Qwoted Free Media Database page, checked 2026-10-09
6. Hunter pricing page, checked 2026-10-09
7. Anewstip plans page, checked 2026-10-09
8. Muck Rack pricing page, checked 2026-10-09
9. Cision request pricing page, checked 2026-10-09
10. Meltwater pricing and pricing FAQ, checked 2026-10-09
11. JournalistDB pricing page, checked 2026-10-09
12. Medialyst pricing page, checked 2026-10-09
13. Featured pricing page, checked 2026-10-09
14. Press Ranger pricing page, checked 2026-10-09
15. Media List pricing page, checked 2026-10-09
16. Reddit r/PublicRelations, Muck Rack Rates and Pricing (Mar 2026), checked 2026-10-09
17. Connectively pricing page, checked 2026-10-09
18. Meltwater blog, Meltwater Pricing (9 Jul 2026), checked 2026-10-09
19. Semrush KB, AI PR Toolkit Pricing and Plans, checked 2026-10-09
20. JournoFinder homepage FAQ, checked 2026-10-09
21. Reporters.io plans page, checked 2026-10-09

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