ResponseSource is the UK's established journalist-request service — a platform where UK journalists post source requests and PR professionals respond. Think of it as the UK's HARO: well-regarded for quality UK-focused queries and lower spam.
But it's reactive by design (you wait for queries), UK-only, and gives you no journalist contact data. If you need proactive outreach, global coverage, or reusable contact lists, here are the alternatives.
We make Medialyst, so we've ranked it first — but Medialyst is not a source-request service like ResponseSource. We've covered both proactive tools and the real source-request alternatives. Pricing is from public pages as of June 2026.
Tool
Best for
Standout
Starting price
Free option
1Medialyst
PR teams and experts who'd rather proactively pitch the right journalists than wait for inbound queries. Not a source-request service — a complementary outreach tool.
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
2Qwoted
Experts who want vetted, high-authority source requests with global reach, not just UK.
Highest DR 80+ share + aggressive anti-spam
$99/mo (annual) or $149/mo monthly, Pro
Free tier (2 pitches/mo, 2-hr delay)
3HARO
Anyone who wants a free, global source-request feed — the international equivalent of ResponseSource.
Free, 1M+ sources, now with AI-spam detection
Free
Free (email newsletter)
4Featured
Experts who want curated, low-spam queries from elite outlets and are willing to pay for volume.
Curated queries from Fortune-tier outlets
Free → ~$19–$99/mo
Free tier (~3 answers/mo)
5JustReachOut
Teams that want both inbound queries and proactive database-and-pitching in one tool.
The key split: ResponseSource and the query feeds (Qwoted, HARO, Featured) are reactive — you wait for queries. Medialyst and JustReachOut include proactive outreach. Pricing is from public pages as of June 2026.
The ranked list
The 5 best ResponseSource alternatives.
1
MedialystOur pick5.0/5 on G2
AI-native journalist discovery — story-in, verified list out
Best for: PR teams and experts who'd rather proactively pitch the right journalists than wait for inbound queries. Not a source-request service — a complementary outreach tool.
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
The high-quality vetted source-request marketplace
Best for: Experts who want vetted, high-authority source requests with global reach, not just UK.
Pricing: $99/mo (annual) or $149/mo monthly, Pro
Free option: Free tier (2 pitches/mo, 2-hr delay)
Qwoted is the quality leader among source-request marketplaces — the closest like-for-like to ResponseSource but global and with the highest share of high-authority outlets. Its anti-spam vetting keeps signal quality high. The free tier is nearly unusable (2 pitches/mo with a 2-hr delay); Pro is $99/mo billed annually.
Best for: Anyone who wants a free, global source-request feed — the international equivalent of ResponseSource.
Pricing: Free
Free option: Free (email newsletter)
The revived HARO (run by Featured.com) is the free global equivalent of ResponseSource — journalist queries delivered to your inbox three times a day with no payment. It's noisier than ResponseSource (more spam, lower acceptance) but covers global outlets and costs nothing.
Pros
Genuinely free with no limits
Global reach (not UK-only)
AI-spam detection added in 2025
Cons
Noisier than ResponseSource — more spam and competition
No contact data or direct journalist relationships
Best for: Experts who want curated, low-spam queries from elite outlets and are willing to pay for volume.
Pricing: Free → ~$19–$99/mo
Free option: Free tier (~3 answers/mo)
Featured.com is the curated upgrade from ResponseSource — vetted queries from Fortune, Inc., and Fast Company-tier outlets, with less spam than open feeds. The free tier caps you at ~3 answers/mo; paid plans ($19–$99/mo) unlock real usability. It's global, not UK-only.
Best for: Teams that want both inbound queries and proactive database-and-pitching in one tool.
Pricing: $147 / $247 / $497 per month
Free option: 7-day trial (card required)
JustReachOut combines source-request discovery with a journalist database and AI pitching — the most full-featured alternative if you want reactive queries and proactive outreach in one app. Pricier ($147–$497/mo) but more comprehensive than any pure query feed.
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
ResponseSource alternatives — common questions.
What is the best ResponseSource alternative?
For proactive journalist discovery, Medialyst. For a like-for-like source-request marketplace, Qwoted. For a free global query feed, HARO.
Does ResponseSource work outside the UK?
ResponseSource is primarily a UK service. For global source requests, use Qwoted, HARO, or Featured.
Can I use ResponseSource and Medialyst together?
Yes — they do different jobs. ResponseSource for inbound UK queries, Medialyst for proactive journalist discovery worldwide.
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.
