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Arc Publishing vs Meltwater

Arc Publishing logo

Arc Publishing

Software

The enterprise publishing platform for news organizations

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Meltwater logo

Meltwater

Software

Media intelligence and social listening platform

From
$15000/year
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Arc Publishing now sold as Arc XP, and arcpublishing.com redirects there; Meltwater real-time accuracy issues reported, particularly for niche industries or non-English content
  • They diverge on capability: Arc Publishing covers Modular CMS, Meltwater covers Media monitoring.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Arc Publishing and Meltwater actually diverge.

Attributes where Arc Publishing and Meltwater differ
AttributeArc PublishingMeltwater
Starting priceOn request$15000/year
Pricing modelquoteUnknown
PlatformsWeb, MobileWeb, iOS, Android
Founded20162001

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Arc Publishing

  • Modular CMS
  • Content creation
  • Publishing workflow
  • Paywall management
  • Subscription billing
  • Analytics dashboard
  • API framework
  • Commerce integration

Only in Meltwater

  • Media monitoring
  • Social listening
  • Influencer discovery
  • Sentiment analysis
  • Competitive intelligence
  • PR analytics
  • Report automation
  • Crisis monitoring

Both cover

  • Web support
  • Mobile support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Arc Publishing

  • Content management for news and digital publishersnot Meltwater
  • Subscription and paywall managementnot Meltwater
  • Video publishing alongside articlesnot Meltwater
  • Multi-site delivery for broadcast and B2B publishersnot Meltwater

Meltwater

  • Media monitoringnot Arc Publishing
  • Influencer researchnot Arc Publishing
  • Brand trackingnot Arc Publishing
  • Crisis managementnot Arc Publishing

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Arc Publishing

  • Now sold as Arc XP, and arcpublishing.com redirects there
  • Pricing is not published
  • Built for media companies, so the editorial workflow assumptions do not suit a general business site

Meltwater

  • Real-time accuracy issues reported, particularly for niche industries or non-English content
  • Limited media contact database at 380,000-400,000 contacts compared to competitors like Cision
  • Cumbersome dashboard navigation and reporting interface requiring multi-step menu access for data exports
  • Annual contracts with limited ability to scale down; risky for businesses with fluctuating needs

Pricing, plan by plan

Arc Publishing

On request
  • Enterprise$undefined/custom
    • Custom CMS
    • Paywall integration
    • Advanced analytics

Meltwater

$15000/year
  • Essentials$15000/year
    • Core media monitoring
    • Brand mention tracking
    • Industry trend monitoring
  • Suite$25000/year
    • Media monitoring
    • Social listening
    • Cross-department analytics

Which should you pick?

Choose Arc Publishing if

  • You need modular cms.
  • You work on Web, Mobile.
  • You also want content creation.
Arc Publishing review

Choose Meltwater if

  • You need media monitoring.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want social listening.
Meltwater review

Questions people ask

Is Arc Publishing or Meltwater better?
Neither clearly leads. Arc Publishing starts at On request and Meltwater at $15000/year, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Arc Publishing or Meltwater?
Arc Publishing starts at On request and Meltwater at $15000/year.
Does Arc Publishing or Meltwater run on more platforms?
Arc Publishing runs on Web, Mobile. Meltwater runs on Web, iOS, Android.
What is Arc Publishing best used for?
Arc Publishing is most often used for content management for news and digital publishers, subscription and paywall management, video publishing alongside articles, multi-site delivery for broadcast and b2b publishers. Of those, content management for news and digital publishers and subscription and paywall management are not what Meltwater is typically brought in for.
What can Arc Publishing do that Meltwater cannot?
Arc Publishing covers Modular CMS, Content creation, Publishing workflow, Paywall management. Meltwater covers Media monitoring, Social listening, Influencer discovery, Sentiment analysis. Both handle Web support, Mobile support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Meltwater: How much does Meltwater cost?

Meltwater does not publish pricing; all quotes require a sales call and annual contract. Median annual cost is approximately $25,000, with mid-market PR teams typically paying $15,000-$40,000 depending on users, coverage volume, and features.

Source
Meltwater: What sources does Meltwater monitor?

Meltwater monitors 200M+ online publications, 400,000+ traditional media sources, 20,000+ podcasts, TV/radio across all 210 US DMAs, and social platforms including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, YouTube, WeChat, and Weibo.

Source
Meltwater: What languages does Meltwater support?

Meltwater provides global multilingual support with consistent accuracy across 100+ languages for sentiment analysis and content classification.

Source
Meltwater: Does Meltwater include journalist/media contact information?

Meltwater's media database includes approximately 380,000-400,000 contacts, smaller than competitors like Cision (1.1M). Media database and GenAI Lens are separate paid add-ons.

Source
Meltwater: Can I export Meltwater reports?

Yes, Meltwater generates custom dashboards and reports tailored to stakeholders. Mira AI assistant can generate summaries and insights from monitoring data.

Source
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