Prices and facts checked October 9, 2026. See something wrong? Tell us.
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.
Free media database options compared, checked October 2026
| Tool | What you get at $0 | The catch | Paid starts at | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HARO | Three daily emails with journalist requests1 | You wait for a reporter to ask. You cannot pick who to pitch | Free for sources1 | Experts who want quotes in stories |
| Qwoted | Free tier with 2 pitches a month and a free media database45 | Requests arrive with a 2 hour delay on the free tier4 | Pro at $149 a month4 | Answering reporter requests |
| Hunter | 50 credits a month6 | You must know the person and their company domain | Starter at $49 a month6 | Finding one email you already need |
| Anewstip | Free tier with 2 lists of up to 100 contacts7 | No pitches on the free tier7 | Standard at $200 a month7 | A small global test list |
| Muck Rack | Free for journalists who claim a profile8 | No free tier or trial for PR buyers. Pricing comes after a demo8 | Quote only8 | Journalists managing their own profile |
| JournalistDB | Browse names, titles and outlets11 | Masked emails only and no CSV exports on the free tier11 | Pro at $79 a month11 | Checking who works where |
| Medialyst | One free first list with 100 credits, no card12 | One list only12 | Starter at $149 a month12 | One story, one list |
| Featured | Free tier with no credit card13 | Plans differ by daily AI usage13 | Lite at $39 a month13 | AI chat help with PR tasks |
| Press Ranger | Free account to browse14 | Full contact details are locked on the free tier14 | Pro at $79 a month14 | Looking around before you buy |
| Cision | Nothing free found9 | Pricing comes from a form and a call9 | Quote only9 | Large teams with a set budget |
| Meltwater | A free demo, not a free trial10 | No self-serve trial10 | From $10,000 a year18 | Teams that need monitoring |
| Media List | 3-day trial at $0 today with real contacts15 | Card or PayPal needed. Up to 25 exports during the trial15 | $99 a month15 | Building and exporting a real list |
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.
The free options, one by one
Here is what each free option really gives you, with prices as of October 2026. Every rival price on this page links to its source.
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, but it still exists.
- 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.
The catch is that HARO is reactive. You wait for a reporter to ask, and you cannot choose the outlet, the beat or the timing of your story.
Qwoted
Qwoted's free tier 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 does not tell you who covers your beat, so it works best when you know the person and the outlet.
Anewstip
Anewstip's free tier gives you 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 and trials hold back
Free tiers are a good way to start, but they are not built to run a real campaign. Here is what you usually give up.
- Full lists. You cannot pull a full list by beat, outlet and state. Most free tiers show names but hide the email.
- Volume. You cannot export at volume. Free tiers cap you at a few contacts, or block CSV downloads.
- Timing. You cannot pick your own timing. Request tools like HARO and Qwoted make you wait for a reporter to ask.
- Creators. You cannot reach creators in the same place. Most free tools cover journalists only, not YouTube channels or podcasts.
- Follow-ups. 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, so check the reporter's latest byline before you pitch.
Some paid trials hide the data too. 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
The Media List trial shows you the real data before you pay. You search the same database a paying customer searches.
- You pay $0 today with a card or PayPal.
- For 3 days you can search everything, build lists and export up to 25 contacts.
- 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, and 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 36,000+ journalists, editors and producers, with 26,000+ 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 Media List if
- You are a founder, solo publicist or agency that needs a full list by beat, outlet or state.
- You want creators in the same list as journalists.
- You want to export the list to your own tools.
Choose a free tool if
- HARO or Qwoted. You are an expert who wants to answer reporter requests and you have time to watch for them.
- Hunter's free tier. You already know which five or six reporters you want and just need their emails.
- Anewstip's free tier. You want a small test list of up to 100 contacts, including outside the US.
- JournalistDB's free browse. You only need to check who works at an outlet today.
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. Paid tools trade money for the research step.
The free route
- $0 in fees.
- Each reporter you find by hand means reading bylines and then looking up an email.
Hunter Starter
- $49 a month for 2,000 credits6.
- It finds emails, but you still do the research on who covers your beat.
Media List Basic
- $99 a month, with no contract.
- Includes the research step, 2,500 exports a month and creators in the same search.
Media List Professional
- $399 a month for a 3-person agency.
- Includes up to 3 seats and campaigns with follow-ups.
