Searching for the best press release service for your next big announcement and boxed between PR Newswire and Business Wire? This article covers all key features like price and depth of coverage, pros and cons and everything you need to know.
Both press release services are leaders in the industry, making them a popular choice for most Fortune 500 companies and corporations. While they both come with a heavy price tag, they have wide relationships with journalists and the media in general. On average, you should be willing to pay a minimum $1,000 upwards.
This guide breaks down pricing, reach, features, pros and cons, and ideal use cases so you can decide with confidence.
Overview: PR Newswire vs Business Wire
Owned by Cision, PR Newswire is one of the best-known newswire companies, also positioned as having a wide media distribution network. PR Newswire also owns PR Web, a sister company in the newswire space.
Business Wire (a Berkshire Hathaway company) is a global distribution powerhouse, particularly strong in investor relations and regulatory disclosure, with circuits that reach over 150+ countries and highly targeted geographic and industry lists.
Differences at a Glance
Feature Comparison: PR Newswire vs Business Wire
Note: Pricing varies by region, word count, and add-ons. The data below is what we have been able to publicly gather or estimate price range and not official.
| Feature | PR Newswire | Business Wire |
|---|---|---|
| Typical base price (400 words) | ~$325–$1,000+ depending on circuit (local vs national) | Starts around $475–$760+ for 400 words, depending on circuit |
| Extra 100 words | Roughly $140–$245+ per extra 100 words | Roughly $195–$245+ per extra 100 words |
| Membership / access fee | Often requires an annual membership (~$195) for access | No widely advertised membership fee; pricing is per-release and custom |
| Distribution network size | Markets itself as the largest distribution network with 500k+ media outlets & influencers | Focuses on global reach (over 150+ countries) and highly targeted lists by geography, sector & audience. |
| Strength area | Brand awareness, consumer PR, SEO visibility | Investor relations, regulatory disclosure, earnings news |
| Multimedia support | Strong multimedia, but logos and rich assets often cost extra | Strong multimedia; first attachment typically paid, logo usually included |
| Average cost for 1k words with images (US national) | Around $2,500–$3,000+ based on pricing guides | Often comparable or slightly higher, depending on options |
| Best for | Mid–to large-sized brands, agencies, and enterprises needing broad media exposure | Public companies, financial announcements, and global corporations |
Pricing Comparison: PR Newswire vs Business Wire
While the two companies are highly priced, the pricing comparison provides an extra layer of information that can be helpful in making your decision.
PR Newswire Pricing (2025 Snapshot)
Different sources analysing PR Newswire’s pricing in 2024–2025 consistently show:
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Membership fee (access): commonly around $195 per year.
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Base pricing per 400-word release: often in the range of $325–$8,700, depending on:
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Local vs national vs global circuits
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Niche industry / financial circuits
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Whether social/online visibility packages are added
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Extra word charges: roughly $140–$245+ per additional 100 words (varies by circuit).
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Multimedia & branding add-ons:
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Images, video, logos, PDFs and extra multimedia can each add hundreds of dollars per release.
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For example, one pricing breakdown shows a US national release at around $805 for 400 words, with $245 per additional 100 words, plus additional fees for images and logos.
Business Wire Pricing (2025 Snapshot)
Business Wire doesn’t publish full, detailed price lists, but multiple independent guides and reviews show consistent patterns:
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Starting price for local US distribution: around $475 for 400 words.
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Typical cost for widely distributed releases: around $760+ for 400 words, depending on region and circuit.
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Extra 100 words: around $195 per 100 words.
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Multimedia:
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First multimedia asset (image/video/PDF) is often around $400+.
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Additional media assets are extra, but logos are often included at no extra cost.
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Add-ons: some packages for extra visibility and analytics come as a flat fee (e.g., around $95 in some guides).
Which Offers Better Value?
It really depends on your use case. If you’re a public company issuing earnings, material news or regulatory updates, the extra cost of Business Wire can be justified because of its strong investor relations distribution, regulatory and stock exchange compliance support, and deep relationships with financial media.
Both services are expensive compared to other providers like Press Featured, but their pricing reflects their reach, trust, and underlying infrastructure.
PR Newswire in particular positions itself as having one of the largest multimedia distribution networks in the industry, claiming access to over 500,000 media outlets, journalists and online channels worldwide, with especially strong presence in North America and Europe, deep access to trade publications and niche industry outlets, and powerful online syndication that supports SEO and long-term discoverability.
Business Wire Reach
Business Wire is frequently described as a global distribution powerhouse, reaching over 150+ countries and offering highly targeted lists by industry, language, and geography.
Key strengths:
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Exceptional for global corporate and financial news.
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Strong penetration in financial terminals, investor networks, and regulatory channels.
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Widely trusted for earnings, IPO, and M&A-related releases.
SEO & Online Visibility
Both services offer syndication across news sites, portals and finance platforms, along with indexing in search engines and Google News. They also provide permanent or long-lived online URLs that you can reference in your own PR and SEO strategy.
Independent reviews suggest that PR Newswire may have a slight edge in broad online pickup and SEO visibility, while Business Wire’s strength lies in high-value financial and industry-specific placements.
Editorial Process, Support & Ease of Use
Both providers include human editorial review for style, clarity and compliance, along with formatting support for headlines, subheads, boilerplates and quotes. They also offer customer success support to help you choose the right circuits and get the most from your distribution.
From user and agency reviews, PR Newswire is often praised for its 24/7 editorial support and strong account management under Cision, though some users find the pricing structure confusing and feel “nickel-and-dimed” on add-ons.
Business Wire is frequently praised for its professional staff, detailed reporting and reliability, especially by long-term agency users, and while it’s also seen as expensive, it enjoys high levels of trust for mission-critical news like earnings and regulatory releases.
When to Choose PR Newswire
PR Newswire is usually the better choice if:
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You’re a brand or agency focused on visibility and buzz.
You want media pickup, online coverage and SEO benefit more than regulatory/IR compliance. -
You’re targeting consumer or B2B audiences.
Product launches, expert commentary, events, awards, or content marketing campaigns. -
You want strong online syndication.
PR Newswire’s network and online partnerships can boost search visibility and branded search results. -
You’re already in the Cision ecosystem.
If you use Cision for media database, monitoring, and reporting, sticking with PR Newswire gives you a more integrated workflow.
When to Choose Business Wire
Business Wire tends to win when:
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You’re a public or pre-IPO company.
You need a wire that is well recognised by financial markets, analysts, and regulators. -
You’re announcing financial or regulatory news.
Earnings releases, material events, acquisitions, SEC-sensitive updates, etc. -
Your audience is global and institutional.
Business Wire’s circuits and targeting across 150+ countries and investor channels can be invaluable. -
You want extremely targeted sector lists.
Business Wire’s distribution lists allow precise geographic and industry targeting, which can improve relevance and ROI for niche announcements.
Pros and Cons: PR Newswire vs Business Wire
PR Newswire – Pros
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Huge distribution network and strong brand recognition with journalists.
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Great for consumer and B2B visibility.
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Strong online syndication and SEO value.
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Fits well into Cision’s all-in-one PR stack (monitoring, media lists, etc.).
PR Newswire – Cons
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Pricing is complex and opaque; costs can escalate quickly.
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Membership fee adds another layer of commitment.
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Add-ons like logos, multimedia and word count can feel “nickel-and-dimed” to smaller businesses.
Business Wire – Pros
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Exceptional for investor relations and financial news.
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Strong global reach and highly targeted circuits.
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Widely trusted by analysts, regulators, exchanges and serious business media.
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Well-reviewed for customer service and reporting.
Business Wire – Cons
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Often, even more expensive than PR Newswire for similar word counts and multimedia.
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Overkill for small local announcements or campaigns where IR/regulatory exposure doesn’t matter.
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Pricing is also opaque and usually requires a sales conversation.
Alternatives to PR Newswire and Business Wire
We believe Press Featured is a strong alternative to PR Newswire and Business Wire. We understand the importance of media reach and affordability, and we provide the perfect blend of both, helping you get the best value for your money.
Below is a list of other alternatives you may want to consider:
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GlobeNewswire
Great for corporate and financial disclosures with strong global distribution, especially across Europe and North America. Often used by public companies and large brands as a more competitively priced alternative. -
Press Featured
Press Featured is a modern press release and media visibility platform that helps businesses, coaches and experts get featured in trusted online publications. It combines professional press release distribution with data-led PR and expert commentary opportunities, so brands can build authority, credibility and visibility in an AI-saturated world where it’s harder to stand out. -
Newswire.com
A modern platform with local and global distribution, media database, and post-campaign analytics. Popular with startups and digital brands because of its friendlier pricing and easier UI. -
eReleases
Designed for small and mid-sized businesses. They actually plug into PR Newswire’s network but bundle it with more affordable packages and editorial support, so you get big-wire reach at a lower cost. -
EIN Presswire
A budget-friendly wire with plans starting under $100 per release. Good for basic global distribution, RSS feeds and SEO, without the enterprise price tag. -
PRWeb
A long-standing online press release service (now under Cision) that’s more affordable than PR Newswire and Business Wire, ideal for SMBs, content marketing, and SEO-focused campaigns.
FAQs: PR Newswire vs Business Wire
1. Is PR Newswire better than Business Wire?
Neither is universally “better”—they serve slightly different priorities.
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PR Newswire is stronger for brand awareness and general media exposure.
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Business Wire is stronger for financial, investor and regulatory announcements.
2. Which one is cheaper?
In many cases, local circuits for PR Newswire can start a bit lower, but once you go national or add multimedia, both quickly cross the $1,000+ per release mark. Business Wire is often similar or slightly more expensive, especially for global distribution.
3. Does Business Wire help with SEO?
Yes. Business Wire syndicates your release across numerous sites, including finance and news portals, which helps with online visibility and branded search. But neither service should be seen as an “SEO hack”—they’re PR tools first.
4. Can startups use PR Newswire or Business Wire?
Yes, but many startups find the cost hard to justify, especially if they don’t yet need global or financial reach. Mid-tier newswires and strong direct PR outreach often deliver better ROI at the early stage.
5. Which service has the widest reach?
PR Newswire claims the largest multimedia distribution network by number of outlets and influencers. Business Wire, however, has an extremely strong global reach, especially for investor and financial audiences. The “widest reach” really depends on who you’re trying to reach and why.
