Rephonic is the category leader for podcast discovery — audience data, reach estimates, and booking intelligence for 5M+ podcasts. PR teams and podcast agencies use it to find and pitch podcast appearances.
People look for alternatives because they need journalist outreach beyond podcasts, a broader PR tool that covers media and podcasts together, or a different price tier. Here are five options.
We make Medialyst and ranked it first for journalist discovery. Rephonic and Medialyst do different jobs — podcast booking vs. journalist outreach. We cover both honestly. Pricing is from public pages as of June 2026.
Tool
Best for
Standout
Starting price
Free option
1Medialyst
PR teams that need journalist discovery across all media types — not just podcasts. Pairs well with Rephonic for teams doing both journalist outreach and podcast booking.
AI reads each journalist's recent coverage and scores fit for your story
From $97/mo (annual) · $149/mo monthly
Free first list · no credit card
2Muck Rack
Teams that want journalist discovery and podcast tracking in one platform.
800K+ podcast index alongside journalist profiles
$5K–$15K+/yr
No free trial
3Rephonic
PR teams and podcast agencies that need podcast-specific discovery, audience data, and booking — a different job than journalist outreach.
Podcast-specific intelligence — audience data, reach estimates, and booking
From $99/mo (Light) to custom (Pro/Enterprise)
Free tier (limited searches)
4JustReachOut
DIY founders who want journalist outreach, podcast booking, and PR education in one SMB tool.
Combines journalist database with podcast discovery
$147 / $247 / $497 per month
7-day trial (card required)
5Propel
Small teams that need basic journalist discovery and pitching at a low price — without podcast-specific features.
Inbox-native pitching from ~$99/mo
~$99/mo (Premium, billed annually, 1 user)
Free tier
Rephonic is podcast-specific; Medialyst, Muck Rack, and Propel cover journalists. They're different jobs and pair well. Pricing is from public pages as of June 2026.
The ranked list
The 5 best Rephonic alternatives.
1
MedialystOur pick5.0/5 on G2
AI-native journalist discovery — story-in, verified list out
Best for: PR teams that need journalist discovery across all media types — not just podcasts. Pairs well with Rephonic for teams doing both journalist outreach and podcast booking.
Pricing: From $97/mo (annual) · $149/mo monthly
Free option: Free first list · no credit card
Medialyst is the AI-native media list builder. Instead of handing you a giant static database to filter and verify yourself, it reads hundreds of articles relevant to your specific announcement, surfaces the journalists who actually cover it, scores them 0–100 by fit with reasoning grounded in their recent work, and verifies every email in real time before it reaches you. It runs from a chat box — paste a release, a URL, or a one-line description — and from inside Claude, ChatGPT, or Cursor via a public REST API and a hosted remote MCP server. Pricing is public, monthly, and contract-free; your first list is free with no credit card.
Pros
Story-specific relevance scoring grounded in journalists' actual recent articles, not keyword filters
Every email verified in real time before delivery — built to kill the bounce-rate problem of static databases
Public, monthly, contract-free pricing with a free first list
Agent-native: public REST API + hosted remote MCP, usable inside Claude, ChatGPT, and Cursor
Upload any competitor CSV and the agent re-verifies and re-scores every contact
Cons
Newer than the legacy incumbents — not the choice if a recognizable enterprise brand name is itself the requirement
Focused on discovery, pitching, and verification rather than broad social-listening or share-of-voice dashboards
Best for: Teams that want journalist discovery and podcast tracking in one platform.
Pricing: $5K–$15K+/yr
Free option: No free trial
Muck Rack is the closest to an all-in-one for teams that need both journalist and podcast coverage — its 800K+ podcast index is growing, alongside its journalist-first database. It doesn't have Rephonic-level podcast audience data, but it covers journalists and podcasts in one product. Annual-only, quote-only (~$5K–$15K+/yr).
Best for: PR teams and podcast agencies that need podcast-specific discovery, audience data, and booking — a different job than journalist outreach.
Pricing: From $99/mo (Light) to custom (Pro/Enterprise)
Free option: Free tier (limited searches)
Rephonic is the category leader for podcast discovery — audience demographics, listen-through rates, reach estimates, and cross-podcast listener overlap for 5M+ podcasts. It's excellent for PR teams that pitch podcast appearances and for podcast agencies that book guests. The honest catch: it's podcast-only. It doesn't cover journalists, online media, TV, or print. For podcast booking it's best-in-class; for journalist outreach it's a completely different tool.
Pros
Best-in-class podcast discovery and audience intelligence
5M+ podcast database with reach and demographic data
From $99/mo with a 7-day free trial
Cons
Podcast-only — no journalist, print, or online media coverage
Not a journalist-discovery or outreach tool
Contact data is podcast-host-level, not journalist-level
Best for: DIY founders who want journalist outreach, podcast booking, and PR education in one SMB tool.
Pricing: $147 / $247 / $497 per month
Free option: 7-day trial (card required)
JustReachOut combines a journalist database with podcast discovery — you can find journalists and podcast hosts to pitch in one tool, with AI-drafted pitches and PR education for DIY founders. Less podcast-specific intelligence than Rephonic, but covers both jobs.
Propel is the affordable journalist-outreach option — database, inbox-native pitching, and analytics from ~$99/mo. No podcast-specific features, but for teams that primarily need journalist outreach, it's a fraction of Rephonic + database pricing combined.
Paste a story. Get your journalist list in minutes.
Drop in a press release, your website URL, or a one-line description of your news. Medialyst reads what's relevant, finds reporters who actually cover it, scores them by fit, and verifies every email — your first list is free, no credit card.
First list free · No credit card
FAQ
Rephonic alternatives — common questions.
What is the best Rephonic alternative?
For journalist discovery (non-podcast): Medialyst. For journalists + podcasts in one tool: Muck Rack. For podcast + journalist outreach at SMB scale: JustReachOut.
Does Rephonic cover journalists and online media?
No. Rephonic is podcast-only — 5M+ podcasts with audience intelligence. For journalist discovery across print, online, and broadcast, use Medialyst alongside Rephonic.
How much does Rephonic cost?
Rephonic starts at $99/mo (Light) with a 7-day free trial. Standard is $149/mo. Higher tiers and custom Enterprise pricing are available.
Product names and logos are trademarks of their respective owners and are used here only for purposes of comparison. Medialyst is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any of the tools listed. Pricing and feature claims are based on public documentation and customer reviews as of June 2026; please verify with each vendor.
