HARO was the go-to tool for getting press coverage for over 15 years. Then in 2024, Cision retired it. If you’ve been searching for what replaced it — and whether the alternatives are actually worth paying for — this guide covers every option available in 2026 with real pricing and honest verdicts.
- Cision retired HARO in 2024. Featured bought it in April 2025 and relaunched it as a free daily email, and revived the Connectively platform in 2026
- JournoPig is the most affordable paid alternative at £9.99/month, focused on UK journorequests from national outlets
- 5 viable alternatives exist in 2026, ranging from free (Qwoted basic) to $97/month (Sourcee agency)
What Happened to HARO?
HARO (Help a Reporter Out) was founded by Peter Shankman in 2008, bought by Vocus in 2010 and by Cision in 2014. For years it ran as a free service, sending three daily emails with journalist source requests. In 2023, Cision introduced Connectively as HARO’s platform-based replacement. Cision discontinued Connectively on 9 December 2024 and retired HARO.
In April 2025, Featured (featured.com) bought HARO from Cision and returned it to its original format: a free daily email connecting journalists with sources. The first edition under Featured went out on 22 April 2025. Featured also bought the Connectively brand and relaunched it in 2026 as its expert-publisher platform.
The search term “help a reporter out” still gets 1,900 searches per month in the US. HARO is back and free, but it has always leaned towards US journalists, so UK businesses still look for alternatives.
Is Connectively Worth It?
Connectively is now owned by Featured, the company that also runs HARO. It is a web platform where experts answer publisher questions and submit articles, with free and paid plans.
Featured itself has a free plan, with paid individual plans from $29 a month billed annually ($39 month to month). If you want US-focused expert-quote opportunities, it is worth a look alongside HARO.
The 6 Best HARO Alternatives in 2026
1. JournoPig — Best for UK Businesses (£9.99/month)
JournoPig aggregates real journalist source requests from across the UK media landscape — BBC, The Guardian, The Times, trade publications, and specialist outlets. Requests are pulled together in one place so you don’t have to monitor multiple journalist Twitter/X threads or individual newsroom tip lines.
Price: £9.99/month
Free plan: No, but a 30-day free trial
Best for: UK-based businesses, coaches, consultants, PR freelancers
Key features: Real-time aggregation, keyword filtering, daily digest emails
Limitations: UK-focused (not ideal if you only want US publications)
At £9.99/month, JournoPig is the most affordable paid option on the market. One successful quote placement in a national publication delivers backlinks worth hundreds of pounds in SEO value alone — the ROI calculation is straightforward.
2. Qwoted — Best Free Option (Free–$299/month)
Qwoted is a two-sided marketplace where journalists post requests and sources respond. The free plan includes limited monthly responses; paid plans unlock unlimited pitching, priority visibility, and analytics.
Price: Free (limited) / $99/month / $299/month
Best for: US-focused businesses, PR professionals
Key features: Journalist profiles, response tracking, deadline alerts
Limitations: US-heavy journalist database, slower UK coverage
3. Featured.com: Best for Expert Quotes (Free, paid from $29/month)
Formerly called Terkel, Featured (featured.com) now owns HARO and Connectively and calls itself an AI co-pilot for PR. It gathers requests from HARO, Connectively, Substack, X and LinkedIn, plus podcasts, bylines, speaking slots and awards, and drafts pitches for you.
Price: Free plan / paid individual plans from $29/month billed annually ($39 month to month)
Best for: Thought leaders, consultants, executives wanting expert positioning
Key features: Requests from HARO, Connectively, Substack, X and LinkedIn; podcasts, bylines, speaking and awards; email and Slack delivery
Limitations: Less news/feature coverage, more listicle and how-to content
4. Sourcee — Best for Agencies Wanting Every Source ($59–$97/month)
Sourcee (sourcee.app) is a polished journorequest tool that monitors a wider net of sources — X, LinkedIn, Reddit, Facebook, Substack and the HARO-successor newsletters — and adds Slack and Discord alerts. It’s the most feature-complete option here, priced for teams.
Price: $59/month (Pro) / $97/month (Agency), plus $39/month per extra workspace
Best for: PR agencies and teams that need every source and per-client workspaces
Key features: 13+ sources monitored, Slack/Discord alerts, agency workspaces, “secret request” detection
Limitations: Six to ten times the price of JournoPig; overkill for founders and solo operators
5. JournoLink — UK Alternative for SMEs (£25–£99/month)
JournoLink is a UK-based press release distribution and journalist matching service. It has a database of UK journalists and allows you to both send press releases and respond to journorequests.
Price: £25/month (Starter) / £99/month (Pro)
Best for: UK small businesses wanting press release distribution plus request monitoring
Key features: Press release distribution, journalist database, request alerts
Limitations: More expensive than JournoPig for request-only access, mixed results on coverage quality
6. Sourceful — Emerging Platform (Free–$49/month)
Sourceful is a newer entrant to the space, offering journalist-source matching with a focus on diversity in sourcing. It’s growing its journalist base but hasn’t yet reached the scale of more established platforms.
Price: Free (limited) / $49/month
Best for: Brands wanting to trial a low-cost option
Key features: Journorequests, source profiles, diversity sourcing
Limitations: Smaller journalist base than competitors, less established
Comparison Table: HARO Alternatives 2026
| Platform | Price | UK Coverage | Free Plan | Real-Time Alerts | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JournoPig | £9.99/mo | Excellent | No | Yes | UK businesses, affordable access |
| HARO (Featured) | Free | Limited | Yes | No (3 daily emails) | Free US-focused requests |
| Qwoted | Free–$299/mo | Limited | Yes (limited) | Paid only | US PR teams |
| Featured.com | Free, paid from $29/mo | Limited | Yes | Yes | Expert quote placement |
| Sourcee | $59–$97/mo | Limited | No | Yes | PR agencies |
| JournoLink | £25–£99/mo | Good | No | Yes | UK press release + requests |
| Sourceful | Free–$49/mo | Growing | Yes (limited) | Paid only | Testing/exploring |
How to Choose the Right HARO Alternative
You’re a UK business owner or freelancer: JournoPig at £9.99/month is the obvious starting point. The price is lower than any comparable platform, and the UK-focused aggregation means requests are relevant to your market.
You want a free option to test the model: Qwoted’s free plan lets you submit a limited number of responses per month. It’s US-heavy but gives you a feel for how journorequest platforms work before paying.
You run a PR agency with multiple clients: Sourcee or Qwoted’s higher tiers give you the management features and multiple-user accounts you need.
You want expert quote placements for SEO/thought leadership: Featured.com is purpose-built for this use case.
What Makes a Good HARO Alternative Response?
Regardless of which platform you use, the quality of your response determines whether you get coverage. Journalists receive dozens of submissions per request. The ones that get used:
- Answer the specific question asked. Don’t pitch your business; answer what the journalist asked.
- Lead with your most interesting point. Journalists skim. Your first sentence needs to earn the second.
- Include your credentials in one line. “I’m [name], [title] at [company], I’ve [relevant experience].” That’s it.
- Be specific with numbers. “We saw a 43% increase” beats “we saw significant growth.”
- Respond within 2 hours. Most journalist deadlines are same-day. Early responses have the best chance.
Does JournoPig Replace HARO?
For UK users: yes. HARO in its original form was US-centric — the majority of requests came from American journalists. JournoPig focuses specifically on the UK media landscape, which makes it more useful for businesses that want coverage in British publications.
For US users: JournoPig is still worth monitoring for UK publication placements, but you’ll want to pair it with Qwoted or Featured.com for US-focused coverage.
**Q: Is HARO still free in 2026?**
Yes. Featured bought HARO from Cision in April 2025 and relaunched it as a free daily email on 22 April 2025. It is free for journalists and sources and is paid for by newsletter ads. It leans towards US journalists, so for UK journorequests, JournoPig is £9.99/month after a 30-day free trial.
**Q: What replaced HARO?**
In 2023, Cision replaced HARO with Connectively, then shut Connectively down on 9 December 2024. In April 2025, Featured bought HARO and brought it back as a free daily email, and it later relaunched Connectively too. In the UK, many users pair HARO with a UK-focused tool like JournoPig.
**Q: Is JournoPig only for UK businesses?**
JournoPig aggregates journorequests from UK-based publications and outlets. It’s most valuable for businesses seeking coverage in UK media. International businesses with a UK presence or those targeting UK readership will find it directly relevant.
**Q: How long does it take to get press coverage through journorequest platforms?**
Most users get their first quote placement within 2–8 weeks of consistent use. The volume of relevant requests varies by industry — consumer brands, health, finance, and tech tend to see the most requests. Responding to 3–5 requests per week is a realistic starting cadence.
**Q: Is paying for a HARO alternative worth it?**
Yes, for most businesses with a PR goal. A single backlink from a DA60+ publication (BBC, Guardian, national trade press) is worth £200–£500 in SEO value alone, based on typical link-building agency pricing. At £9.99/month for JournoPig, one successful placement pays for over a year of the subscription.
**Q: Can I use multiple journorequest platforms at once?**
Yes, and many PR professionals do. JournoPig for UK requests, Qwoted or Featured.com for US placements — using both costs less than £60/month combined and covers both markets.
**Q: What industries get the most journorequests?**
Finance, health and wellness, technology, business/entrepreneurship, and property generate the highest volume of journalist source requests. Niche experts (nutritionists, financial advisers, employment lawyers) tend to have very high conversion rates because they match specific expert-quote requests that few people can fill.
**Q: Do I need a press release to use journorequest platforms?**
No. Journorequest platforms are about responding to journalists who are already writing stories — they need quotes and sources, not press releases. You respond to their specific questions. This is fundamentally different from press release distribution services like PR Newswire or JournoLink’s press release tool.
The Bottom Line on HARO Alternatives
HARO’s 2024 shutdown was genuinely disruptive for thousands of small businesses and PR professionals who relied on it for affordable media outreach. The good news: HARO is back as a free email under Featured, and the alternatives are better than they were in 2023.
For UK businesses, JournoPig at £9.99/month is the straightforward answer. It costs less than a coffee per week, covers the UK national press, and puts you in front of journalists actively looking for sources. Start there, respond consistently to relevant requests, and you’ll see coverage within a few weeks.
Start your 30-day free trial today and get access to live journorequests from major UK and international publications.
## Sources
– Featured, About Featured: HARO and Connectively ownership history and Featured pricing (featured.com/about, accessed 17 October 2026)
– Sourcee pricing page — sourcee.app (accessed 2026)
– Qwoted pricing page (accessed March 2026)
– JournoLink pricing page (accessed March 2026)
– DataForSEO: UK search volume data for journalist request terms (March 2026)
Written by: John Isaacson, SEO & Marketing Consultant
Last Updated: 17 October 2026