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Microsoft Start vs Muck Rack

Microsoft Start logo

Microsoft Start

News

Your personalized news feed powered by Microsoft

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Muck Rack logo

Muck Rack

News

The new standard in PR software

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Microsoft Start has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Microsoft Start no pricing information available; Muck Rack no specific prices published; all pricing is based on customized proposals based on team size and user count
  • They diverge on capability: Microsoft Start covers Personalized news, Muck Rack covers Media database.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Microsoft Start and Muck Rack actually diverge.

Attributes where Microsoft Start and Muck Rack differ
AttributeMicrosoft StartMuck Rack
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelfreesubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Ios, Android, WindowsWeb, Browser-extension
Founded19752009

Identical on both: 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 Microsoft Start

  • Personalized news
  • Topic following
  • Weather updates
  • Sports scores
  • Finance news
  • Microsoft Edge
  • Windows 11
  • Microsoft Account

Only in Muck Rack

  • Media database
  • Journalist profiles
  • Media monitoring
  • Pitching platform
  • Coverage reporting
  • Slack
  • Salesforce
  • Google Analytics

Both cover

  • Web support

What people use each for

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

Microsoft Start

  • Daily newsnot Muck Rack
  • Topic trackingnot Muck Rack
  • Weather updatesnot Muck Rack
  • Quick informationnot Muck Rack

Muck Rack

  • Finding and pitching journalists from a media databasenot Microsoft Start
  • Monitoring coverage and measuring PR resultsnot Microsoft Start

Where each one falls short

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

Microsoft Start

  • No pricing information available
  • Service appears to be consumer-facing rather than commercial product
  • No pricing model published

Muck Rack

  • No specific prices published; all pricing is based on customized proposals based on team size and user count
  • Starter plan has limited features compared to Standard and Premier (no podcast monitoring or curation engine)
  • Sentiment analysis on Starter uses basic NLP, while Premier uses AI-powered analysis

Pricing, plan by plan

Microsoft Start

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Personalized news feed
    • Topic following
    • Cross-device sync

Muck Rack

On request
  • ProFree
    • Media database
    • Media monitoring
    • Pitching tools
  • EnterpriseFree
    • All Pro features
    • Team management
    • SSO integration

Which should you pick?

Choose Microsoft Start if

  • You need personalized news.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android, Windows.
  • You also want topic following.
Microsoft Start review

Choose Muck Rack if

  • You need media database.
  • You work on Web, Browser-extension.
  • You also want journalist profiles.
Muck Rack review

Questions people ask

Is Microsoft Start or Muck Rack better?
Neither clearly leads. Microsoft Start starts at Free and Muck Rack at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Microsoft Start or Muck Rack?
Microsoft Start has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Microsoft Start and On request for Muck Rack.
Does Microsoft Start or Muck Rack run on more platforms?
Microsoft Start runs on Web, Ios, Android, Windows. Muck Rack runs on Web, Browser-extension.
Can I use Microsoft Start for free?
Yes. Microsoft Start has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Muck Rack starts at On request.
What is Microsoft Start best used for?
Microsoft Start is most often used for daily news, topic tracking, weather updates, quick information. Of those, daily news and topic tracking are not what Muck Rack is typically brought in for.
What can Microsoft Start do that Muck Rack cannot?
Microsoft Start covers Personalized news, Topic following, Weather updates, Sports scores. Muck Rack covers Media database, Journalist profiles, Media monitoring, Pitching platform. Both handle Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Microsoft Start: How much does Microsoft Start (MSN) cost?

Microsoft Start (formerly MSN.com) is a free service with no subscription required. The platform provides news, weather, and personalized content at no cost to users.

Source
Muck Rack: How are Muck Rack plans priced?

Muck Rack pricing is not published. The platform offers three tiers (Starter, Standard, and Premier) with customized pricing that depends on several factors including team size and number of users. Interested customers must contact sales for a personalized quote.

Source
Microsoft Start: Does Microsoft Start offer any paid services or premium features?

Microsoft Start does not publish any paid tiers or premium features. The service is entirely free to access and use without any payment or subscription.

Source
Muck Rack: What features does Muck Rack Standard plan include?

Muck Rack Standard includes media monitoring and alerts, podcast monitoring, AI visibility badges, AI journalist recommendations, full media list exports, and NLP-based sentiment analysis. It is marked as the most popular plan on their pricing page.

Source
Microsoft Start: Are there ads on Microsoft Start?

Microsoft Start provides personalized news and content free of charge. Any advertising present on the service helps support the free platform offering.

Source
Muck Rack: What is unique about Muck Rack Premier plan?

Muck Rack Premier is the highest tier and adds the Curation Engine and AI-powered sentiment analysis (versus basic NLP). It includes Muck Rack API access and is targeted at enterprises and advanced teams.

Source
Muck Rack: What add-ons are available for Muck Rack?

Muck Rack offers multiple add-ons with pricing not specified: Print and Broadcast Monitoring, Social Listening, Press Release Distribution, Muck Rack API (Premier tier), Media Intelligence Services, and Generative Pulse.

Source
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