News & Media · head to head
Muck Rack vs Artifact
The short version
- Only Artifact has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Muck Rack no pricing is published, and every quote is prepared individually; Artifact wound down in early April 2024. Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger closed it, saying the market opportunity was not large enough to keep investing
- They diverge on capability: Muck Rack covers Media database, Artifact covers AI recommendations.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Muck Rack and Artifact actually diverge.
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (News & Media).
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 Muck Rack
- Media database
- Journalist profiles
- Media monitoring
- Pitching platform
- Coverage reporting
- Slack
- Salesforce
- Google Analytics
Only in Artifact
- AI recommendations
- Article summaries
- Clickbait detection
- Social sharing
- Topic following
- Social sharing
- Ios support
- Android support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Muck Rack
- Finding and pitching journalists from a media databasenot Artifact
- Monitoring coverage and measuring PR resultsnot Artifact
Artifact
- News consumptionnot Muck Rack
- Content discoverynot Muck Rack
- Staying informednot Muck Rack
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Muck Rack
- No pricing is published, and every quote is prepared individually
- Cost depends on user count, so a growing PR team pays more for the same database
- Broadcast monitoring, social listening and press release distribution are separately priced modules rather than included
Artifact
- Wound down in early April 2024. Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger closed it, saying the market opportunity was not large enough to keep investing
- Yahoo acquired the personalisation technology and folded it into Yahoo News, so the app itself is not coming back
- The founders stayed only in an advisory capacity through the transition
Pricing, plan by plan
Muck Rack
On request- ProFree
- Media database
- Media monitoring
- Pitching tools
- EnterpriseFree
- All Pro features
- Team management
- SSO integration
Artifact
Free- FreeFree
- AI-powered recommendations
- Article summaries
- Social features
Which should you pick?
Choose Muck Rack if
- You need media database.
- You work on Web, Browser-extension.
- You also want journalist profiles.
Choose Artifact if
- You need ai recommendations.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Ios, Android.
- You also want article summaries.
Questions people ask
- Is Muck Rack or Artifact better?
- Neither clearly leads. Muck Rack starts at On request and Artifact at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Muck Rack or Artifact?
- Artifact has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Muck Rack and Free for Artifact.
- Does Muck Rack or Artifact run on more platforms?
- Muck Rack runs on Web, Browser-extension. Artifact runs on Ios, Android.
- Can I use Artifact for free?
- Yes. Artifact has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Muck Rack starts at On request.
- What is Muck Rack best used for?
- Muck Rack is most often used for finding and pitching journalists from a media database, monitoring coverage and measuring pr results. Of those, finding and pitching journalists from a media database and monitoring coverage and measuring pr results are not what Artifact is typically brought in for.
- What can Muck Rack do that Artifact cannot?
- Muck Rack covers Media database, Journalist profiles, Media monitoring, Pitching platform. Artifact covers AI recommendations, Article summaries, Clickbait detection, Social sharing.