What is Muck Rack?
Muck Rack is an earned media platform that helps PR and communications teams find relevant journalists, pitch them, and track the coverage that results. It combines a media database, outreach tools, a media CRM, monitoring and reporting in one product. Newer modules also track how brands show up in answers from AI assistants such as ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini, alongside news and social media.
The platform is sold to brands and agencies in tiered plans, with pricing built around the number of users and the modules you choose. Journalists can use Muck Rack for free to manage their profiles and see who shares their work. That two-sided setup is a big part of why many PR teams rely on it for up-to-date contact and beat information.
Muck Rack at a glance
How does Muck Rack work?
- Search the media database
Find journalists and outlets by beat, topic or recent articles, then save them into media lists.
- Pitch from the platform
Send personalized pitches and press releases, track opens and replies, and log follow-ups in the media CRM.
- Monitor coverage
Set up searches to track mentions of your brand, competitors and topics across news, social media and AI answers.
- Report on results
Build PR reports and dashboards that show coverage volume, reach and share of voice for stakeholders.
Muck Rack key features
Media database
Searchable profiles of journalists and outlets, with recent articles and beats to help you build targeted lists.
Pitching and outreach
Send pitches from inside Muck Rack, with AI-assisted recommendations for personalizing outreach and managing follow-ups.
Media CRM
Keeps a shared record of relationships and past interactions with journalists so teams do not double-pitch.
Media monitoring
Tracks online news coverage, with add-ons for print, broadcast and social listening.
AI Visibility
Shows how often a brand appears in AI assistant answers and which outlets and journalists influence those answers.
PR reporting and analytics
Turns coverage into reports and dashboards that help prove the value of PR work.
Press release distribution
An optional add-on for sending releases through a wire alongside your direct pitches.
API and Muck Rack Agent
An API on the top tier plus newer agent and MCP options for working with Muck Rack data in other tools.
Why use Muck Rack?
- Journalist profiles are kept current because reporters use the platform themselves.
- Pitching, CRM and monitoring live in one place, so fewer spreadsheets are needed.
- Coverage reports make it easier to show executives or clients what PR delivered.
- AI Visibility tracking helps teams understand how earned media shapes AI search answers.
- Modular add-ons let you buy only the monitoring and distribution you need.
Who is Muck Rack best for?
A good fit for
- In-house PR and communications teams
- PR agencies managing many client accounts
- Brands that rely on earned media and journalist relationships
- Enterprise teams that need coverage reporting
Less suited to
- Solo founders who need a low-cost, self-serve tool with public pricing
- Teams that only need occasional press release distribution
- Buyers who want a free trial before talking to sales
Muck Rack pricing
| Pricing model | Contact sales |
|---|---|
| Free plan | No |
| Free trial | Not confirmed |
| Starting price | Contact sales (no public prices) |
Brand and agency plans come in Starter, Standard and Premier tiers. Quotes depend on users and modules, with add-ons for broadcast and print monitoring, social listening, distribution, API access and AI Visibility.
Prices checked October 2026. Vendors change plans often, so confirm on the official Muck Rack pricing page before you buy.
Muck Rack pros and cons
Pros
- Strong journalist database backed by reporter participation
- Pitching, CRM, monitoring and reporting in one platform
- Tracks brand presence in AI assistant answers
- Flexible modules for brands and agencies
Cons
- No published pricing, so you must book a demo for a quote
- No free trial is advertised
- Many monitoring channels are paid add-ons
Muck Rack integrations and platforms
Available on
Muck Rack alternatives
See the full shortlist in Best PR Software.
Muck Rack FAQ
How much does Muck Rack cost?
Muck Rack does not publish prices. Brands and agencies choose from Starter, Standard and Premier plans, and the company builds a custom proposal based on the number of users and the modules selected. Add-ons such as print and broadcast monitoring, social listening, press release distribution and AI Visibility raise the total. You get a quote after a demo.
Is Muck Rack free for journalists?
Yes. Journalists do not pay to use Muck Rack. They can create and manage a profile, control privacy settings, get verified for extra benefits such as advanced search and media database access, follow trends, and see who shared their links. The paid product is aimed at PR and communications teams.
What is Muck Rack used for?
Muck Rack is used by PR teams to find the right journalists, build media lists, send pitches, and manage relationships in a shared CRM. Teams also use it to monitor coverage of their brand and competitors, track how they appear in AI assistant answers, and produce reports that show the results of their PR work.
Muck Rack vs Cision: what's the difference?
Both are enterprise PR platforms with media databases, monitoring and reporting. Muck Rack is known for journalist profiles that reporters help maintain and for an outreach-centered workflow. Cision owns the PR Newswire distribution network and bundles wire distribution more tightly with its suite. Teams that pitch heavily often favor Muck Rack, while distribution-heavy teams look at Cision.
Does Muck Rack offer a free trial?
Muck Rack does not advertise a free trial on its pricing page. Instead, it offers a free personalized demo that usually lasts 30 to 45 minutes, where the team walks through the product and prepares a proposal. If you need hands-on access before buying, ask about trial options during the demo.
Sources
This overview is based on Muck Rack's official website and documentation, checked October 2026.