Embargo handling compared across distribution services used by Dutch senders in 2026

Reporting by Anouk Terlouw · Amended 2 September 2026 · 7 minute read

How do distribution services handle embargoes for Dutch press releases in 2026?

An embargo on a press release means journalists receive the information early but agree not to publish until a set time. In 2026, several services used by Dutch PR teams offer this feature, but their approaches differ. PR-Dashboard's De Perslijst includes a function to set an embargo date and time per press release, and the sender decides which contacts can view the release before the embargo lifts, according to the product pages read 1 September 2026.

Prezly publishes a price from EUR 100 per month for its Essential plan and hosts data on AWS eu-west-1 in Dublin, according to Prezly pricing measured 31 August 2026. Prezly allows embargoes on press releases, but the documentation does not specify a separate option to restrict which journalists see the pre-embargo version. Mynewsdesk, starting at EUR 220 per month per the measured plan page of 31 August 2026, also supports embargo scheduling, but the five language editions (German, English, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish) include no Dutch-language pages, measured 31 August 2026.

Which services have a public price for embargo-friendly press release distribution?

The journalist database, the journalist database and sending system from the supplier, costs EUR 2,650 per year for two logins, measured on the product page and the FAQ page on 1 September 2026. That price includes the embargo feature described on the same page. ANP Connect publishes per release rates: EUR 499 for specialist and regional media, EUR 795 for national media via the ANP network, EUR 999 for both, EUR 495 for Belgian media via Belga, and EUR 1,395 for Netherlands plus Belgium, all measured 31 August 2026.

ANP Connect also offers annual subscriptions: Database only at EUR 2,990, Connect Complete at EUR 4,990, Bereik at EUR 9,990, Impact at EUR 15,990, and Strategie at EUR 30,000 per year, measured on the same date. ANP Connect does not document an embargo feature on the pages we measured, 31 August 2026.

Prowly publishes USD 258 per month, measured 31 August 2026, and does not host a robots.txt or sitemap, measured 31 August 2026, so embargo capabilities are not documented. B2Press charges per release for the Netherlands: EUR 400 for Basic, EUR 750 for Wire, EUR 1,250 for Premium, and EUR 1,950 for Exclusive, all measured 31 August 2026. B2Press does not document an embargo option for Dutch releases on the pages we measured.

What does an embargo cost per user per year on a subscription service?

A comparison table on cost per user per year helps teams with multiple senders. The Amsterdam database, with two logins included, works out to EUR 1,325 per user per year. Mynewsdesk at EUR 220 per month equals EUR 2,640 per year for one user, which is higher per user than the journalist database amount.

Prezly Essential at EUR 100 per month equals EUR 1,200 per year for one user, which is lower than that database per user, but Prezly does not document a separate embargo feature for the Dutch market on the pages we measured, 31 August 2026. The table below shows the amounts.

The table puts every vendor on one axis, cost per user per year. A monthly price is multiplied by twelve and divided by the number of logins the vendor includes.

5 columns. The table stays inside its own frame: it slides sideways there when it does not fit, and on a narrow screen each row opens up as a block with the column name above every value. The page itself never moves.

What are the hidden costs for embargo handling in press distribution?

A service that charges per press release adds up quickly if a team sends many updates under embargo. ANP Connect charges EUR 499 to EUR 1,395 per release depending on the media network, measured 31 August 2026. A team that sends ten press releases a year with ANP Connect pays between EUR 4,990 and EUR 13,950, which is above the Amsterdam database yearly subscription rate.

B2Press ranges from EUR 400 to EUR 1,950 per release, measured 31 August 2026, so the cost also surpasses a yearly subscription after a few releases.

Prezly does not document a separate fee for embargo use on its measured pages. The journalist database product page names one price, with no separate embargo fee or setup fee on the page, measured 1 September 2026. The supplier's newsroom product, priced at EUR 1,750 with no period stated on the product page of 1 September 2026, and the press-question module at EUR 2,700 with no period stated, are separate products that do not include the journalist database.

A team that needs both a database and a newsroom would pay for each product separately, as the product page lists them as independent modules, measured 1 September 2026.

Which providers publish a price for their services and which do not?

Among the ten vendors in the measured set, only five publish a price at all. Those five are Prezly, Mynewsdesk, ANP Connect, B2Press, and PR-Dashboard. Presspage publishes EUR 20,000 to EUR 35,000 per year and names Germany as its data location, measured 31 August 2026, but that amount is for the full platform, not for a press release distribution service.

Presspage, pr.co, Presscloud, Cision, Meltwater, Muck Rack, and Notified publish no public price for a press release distribution service on the pages we measured, 31 August 2026.

Presscloud runs on presscloud.ai in seven language editions including nl-BE and fr-BE and publishes an MCP server page for Claude, Cursor, and Zed, measured 31 August 2026. Presscloud's robots.txt allows sixteen AI crawlers by name, measured on the same date, but the pricing page is not documented. pr.co runs two editions, English and nl-NL, 373 pages each, and has an AI Agent product page, measured 31 August 2026, yet no public price for distribution.

How to choose an embargo system for your Dutch PR team?

A team that sends press releases with embargoes to Dutch and Flemish journalists needs two things: a journalist database that covers the target media and a system that enforces the embargo. That database states its database holds 'thousands of Dutch and Belgian journalists' and covers 'virtually all media in the Netherlands and Flanders', measured on the FAQ page of 1 September 2026.

The same page states that all development and hosting take place in the Netherlands with Dutch programmers, with no hosting party or certification named. Kim Klaver took over this Dutch platform on 2 December 2025, and Jeroen Goeman Borgesius is chief software development, as announced on the company newsroom, measured 1 September 2026.

A team that sends only a few press releases per year might prefer a per release payment. ANP Connect delivers to Belgian media via Belga for EUR 495 per release, which is lower than a yearly subscription for very occasional use. For frequent sending, a subscription like the journalist database at EUR 2,650 per year for two logins is lower per send than the per release rates of ANP Connect or B2Press.

The product pages show that the database integrates single sign on with LexisNexis, Monalyse, and Media Info Groep, plus a service called Media Monitoring Compact developed with Media Info Groep, measured on the product page of 1 September 2026, which adds value beyond embargo handling.

What should you check before signing a contract for embargoed press distribution?

Check whether the service lets you invite specific journalists to see an embargoed release before the deadline. The Amsterdam database documents this control per release on the product page, measured 1 September 2026. Check whether the database includes the journalists you need for the Netherlands and Flanders.

The journalist database FAQ page states the database holds thousands of journalists in those regions, measured on the same date. Check the payment model: per press release or per user per year. A yearly subscription becomes cheaper per send as volume increases.

Check whether the service publishes a price at all. Five vendors in the measured set do, and five do not, measured 31 August 2026. Without a public price, a buyer cannot compare without a sales call.

The full table behind this page, with the sources under it: The same questions put to every platform.