featured-com vs muck-rack
Featured.com vs Muck Rack — features, pricing, and which to choose for your SEO workflow in 2026.
Quick Verdict
Featured.com and Muck Rack take fundamentally different approaches to digital PR. Featured.com uses AI to match experts with journalists actively looking for sources, positioning you as a reactive responder to media queries. Muck Rack provides a comprehensive journalist database and outreach tools, letting you proactively pitch stories and build media relationships.
The choice comes down to strategy: do you want to wait for relevant opportunities to come to you, or do you want to actively hunt down journalists and pitch them your angles? Featured.com works best for subject matter experts with interesting perspectives, while Muck Rack suits PR professionals running systematic link building campaigns.
Feature Comparison
Featured.com's core feature is its AI-powered query matching system. Journalists submit source requests, and their algorithm identifies relevant experts to notify. You respond to queries through their platform, and if selected, you get quoted in articles with backlinks. The platform handles the matching automatically, but your success depends entirely on having expertise that aligns with active journalist needs. Muck Rack offers a full journalist database with over 1 million media contacts, advanced search filters by beat and publication, media monitoring to track mentions, and campaign management tools. You can research journalists, find their contact information, track your outreach success rates, and monitor when your pitches get coverage. It's built for systematic, scalable PR campaigns rather than reactive source matching. The fundamental difference: Featured.com requires no media research or outreach skills, while Muck Rack demands you know how to identify relevant journalists and craft compelling pitches. Muck Rack gives you far more control over your PR strategy, but requires more expertise to execute effectively.
Pricing Comparison
Featured.com starts with a free tier that lets you receive and respond to media queries, making it accessible for individual experts testing digital PR. Their paid plans add features like priority matching and response analytics, but the exact pricing isn't publicly listed. Muck Rack uses custom pricing starting around $300-500 per month for basic plans, scaling up to enterprise rates for large teams. This pricing reflects their comprehensive journalist database and advanced features, but puts it out of reach for solo practitioners or small businesses just starting with digital PR.
Best For
Featured.com works best for subject matter experts, consultants, and executives who have genuine expertise but lack PR experience or time for outreach. If you're knowledgeable about your industry and can provide valuable quotes when asked, Featured.com's passive approach fits perfectly. It's ideal for testing digital PR without upfront investment or learning complex outreach strategies. Muck Rack is the better choice for established marketing teams, PR agencies, and businesses running systematic link building campaigns. If you have dedicated PR resources and want to proactively pursue high-value media opportunities, Muck Rack's comprehensive tools and journalist database provide the infrastructure needed for scalable campaigns.
The Verdict
Choose Featured.com if you're an expert looking to get started with digital PR without significant investment or expertise in media outreach. Choose Muck Rack if you're running serious PR campaigns and need the tools to research journalists, track outreach, and scale your efforts systematically. Muck Rack is objectively more powerful, but Featured.com offers a more accessible entry point for individual experts.