HARO is back, but you no longer have to build your entire digital PR workflow around one journalist-request service.
The market in 2026 gives you several options. Some work almost exactly like traditional HARO, where journalists request expert commentary and you respond. Others give you searchable journalist databases, media monitoring, proactive pitching tools, podcast opportunities, or AI-assisted PR workflows.
That makes the best HARO alternatives useful even if you still use HARO itself.
For this guide, we compared ten current platforms based on opportunity quality, fit with the traditional HARO workflow, media research and outreach capabilities, pricing, public reviews, and current-product transparency.
One thing does not change: no platform can guarantee a backlink. You can provide the quote, data, or expertise, but the journalist or editor decides whether to publish your contribution and whether to link to your site.
Quick Picks
Best overall: Qwoted
You get journalist requests, expert profiles, alerts, pitching tools, and a usable free plan in one established platform.
Best HARO-style platform: Connectively
You get searchable, real-time journalist and publisher requests rather than depending entirely on scheduled email digests.
Best for proactive digital PR: Muck Rack
You get a much broader journalist database, pitching workflow, media monitoring, and PR reporting platform.
Best free B2B option: MentionMatch
You get focused B2B source requests without paying for standard source access.
Best UK HARO alternative: ResponseSource
You get verified UK journalist enquiries across 25 categories, including requests for expert commentary, case studies, interviews, and products.
HARO alternatives compared
| Rank | Tool | Best for | Public rating |
| 1 | Qwoted | Journalist requests and expert pitching | 4.4/5 (G2, 23 reviews); 3.2/5 (Trustpilot, 120 reviews) |
| 2 | Connectively | Searchable HARO-style opportunities | 2.8/5 (Trustpilot, 7 reviews) |
| 3 | Muck Rack | Proactive journalist outreach | 4.5/5 (G2, 500+ reviews) |
| 4 | Featured | AI-assisted digital PR | 4.9/5 (G2, 5 legacy-product reviews) |
| 5 | MentionMatch | Free B2B expert requests | Not confirmed publicly |
| 6 | ResponseSource | UK journalist requests | Not confirmed publicly |
| 7 | SourceBottle | Australia, New Zealand, and international opportunities | Not confirmed publicly |
| 8 | JustReachOut | DIY journalist outreach | 4.6/5 (G2, 8 reviews) |
| 9 | Roxhill Media | UK media intelligence | 3.7/5 (G2, 3 reviews) |
| 10 | ProfNet | Institutional expert sourcing | Not confirmed publicly |
Public review scores were checked in September 2026. Review volume, pricing, ownership, and product features can change, so ratings should be treated as one data point rather than a guarantee of the experience you will have.
1.Qwoted
Overview
Qwoted is one of the closest all-round HARO alternatives. You can find media requests, build an expert profile, receive alerts, pitch journalists, and communicate directly through a platform designed around connecting sources with media professionals.
Realistic caveat
The free plan limits you to two pitches per month and makes you wait two hours before responding to new opportunities.
Snapshot
- Best for: PR professionals, founders, experts, agencies, and link builders
- Known for: Journalist requests and vetted expert profiles
- Popular features: Media requests, expert directory, real-time alerts, direct messaging, pitch intelligence, opportunity research
- Pricing: Free; Pro $149/month; team pricing varies
- Public rating: 4.4/5 on G2 from 23 reviews; 3.2/5 on Trustpilot from 120 reviews
Summary of online reviews
G2 reviewers commonly praise Qwoted for giving them direct access to relevant journalist opportunities and making source discovery easier. Users also mention the interface, alerts, and communication tools positively.
The larger Trustpilot sample is noticeably more critical, especially around account verification, moderation, support, account restrictions, and AI-content detection.
That mixed picture matters if you plan to use Qwoted heavily as a source. The G2 score is stronger, but Trustpilot has a much larger review sample.
Qwoted still ranks first because journalist requests remain central to the product rather than being one feature inside a much larger PR suite.
2. Connectively (HARO Successor / Former Featured Expert Platform)
Overview
Connectively is the closest fit if you want the old HARO concept inside a searchable platform. You can browse requests, create keyword alerts, submit answers, track responses, and access additional media intelligence on higher plans.
Connectively itself has a complicated history. Cision originally created the brand as its platform-based replacement for HARO. After that version was discontinued, Featured later acquired the Connectively brand.
On May 26, 2026, Connectively became the new home of the original Featured expert-answer platform, including its opportunities, profiles, subscriptions, and workflows.
Realistic caveat
Its current Trustpilot score is low, and the review sample is tiny. Much of that feedback also relates to earlier versions of Connectively rather than the platform operating today.
Snapshot
- Best for: Frequent reactive digital PR campaigns
- Known for: Searchable, real-time journalist and publisher requests
- Popular features: HARO queries, keyword alerts, expert answers, bylined articles, media discovery, journalist database, link metrics
- Pricing: Free; Lite $19/month; Pro $49/month; Business $99/month
- Annual pricing: Approximately $11/month for Lite, $29/month for Pro, and $59/month for Business when billed annually
- Public rating: 2.8/5 on Trustpilot from 7 reviews
Summary of online reviews
You need to read Connectively’s review score with context.
Most Trustpilot reviews relate to the earlier Cision-era service, particularly the difficult transition away from HARO. Complaints focused on request relevance, usability, technical issues, filtering, and source quality.
Connectively returned under new ownership in 2026, so many older reviews do not describe the exact product you use today.
There is not enough fresh independent feedback yet to judge the revived platform solely from its public review score.
Its biggest advantage is straightforward: it gives you a searchable, live version of the journalist-request workflow that made HARO useful in the first place.
3. Muck Rack
Overview
Muck Rack is a stronger fit when you want to move beyond responding to journalist queries.
You can research journalists, build targeted media lists, send pitches, manage media relationships, monitor coverage, track mentions, and report on campaign performance from one broader PR platform.
That makes it less like a direct HARO replacement and more like an infrastructure layer for proactive digital PR.
Realistic caveat
It is a full paid PR platform with custom pricing, so it can be excessive if you only want occasional source requests or a cheap way to earn a few editorial mentions.
Snapshot
- Best for: PR agencies, in-house communications teams, and proactive digital PR
- Known for: Journalist database and media intelligence
- Popular features: Journalist search, media lists, pitching, monitoring, alerts, PR CRM, reporting, AI-assisted research
- Pricing: Custom pricing across Starter, Standard, and Premier plans
- Public rating: 4.5/5 on G2 with more than 500 reviews
Summary of online reviews
Muck Rack has by far one of the strongest independent review samples in this comparison.
G2 reviewers frequently praise its journalist database, media-list building, contact accuracy, ease of use, pitching workflow, and media monitoring.
Recent reviews also highlight the amount of manual research the platform can remove from journalist prospecting.
Recurring criticism includes pricing, occasional outdated contacts, gaps in coverage for some international markets, and limitations in certain reporting workflows.
You should view Muck Rack as a proactive PR platform rather than a replacement for a free HARO email digest.
It ranks third because it is excellent for finding and pitching journalists yourself, but it does not match Qwoted or Connectively as closely for reactive source requests.
4. Featured (Formerly Terkel)
Overview
Featured has evolved into a broader AI-powered PR platform.
You can use it to discover journalist requests, podcasts, bylined opportunities, speaking engagements, awards, creators, media contacts, and other ways to build earned-media visibility.
The product can also help with research, pitch drafting, workflows, monitoring, and other repetitive PR tasks.
Realistic caveat
The current Featured product launched in 2026, so its historical reviews mainly describe the earlier Terkel and Featured expert-answer platform.
Snapshot
- Best for: Broader AI-assisted digital PR campaigns
- Known for: PR opportunity discovery and AI workflows
- Popular features: Journalist request monitoring, media discovery, pitch drafting, podcasts, bylines, awards, speaking opportunities, monitoring, PR workflows
- Pricing: Free; Lite $29/month when billed annually; higher-volume plans are available
- Public rating: 4.9/5 on G2 from 5 reviews, primarily covering the legacy product
Summary of online reviews
Featured’s G2 profile is very positive, but you need to consider the product history.
The five reviews largely cover the older expert-answer platform, including its period under the Terkel name.
Reviewers praised that version for making it easy to contribute expert answers and secure relevant mentions.
That original platform moved to Connectively in May 2026. Featured then relaunched on June 2, 2026 as a broader AI-powered PR product.
The 4.9/5 rating should therefore be treated as product-line history rather than a clean rating of the current Featured platform.
Terkel should not appear as a separate entry in a current HARO alternatives list.
5. MentionMatch (Formerly Help a B2B Writer)
Overview
MentionMatch is the current version of Help a B2B Writer.
It connects B2B content creators looking for expertise with sources in areas such as marketing, SaaS, SEO, sales, ecommerce, analytics, design, AI, and technology.
Writers submit requests, matching experts receive them by email, and sources respond with relevant quotes, examples, data, or expertise.
MentionMatch currently says its network includes more than 9,000 B2B sources.
Realistic caveat
Its narrow B2B focus makes it much less useful if your expertise sits in consumer, lifestyle, travel, health, entertainment, fashion, or other general-interest topics.
The platform is also still in a branding and launch transition. Some current MentionMatch pages continue to display launch messaging, so expect the product and documentation to keep changing.
Snapshot
- Best for: B2B founders, marketers, consultants, SaaS professionals, and SEO experts
- Known for: Targeted B2B source requests
- Popular features: Expert matching, writer requests, source registration, email notifications, expertise filtering, request API
- Pricing: Core source registration is free; API access is available separately
- Public rating: Not confirmed publicly
Summary of online reviews
We could not confirm a suitable current G2 or Trustpilot rating for MentionMatch.
The platform does provide useful transparency around how requests work. Writers submit a request, matching experts receive it, and relevant sources reply directly.
Its narrower model can be an advantage if you work in B2B.
Instead of sorting through consumer, lifestyle, travel, and unrelated journalist requests, you can concentrate on business-focused opportunities where your expertise is more likely to fit.
The lack of a large independent review base and the ongoing transition keep it below the larger platforms, despite the attractive price of zero.
6. ResponseSource
Overview
ResponseSource is a long-running UK journalist enquiry service that sends requests for expert commentary, case studies, statistics, interviews, products, and other editorial contributions directly to subscribed PR professionals and businesses.
Its Journalist Enquiry Service is one of the closest UK equivalents to the original HARO model.
Realistic caveat
It is heavily focused on UK media and starts at a much higher price than free or low-cost HARO alternatives.
Pricing is also category-based, so subscribing across several industries can increase the total cost quickly.
Snapshot
- Best for: UK businesses, agencies, experts, and PR teams
- Known for: Journalist Enquiry Service
- Popular features: Journalist requests, expert commentary opportunities, category filters, case-study requests, product review requests, enquiry alerts
- Pricing: From £625 per category per year
- Categories: 25
- Public rating: Not confirmed publicly
Summary of online reviews
We could not confirm a substantial independent review profile comparable with the G2 data available for Muck Rack or Qwoted.
What makes ResponseSource relevant is the workflow itself.
Journalists and other verified content creators submit genuine editorial requests, and ResponseSource says its quality-control team reviews enquiries before they are distributed.
Subscribers then choose from 25 categories and receive the requests most relevant to their sectors.
For UK digital PR, that makes ResponseSource one of the most direct HARO alternatives on this list.
Its main limitations are price and geography rather than the underlying journalist-request model.
7. SourceBottle
Overview
SourceBottle connects journalists with experts, organisations, products, and case studies.
It has an international footprint but remains particularly useful when you want media opportunities from Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, and other APAC markets.
It also operates across markets including the UK, Ireland, and North America.
Realistic caveat
Its opportunity mix may be less useful if you run campaigns focused exclusively on major US publications.
Snapshot
- Best for: Australian, New Zealand, APAC, and internationally focused experts
- Known for: Media call-outs and expert sourcing
- Popular features: Journalist call-outs, Drink Up alerts, expert directory, keyword matching, expert profiles, managed pitching
- Pricing: Free; $25 per managed pitch; Unlimited Pitches $65/month; Agency $130/month
- Public rating: Not confirmed publicly
Summary of online reviews
We could not verify a substantial independent review profile, so there is no fair star rating to report.
SourceBottle’s current pricing model is flexible.
You can receive call-outs and respond yourself on the free plan, pay for individual managed pitches, or upgrade to unlimited and agency plans.
Its international and APAC reach makes it a useful complement to US-heavy journalist databases rather than simply another duplicate request feed.
8. JustReachOut
Overview
JustReachOut is designed for proactive PR rather than waiting for the perfect journalist request.
You can research journalists, find verified contact information, develop pitch angles, send outreach, and manage campaigns in one workflow.
Realistic caveat
You pay considerably more than you would for a basic source-request platform, and you still need to create and execute your own outreach strategy.
Snapshot
- Best for: Startups, founders, marketers, and DIY PR teams
- Known for: Journalist research and direct pitching
- Popular features: Journalist search, verified emails, AI pitch engine, outreach campaigns, pitch templates, PR guidance
- Pricing: Starter $147/month or approximately $98/month when billed annually
- Public rating: 4.6/5 on G2 from 8 reviews
Summary of online reviews
G2 reviewers generally like having journalist research, outreach tools, templates, and contact information in one place.
Several reviews highlight its usefulness for businesses that want to run PR without hiring a traditional agency.
The main limitation is the small review sample. Some older reviews also mention weaker contact coverage in certain countries or highly specialized niches.
JustReachOut makes more sense when you want to create your own opportunities instead of relying entirely on inbound journalist requests.
9. Roxhill Media
Overview
Roxhill Media is a UK-focused media intelligence platform for researching journalists, understanding their interests, managing media lists, monitoring coverage, and planning outreach.
It is closer to Muck Rack than to a traditional HARO inbox.
Realistic caveat
Pricing is not clearly published, and its broader media-intelligence focus may be more than you need for simple journalist-query link building.
Snapshot
- Best for: UK PR agencies and established communications teams
- Known for: Journalist intelligence and media research
- Popular features: Journalist database, media lists, journalist profiles, monitoring, media alerts, outreach research
- Pricing: Not confirmed publicly
- Public rating: 3.7/5 on G2 from 3 reviews
Summary of online reviews
Roxhill has only three G2 reviews, so its 3.7/5 score should not carry the same evidentiary weight as Muck Rack’s much larger review sample.
Reviewers mention journalist research, contact information, platform support, and understanding what individual reporters cover as useful features.
The small amount of feedback also includes concerns about database coverage and occasional contact-data accuracy.
Its strongest case is UK media relations rather than high-volume backlink prospecting.
10. ProfNet
Overview
ProfNet is one of the oldest services in this category.
Operated through PR Newswire, it connects journalists and other information seekers with experts who can provide commentary, interviews, industry knowledge, or speakers for upcoming stories and events.
Its history dates back to 1992.
Realistic caveat
Pricing and independent user feedback are less transparent than they are for most modern self-service HARO alternatives.
Snapshot
- Best for: Universities, institutions, corporate communications teams, and established experts
- Known for: Journalist-to-expert matching
- Popular features: ProfNet Queries, Expert Alerts, expert sourcing, speaker requests, topic filtering, geographic filtering
- Pricing: Paid membership; current self-service pricing is not published
- Public rating: Not confirmed publicly
Summary of online reviews
We could not confirm a relevant current independent review profile for PR Newswire’s ProfNet.
The review link sometimes associated with ProfNet on software-review sites belongs to ProfinetExplorer, unrelated industrial networking software, so it should not be used.
ProfNet itself remains active.
Experts can receive journalist queries by email, while registered journalists can search for sources and send requests.
Its workflow still resembles HARO, but its institutional positioning and limited pricing transparency make it less accessible for smaller digital PR campaigns.
What happened to Terkel?
You may still see Terkel included in older lists of digital PR platforms like HARO.
You should not treat it as a separate HARO alternative in 2026.
Terkel became Featured in 2023.
The original expert-answer platform associated with Terkel and Featured later moved to Connectively on May 26, 2026.
Featured then relaunched as a newer, broader AI-powered PR platform on June 2, 2026.
The easiest way to understand the product history is:
Terkel → original Featured expert platform → Connectively
Meanwhile:
Featured.com → new AI-powered PR platform
That is why listing Terkel and Featured as two separate current HARO alternatives would double-count the same product lineage.
What happened to Help a B2B Writer?
Help a B2B Writer is another name you may still encounter in older HARO alternative lists.
The service now operates as MentionMatch.
The old Help a B2B Writer domain redirects to MentionMatch, which continues the same basic model: connecting B2B writers who need expert input with relevant sources.
If you are searching for Help a B2B Writer in 2026, MentionMatch is the current platform to look at.
Which HARO alternative should you choose?
The right platform depends on whether you want reactive journalist requests or proactive media outreach.
If you want the closest replacement for the traditional HARO workflow, start with Qwoted or Connectively.
If you want to find and pitch journalists yourself, Muck Rack gives you a much broader PR research and outreach stack.
For broader AI-assisted earned media, Featured covers more than source requests alone.
If you work in B2B, MentionMatch is easy to add because standard source participation is free.
For UK campaigns, ResponseSource gives you one of the clearest traditional journalist-request workflows, while Roxhill Media is better suited to deeper journalist research and media intelligence.
If Australia, New Zealand, or APAC coverage matters, SourceBottle deserves a place in the mix.
You also do not need to choose only one. Using a specialist request service alongside a journalist database can give you both reactive opportunities and proactive outreach options.
Methodology: how these HARO alternatives were ranked
We ranked these platforms around the job you are most likely trying to accomplish when searching for HARO alternatives: finding credible media opportunities, providing expert commentary, building journalist relationships, and potentially earning editorial mentions or backlinks.
Our weighted model was:
30% opportunity quality and relevance
A platform needs genuine journalists, writers, publishers, or credible media contacts. Raw request volume matters less if you spend most of your time filtering irrelevant opportunities.
25% fit with the HARO-style workflow
Platforms scored higher when you can respond directly to journalists or writers who are already seeking sources. That is why Qwoted and Connectively rank above broader media databases.
15% media research and outreach capabilities
Modern digital PR often goes beyond reactive requests. Journalist databases, contact research, monitoring, media lists, and proactive pitching therefore contribute to the score.
15% pricing and accessibility
Free plans, reasonable entry tiers, and clear pricing help you test a platform before making a larger investment.
10% public review evidence
We looked at independent ratings, review volume, recurring praise, and recurring complaints. A strong score supported by hundreds of reviews carries more evidence than the same score based on five.
5% product transparency and current relevance
This category has gone through unusually frequent shutdowns, acquisitions, migrations, and rebrands. Current pricing, active product pages, and clear positioning therefore matter.
Ranking scores
| Platform | Opportunity quality 30% | HARO fit 25% | Research & outreach 15% | Pricing 15% | Reviews 10% | Transparency 5% | Weighted score |
| Qwoted | 9.0 | 9.5 | 7.0 | 7.5 | 7.0 | 9.0 | 8.5/10 |
| Connectively | 9.0 | 9.5 | 6.5 | 9.0 | 4.0 | 8.5 | 8.2/10 |
| Muck Rack | 8.8 | 5.0 | 10.0 | 4.0 | 9.5 | 8.5 | 7.4/10 |
| Featured | 8.0 | 6.5 | 8.5 | 8.0 | 4.0 | 8.0 | 7.3/10 |
| MentionMatch | 7.5 | 8.5 | 4.0 | 10.0 | 2.5 | 7.5 | 7.1/10 |
| ResponseSource | 8.5 | 9.0 | 4.5 | 5.0 | 2.5 | 8.0 | 6.9/10 |
| SourceBottle | 7.0 | 8.0 | 4.0 | 9.0 | 2.5 | 8.0 | 6.7/10 |
| JustReachOut | 7.5 | 4.0 | 8.5 | 5.0 | 6.5 | 8.0 | 6.3/10 |
| Roxhill Media | 7.5 | 4.0 | 9.0 | 3.5 | 5.0 | 6.5 | 5.9/10 |
| ProfNet | 7.0 | 6.5 | 4.0 | 3.5 | 2.5 | 5.5 | 5.4/10 |
The final ranking follows that model.
These are editorial comparison scores, not permanent product-quality ratings. Opportunity volume, pricing, features, public reviews, and ownership can change.
That matters especially for Connectively, Featured, and MentionMatch because their products or branding changed significantly before or during 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Is HARO still active in 2026?
Yes.
HARO was revived in 2025 after its previous closure.
The wider ecosystem has continued changing since then, particularly with the return of Connectively and the relaunch of Featured, so HARO comparison articles can become outdated quickly.
What is the best HARO alternative?
Qwoted ranks first in this comparison because journalist-source matching remains central to the platform while it also provides profiles, alerts, communication tools, and a free entry point.
Connectively is the closer choice if your priority is recreating the searchable version of the traditional HARO workflow.
What is the best free HARO alternative?
MentionMatch is particularly attractive for B2B experts because its standard source-registration model is free.
Qwoted and Connectively also offer free access, although their free plans have restrictions.
What is the best HARO alternative in the UK?
ResponseSource is one of the closest UK equivalents to traditional HARO because journalists submit editorial enquiries and subscribed sources receive requests by category.
Roxhill Media is the stronger fit when you need broader UK journalist research and media intelligence rather than just incoming source requests.
What is the best HARO alternative for proactive PR?
Muck Rack is the strongest proactive PR platform in this comparison.
Instead of waiting for a journalist request, you can research journalists, build lists, pitch contacts, monitor coverage, manage relationships, and report on campaign performance.
What was Terkel renamed to?
Terkel became Featured.
The original Terkel/Featured expert-answer platform later moved to Connectively in 2026, while Featured itself relaunched as a different, broader AI-powered PR product.
What was Help a B2B Writer renamed to?
Help a B2B Writer now operates as MentionMatch.
The old Help a B2B Writer domain redirects to MentionMatch.
Is Connectively the same as HARO?
Not exactly.
Cision originally created Connectively as a platform-based successor to HARO. That version was later discontinued.
Featured subsequently acquired the Connectively brand and revived it in 2026 as the new home of its original expert-answer platform.
HARO and Connectively therefore belong to the same wider product ecosystem, but they are not simply two names for the same current service.
Are HARO alternatives good for backlinks?
They can be.
A journalist or writer may cite your expertise and include a backlink when your contribution is published.
However, no legitimate source-request platform can guarantee that a journalist will use your response or link to your site.
You should treat backlinks as a possible editorial outcome rather than something you purchased by answering the request.
