Cheap Press Release Distribution (2026), What $21 to $149 Buys

By the PR Gun Research desk. Prices verified November 1, 2026.

The cheapest paid press release distribution in 2026 starts at $21 for IssueWire Tier 1, checked November 1, 2026. 24-7 Press Release, PRLog and PRFree start at $29, and PR Gun starts at $49. If you need a package that names U.S. national or AP distribution, the cheap end is IssueWire Tier 1 Pro at $42, 24-7 PR Network Plus at $89 with AP Newsroom, and EIN Presswire Basic at $149 with AP News. Five services also have a free tier, with limited reach.

What are the cheapest press release distribution services?

These are the low-cost services with published prices on November 1, 2026. Each name links to the vendor's pricing page.

For every service, including the expensive ones, see the full press release distribution pricing guide.

What do you give up at each price?

Cheap isn't bad. But each step down the price ladder removes something specific. Here is what, using each vendor's own package list.

Free ($0)

• IssueWire Free has "limited distribution."
• PR.com Free has reduced distribution and charges $29.95 per link.
• PRLog Free is ad supported, with 500 words and 2 plain links.
• PRFree Free is low priority, and its search engine distribution is "subject to quality check."
• openPR gives one free release every 30 days to business users only, and won't take Gmail or other free-mail addresses.

You give up reach and control. A free post is fine for an archive copy of your news. It isn't a launch plan.

$21 to $29

• IssueWire Tier 1 at $21 guarantees 145+ placements but doesn't include its U.S. nationwide network. That starts at $42.
• 24-7 Simple Post at $29 is posted on 24-7pressrelease.com only, with no other distribution.
• PRLog Basic at $29 allows 1 photo and 2 links. Google News distribution is listed only on its Premium tiers.
• PRFree Standard at $29 gives medium priority, one do-follow company link and up to 20 body images.

You give up syndication. At this price, most of what you buy is a hosted page.

$42 to $49

• IssueWire Tier 1 Pro at $42 adds "New US Nationwide Distribution" and 225+ guaranteed placements. Tier 2 at $45 adds its Premium News Network and a U.S. TV and radio network.
• 24-7 Visibility Boost at $49 guarantees 100+ placements with unlimited words and 4 images.
• PRLog Premium at $49 adds syndication to 200+ industry and news sites and Google News.
• PRFree Premium at $49 adds high priority, X page placement and 10 do-follow links.
• PR Gun PR Basic at $49 covers Google, Yahoo and Bing syndication plus major news, newspaper and financial sites. It has no premium placements or outreach.
• openPR sells a single credit at 49 EUR plus VAT.

You give up AP and PR Newswire. None of these packages names either one.

$60 to $99

• PR.com's $60 package reaches news sites and 10 industry and 2 regional channels, but has no posting report and no editorial feedback. Those start at $100.
• PR Underground Basic at $74.99 covers 300+ news and TV sites, Google News submission and a PDF coverage report.
• 24-7 PR Network Plus at $89 adds AP Newsroom and 200+ guaranteed placements. That's the lowest published price for an AP product we found.
• PR Gun PR Standard at $99 adds digital affiliates of FOX, NBC, CBS and ABC.
• IssueWire Tier 2 Premium at $99 guarantees 700+ placements. PRLog Premium2 at $99 syndicates to 500+ sites.

$100 to $150

• PR.com's $100 package adds a posting report, next-day distribution and editorial feedback.
• EIN Presswire Basic at $149 includes AP News placement, Nexstar, Google News and Bloomberg Terminals. U.S. TV and radio and the USA TODAY Network are distributed based on relevance.
• PR Gun lists AP News placement at $149 per release on its Premium Media page.

Above about $150 you're out of the cheap tier. Our best press release distribution services ranking covers the full field.

Where can you get cheap distribution with Google News?

Several low-cost packages list Google News. Note that "listed in Google News" is the vendor's claim, and Google decides what it shows.

• IssueWire says releases are "listed in Google News."
• PRLog lists Google News distribution on Premium ($49) and Premium2 ($99).
• PR.com's $60 and up packages include news sites "Yahoo News, Google News, etc."
• PR Underground Basic at $74.99 includes Google News submission.
• EIN Presswire lists Google News on every package from $149.
• PR Gun adds Google News syndication at PR Pro, $199. Its guidelines also say releases under 450 words may not be indexed by Google News.

Is cheap press release distribution worth it?

It depends on what you need the release to do. If you need a public, linkable record of your news, a $29 to $49 package does that. If you need journalists to see it, look for AP, editorial review and outreach, which start higher.

Whatever you pay, the release itself still has to do the work. Cheap releases often miss basic contact details.

• In PR Gun's database, 16.4% of 5,331 24-7 Press Release releases published December 31, 2025 to October 30, 2026 included a phone number in the text.
• In PR Gun's database, 22.9% of 2,275 PRLog releases published September 20 to October 30, 2026 included a phone number in the text.
• In PR Gun's database, 62.2% of 6,796 EIN Presswire releases published February 18 to October 30, 2026 included a phone number in the text.

Those numbers reflect what customers wrote, not the services. Add a name, email and phone so a reporter can reach you. Our press release writing guide shows where they go.

Also watch the word count. In PR Gun's database, the median PRLog release ran 394 words (2,275 releases published September 20 to October 30, 2026), which fits PRLog's 500-word cap. The median EIN Presswire release ran 834 words (6,796 releases published February 18 to October 30, 2026), longer than the 700 words EIN's $149 Basic allows.

Which cheap option fits your business?

Startup on a tiny budget. You want a hosted, shareable release and some pickup. IssueWire at $42 or PRLog Premium at $49 gets you syndication and a Google News listing. Expect no editorial help.

Small business that wants it written. You don't have time to write. PR Gun includes writing free from $49. Most cheap services don't offer writing at all, though IssueWire offers a consultation and rewrite service with no published price.

Agency testing many clients. Bulk packs cut the price further. IssueWire Tier 1 Pro is $350 for 10. PRLog Premium drops to $38.98 each at 50. PR Underground Basic is $37.50 each at 30, with a refund if a release is rejected.

Public company. The cheap tier isn't built for you. PRLog's PR Newswire add-on, for example, isn't available for public-company content. Use a wire that quotes for disclosure work.

Frequently asked questions

What is the cheapest press release distribution service?

IssueWire Tier 1 is the cheapest paid package at $21, checked November 1, 2026. 24-7 Press Release, PRLog and PRFree start at $29. IssueWire, PR.com, PRLog, PRFree and openPR also have free tiers.

What is the most affordable press release distribution for small businesses?

For national reach, IssueWire Tier 1 Pro at $42 is the cheapest package labeled U.S. nationwide. For AP, 24-7 PR Network Plus is $89 and EIN Presswire Basic is $149. If you also need writing, PR Gun includes it free from $49.

Can I get cheap press release distribution to Google News?

Yes. IssueWire says its releases are listed in Google News, PRLog lists Google News on its $49 Premium tier, and PR Underground submits to Google News at $74.99. Google decides what it actually shows.

Are free press release sites worth using?

For an archive copy, yes. Free tiers at IssueWire, PR.com, PRLog, PRFree and openPR come with limited or reduced distribution, low priority or ads.

What do you lose with a cheap press release service?

Usually AP or PR Newswire distribution, editorial review, reports and refunds. Under $89, no package we found names AP. PR.com adds editorial feedback and a posting report only from $100.