Prowly vs Muck Rack at a Glance
An important fact first: Prowly's own site now says “Prowly is now the Semrush AI PR Toolkit”. The comparison below therefore sets Muck Rack against the Semrush AI PR Toolkit plans, which is what a new buyer is offered, and notes where Prowly's older feature set is no longer listed. “Winner” is marked only where published pages show a real difference. Pricing checked October 2026, in U.S. dollars.
| Category | Prowly (Semrush AI PR Toolkit) | Muck Rack | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Small and mid-size teams that want a self-serve PR toolkit with a published price | In-house and agency teams that want a journalist database, inbox-based pitching and coverage reporting | Depends |
| Starting price | $149/month Base, billed annually | Not published; Starter, Standard, Premier plans marked “Contact us” | Prowly |
| Plans | Base $149, Pro $279, Business $499 a month (billed annually); Enterprise custom | Starter, Standard, Premier, with brand and agency versions | Depends |
| Media database | Global media database with AI search and an AI-cited media finder; 250 to 1,000 contacts a month by plan | Editorial team of 100+ plus journalist-maintained profiles | Depends |
| Pitching | Pitching tool, email analytics, scheduled follow-ups from Pro | Pitches sent from your own Gmail or Outlook; coverage matched to pitches | Muck Rack |
| Monitoring | Online news, blogs and forums from Pro; up to 50,000 mentions a month on Business | Online news and podcasts included; broadcast and social listening are paid add-ons | Depends |
| Trial | FAQ lists a free trial; terms not readable in our fetch | Free tools for journalists only | Depends |
| Contract | Annual billing shown; self-serve subscribe | Annual billing in advance, non-refundable | Depends |
| Overall | Better entry price and transparency | Broader monitoring options and attribution | Depends |
What Is Prowly?
Prowly is a PR software brand that now operates as the Semrush AI PR Toolkit, combining a media database, email pitching, media monitoring and competitor benchmarking.
The Prowly homepage reads “Prowly is now the Semrush AI PR Toolkit” and describes four areas: an AI-cited media database, email outreach and analytics, media monitoring, and strategic intelligence and benchmarking. The current Semrush plan cards list only the toolkit features, so confirm in writing that any Prowly feature you rely on is included. Prowly's FAQ includes the question “Can I still sign up for Prowly?”, but the answer is hidden behind a control that did not load for us, so we cannot report it. Semrush's ownership by Adobe is covered in our Semrush vs Ahrefs comparison.
What Is Muck Rack?
Muck Rack is a PR software platform that combines a journalist and outlet database, email pitching, media monitoring and coverage reporting, and gives journalists free profiles and tools.
Muck Rack says it was founded in 2009 and launched its software platform in 2011. PR teams pay for subscriptions; journalists never do. Its facts in this comparison match the ones we fact-checked on October 7 for Muck Rack vs Cision and Meltwater vs Muck Rack, read in a browser because its site blocks automated requests.
Prowly vs Muck Rack: Pricing
Only one of the two publishes a price. The Semrush AI PR Toolkit lists Base at $149, Pro at $279 and Business at $499 a month, each labelled “billed annually”. Muck Rack lists no figure; its pricing page marks every plan “Contact us” and says price depends on factors such as the number of users. Pricing checked October 2026 on Semrush AI PR Toolkit pricing and Muck Rack pricing.
U.S. dollars per month, billed annually, as listed October 10, 2026
Source: Semrush AI PR Toolkit pricing, read October 10, 2026; Muck Rack pricing page, read October 7, 2026 (its site blocked our automated check on October 10).
Muck Rack's empty bar means no price is published, not a zero cost. Extra Semrush users cost $20 a month each.
| Item | Prowly (Semrush AI PR Toolkit) | Muck Rack |
|---|---|---|
| Published price | Base $149, Pro $279, Business $499 a month, billed annually | Not published |
| Enterprise | Custom pricing; demo | Premier plan, quote-based |
| Extra users | $20/month per additional user | Priced by number of users; not published |
| Monthly billing | Page offers a Monthly/Annually toggle; we saw only annual prices | Annual billing in advance |
| Priced separately | Report add-ons $10 and $20/month; lead generation $90/month | Broadcast (per market), social listening, print magazines (Starter and Standard), API (Premier) |
| Refunds | Refund policy is an FAQ question; the answer was not shown in our fetch | Non-refundable for the period purchased, under its terms |
We did not request quotes and do not repeat third-party estimates of Muck Rack's price, because the vendor does not confirm them. If you only answer a few journalist requests a month, neither platform may be worth an annual commitment; compare Qwoted vs Featured first.
Plan Limits That Matter
The Semrush AI PR Toolkit rations media-database contacts and monitored mentions by tier. Base allows 250 contacts a month from the media database, Pro allows 500 and Business allows 1,000. Online media monitoring starts on Pro. Business adds competitor media tracking, coverage benchmarking and gap analysis, and allows 50,000 monitored media mentions a month.
| Feature | Base $149 | Pro $279 | Business $499 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Global media database and AI-cited media finder | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Contacts from database per month | 250 | 500 | 1,000 |
| Audience and traffic insights for outlets | No | Yes | Yes |
| Online media monitoring with AI support | No | Yes | Yes |
| Scheduling follow-up emails; exporting contacts | No | Yes | Yes |
| Tracking which pitches led to coverage | No | Yes | Yes |
| Competitor tracking and benchmarking | No | No | Yes |
| Mentions monitored per month | Not stated | Not stated | 50,000 |
Muck Rack publishes plan names but not equivalent numeric limits on the pages we read; it says dashboards are template-only on Starter and Standard and custom on Premier. Ask both vendors for the contact, user and monitoring limits for your plan in writing.
Contacts from the media database per month, by plan, as listed October 10, 2026
Source: Semrush AI PR Toolkit pricing, read October 10, 2026.
Muck Rack does not publish a comparable contact limit, so it is not charted.
Journalist Database and List Building
Both products pair a database with search, and they differ in how contacts stay current. The Semrush toolkit offers “AI-driven journalist recommendations” and an “AI-cited media finder” that identifies outlets cited in AI answers. Muck Rack describes an editorial team of more than 100 plus journalists who claim and edit their own free profiles, and says it aims to review every listing annually. Neither vendor's figures are independently verified.
The practical test is a sample list on your beat, checked against recent bylines. Our guides to building a media list and pitching a journalist by email show what to check. For scale, see how many journalists there are before accepting any vendor's contact count.
Pitching and Attribution
Muck Rack sends pitches from your own Gmail or Outlook account and says coverage from a pitch is detected and confirmed as Pitch Placements. The Semrush toolkit includes a media pitching tool, AI drafting of emails and press releases, email analytics and, from Pro, tracking of which pitches led to earned coverage. Both claim attribution; neither method is published, so reconcile their numbers against your own links and referral traffic. See how to measure whether placement worked.
Monitoring and Reporting
Muck Rack covers more channel types but charges for several of them. By its own count it monitors 75,000-plus podcasts, with broadcast and social listening as paid add-ons. The Semrush toolkit monitors online news, blogs and forums, removes duplicate mentions, and adds audience demographics for coverage; it lists no broadcast or social listening. For free web alerts first, see how to monitor brand mentions with Google Alerts, and for the metric many reports ask for, what share of voice is.
Where Prowly Wins
- Published pricing: $149, $279 and $499 a month, against no published price.
- Self-serve plans with a Subscribe button instead of a sales call.
- Competitor benchmarking on the Business tier.
- AI-cited media finder, which identifies the top AI-cited outlets in your industry, per its page.
- Low per-user cost: $20 a month for each additional user.
Where Muck Rack Wins
- Channel breadth: podcasts included, with broadcast and social listening available as add-ons.
- Inbox-based pitching from your own Gmail or Outlook.
- Journalist-maintained profiles, not only vendor research.
- Integrations: Slack, Google Analytics and SSO are documented.
- Continuity: Prowly's brand now redirects buyers to a new product line.
Who Should Choose Prowly?
Choose Prowly (Semrush AI PR Toolkit) if: you need a PR toolkit with a known monthly cost, a team of one to five, and outreach plus online monitoring more than broadcast or social listening.
Avoid it if: you need broadcast, podcast-heavy monitoring or a documented inbox integration, or depend on a Prowly feature not listed on the toolkit's plan cards.
Best for: small teams, startups and boutique agencies.
Starting price: $149/month, billed annually (checked October 2026).
Primary strength: published tiers and an AI-cited media finder.
Main limitation: caps on contacts per month and no listed broadcast or social monitoring.
Verdict: the stronger choice when price transparency and a quick start matter.
Who Should Choose Muck Rack?
Choose Muck Rack if: your team lives in pitching and coverage reporting, wants broadcast or social listening available, and can negotiate an annual contract.
Avoid it if: you need a price before a sales call or a short commitment.
Best for: in-house communications teams and agencies with ongoing media programs.
Starting price: not published.
Primary strength: inbox-based pitching and attribution, with broad monitoring options.
Main limitation: non-refundable annual billing and add-on charges.
Verdict: the stronger choice for established outreach programs.
How to Choose Between Prowly and Muck Rack
| If you need... | Choose |
|---|---|
| A published monthly price | Prowly (Semrush AI PR Toolkit) |
| Broadcast or social listening as an option | Muck Rack |
| To send pitches from your own inbox | Muck Rack |
| Competitor media benchmarking on a mid-priced plan | Prowly (Business tier) |
| Low cost for extra users | Prowly ($20 per user) |
| A comparison with other enterprise suites | Meltwater vs Muck Rack or Muck Rack vs Cision |
Final Verdict: Prowly or Muck Rack?
For a small team that wants to start this month at a known cost, the Semrush AI PR Toolkit that replaced Prowly is the better choice: Base starts at $149 a month and each tier lists what it includes. For an established outreach program that needs broader monitoring options and inbox-based pitching, Muck Rack is the better choice, accepting an unpublished price and an annual, non-refundable contract. The decision depends on whether you value price clarity or channel breadth. Neither tool can guarantee coverage, and both attribution claims should be checked against your own data.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Prowly still available?
Prowly's website now says it is the Semrush AI PR Toolkit and invites visitors to sign up for that toolkit. Its FAQ asks whether you can still sign up for Prowly, but the answer was hidden on the page we read, so confirm with Semrush before buying.
How much does Prowly cost in October 2026?
The Semrush AI PR Toolkit lists Base at $149, Pro at $279 and Business at $499 a month, each billed annually. Additional users cost $20 a month. Enterprise pricing is custom. Pricing checked October 2026.
How much does Muck Rack cost?
Muck Rack does not publish prices. Its pricing page lists Starter, Standard and Premier plans marked contact us, and says price depends on factors including the number of users. Its terms say subscriptions are billed annually in advance and are non-refundable for the period purchased.
Does Muck Rack have a free trial?
Our earlier fact-checked comparisons recorded Muck Rack's free option as free tools for journalists only, so ask Muck Rack whether a trial or demo is available for your team. Prowly's FAQ lists a question about how the free trial works, but the answer was hidden, so we cannot state its terms.
Which has the better journalist database?
The vendors' figures cannot settle it. The Semrush toolkit offers a global media database with AI search; Muck Rack pairs an editorial team of more than 100 with journalist-maintained profiles. Test a sample list on your beat against recent bylines.
Does either tool monitor podcasts and broadcast?
Muck Rack says it monitors 75,000-plus podcasts and sells broadcast and social listening as add-ons. The Semrush AI PR Toolkit lists online news, blogs and forums, and we found no broadcast or social listening on its plan cards.
Which is better for a small PR team?
On published information, the Semrush AI PR Toolkit, formerly Prowly, because it has a published starting price and self-serve plans. Muck Rack suits teams that will commit to an annual contract for broader monitoring and inbox-based pitching.
Can either tool guarantee media coverage?
No. Both help find journalists, send pitches and track results. Editors decide what to cover, and attribution of coverage to a pitch is the vendor's own method, so verify it against your links and traffic.
How We Compared Prowly and Muck Rack
Criteria: published pricing, plan limits, database approach, pitching and attribution, monitoring channels, trial and contract terms. When: Prowly and Semrush pages were read on October 9, 2026 with a standard HTTP client, without signing in. Muck Rack blocks automated requests; its facts come from our own fact-checked comparisons, which read its pages in a browser on October 7, 2026.
Limitations: we did not buy or test either product or request quotes. Prowly's FAQ answers did not load, so we cannot report its trial terms or journalist count, or whether new sign-ups to the legacy product remain possible. We could not confirm which older Prowly features continue in the toolkit. Database sizes and attribution claims are vendor claims. Prices and features change; this describes public pages as of October 9, 2026.
Sources
- vendor Prowly homepage. Statement that Prowly is now the Semrush AI PR Toolkit; features; FAQ questions. Read October 9, 2026.
- vendor Semrush AI PR Toolkit Plans and Pricing. Base, Pro, Business prices, features, limits, add-ons. Read October 9, 2026.
- vendor Muck Rack pricing. Plans marked contact us; pricing factors. Facts as recorded in our Meltwater vs Muck Rack comparison. Read October 7, 2026.
- vendor Muck Rack terms. Annual billing in advance, non-refundable. As recorded in our Muck Rack vs Cision comparison. Read October 7, 2026.
- vendor Muck Rack, overview of add-ons. Broadcast, social listening and API add-ons. As recorded in our comparisons. Read October 7, 2026.
- vendor Muck Rack, Media Monitoring. Podcast count and monitoring features. As recorded in our comparisons. Read October 7, 2026.