Head to head
PR Newswire vs PR Underground
Pricing, features, distribution and reviews, scored against the same data points. On the weighted model, PR Underground currently leads this pairing. This pairing is available for research but excluded from search indexing.
Final verdict
Overall verdict
PR Underground
3.68 / 5
Leads by 0.00 points on the weighted model.
Sections won
PR Newswire6 / 7
PR Underground1 / 7
Data points won
PR Newswire19
PR Underground12
Level6
Service details
| Detail | PR Newswire | PR Underground |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 1954 | 2010 |
| Ownership | Cision | PR Underground |
| Company size | N/A | N/A |
| Headquarters | New York, United States | N/A |
| Funding history | Operated by Cision | N/A |
| Customer audience | PR professionals, comms teams, and public companies | Small businesses, marketing agencies, and PR firms |
| Distribution reach | Distributes to over 500,000 media outlets, newsrooms, and financial portals across 170+ countries in 40+ languages. | 300+ to 400+ outlets; US National. |
| Turnaround | Press releases can be distributed within hours of approval by the 24/7 editorial team. | 1 business day. |
| Pricing model | Starts at $350 for local distribution plus a $195-$249 annual membership fee. National releases start at $805, with steep overages for extra words and multimedia. | $74.99 per release; fully transparent pricing published. |
PR Underground
Flat-rate distribution with syndication to news portals.
3.68Global score / 5
Side by side
| Data point | PR Newswire | PR Underground |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing & value1.60 vs 4.33PR Underground leads | ||
| Entry-level release cost | $350 for state/local release2.0 | $74.99 per release5.0 ▲ |
| Pricing transparency | No public rate card (returns 404)1.0 | Fully transparent pricing published5.0 ▲ |
| Word-count & multimedia overages | $140+ per 100 extra words, $325 per image1.0 | N/A3.7 ▲ |
| Contract flexibility | $195-$249 annual membership required2.0 | Pay per release or cancel-anytime subscriptions5.0 ▲ |
| Refund policy | Unused portion refunded if vendor discontinues service2.0 | No refunds once distributed; full refund if release is rejected3.0 ▲ |
| Distribution reach4.82 vs 2.83PR Newswire leads | ||
| Stated outlet count | 500,000+ media outlets and newsrooms5.0 ▲ | 300+ to 400+ outlets3.0 |
| Country coverage | 170+ countries5.0 ▲ | US National2.0 |
| Financial & regulatory circuits | Full regulatory disclosure points4.8 ▲ | Yahoo Finance, StreetInsider, MarketWatch3.5 |
| Trade & vertical targeting | 100+ industries and trade categories4.5 ▲ | Verticals Boost (150+ niche industry sites)3.0 |
| Outlet variety (regions & niches) | Multicultural, language-specific, and industry verticals4.8 ▲ | Regional, local, national, and financial news sites3.5 |
| Additional reach services | ProfNet, media tours, paid placement, social sharing4.8 ▲ | Shared on X (Twitter)2.0 |
| Placement quality4.04 vs 3.67PR Newswire leads | ||
| Tier-1 pickup likelihood | Yahoo Finance, Bloomberg, CNBC, AP News4.8 ▲ | Yahoo Finance, MarketWatch, PRNewswire network4.0 |
| Guaranteed placements | Guaranteed paid placement available4.0 ▲ | Guarantees full network reach and PDF report3.0 |
| Average outlet authority (DR & traffic) | High domain authority and web traffic4.5 ▲ | Yahoo Finance, MarketWatch, DigitalJournal3.5 |
| Speed of distribution | Within hours of approval4.0 | 1 business day4.0 |
| Search indexing durability | N/A3.5 | Submitted to and indexed by Google News4.0 ▲ |
| Indexing ratio | N/A3.5 | N/A3.5 |
| Platform & workflow3.97 vs 3.38PR Newswire leads | ||
| Release editor usability | AI-powered Create+ tool for drafting and enhancing4.5 ▲ | Paste text or upload draft3.0 |
| Approval & compliance workflow | Internal approvals required before submission4.0 ▲ | Editorial team reviews for compliance3.5 |
| Multimedia support | Photos, videos, logos, infographics4.5 ▲ | Upload assets3.0 |
| Integrations | Website integration and social media connections4.0 ▲ | N/A3.3 |
| Team & multi-user management | Individual registered-user logins; no sharing2.0 | Multiple newsrooms for different brands/clients4.0 ▲ |
| Additional tools & extras | AI campaign planning, content creation, media monitoring4.8 ▲ | Branded newsroom hosting3.5 |
| White label & reseller4.04 vs 3.64PR Newswire leads | ||
| White-label reporting | N/A4.0 | N/A4.0 |
| API access | N/A3.1 | N/A3.1 |
| White-label publishing | N/A4.6 | N/A4.6 |
| Agency & reseller pricing | Channel Partner and Publishing Partner programs3.5 | Volume discounts and subscriptions available4.5 ▲ |
| Dedicated account manager | Dedicated agency account management team5.0 ▲ | No account manager attached2.0 |
| Customer support3.85 vs 3.69PR Newswire leads | ||
| Support channels | Phone & e-mail3.5 ▲ | Email2.5 |
| Response speed | 24/7 editorial team availability4.5 ▲ | N/A4.0 |
| Support quality (public reviews) | 3.9/5 on G2 (781 reviews)3.9 | 4.3 Stars on G2 (107 Reviews)4.3 ▲ |
| Onboarding & training | MediaRoom CMS training and 24/7/365 support3.5 | No onboarding required4.0 ▲ |
| Analytics & reporting4.24 vs 4.17PR Newswire leads | ||
| Pickup reporting detail | Visibility Reports showing engagement, pickup, and reach4.5 | Every outlet, every permalink5.0 ▲ |
| Audience & engagement metrics | Performance and audience engagement data4.2 ▲ | N/A3.4 |
| Report speed after distribution | Visibility Report 2 hours after distribution4.5 ▲ | Day after distribution4.0 |
| Real-time dashboards | Real-time newsfeed and analytics4.0 | Real-time coverage tracking4.5 ▲ |
| Export & sharing | Downloadable reports to share results4.0 | Download PDF4.0 |
N/A means the provider does not publish that detail; the data point then inherits the directory average so a missing disclosure neither helps nor hurts. See how we rank.
Ratings & reviews
| Rating source | PR Newswire | PR Underground |
|---|---|---|
| Compare Newswire score | 3.67 / 5 | 3.68 / 5 |
| Verified user reviews | N/A | N/A |
 G2 | 3.9 / 5748 reviews | 4.3 / 5107 reviews |
 Trustpilot | N/A | 4.1 / 517 reviews |
 Capterra | N/A | N/A |
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Final score & winner
PR Underground wins this comparison with 3.68 / 5, ahead by 0.00 points. It leads 1 of 7 sections and 12 individual data points. 6 data points are level.
| Section | PR Newswire | PR Underground |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing & value | 1.60 | 4.33Wins |
| Distribution reach | 4.82Wins | 2.83 |
| Placement quality | 4.04Wins | 3.67 |
| Platform & workflow | 3.97Wins | 3.38 |
| White label & reseller | 4.04Wins | 3.64 |
| Customer support | 3.85Wins | 3.69 |
| Analytics & reporting | 4.24Wins | 4.17 |
| Global score | 3.67 | 3.68Winner |
| Sections won | 6 / 7 | 1 / 7 |
| Data points won | 19 | 12 |
