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Muck Rack vs Synthesio

Muck Rack logo

Muck Rack

News

The new standard in PR software

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Synthesio logo

Synthesio

Social Media

Enterprise social intelligence platform owned by Ipsos, with market research methodology behind it

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Muck Rack no specific prices published; all pricing is based on customized proposals based on team size and user count; Synthesio there is no published pricing, no free trial and no self-serve signup, so evaluating Synthesio requires a sales process before you can see whether the data quality suits your category.
  • They diverge on capability: Muck Rack covers Media database, Synthesio covers Global social listening.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Muck Rack and Synthesio actually diverge.

Attributes where Muck Rack and Synthesio differ
AttributeMuck RackSynthesio
Pricing modelsubscriptionquote
PlatformsWeb, Browser-extensionWeb, API
CategoryNewsSocial Media
Founded2009Unknown

Identical on both: starting price (On request), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated).

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 Synthesio

  • Global social listening
  • Signals
  • Audience analysis
  • Ecommerce listening
  • Search intelligence
  • Reputation and crisis monitoring
  • Competitive benchmarking
  • ML classification

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 Synthesio
  • Monitoring coverage and measuring PR resultsnot Synthesio

Synthesio

  • A global consumer goods brand that wants social listening and commissioned survey research from the same supplier with aligned methodologynot Muck Rack
  • An insights team tracking product review sentiment across thousands of ecommerce listings in multiple marketsnot Muck Rack
  • A brand entering a new market that needs audience profiling of who already discusses the category therenot Muck Rack
  • A corporate communications function that needs crisis detection across languages it has no in-house analysts fornot 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 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

Synthesio

  • There is no published pricing, no free trial and no self-serve signup, so evaluating Synthesio requires a sales process before you can see whether the data quality suits your category.
  • Cost is repeatedly cited by reviewers as high relative to peers, and because Ipsos analyst services are priced separately from the platform licence, the quoted software figure is frequently not the figure you end up spending.
  • The interface is dated compared with newer listening tools and the learning curve is steep, which in practice means the platform gets used by one or two trained analysts rather than adopted across a marketing team.
  • Some of the newer AI-driven features have been described by users as glitchy or over-promised relative to the sales demonstration, so insist on testing Signals against your own historical data during evaluation.
  • Historical data access is limited and governed by contract scope rather than being unlimited, so retrospective analysis across several years frequently requires a separately priced data request.

Pricing, plan by plan

Muck Rack

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

Synthesio

On request
  • Synthesio$undefined/year
    • Global social listening across 181 languages
    • Signals generative AI theme detection
    • Audience and ecommerce analysis

Which should you pick?

Choose Muck Rack if

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

Choose Synthesio if

  • You need global social listening.
  • You work on Web, API.
  • You also want signals.
Synthesio review

Questions people ask

Is Muck Rack or Synthesio better?
Neither clearly leads. Muck Rack starts at On request and Synthesio at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Muck Rack or Synthesio?
Muck Rack starts at On request and Synthesio at On request.
Does Muck Rack or Synthesio run on more platforms?
Muck Rack runs on Web, Browser-extension. Synthesio runs on Web, API.
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 Synthesio is typically brought in for.
What can Muck Rack do that Synthesio cannot?
Muck Rack covers Media database, Journalist profiles, Media monitoring, Pitching platform. Synthesio covers Global social listening, Signals, Audience analysis, Ecommerce listening.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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
Synthesio: Who owns Synthesio?

Ipsos, the market research group, acquired it in October 2018 for a reported 50 million USD or more, and it is marketed as an Ipsos company.

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
Synthesio: Can I try it before buying?

No. There is no free trial or self-serve signup; evaluation runs through a sales-led demonstration process.

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
Synthesio: What is the practical advantage over Brandwatch?

The ability to buy platform licence and Ipsos analyst services from one supplier, with methodology consistent with survey research you may already commission from the same group.

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
Synthesio: How many languages does it cover?

Synthesio reports coverage across 181 languages and 25 markets, which is among the broadest in the category.

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