How Much Does a Press Release Cost to Distribute in 2026?
A single U.S. release costs between $120 and $1,205 at the wires that post a price, as read on October 19, 2026. Five of the seven services we checked publish a figure: PRWeb, EIN Presswire, Newswire.com, ACCESS Newswire and Business Wire. Two, PR Newswire and GlobeNewswire, sell through a demo or sales call. The figures below are list prices before any discount, tax or add-on, and none buys editorial coverage: a wire delivers a release to a network, and editors decide whether to write about it.
This guide answers what a release costs and why. If you are choosing between wires rather than budgeting for one, our comparison of alternatives to Business Wire sets the services side by side on distribution and disclosure services, and alternatives to PR Newswire starts from the other big quote-based wire.
| Wire service | Published single-release prices | Word limit | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| PRWeb | $120 / $245 / $360 / $480 | None stated on the pricing page | PRWeb |
| EIN Presswire | $149 (Basic, one release) | 700 words on Basic | EIN Presswire |
| Newswire.com | $399 / $659 / $965; state $599 | “unlimited words and images” | Newswire.com |
| Business Wire | From $475; above that, quoted | 400 words in the starting price | Business Wire |
| ACCESS Newswire | $475 / $865 / $1,205; state $599 | “unlimited word count” | ACCESS Newswire |
| PR Newswire | Not published; demo | Not stated | PR Newswire |
| GlobeNewswire | Not published; demo | Not stated | GlobeNewswire |
What Do Wire Services Charge for One Release?
Entry tiers run from $120 to $475, and the most expensive published single release is $1,205. The chart shows the lowest and highest listed tier for each service that publishes one.
US dollars per release
Source: ACCESS Newswire, “Submit a Press Release”; Newswire.com, “Pricing”; PRWeb, “Pricing”; Business Wire, “Business Wire Pricing & Distribution Plans”; EIN Presswire, “Press Release Pricing & Comparison Chart.” Read October 19, 2026.
Business Wire publishes only a starting price; its higher tiers are quoted. EIN Presswire sells one single-release plan, so only its Basic price is shown. ACCESS Newswire's home page FAQ says prices “start at $415”; its pricing page shows $475, the figure charted. State tiers ($599 at both ACCESS Newswire and Newswire.com) are omitted. PR Newswire and GlobeNewswire publish no price. Tiers differ in word limits and outlets, so bars are not like for like.
The chart shows a tenfold spread between the cheapest and the dearest published release, and most of it comes from what the tier distributes to, not from the service's name.
At the low end, PRWeb's $120 Basic plan offers keyword tagging by its editorial team and unlimited media assets with a 48-hour turnaround; syndication to “our network of 1200+ websites powered by PRNewswire” starts at the $245 Standard plan (PRWeb). EIN Presswire's $149 Basic plan covers one release of up to 700 words with one image (EIN Presswire).
In the middle, Newswire.com's $399 Starter is “Published to Digital Journal and Online News & Media,” its $659 Basic is “Distributed to AP News, Digital Journal, and more,” and its $965 Feature “Includes AP News, Yahoo, Nexstar, and major outlets” (Newswire.com). At the top, ACCESS Newswire's $865 National tier adds Yahoo! Finance, AP and broker and trading terminals to the Budget tier, and the $1,205 US Premium adds Business Insider and specialty circuits (ACCESS Newswire).
What Makes a Press Release Cost More?
Three things move the price: length, the circuit or outlet list, and extras such as multimedia or translation. Business Wire states this most directly: its pricing “is based on several factors, including word count, geographic circuit, and any enhancements such as multimedia or translation” (Business Wire). PR Newswire says the same in different words, naming “distribution scope, geographic reach and additional services such as multimedia, targeting and amplification channels” (PR Newswire).
Length matters only on some services. Business Wire's starting price covers 400 words, and EIN Presswire caps releases at 700, 1,000 or 2,500 words by package. Newswire.com and ACCESS Newswire say words are unlimited at every tier; ACCESS adds that “the price you see is the full price for the release.” PRWeb's pricing page states no word limit. Neither Business Wire nor EIN Presswire publishes a per-word rate for going over, so the cost of a long release on those services is something to ask for in writing.
Circuit is the larger lever. Both ACCESS Newswire and Newswire.com sell a $599 state tier, and both mark it “Not for regulatory distro.” International and global distribution at ACCESS Newswire are “Contact for Pricing” (ACCESS Newswire).
Do Bundles and Subscriptions Lower the Cost per Release?
Yes, if you will use them in time. Three services publish volume terms, and each comes with a use-by window. The per-release figures in the last column are our arithmetic from the published prices unless the vendor shows them.
| Offer | Published terms | Use-by window | Per release |
|---|---|---|---|
| EIN Presswire Pro+ | $499 for 5 releases, plus 1 free as a “limited-time offer” | “within 1 year from the date of purchase” | $99.80, or $83.17 counting the free release (both shown by EIN) |
| EIN Presswire Corporate | $999 for 15 releases | 1 year | $66.60 (shown by EIN) |
| ACCESS Newswire 3-pack | “Save 5%” on the chosen tier | 12 months (single releases: 60 days) | $451.25 on Budget (our arithmetic) |
| ACCESS Newswire 5-pack | “Save 10%” on the chosen tier | 12 months | $427.50 on Budget (our arithmetic) |
| ACCESS PR subscription | Budget $920, National $1,150, Premium $1,525 a month, one release a month plus database and monitoring | Monthly, quarterly or annual billing | Not comparable; the fee also buys software |
| Business Wire volume | “Ask About Volume Discounts” | Not stated | Not published |
EIN Presswire's free sixth release sits under a countdown timer on its pricing page, so treat it as temporary (EIN Presswire). ACCESS Newswire says single releases “must be used within 60 days of purchase; pack bundles must be used within 12 months” (ACCESS Newswire). Its subscriptions save 10% billed quarterly and 20% billed annually, which it illustrates as Budget falling to $736 a month on annual billing (ACCESS Newswire). A bundle you do not use before it expires costs more per release, not less.
Why Do PR Newswire and GlobeNewswire Not Publish Prices?
Both sell quoted packages through sales, so there is no public figure to compare. PR Newswire's distribution page answers its own question, “How much does it cost to distribute a press release with PR Newswire?”, with “Costs vary based on distribution scope, geographic reach and additional services” and a demo form (PR Newswire). GlobeNewswire's distribution page, in an archived copy dated October 1, 2026, offers “Request a Demo” and no price; its regulatory page describes “flat-rate pricing” for its EDGAR Direct filing service without giving the rate (GlobeNewswire; GlobeNewswire).
We do not repeat third-party price estimates for either. Both also sell financial disclosure and filing services that the budget wires do not describe, which is part of what a quote covers; PR Newswire vs Business Wire and PR Newswire vs GlobeNewswire cover those differences.
What Does the Price Not Buy?
No tier on any page we read promises a story, a ranking or an AI citation. The outlet names on rate cards describe where a release is posted or syndicated, which is not the same as an editor choosing to cover it; Where Does a Wire Release Actually End Up? traces the difference. Reach figures such as Newswire.com's “Estimated reach: 150–200 million monthly readers” are the vendor's estimates of its partners' audiences, not readers of your release. Links in wire copy are commonly nofollow (Do Wire Services Nofollow Your Links?), and a paid release is advertising, not earned coverage.
What This Means for Anyone Buying a Release
Our recommendations, not vendor rules. Price the release you actually have: count the words, name the circuit and list the images before comparing quotes, because a 400-word starting price and an unlimited-word flat price are different products. Ask any quote-based wire for the all-in figure in writing, including overage and multimedia. Buy a bundle only if you will use it inside its window. If the release is a regulatory disclosure, confirm the service is approved for that purpose; two state tiers here say they are not. This is not legal advice.
Methodology and Limitations
Four limits apply. First, these are list prices read on vendors' own pages on October 19, 2026; discounts, taxes, overage and add-ons are not included, and prices change. Second, Business Wire, GlobeNewswire and ACCESS Newswire block automated readers, so their pages were read in a standard browser; GlobeNewswire's pages were read from Internet Archive copies dated October 1 and June 25, 2026. Third, tiers differ in word limits and outlets, so the chart compares sticker prices, not value. Fourth, we did not buy or send a release on any service.
Conclusion
A release can be bought for $120 or for more than $1,200 on public rate cards, and the two largest quote-based wires do not say what they charge. The headline number is the least useful part of the comparison. Word limits, circuits, use-by windows and what the tier actually distributes to decide the real cost, and none of it buys a journalist's attention.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to send out a press release?
As of October 19, 2026, the five wires that publish prices charge $120 to $1,205 for one U.S. release. PRWeb Basic is the cheapest at $120; ACCESS Newswire US Premium is the most expensive at $1,205.
How much does Business Wire charge for a press release?
Business Wire's pricing page shows a $475 starting price for 400 words of U.S. domestic local distribution. Longer releases, wider circuits and multimedia are quoted.
How much does PR Newswire cost?
PR Newswire does not publish a price. Its distribution page says costs vary with distribution scope, geographic reach and additional services, and it offers a demo.
Is there a press release service under $100?
Not for a single release on the pages we read. EIN Presswire's Pro+ bundle works out to $99.80 a release for five, or $83.17 counting a limited-time free sixth release.
Do press release prices include unlimited words?
Newswire.com and ACCESS Newswire say yes at every tier. Business Wire's starting price covers 400 words and EIN Presswire caps releases at 700 to 2,500 words by package.
Does a more expensive press release get more coverage?
Higher tiers buy wider distribution, but none of the vendor pages we read promises coverage or pickup by editors.
Sources and Methodology
This report is built from each wire service's own pricing and distribution pages, read on October 19, 2026. Business Wire and ACCESS Newswire pages block automated readers and were read in a standard browser; GlobeNewswire's pages could not be opened directly and were read from Internet Archive copies dated October 1, 2026 (distribution) and June 25, 2026 (regulatory filing). Per-release bundle figures marked as our arithmetic are calculations from published prices, and recommendations are ours, not vendor rules. Reach figures are vendor estimates. We did not purchase, send or test any release, and nothing here is legal advice.
- vendor PRWeb, Pricing. Four per-release tiers, inclusions, turnaround. Read October 19, 2026.
- vendor EIN Presswire, Press Release Pricing & Comparison Chart. Packages, word limits, one-year use window, per-release figures. Read October 19, 2026.
- vendor Newswire.com, Pricing. Tiers, reach estimates, unlimited words, state tier note. Read October 19, 2026.
- vendor Business Wire, Business Wire Pricing & Distribution Plans. $475 starting price, pricing factors, volume discounts. Read October 19, 2026, in a browser.
- vendor ACCESS Newswire, Submit a Press Release. Per-release tiers, packs, use windows, state and international tiers. Read October 19, 2026, in a browser.
- vendor ACCESS Newswire, home page. FAQ “start at $415.” Read October 19, 2026, in a browser.
- vendor ACCESS Newswire, PR Software Subscription Pricing. Subscription tiers and billing discounts. Read October 19, 2026, in a browser.
- vendor PR Newswire, PR Distribution and Placement. Pricing-factor answer; demo; no price. Read October 19, 2026.
- vendor GlobeNewswire, Press Release Distribution Services. Demo request; no price. Read October 19, 2026, from the Internet Archive copy of October 1, 2026.
- vendor GlobeNewswire, Regulatory & EDGAR Filing Services. EDGAR Direct “flat-rate pricing,” no rate given. Read October 19, 2026, from the Internet Archive copy of June 25, 2026.