A press release costs from $49 for outside news-site distribution to $475 for a Business Wire local release, with wider Business Wire circuits quoted on request, according to Dupple's October 2026 price check. Budget services sit near $100, mid-tier services near $400, and premium wires start higher and often require a quote. The advertised price is rarely the final bill.
By Ronn Torossian. Last updated: November 7, 2026. Prices come from the published guides named in the table. Several guides are published by wire services or their competitors, which have a commercial interest, and prices change, so confirm each figure with the provider before buying.
What does a press release cost by distribution tier?
A press release costs about $100 on budget services, about $400 on mid-tier services and $475 or more on premium wires. The table groups published prices into three tiers.
| Tier | Published price | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Budget | EIN Presswire $99.95; outside news-site listings from $49 per release; Send2Press US national $289 | Get News, February 2026; Dupple, October 2026; The Next Web |
| Mid-tier | eReleases from $399 per release | Prezly; Online PR, April 2026 |
| Premium wire | Business Wire from $475 for a US domestic local release, with wider circuits quoted on request | Dupple, October 2026 |
| Premium wire | PR Newswire prints no per-release price on Dupple's check; a $195 to $249 annual membership is reported | Dupple, October 2026; Prezly |
| Premium wire | GlobeNewswire lists no price on the pages checked | Everything-PR, checked October 7, 2026 |
Why is the advertised press release price rarely the final price?
The advertised price covers a base release, and word count, attachments and add-ons raise the total. Dupple found that the cheapest fitting tiers of nine services sat $446 apart for the same 400 words, so length and scope change the bill as much as the provider does.
Get News's 2026 pricing guide lists Business Wire at an advertised $475 and a true cost of $1,050 or more. Prezly, a competitor, says Business Wire prices by the word, the attachment and the add-on. Treat both as claims to check against a written quote.
What do the premium wires cost in practice?
The premium wires cost $475 to more than $1,000 per release in published reports, and the reports disagree on the details. The table lists each figure with its source so a buyer can see where the numbers conflict.
| Wire | Reported figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Business Wire | $475 starting price for a US domestic local release | Dupple, October 2026 |
| Business Wire | $1,050 or more true cost against an advertised $475 | Get News, February 2026 |
| Business Wire | No annual membership fee, with pricing per release | Prezly |
| PR Newswire | $195 to $249 annual membership to get started | Prezly |
| Legacy wires as a group | $700 or more for basic text-only distribution | The Next Web |
| Legacy wires as a group | $800 to $1,200 or more by word count and multimedia | Indie Hackers review |
| GlobeNewswire | About $700 to $1,200 typical total per release | Prezly's GlobeNewswire page |
The sources conflict on whether PR Newswire publishes a price. Dupple's October 20, 2026 check found that it prints no per-release price, while Everything-PR's October 7, 2026 check reported that both Business Wire and PR Newswire publish starting prices on their own pricing pages. Ask for a written quote and keep the date of the quote.
What does a multimedia add-on cost?
A multimedia add-on can double the price of a release. Prezly's GlobeNewswire pricing page lists a logo at $100 or more, an image at $200 and video at up to $1,200, and estimates a typical total of about $700 to $1,200 per release.
Those figures are one comparison site's estimate for one wire. They show why a plain text release and a release with a video are different purchases. Decide the media first, then ask each provider to price the same package.
What does a year of releases cost?
A year of twelve releases costs twelve times the per-release price before add-ons. The table multiplies published starting prices, so the totals are arithmetic and not quotes.
| Starting price | Twelve releases | Tier |
|---|---|---|
| $49 | $588 | Outside news-site listings |
| $99.95 | $1,199.40 | EIN Presswire |
| $399 | $4,788 | eReleases |
| $475 | $5,700 | Business Wire US domestic local |
Dupple's table lists the same $5,700 figure for twelve Business Wire releases at the starting price, and notes that volume is quoted. A company that issues a release a month should ask each provider for a volume rate.
What should you ask a provider before you buy?
You should ask six questions that turn an advertised price into a total. The list is editorial judgment and not an industry standard.
- What is the price for my word count and number of attachments?
- Is there an annual membership or setup fee, as Prezly reports for PR Newswire?
- Which outlets, terminals or circuits does this price include?
- What do an image, a logo and a video cost?
- Do you offer a volume rate for twelve releases?
- What is the refund or correction policy if the release contains an error?
Ask for the answers in a written quote and save it with the date, because published prices change and reports on the same wire disagree.
What does a higher distribution tier buy?
A higher tier buys a larger distribution network and, on premium wires, formal sourcing for regulated news. Online PR's April 2026 comparison reports PR Newswire reaching more than 400,000 outlets and Business Wire more than 100,000, which are vendor-reported figures and not independent counts. Notified, which owns GlobeNewswire, claimed in April 2026 that its releases earn up to 30% more unique views than Business Wire's, citing SimilarWeb data from July 2025. That is also a vendor claim.
Reach does not guarantee coverage or citation. Muck Rack's May 2026 report said press release citations in AI answers fell from 6% in December 2025 and remain near the 1.2% level of July 2025, according to the National Newspaper Association's summary. A wire release is therefore a distribution record, not a coverage plan.
How should a startup choose a tier?
A startup should pick the tier by the audience the release must reach. This decision rule is editorial judgment and not an industry standard.
- Choose a budget tier when the release only needs to exist online as a dated record, such as a product update.
- Choose a mid-tier service when the release needs editorial review before it goes out.
- Choose a premium wire when the news is regulated or must reach financial terminals, such as a public company disclosure.
- Skip the wire and pitch reporters directly when the goal is a story, because a reporter needs a reason to write, not a distribution list.
The guide to press release writing cost covers what the writing itself costs, and the guide to PR firm cost for a startup covers which fees agencies bill outside the retainer. The guide to how long PR takes shows how long coverage takes after a release goes out.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a press release cost?
A press release costs from about $49 to more than $1,000 for distribution alone, according to Dupple and Get News. The tier, word count and add-ons set the final price.
Is PR Newswire more expensive than Business Wire?
No published source gives a direct per-release comparison, because Dupple found that PR Newswire prints no per-release price. Ask both for a written quote for the same word count and attachments.
Does a press release help AI visibility?
It helps little on its own. Muck Rack's May 2026 report put press release citations near the 1.2% level of July 2025, according to the National Newspaper Association's summary.
Is a cheap distribution service worth it?
It can be, for a dated public record. Get News lists EIN Presswire at $99.95, but cheap services typically reach smaller audiences, so do not expect reporter pickup from the service alone.
Should I pay for video or images in a release?
Only when the story needs them. Prezly's GlobeNewswire page lists an image at $200 and video at up to $1,200, which can double the cost of a release.
Before buying distribution, write down the audience the release must reach, then ask two providers for a written quote that lists word count, attachments and add-ons.