Medialyst and Media List are two different companies. The names differ by one letter and sound almost the same, so people mix them up. Medialyst, at medialyst.ai, is an AI research tool that finds reporters for one story at a time. Media List is a searchable database of journalists, podcasts and YouTube creators, with exports from $99 a month.
If you want the most contacts for your money, Media List works out to about $0.04 per exported contact. Medialyst's monthly plans work out to about $0.08 to $0.15 per contact.2 If you want an AI to read your press release and score each reporter for fit, Medialyst is built for that job.
Media List vs Medialyst at a glance
| What you compare | Media List | Medialyst |
|---|---|---|
| Company and name | Media List, two words | Medialyst, one word with a y, a separate company1 |
| How you find people | Search and browse a database with filters for beat, outlet, title, state and media type | Paste a press release, website or topic, and AI agents find and score reporters1 |
| Entry price | Basic, $99 a month | Starter, $149 a month2 |
| Contacts at the entry price | 2,500 exports a month | 1,000 credits a month, 1 credit per verified email2 |
| Cost per contact, monthly plans | About $0.04 | About $0.08 on Scale to $0.15 on Starter2 |
| 10,000 contacts a month | Professional, $399 a month | Scale, $800 a month2 |
| Unused allowance | Exports reset each billing month. Contacts you already exported never count again | Unused credits roll over while you stay subscribed2 |
| Missed searches | Searches are unlimited on every plan | Misses are free. You pay a credit only when a verified email is delivered2 |
| Ways to start | 3-day trial, $0 today, card or PayPal, up to 25 exports | Free first list with 100 credits and no card2 |
| Cancelling | Anytime from your billing page. The plan runs to the end of the paid period | Site says "No contract. Cancel anytime." Terms ask you to cancel at least 30 days before your next billing date23 |
| Guarantee | Bounced exports replaced at no cost | A 14-day guarantee on the first payment of a first paid plan3 |
| Seats | 1 on Basic, 3 on Professional, 10 on Scale | Unlimited seats on every plan2 |
| Story matching | Filter by beat, outlet and location, then build the list yourself | A fit score, a pitch angle and the recent article behind each match10 |
| Local and regional media | Browse journalists in all 50 states plus DC by state | Its FAQ says hyper-local, print-only and some regional trade sources "can be thinner"1 |
| YouTube and podcasts | 189,000+ YouTube channels and 1.2 million podcasts in every plan | Not listed on its pricing page. It is built around reporters2 |
| List limits | Unlimited lists on every plan | Starter allows 3 active media lists. Pro and Scale are unlimited2 |
| Sending | Campaigns with follow-ups and open and click tracking on Professional and up | Mail merge with AI drafting through your own Gmail or Outlook. It does not auto-send1 |
| API and AI assistants | MCP server and read-only API that search the contact database, plus Zapier (beta), Google Sheets, Send to Notion and Send to Webflow | API and MCP on every paid plan, including Starter2 |
| Public pages to check before you buy | Public newsroom and journalist pages | No public journalist directory in its sitemap9 |
Try Media List for 3 days, $0 today, then from $99 a month. No contract. No sales call.
Start 3-day free trial →Two different ways to build a media list
The biggest difference is not price. It is how each tool works.
Medialyst starts from your story. You paste a release or a topic, and its agents read recent articles to decide who is active on that beat. Each match comes back with a score, a suggested pitch angle and the article that earned the match.110 That is a great fit when you have one launch and want a short, reasoned list.
Media List starts from the database. You pick a beat, a state, an outlet or a media type and see everyone who matches. You can save that as a list, export it, and come back next month for the next client. That fits people who pitch many stories, for many clients, every month.
Both tools pay attention to email quality, in different ways. Medialyst says each email it delivers passed a multi-step verification check within the last 14 days, or is checked again when you build the list.4 In Media List, every contact shows its verification status before you export. You can filter to verified emails, and if an exported email bounces, we replace it at no cost. Pick the approach that matches how often you pitch and how many people you need to reach.
Price per contact, worked out
Medialyst charges 1 credit for each verified email it delivers.2 That makes the math easy to check.
- Starter is $149 a month for 1,000 credits, about $0.15 each.
- Pro is $299 a month for 3,000 credits, about $0.10 each.
- Scale is $800 a month for 10,000 credits, about $0.08 each.
- Media List Basic is $99 for 2,500 exports, and Professional is $399 for 10,000. Both work out to about $0.04 per exported contact.
Two notes keep this fair. Medialyst's AI analysis and agent research use extra credits, so its real cost per contact can be higher.2 On the other hand, unused Medialyst credits roll over while you stay subscribed, and Media List exports reset each month.
Who each tool fits best
Choose Media List if
- You are a solo publicist with several clients and need thousands of contacts a month.
- You are an agency that wants 10,000 contacts a month for $399 instead of $800.
- You are a founder pitching local TV, regional papers, podcasts and YouTubers, not only national tech reporters.
- You want to cancel from your billing page without a 30-day notice window.
Choose Medialyst if
- You are a founder with one launch who wants an AI to match your story to reporters and explain each pick.
- You are an agency with a large team, since every Medialyst plan includes unlimited seats.
- You want to try a first list for free with no card at all.
- You want a guarantee on your first payment. Medialyst offers a 14-day guarantee on the first payment.
What a year costs, two examples
These use list prices as of October 2026, before tax.
A solo publicist who needs about 2,500 contacts a month
- Medialyst Pro gives 3,000 credits for $299 a month, which is $3,588 over 12 months.2 Billed yearly it is $2,332.
- Medialyst Starter at $149 gives only 1,000 credits, so it would fall short.
- Media List Basic covers 2,500 exports for $99 a month. Pay yearly and you pay for 10 months instead of 12.
A 3-person agency that needs about 10,000 contacts a month
- Medialyst Scale gives 10,000 credits for $800 a month, which is $9,600 over 12 months. Billed yearly it is $6,240, with unlimited seats.2
- Media List Professional gives 10,000 exports and 3 seats for $399 a month, plus campaigns with follow-ups.
We assume every credit buys one verified email and no credits go to AI analysis. Real Medialyst use will cost the same or more.
What buyers say about Medialyst
- "For a boutique practice like mine, the economics just do not work. Medialyst fits the model." (customer quote on Medialyst's site, October 2026)1
- "Useful journalist research, with a few rough edges" (G2 survey response, per search results, not checked on G2)6
- "$149 subscription pricing doesn't fit burst usage" (G2 survey response, per search results, not checked on G2)6
- "our email quality isn't at muckrack's level yet." (Medialyst's founder, Reddit, August 2026)5
Medialyst has no Trustpilot page.7 Per search results, not checked on G2, it showed 5.0 from 1 review there in October 2026.6
How to switch from Medialyst
- Check your billing date first. Medialyst's terms ask you to cancel at least 30 days before your next billing date.3 If you are inside that window, plan for one more charge.
- Use your credits. Unused credits roll over only while you stay subscribed, so spend them before the plan ends.2
- Keep a copy of your lists. Save any lists you built so the reporters and pitch angles stay with you.
- Start your Media List trial. You get 3 days and up to 25 exports, with $0 due today.
- Rebuild by filters, not by story. Pick a beat, a US state, an outlet and a media type such as TV or podcasts. Save one list per client and export a CSV, or send it as a campaign on Professional.
You can also keep both, using Medialyst to research one big story and Media List for the monthly volume lists.
Is Medialyst free?
Medialyst has a free tier for a first list. It gives 100 credits and one media list, with no card needed.2 After that, paid plans start at $149 a month. Media List has a 3-day trial with $0 due today, and you can export up to 25 contacts during it.
How do I make sure I reached the right company?
Look at the name and the web address. Medialyst is spelled with a y and lives at medialyst.ai. Media List is two words. They are separate businesses, and an account with one does not give you access to the other.