PodPitch alternative · 2026

PodPitch runs the outreach loop. Medialyst proves who fits the story.

PodPitch runs the outreach loop across podcasts, press and newsletters. Medialyst goes deep on which journalists fit this story, and why.

First list free · No credit card
From $97/mo · no contractPay only for verified emailsFirst list free · no credit card
See the full PodPitch comparison ↓
Medialyst
Medialyst
AI-native · agent-ready
vs.
PodPitch
PodPitch
Podcast outreach
Misses free
You pay only for verified emails.
Each email validated in the last 14 days or re-checked
Minutes
From story to sent pitch in minutes.
From your story to a scored list
from $97/mo
Pricing on the website, not in a sales deck.
Starter billed annually · or $149 monthly

Who builds Medialyst, and who grades it.

As far as we know, Medialyst is the only AI PR tool that publishes a public, recurring quality benchmark. Carly Martinetti, our Founding Strategic Advisor, runs Notably, a boutique PR agency serving 25+ clients; she grades our real media lists, and we publish every grade, starting with her first: F, 27.9/100. Elvis Sun, the founder, is an AI engineer who spent 8 years at Google working on AI systems.

At a glance

The honest comparison.

Pulled from PodPitch's own public product and database pages and our own product. We update this page when either side ships something new.

Capability
MedialystMedialyst
PodPitchPodPitch
Finding the right journalist
Find journalists for this story
✓
Story-specific relevance scoring
~
Plain-English search across podcasts, reporters and newsletters
Understand a journalist's beat
✓
Reads past articles + recent coverage
~
AI analyzes podcast episode content; journalist method not detailed
Analyze past writing
✓
Grounded in actual articles
~
References recent episodes or articles; analysis depth not documented
Per-journalist pitch angles
✓
Personalized angles + pitch drafts
~
AI writes a pitch in your voice for each contact
Data freshness
✓
Live news article search in real time
~
Podcast data refreshed every 24 hours; broader contact freshness not detailed
Refine a list with natural language
✓
“Remove anyone inactive in 6 months”
~
One-sentence plain-English setup
Find more like top performers
✓
“Find 20 more like the top 5”
~
AI advisor suggests more shows where a winning angle fits
Add custom enrichment columns
✓
“Research if they use affiliate links”
~
Not documented
Pitching & sending
Email verification
✓
Multi-step verification waterfall
~
Podcast host emails use a multi-step verification pipeline
Send from one place
✓
Built-in sending
~
Sends from your inbox; automatic follow-ups; reply drafts; tracking
Pricing & setup
Time to first pitch
✓
Minutes
~
Drafts in 3 seconds; end-to-end time not published
Free trial
✓
First list free
~
Free 1:1 demo; self-serve trial terms not documented
Contract
✓
None — cancel anytime
~
Demo page says no commitment
Price
✓
from $149/mo
~
Public plan prices not listed
Agent-native workflows
API access
✓
Public REST API
~
API listed; access and pricing details not public
Remote MCP support
✓
Hosted remote MCP server
~
Not documented
Agent-native workflows
✓
Usable directly inside Claude, ChatGPT & Cursor
~
Not documented
CSV import / re-enrichment from competitor exports
✓
Upload any CSV — the agent re-verifies & re-scores
~
Unbranded Excel export; CSV re-enrichment not documented

Find your journalists now. No demo. No contract. No credit card.

Start in seconds and see live journalist matches for your first pitch.

Build your first list free →
From $97/mo · no contractPay only for verified emailsFirst list free · no credit card
The honest read

Why people switch from PodPitch.

The product is built around the outreach loop

PodPitch says it “finds the right shows and writers, writes every pitch in your voice, sends from your inbox, follows up, and pitches your web visitors.” That is a broad, end-to-end outreach system. Medialyst concentrates on the research decision before outreach: which journalists fit this specific story, what they published recently, and why they belong on the list.

podpitch.com — homepage ↗

Its deepest published data evidence is about podcasts

PodPitch's database page documents 3.85M+ podcasts, a 24-hour refresh cycle, host emails, episode data, listener demographics, Match Scores and Virality Scores. Its homepage separately says it covers reporters and newsletters, but the same level of journalist-specific methodology is not documented on the cited pages. Medialyst starts from current articles and shows the reporting evidence behind every journalist fit.

podpitch.com/data — podcast database ↗

Public pricing vs a demo-led sale

PodPitch's cited pages route buyers to a free 1:1 demo and do not list plan prices as of 5 October 2026. Medialyst publishes every plan and limit: Starter is $149 monthly or $97 a month billed annually, your first list is free, and paid plans have a 14-day money-back guarantee.

podpitch.com — homepage ↗

A database result vs a documented fit decision

PodPitch shows plain-English search and Match Scores, but a written, per-journalist explanation tied to the recent articles behind a specific story is not documented on its cited pages. Medialyst gives every journalist a 0–100 fit score and a written reason with the recent coverage that supports it, or says there is not enough evidence.

podpitch.com — homepage ↗
Fair is fair

Where PodPitch wins.

A large, detailed podcast database

PodPitch claims 3.85M+ podcasts refreshed every 24 hours, with verified host emails, recent episode data, episode frequency, listener counts and demographics, Match Scores and Virality Scores. Medialyst does not cover podcast guest booking today, so PodPitch is the more purpose-built choice when podcasts are the channel.

Sending, follow-ups, replies and reporting in one system

PodPitch writes pitches in your voice, sends from your inbox, follows up in the same thread, drafts replies in Magic Inbox, tracks opens and replies, monitors mentions, and produces earned-media reports. Medialyst does the journalist research and provides sending, but it does not offer PodPitch's full monitoring and reporting bundle today.

Agency packaging

PodPitch says an account can hold unlimited profiles for brands, clients and executives, team seats are free from 2 to 200 people, and progress, lists and results can be exported as clean, unbranded Excel files. That is useful packaging for agencies managing several clients.

A separate sales-outreach product is included

PodPitch says every account includes the separate MagicPitch offering, which can build prospect lists and run sequences across email, LinkedIn, text, postcards and gifts. Magic Pitch also remains available as a standalone product at magicpitch.com; the bundle is a relationship between two products, not a rename.

Where Medialyst wins

Where Medialyst pulls ahead.

Journalist fit grounded in recent coverage

Every journalist gets a 0–100 fit score for your specific story and a written reason that cites the recent articles behind it. On Pro and Scale, deep fit scoring also reads each journalist's author page, recent bylines and the opening of their latest articles before judging fit. You see and edit the story angles before a credit is spent.

A person stays on every send

Medialyst researches the list, drafts the pitch and leaves the send with you. You review and send from your own Gmail or Outlook, with open, click and reply tracking, and bot and scanner opens filtered out. Sending always involves a person; research doesn't have to.

Verified emails, and you pay only for hits

You pay 1 credit only when Medialyst delivers a verified email. Misses are free. Every email delivered was validated within the last 14 days or is re-checked when you build the list. PodPitch documents verification for its podcast-host database, while its broader journalist find rate is not published on the cited pages.

Custom research and agent-native access

Ask custom research questions in plain language across a whole list, upload any CSV for re-verification and re-scoring, or use the public REST API and hosted remote MCP server from Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor or your own scripts. PodPitch lists an API but does not publish API access details or an MCP server on the cited pages as of 5 October 2026.

Workflow

Pitching the same announcement.

One launch, two tools. Here's what a comms lead actually does to get a story-specific pitch out the door.

MedialystMedialyst9 min total
1
Paste the release
Drop your announcement into the agent. It identifies the angle and newsworthiness.
~30 sec
2
Receive ranked matches
Journalists scored 0–100 by fit, each with reasoning grounded in their recent articles.
~90 sec
3
Review drafted pitches
A unique angle per journalist referencing their actual recent work. Edit anything; tone stays yours.
~5 min
4
Send from your own Gmail or Outlook
You send each pitch from your own inbox, then see opens, clicks and replies per journalist.
~2 min
Time to first pitch~9 minutes
PodPitchPodPitchnot published
1
Set the target
Describe the audience and goal in one sentence, then search podcasts, reporters and newsletter writers in the same workspace.
not published
2
Review drafted pitches
PodPitch writes an individual pitch in your voice for each contact and references a recent episode or article.
drafts in 3 seconds
3
Send and follow up
Send from your inbox on a natural schedule; automatic follow-ups stay in the same thread and stop when someone replies.
not published
4
Handle replies and report
Magic Inbox drafts replies, while PodPitch tracks opens and responses and turns earned coverage into reports.
not published
Time to first pitchnot published
Under the hood

Three places the difference shows up.

01Database quality

85M+ podcasts, a 24-hour refresh cycle, verified host emails, recent episode data, listener counts and demographics, Match Scores and Virality Scores.

It says every podcast email goes through a multi-step verification pipeline, and that inactive shows are flagged through daily crawling. 1B-contact database, but the cited pages do not document the journalist side with the same field-by-field depth. Medialyst starts from current coverage rather than a broad profile search. You describe the story, it reads the relevant articles, identifies the outlets and journalists publishing on the subject, and scores each person for fit with a written reason that cites the work behind it.

Medialyst's email comes from its database when it was validated in the last 14 days; otherwise it is re-checked when you build the list. If you need podcast hosts and audience data, PodPitch is purpose-built for that job. If you need an evidence-backed journalist list for a specific story, Medialyst is.

02Speed

PodPitch emphasizes outreach speed.

Its homepage says drafts are created in 3 seconds, use your voice and reference a recent episode, then send from your inbox on a natural schedule; follow-ups run in-thread and Magic Inbox drafts the reply. It does not publish an end-to-end time from brief to approved media list on the cited pages. Medialyst is fast at the research decision.

Paste a release, URL or topic, review the angles, and receive a scored journalist list with verified emails in minutes. The result is a list you can inspect before sending, so a breaking-news window does not force you to trade speed for control. PodPitch is the broader outreach machine; Medialyst is the focused route to an evidence-backed journalist list.

03AI & agent surface

PodPitch is a hosted platform used through its own app.

Its homepage lists an API alongside SSO and enterprise security, but the cited public pages do not document API access, pricing or a remote MCP server as of 5 October 2026. Medialyst exposes a public REST API and hosted remote MCP server on every plan, including free credits, so an agent in Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor can build lists, enrich journalists and search the news directly.

Custom research columns turn plain-language questions into structured answers for every row, and any CSV can be uploaded for re-verification and re-scoring. If the media-research step needs to live inside your own agent workflow, Medialyst publishes the interface for it.

Pricing reality

Two pricing philosophies, side by side.

Ours is public and posted. Here's how it sits next to PodPitch's own published pricing page and what named third parties report.

Pricing and claims verified 5 October 2026
Medialyst
Transparent
From $97/mobilled annually
or $149/mo month-to-month · cancel anytime
  • Starterfounders & small teams$97/mo annual
  • Proin-house comms & PR teams$194/mo annual
  • Scaleagencies & high-volume teams$520/mo annual
  • No contract · no per-seat fees · cancel anytime · 14-day money-back guarantee
  • Free first list — 100 credits, no credit card
  • One unified product — no modules priced separately
PodPitch
Quote-based
Quote only
No public pricing — quote on request
  • PodPitch does not publish plan prices on the cited pages as of 5 October 2026. Its current homepage routes buyers to a free 1:1 demo, says the demo takes 15 minutes, and says there is no commitment.
  • No public pricing — quote on request
What teams say

In the words of Medialyst users.

Real customers, approved for use. Your results depend on your story and your list — these are theirs.

★★★★★

"What came back was a working list with real journalists, current coverage, and contact information I could use the same day. No cross-referencing. No digging through three different tabs. One prompt and I was pitching."

Amy Bartko
★★★★★

"I love Medialyst. It follows the workflow I already use, which, if I may say so myself, is the right workflow. I don't keep old Excel documents full of old emails and blast things to people. I hate the spray and pray. I like to make sure reporters are writing about the things I'm talking about, and to find new people who are. Muck Rack, Cision, all of those are basically very expensive static databases. I already know the major trade reporters. What Medialyst has helped me uncover are the people at Fast Company and The Wall Street Journal who cover packaging, and the freelancers I can get on the radar of. Muck Rack just doesn't help with that. Now when I tell Claude 'here's the person,' it pulls them through Medialyst, onto my list there, and starts gathering information about them. I haven't gotten a bounced email yet. I'd rather send a smaller list I can defend. And I'm never afraid to share it with clients, because it has everything in there. It proves its worth. My first job, as an intern, was photocopying Bacon's books into an Excel database every year. So I'm acutely aware of how hard it is to keep track of all this. This is how I would approach it myself."

Christine Pietryla Wetzler
Christine Pietryla Wetzler
★★★★★

"Medialyst makes it super easy to narrow down and create dedicated PR lists to reach out to the journalists that actually want to hear what you have to say. The timeline from chatting to the agent about what you have to promote to actually launching the campaign goes down to mere 1-2 hours instead of days worth of research and prospecting."

Milena Petrović
★★★★★

"Then recently I stumbled upon Elvis Sun's agentic PR tool Medialyst — with a few detailed prompts, the agent comes up with a pretty targeted list of journalists. The best thing is it gives a summary of their recent articles before I commit to reading every piece."

Rita Liao
★★★★★

"This new company is a terrific idea—and helps PR people in ways they didn't know they needed it. The team really 'gets' this business and so many businesses just don't. Jump in. The agents are ready!"

Richard Laermer
★★★★★

"Medialyst is the only tool that keeps up with the pace our firm needs to move at across our High Growth B2B Tech clients. The journalist targeting is sharp as well as accurate, and Elvis actually ships when you give him feedback."

Sim Aulakh
Sim Aulakh
Founder at EstablishCred
★★★★★

"It's 100% customizable to you & your clients. It's affordable. It's built by someone who gets back to you quickly & truly wants to give the people what they want — MORE time."

Kristjana (Kris) Hillberg
★★★★★

"The big media database platforms are built for agencies with full teams and retainers to match. For a boutique practice like mine, the economics just do not work. Medialyst fits the model. Beyond contact discovery, it helps me stay on top of what reporters are actually covering: the beats, the patterns, the recent angles. That is the real work of pitching well these days. Spray and pray is over, and Medialyst is built for how modern media relations actually works, at a price point that makes sense for the way I operate."

Kyle Cabodi
★★★★★

"Medialyst takes the guesswork out of journalist outreach. It vets your pitch for suitability, matches it to the right journalists, and hands you their most accurate contact details — so instead of firing off cold emails into the void, you're landing in the right inboxes. The result? Fewer emails sent, more stories published."

Saddat Abid
Saddat Abid
CEO at Property Saviour
★★★★★

"This is a must-have if you work in media, it's easy to use and saves you a lot of time! The customer service has been some of the best I have experienced."

Raul Quiroz
Raul Quiroz
Senior Account Manager at HJ-PR
Try it free · no account to start

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 checks every email before you get it. Your first list is free, no credit card.

First list free · No credit card
From $97/mo · no contractPay only for verified emailsFirst list free · no credit card
FAQ

Common questions about switching from PodPitch.

How much does PodPitch cost in 2026?
PodPitch does not publish plan prices on the cited pages as of 5 October 2026. Its current homepage routes buyers to a free 15-minute, one-to-one demo and says there is no commitment. Ask for the full plan price, usage limits and contract terms during the demo before comparing it with Medialyst's published plans.
What does PodPitch do?
PodPitch finds podcasts, reporters and newsletter writers, writes pitches in your voice, sends from your inbox, follows up in the same thread, drafts replies, monitors mentions and reports earned-media results. Its most detailed public database documentation covers 3.85M+ podcasts refreshed every 24 hours.
Is PodPitch the same product as Magic Pitch?
No. PodPitch and Magic Pitch remain separate live products and websites. PodPitch says every PodPitch account includes the separate MagicPitch offering, while the same page says MagicPitch is also available standalone at magicpitch.com. They share a business relationship, but buyers should compare their distinct offers and pricing separately.
Does PodPitch send pitches automatically?
PodPitch's current homepage says pitches are written in your voice and sent from your own inbox on a natural schedule, and that follow-ups go out automatically in the same thread until someone replies. The cited PodPitch pages do not state a first-send approval requirement. Medialyst leaves every send with a person in Gmail or Outlook.
What is the best PodPitch alternative?
If your priority is journalist research rather than an all-in-one podcast and outreach machine, Medialyst is the closer fit. It reads recent coverage for your story, scores each journalist 0–100 with a written reason, and delivers verified emails, charging 1 credit only when an email is delivered. Starter is $149/mo monthly or $97/mo billed annually, and the first list is free.
PodPitch vs Medialyst — what's the difference?
PodPitch spans podcast, press and newsletter discovery plus pitching, follow-ups, monitoring and reporting. Medialyst focuses on building an evidence-backed journalist list for a specific story: it finds reporters from recent coverage, scores the fit, explains why each person belongs and verifies the email before you send.
Can I move my PodPitch contacts into Medialyst?
Yes. Export your contacts, save them as CSV and upload them. Medialyst's agent re-verifies every email, re-scores each contact against your story and adds their recent coverage, so you can compare results on your own data before changing anything.

Build the journalist list before you run the outreach machine.

Start free with 100 credits and no credit card. Paste your story and get a verified, story-specific list of journalists in minutes.

From $97/mo · no contractPay only for verified emailsFirst list free · no credit card