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Meltwater vs Newswire

Meltwater logo

Meltwater

News

Media intelligence and social listening platform

From
$15000/year
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Newswire logo

Newswire

News

Affordable press release distribution for everyone

From
$399/per release
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Meltwater real-time accuracy issues reported, particularly for niche industries or non-English content; Newswire no free tier or trial available
  • They diverge on capability: Meltwater covers Media monitoring, Newswire covers Press release distribution.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Meltwater and Newswire actually diverge.

Attributes where Meltwater and Newswire differ
AttributeMeltwaterNewswire
Starting price$15000/year$399/per release
Pricing modelUnknownone-time
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb
Founded20012004

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

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 Meltwater

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

Only in Newswire

  • Press release distribution
  • Media targeting
  • Social amplification
  • Analytics
  • SEO optimization
  • Google News
  • Yahoo News
  • Bing News

Both cover

  • Web support

What people use each for

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

Meltwater

  • Media monitoringnot Newswire
  • Influencer researchnot Newswire
  • Brand trackingnot Newswire
  • Crisis managementnot Newswire

Newswire

  • Product launchesnot Meltwater
  • Company newsnot Meltwater
  • Event announcementsnot Meltwater
  • SEO boostnot Meltwater
  • Brand awarenessnot Meltwater

Where each one falls short

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

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

Newswire

  • No free tier or trial available

Pricing, plan by plan

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

Newswire

$399/per release
  • Starter$399/per release
    • Distribution to Digital Journal and Online News & Media
    • Estimated reach 6 to 10 million monthly readers
    • Unlimited word count and images
  • Basic$659/per release
    • AP News and Digital Journal distribution
    • Estimated reach 75 to 100 million monthly readers
    • Unlimited word count and images
  • Feature$965/per release
    • AP News, Yahoo, Nexstar network inclusion
    • Estimated reach 150 to 200 million monthly readers
    • Unlimited word count and images
  • State Distribution$599/per release
    • Regional news outlets and local TV stations
    • Unlimited word count and images
    • Includes analytics reporting

Which should you pick?

Choose Meltwater if

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

Choose Newswire if

  • You need press release distribution.
  • You also want media targeting.
Newswire review

Questions people ask

Is Meltwater or Newswire better?
Neither clearly leads. Meltwater starts at $15000/year and Newswire at $399/per release, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Meltwater or Newswire?
Meltwater starts at $15000/year and Newswire at $399/per release.
Does Meltwater or Newswire run on more platforms?
Meltwater runs on Web, iOS, Android. Newswire runs on Web.
What is Meltwater best used for?
Meltwater is most often used for media monitoring, influencer research, brand tracking, crisis management. Of those, media monitoring and influencer research are not what Newswire is typically brought in for.
What can Meltwater do that Newswire cannot?
Meltwater covers Media monitoring, Social listening, Influencer discovery, Sentiment analysis. Newswire covers Press release distribution, Media targeting, Social amplification, Analytics. Both handle Web 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
Newswire: How much does Newswire cost?

Newswire charges per press release. Starter plan costs 399 dollars per release. Basic plan costs 659 dollars per release. Feature plan costs 965 dollars per release. State Distribution costs 599 dollars per release.

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
Newswire: What is included with Newswire pricing?

All Newswire plans include unlimited word count and images in your press release. Different tiers offer varying distribution networks and estimated reader reach.

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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