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Microsoft Start vs Prezly

Microsoft Start logo

Microsoft Start

News

Your personalized news feed powered by Microsoft

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Prezly logo

Prezly

News

All-in-one PR software for modern newsrooms

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Microsoft Start no pricing information available; Prezly the Essential plan at 100 euros a month covers one site, one user and 5,000 contacts, and carries Prezly branding
  • They diverge on capability: Microsoft Start covers Personalized news, Prezly covers Online newsrooms.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Microsoft Start and Prezly actually diverge.

Attributes where Microsoft Start and Prezly differ
AttributeMicrosoft StartPrezly
Pricing modelfreesubscription
PlatformsWeb, Ios, Android, WindowsWeb
Founded19752010

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 Prezly

  • Online newsrooms
  • Contact management
  • Email campaigns
  • Coverage tracking
  • Multimedia stories
  • Slack
  • Google Analytics
  • Zapier

Both cover

  • Web support

What people use each for

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

Microsoft Start

  • Daily newsnot Prezly
  • Topic trackingnot Prezly
  • Weather updatesnot Prezly
  • Quick informationnot Prezly

Prezly

  • Hosting an online newsroom or press pagenot Microsoft Start
  • Sending press releases to a media contact listnot Microsoft Start
  • Managing journalist contacts and coveragenot Microsoft Start
  • Multilingual newsrooms through the localisation featuresnot 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

Prezly

  • The Essential plan at 100 euros a month covers one site, one user and 5,000 contacts, and carries Prezly branding
  • Removing the branding and getting white-label sites requires Standard at 250 euros a month
  • Standard still allows only two users
  • The uptime SLA is Enterprise only
  • Advertised prices are the annual rates, with a 20 percent premium for paying monthly

Pricing, plan by plan

Microsoft Start

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

Prezly

Free
  • Essential$100/month
    • 1 site, 1 user
    • Up to 5,000 contacts
    • Unlimited stories and campaigns
  • Essential (Monthly Billing)$150/month
    • Same as Essential plan
  • Standard$250/month
    • 1 site, 2 users
    • Up to 10,000 contacts
    • White-label sites
  • Standard (Monthly Billing)$300/month
    • Same as Standard plan

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 Prezly if

  • You need online newsrooms.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want contact management.
Prezly review

Questions people ask

Is Microsoft Start or Prezly better?
Neither clearly leads. Microsoft Start starts at Free and Prezly at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Microsoft Start or Prezly?
Microsoft Start starts at Free and Prezly at Free.
Does Microsoft Start or Prezly run on more platforms?
Microsoft Start runs on Web, Ios, Android, Windows. Prezly runs on Web.
Can I use Microsoft Start for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
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 Prezly is typically brought in for.
What can Microsoft Start do that Prezly cannot?
Microsoft Start covers Personalized news, Topic following, Weather updates, Sports scores. Prezly covers Online newsrooms, Contact management, Email campaigns, Coverage tracking. 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
Prezly: How much does Prezly cost?

Prezly's Essential plan starts at EUR 100/month (billed annually) or EUR 150/month (billed monthly). The Standard plan costs EUR 250/month (annual) or EUR 300/month (monthly). Enterprise pricing is custom and available upon request.

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
Prezly: Does Prezly offer a free trial?

Yes, Prezly offers a 14-day free trial with no credit card required. Customers also save 20% on annual billing.

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
Prezly: What is included in Prezly's Standard plan?

The Standard plan includes 1 site with 2 users, up to 10,000 contacts, white-label sites, localization and auto-translations, and ability to send from your own domain.

Source
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