The 7 Best Cision Competitors & Alternatives (in 2025)

Browsing PR tools and looking for Cision competitors? You’re in luck – there are plenty of useful alternatives out there to consider.

This list has our top 7 to be aware of. By the end of this guide, we’ll ideally have helped you find the right one. That means a tool that’s: modern, effective, easy to use, and (most importantly) cheaper than the Cision Communications Cloud.

Why teams use Prezly alongside Cision

Cision gives you access to a huge media database. Prezly helps you make the most of it.

Track which emails bounce, who engages with your pitches, and when to follow up – all from one place. And when you’re ready to share a story, publish it in a branded, journalist-friendly newsroom.

See how Cision & Prezly work together

1. Prezly: A dedicated PR outreach CRM that comes at a fraction of the price, with a better user experience, and features designed to improve your journalist relationships. See how to use Prezly and Cision together →
2. Meltwater: A PR suite that is slightly less expensive than Cision (though still far more expensive than Prezly). It has less features than Cision, but a far more robust set of media monitoring tools
3. Muck Rack: A PR software suite that has similar pricing to Cision and Meltwater, but with a better interface and customer support
4. MyNewsDesk: A low-cost alternative to Cision and Meltwater. Good if you’re on a low budget and need access to a media contacts database and wire services, but if you’re following a more long-term approach to PR (which means avoiding media databases and wire services), we’d suggest trying out Prezly instead.
5. Onclusive: Primarily a media monitoring platform that comes with other PR tools. Best if you’re a PR pro at a large organization with an overwhelming amount of data
6. Business Wire: A wire service that’s great if you need to mass distribute targeted releases. Though we always recommend using a CRM like Prezly to earn coverage instead
7. Talkwalker: A more user-friendly and budget-friendly wire service. But, again, we’d urge you to try earning media coverage by building relationships with journalists instead of using a wire service

Need more info? Keep reading below to learn more about each tool!

Cision is a comprehensive PR and communications platform that offers a range of tools and services to support PR and communications teams.

At its core, Cision is a media outreach and media monitoring platform that helps users pitch journalists and track media coverage with the aim of making data-driven decisions.

Cision’s media monitoring and pitching capabilities are designed to help users gain and track media coverage across various channels, including social media, online news, and print publications. The platform uses AI-powered tools to monitor media coverage in real-time, helping users track their brand’s media presence, analyze industry trends, and get an idea of their target audience’s preferences.

With its modern interface, flexible pricing, full feature set, 14-day free trial, Prezly is the ideal companion for PR teams using Cision – or a strong alternative for those looking to simplify their stack.

Cision is great for media monitoring and discovering contacts. Prezly helps you take the next step – by giving you the tools to manage those contacts, send personalized pitches, and publish your stories in a beautiful, branded newsroom.

Prezly is a modern, all-in-one PR platform built for teams that care about building real journalist relationships. Instead of selling media lists or offering newswire services, Prezly focuses on helping you grow your own curated contact base and get better results through targeted outreach.

Use it alongside Cision to strengthen your pitching, streamline your workflow, and measure real engagement – without switching platforms or disrupting what already works for you.

Prezly is a modern, relationship-driven, all-in-one PR software for comms teams and PR agencies. It’s known for offering lower pricing than Cision and a better user-experience (according to PR pros and journalists).

Prezly doesn't sell media lists or offer any newswire services. Instead, the platform is fully focused on helping you build and nurture relationships with relevant journalists. Meaning, you can exclusively focus on earning high-quality, relevant, and effective media coverage. ​

If you’re already using Cision and want more control over your media outreach, contact management, and newsroom publishing, Prezly is a smart, affordable addition to your workflow.

Cision is one of the most established players in the PR software space, and for many teams, it plays a key role in their workflow. But even trusted tools have their limits. Whether you're looking for more flexibility, a smoother experience, or better value, it's worth exploring your options.

In fact, plenty of PR teams don’t fully replace Cision – they use Prezly alongside it to fill in the gaps.

Here’s why some teams choose to add or switch:

Cision’s pricing isn’t public, but based on industry estimates, it starts around $7,200 per year for a basic plan with one user.

For many teams – especially startups, agencies, or in-house comms teams – that’s a major commitment. And if you’re not using the full breadth of Cision’s platform, it may not feel like the best value.

Prezly starts at $100/month with no contracts and a free 14-day trial. Whether you’re looking for a complete alternative or a flexible add-on, it’s a cost-effective way to expand your PR toolkit without blowing the budget.

Cision is best known for its media database and newswire services, which can be valuable for discovery and distribution.

But if your focus is on earning press – through building real relationships and pitching journalists directly – then you may need tools that go beyond static lists and mass distribution.

Prezly gives you those tools:

• A built-in CRM to manage journalist relationships
• Personalized pitching with engagement tracking
• Branded newsrooms to showcase your stories
• Multimedia press release builder
• GDPR-compliant contact management

It’s a great fit for teams that want to move from buying attention to earning real coverage.

Cision has grown through years of acquisitions, which can sometimes result in a platform that feels complex or outdated. If you’ve ever found yourself struggling to complete a simple task or navigate a cluttered dashboard, you’re not alone.

Prezly is designed to be fast, clean, and intuitive. Every feature – from pitching to publishing – works together seamlessly. You can get in, get your story out, and get on with your day.

It’s ideal for PR pros who want to spend more time on storytelling and less time wrestling with software.

Whether you're looking to replace Cision or complement it with more agile tools, Prezly gives you the flexibility to do PR your way.

Why teams use Prezly alongside Cision

Cision gives you access to a huge media database. Prezly helps you make the most of it.

Track which emails bounce, who engages with your pitches, and when to follow up – all from one place. And when you’re ready to share a story, publish it in a branded, journalist-friendly newsroom.

See how Cision & Prezly work together

Now, let's check out our top Cision alternatives.

• Free trial: No
• Price: Starts at $12,000/yr (estimated)
• Tool type: All-in-one PR tool
• G2 rating: 4.0/5

Source: SaaSworthy

Often reviewed side-by-side with Cision, Meltwater is another well-known veteran in the PR software space. In case you haven’t already taken a look at Meltwater, they may be worth considering.

Meltwater started out as a media monitoring solution, but over the years, has become an all-in-one PR suite. Along with media monitoring tools, this suite comes with a media database, outreach tools, social media management, and much more. Social listening capabilities allow organizations to track online conversations, analyze social media activity, and monitor brand mentions, supporting informed decision-making and enhancing PR efforts.

While Meltwater’s media monitoring tools are specifically hard to beat, we’d suggest looking elsewhere if media monitoring isn’t your top priority (i.e. come for the media monitoring, stay for the suite). 

Pros:

• Powerful media monitoring across platforms
• User-friendly (post-setup)
• Real-time brand and market​​​​​​ updates

Cons:

• Challenging setup
• Non-customizable dashboards
• Generally limited customization

Features:

• Media Monitoring
• Analytics Reporting
• Influencer Search

Pricing:

From our research, their pricing is estimated to start at $12,000/yr.

Final verdict:

Compared to Cision, you'll get less features, but a much more user-friendly interface and robust set of media monitoring tools.

• Free trial: No
• Price: Starts at $10,000/yr (estimated)
• Tool type: All-in-one PR tool
• G2 Rating: 4.6/5

Source: Businesswire

If you’re looking for a more traditional PR tool (like Cision or Meltwater), and are willing to spend the high price to match, Muck Rack is generally your best choice. 

It has nearly all the same tools as Cision and Meltwater, but with a friendlier interface and customer support team. 

Pros:

• Extensive journalist network
• Intuitive user interface

Cons:

• High, hidden pricing
• Limited global reach
• Smaller media database that Cision

Features:

• Media database
• Press release distribution
• Real-time media monitoring

Pricing:

Currently, there is no public information Muck Rack shares on their pricing.

Meaning, it can be added to the wide list of PR platforms that (confusingly) keep their pricing hidden. After searching around, it looks like their pricing starts at $10,000/yr (though varies widely). 

Read all about Muck Rack in our article comparing them to Cision. There you’ll find more details about the platform and how each aspect (from pricing, to features, to user experience) works.

Final verdict:

Compared to Cision, you'll get a similar set of features wrapped in a cleaner interface, and for a (potentially) slightly lower price. 

• Free trial: Yes (10 days)
• Price: Could not be found
• Tool type: All-in-one PR tool
• G2 Rating: 4.2/5

Source: MyNewsDesk

Mynewsdesk can loosely be paired alongside Prezly in the category of “modern, all-in-one, PR platform.” 

You can really see this shine through with features like their online newsroom creator and custom email designer. This all comes together to make a platform that fits in nicely with PR pros who want to be more updated and web-first with their work.

However, while Mynewsdesk takes a step closer in the direction of ‘modern PR tool’, it doesn’t get all the way there. They still follow some dated practices like selling media lists and obfuscating their pricing. 

All-in-all, with Mynewsdesk, you’re looking at a platform that matches nicely with a strategy that incorporates a mix of current and traditional PR approaches. ​ 

Source

Pros:

• Great for PR and news distribution
• A good fit for businesses of all sizes

Cons:

• Concerns about data quality
• Customer service issues reported

Features:

• PR and content distribution tools
• Media database
• Newsroom hosting

Pricing:

After plenty of looking, we could not find a reliable price listed for Mynewsdesk However, users have noted their starting prices being in the low-to-mid range.

This leads us to guess that Mynewsdesk’s pricing plans are likely a step up from what you’d find with a lower-priced alternative like Prezly. Roughly, we’d expect their starting plans to cost you anywhere between $100–$200/month. 

Though, it’s always best to be certain by getting a quote directly from their sales team.

Final verdict:

While Mynewsdesk is a refreshing alternative to tools like Cision & Meltwater, it's hard to suggest them over a similar tool like Prezly that comes higher-rated and at a lower price.

In our eyes, we'd only suggest going with Mynewsdesk if you're in need of a lower-cost tool that also comes with a media database and wire services. Otherwise, try out Prezly. 

• Free trial: No
• Price: Starts at $4,999/year
• Tool type: All-in-one PR tool
• G2 rating: 4.4/5

Source: G2

Similar to Meltwater, Onclusive is known primarily as a media monitoring platform, but also comes with a suite of other dedicated PR tools. 

Onclusive’s main goal as a platform is to help their customers make the right PR decisions by providing them with actionable data and insights. 

This is why they focus most deeply on media monitoring, then provide other solutions to complement their insights. If media monitoring is a priority and you’re stuck between Meltwater and Onclusive, we’d suggest Onclusive. 

Pros:

• Extensive media monitoring
• Advanced analytics tools
• Real-time insights and reporting

Cons:

• Complex for new users
• High cost
• Steep learning curve

Features:

• Automated media monitoring
• Advanced data analysis
• Social media tracking
• Media database & outreach

Pricing:

Onclusive’s pricing is a mixed bag of hidden and public. 

Exclusively for media monitoring, their pricing is publicly listed as being $4,999/yr for 5 users. From there, if you want to use any of their other features, you’ll need to ask for a quote. 

Judging by user reviews, Onclusive’s pricing can get quite high, quite fast. Expect to see prices closely resembling veteran tools like Cision and Meltwater ($7,000–$10,000+/yr) for access to the full suite.

Final verdict:

If you are a PR pro at a large organization, with an overwhelming amount of data, we highly recommend taking a look at Onclusive. 

If you're not at a large company, and don't have a flurry of brand data you need to make sense of, we'd suggest trying out a more budget-friendly, growth-oriented PR tool like Prezly.

• Free trial: No
• Price: Starts at $940 for a national release
• Tool type: Press Release Distribution
• G2 Rating: 4.1/5

Source: Businesswire

Business Wire is an incredibly popular Cision alternative used specifically for press release distribution. You might enjoy Business Wire if you're only looking to distribute a press release and don't want to be fully locked into a traditional PR platform. 

When comparing Business Wire to Cision’s wire service, PR Newswire, we generally found that Business Wire is the better pick. Especially if you’re looking to run a deeply targeted campaign. 

It’s also a great option if you’re looking to distribute press releases while using a modern PR platform like Prezly.

Pros:

• Deeply targeted distribution
• Multimedia and social integration
• Detailed reporting

Cons:

• Not as wide reaching as similar tools like Cision’s PR Newswire
• No press release writing service offered

Features:

• National/global distribution
• Targeted circuits
• Multimedia integration​​​​

Pricing:

For a national release, Business Wire's pricing starts at $940 per release. However, this price quickly adds up depending on your word count and if you want to include any multimedia content in your release.

For the full pricing breakdown, check out our article where we compare Business Wire and PR Newswire (and their pricing) in depth. 

Final verdict:

If you're just looking for a tool to distribute press releases with, and you want them to be as targeted as possible, Business Wire is a great fit. However, if you're looking to get results, we always suggest building relationships with journalists over paying for coverage. 

Want to give relationship building a shot? Prezly was designed to help you do exactly that. Try out a 14-day free trial and get a head start on earning effective media coverage.

• Free trial: No
• Price: Starts at $349
• Tool type: Press Release Distribution
• G2 Rating: 4.4/5

Source: Newswire

Just like Business Wire, Newswire is another tool fully dedicated towards helping you distribute press releases. 

If you're looking for a budget-friendly, transparent wire service, they're the one to go with. Ordering a campaign can be done in just a few clicks and comes at a fraction of the cost of alternatives like Business Wire and PR Newswire. 

Judging by their positive reviews, users appear to be getting comparable results, too. 

Pros:

• User-friendly interface
• Transparent pricing
• Responsive support

Cons:

• Censorship issues
• Variable coverage quality

Features:

• Press release distribution
• Editing tools
• Performance analytics​​​​

Pricing:

Newswire’s cheapest distribution plan costs $349 for one release. However, their most popular one is priced at $599. 

While a step up from their base cost, $599 for a campaign is still far friendlier on the wallet than an alternative like Business Wire. Especially considering that their only add-on fee is to embed video. 

If you’re planning to distribute a few releases, you can also buy them in bulk, saving you up to 20% off (for 24 PRs). 

Final verdict:

Newswire is our favorite Cision alternative if you’re exclusively looking for a user & budget-friendly wire service. Of course, if you have a larger budget, and want your release to be more tightly targeted, Business Wire could still be the better option. 

Otherwise, if you want an all-in-one PR software to work from, you’ll want to look at Prezly or another app on this list.

• Free trial: 14-day free trial
• Price: Starts at $79/month billed annually
• Tool type: Social media monitoring
• Capterra rating: 4.7/5

Brand24 is a social media monitoring tool that helps users track and analyze social media conversations about their brand. The platform provides real-time alerts and detailed analytics, allowing users to understand their target audience’s preferences and track their brand’s social media presence.

With Brand24, users can track their brand’s social media coverage, analyze industry trends, and understand their target audience’s preferences. The platform also offers powerful social media monitoring tools, including sentiment analysis and influencer identification.

Pros:

• User friendly
• Downloadable reports
• Works across social media platforms

Cons:

• Inaccurate sentiment reporting
• Misses some mentions
• Patchy support

Finding out which Cision competitor is right for you depends on what you need most. 

If it's just press release distribution, you may want to look at Newswire for the best price, and if it's an all-in-one PR platform, you should look at Prezly or Muck Rack. 

With its 14-day free trial, modern interface, and low pricing, Prezly is the best Cision alternative to centralize your team’s PR workflow with.

Of course, there are always endless solutions to choose from in the PR software space. Hopefully, our list has helped you get closer to picking the one that's best for your needs.

Why teams use Prezly alongside Cision

Cision gives you access to a huge media database. Prezly helps you make the most of it.

Track which emails bounce, who engages with your pitches, and when to follow up – all from one place. And when you’re ready to share a story, publish it in a branded, journalist-friendly newsroom.

See how Cision & Prezly work together