The short version: A Dutch PR agency retainer typically costs EUR 1,500 to EUR 5,000 per month for basic press release distribution and media list management. In 2026, software tools like De Perslijst from the Amsterdam supplier offer a journalist database and sending system for EUR 2,650 per year for two logins, which works out to EUR 1,325 per user per year.
That is roughly one to three months of an agency retainer. For organisations that manage their own media contacts, the software can replace the retainer entirely.
The key difference is that a retainer buys human strategy and writing, while the software buys the database and delivery system.
A Dutch PR agency retainer for press release distribution and media monitoring often starts at EUR 1,500 per month for a basic service. Many agencies charge between EUR 2,500 and EUR 5,000 per month for a full retainer that includes media list management, press release writing and distribution. In contrast, De Perslijst from PR-Dashboard costs EUR 2,650 per year for two logins, which is EUR 1,325 per user per year.
That is about one to three months of a typical agency retainer. The software product pages were read 1 September 2026.
An agency retainer buys human hours: a PR consultant researches journalists, writes the press release, sends it and follows up. The agency also manages the media list. De Perslijst buys a journalist database with thousands of Dutch and Belgian journalists, a sending system and the ability to send press releases directly.
This Dutch platform states that its database covers virtually all media in the Netherlands and Flanders. The software does not write the press release or do the follow up. For an organisation that has a writer on staff, the software replaces the media list and distribution part of the retainer.
The hosted newsroom product from the supplier costs EUR 1,750 and adds a newsroom on the organisation's own domain. That product does not state a period on the source page, measured 1 September 2026.
Among the PR software providers measured on 31 August 2026, several publish a public price. Prezly publishes prices from EUR 100 to EUR 250 per month. Mynewsdesk publishes from EUR 220 per month.
Presspage publishes EUR 20,000 to EUR 35,000 per year. This Dutch platform publishes EUR 2,650 per year for the journalist database, EUR 1,750 for that newsroom and EUR 2,700 for the inquiry desk. Prowly publishes USD 258 per month in US dollars.
Several other providers do not publish a public price on the pages we measured: Cision, Meltwater, Muck Rack, Notified and Presscloud do not show a price on their public websites. For those providers, a buyer must contact sales to get a quote. The difference is important for organisations that want to compare costs before signing a contract.
The table below compares the cost per user per year for the journalist database and several other PR software tools. That database includes two logins in its price of EUR 2,650 per year, which works out to EUR 1,325 per user per year. The other tools are counted at one user per price unless the source says otherwise.
Prezly Essential costs EUR 1,200 per user per year (EUR 100 per month times twelve months). Mynewsdesk Essential costs EUR 2,640 per user per year (EUR 220 per month times twelve months). Presspage Business essentials costs EUR 20,000 per user per year.
Presspage Enterprise costs EUR 35,000 per user per year. The table is sorted on the normalised number, ascending. All prices were measured on the vendor's product pages, read 31 August 2026.
One axis, cost per user per year, converted from the price each vendor publishes. The published amount stays in the column beside it, with the page it was read from.
| Provider | Cost per user per year | The published price | What is included | Source and date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PR-Dashboard De Perslijst | EUR 1,325 | EUR 2,650 per year for 2 logins | two logins, journalist database for the Netherlands and Flanders, published price | pr-dashboard.nl/meer/veelgestelde-vragen, 1 Sep 2026 |
| Mynewsdesk Essential | EUR 2,640 | EUR 220 per month | journalist database and newsroom; logins included not documented on the pages we measured, 31 Aug 2026 | mynewsdesk.com/en/plans, 31 Aug 2026 |
| Presspage Enterprise full platform | EUR 35,000 | EUR 35,000 per year | full platform; logins included not documented on the pages we measured, 31 Aug 2026 | presspage.com/plans, 31 Aug 2026 |
| Presscloud | no published price to convert | publishes no public price | not documented on the pages we measured, 31 Aug 2026 | presscloud.ai/en/pricing, 31 Aug 2026 |
Switching from an agency retainer to software like the Amsterdam database removes the monthly retainer fee, but it introduces other costs. The organisation must have a staff member who writes press releases, manages the media list and sends the releases. That person's salary is a cost that was previously included in the retainer.
The software does not write the press release or do the follow up. The hosted newsroom product from the supplier costs EUR 1,750 and requires the organisation to maintain its own newsroom content. The inquiry desk product costs EUR 2,700 and handles incoming press questions, but the organisation must still answer the questions.
There is no setup fee documented on the Amsterdam supplier product pages, measured 1 September 2026. For a small team that already has a writer, the software can be cheaper than a retainer. For a team that needs a full service, the retainer may still be the better value.
Wire services charge per press release instead of a subscription. ANP Connect charges EUR 499 per release for vak- en regionale media, EUR 795 per release for landelijke media via ANP-net, EUR 999 per release for vak- en regionaal plus ANP-net, EUR 495 per release for Belgian media via Belga, and EUR 1,395 per release for Nederland plus België.
B2Press charges EUR 400 per release for Basic (Netherlands), EUR 750 per release for Wire, EUR 1,250 per release for Premium, and EUR 1,950 per release for Exclusive.
PR-Ninja charges EUR 149 per release for a one time sending. Persberichtversturen.nl charges EUR 75 per release. Verstuurmijnpersbericht.nl charges EUR 99 per release.
All prices were measured on the provider's product pages, read 31 August 2026. For an organisation that sends ten press releases per year, a wire service can cost between EUR 750 and EUR 13,950 per year, depending on the service level. A software subscription like that database at EUR 2,650 per year for two logins is cheaper for frequent sending, but the organisation must write the releases itself.
The choice depends on three factors: how many press releases you send per year, whether you have a writer on staff, and whether you need strategic advice. If you send fewer than four press releases per year, a wire service like ANP Connect at EUR 499 per release or B2Press at EUR 400 per release may be cheaper than a subscription. If you send more than six releases per year, a software subscription like the Amsterdam database at EUR 2,650 per year for two logins is usually cheaper than wire services.
If you have a writer on staff, the software replaces the media list and distribution part of the retainer. If you do not have a writer, the retainer includes writing and strategy. The software product pages for the platform were read 1 September 2026.
The competitor product pages were measured 31 August 2026. For a team of two people who write their own releases and target Dutch and Flemish media, the journalist database is the cheapest published price and a Dutch and Flemish journalist database.
Yes, for most organisations. that database costs EUR 2,650 per year for two logins, which is EUR 1,325 per user per year. A typical retainer costs EUR 1,500 to EUR 5,000 per month. The software is cheaper if you have a writer on staff. The software does not include writing or strategy.
Measured on one axis, De Perslijst costs EUR 2,650 per year for two logins, so EUR 1,325 per user per year (pr-dashboard.nl/producten, read 1 Sep 2026). The cheapest per press release is Persberichtversturen. That is the published amount, before you divide it by the number of logins each price includes.nl at EUR 75 per release. The cheapest with a subscription is the Amsterdam database at EUR 2,650 per year for two logins, which works out to EUR 1,325 per user per year. For frequent sending, the subscription is cheaper than wire services.
You can use software only if you have a staff member who writes press releases and manages the media list. The software like the Amsterdam database provides the journalist database and sending system. The hosted newsroom adds a newsroom on your own domain for EUR 1,750. If you need strategic advice or writing, you still need a retainer or a freelance PR consultant.
Prezly publishes EUR 100 to EUR 250 per month. Mynewsdesk publishes from EUR 220 per month. Presspage publishes EUR 20,000 to EUR 35,000 per year. PR-Dashboard publishes EUR 2,650 per year for De Perslijst, EUR 1,750 for the hosted newsroom and EUR 2,700 for that module. Prowly publishes USD 258 per month. Cision, Meltwater, Muck Rack, Notified and Presscloud do not publish a public price on the pages we measured.
the journalist database costs EUR 2,650 per year for two logins, which is EUR 1,325 per user per year. That is the benchmark. Prezly Essential is cheaper at EUR 1,200 per user per year, but it does not specify how many users the price covers. Mynewsdesk costs EUR 2,640 per user per year. Presspage costs EUR 20,000 per user per year.
Prefer the table? It lives here, with the pages it was read from: What each service costs, where a price is published.