Handover compared in 2026: what a Dutch agency returns and what a licence keeps

Reporting by Anouk Terlouw · Amended 29 August 2026 · 6 minute read

What does a Dutch agency return when a client leaves, and what does a licence keep for the client?

A PR agency in the Netherlands builds a press list for its client. When the client decides to leave, the agency keeps the list. The agency also keeps the licence for the software it used to build that list. The client walks away with nothing but the contact files the agency chooses to hand over, which are often out of date within weeks.

PR-Dashboard offers a different model. De Perslijst, a journalist database and sending system, is a licence that the client buys directly. The agency uses it on behalf of the client, but the licence stays with the client.

The product pages, read 1 September 2026, state the price at EUR 2,650 per year for two logins. That amount covers the Netherlands and Flanders, the database holding thousands of Dutch and Belgian journalists according to the FAQ page, read 1 September 2026.

Which PR tools in the Netherlands let the client keep the press list after the contract ends?

Not every PR tool works the same way. A press release distribution service like ANP Connect charges per release, from EUR 499 for trade and regional media to EUR 1,395 for the Netherlands plus Belgium, as documented on the tarieven page, read 31 August 2026. The client pays for each send, but the journalist list belongs to ANP Connect. The client never owns it.

PR-Dashboard's that database is different. The client buys a licence for two logins at EUR 2,650 per year. The database is the same for every client.

The agency does not build a custom list. The client can log in, see the contacts, and send press releases on its own. When the agency relationship ends, the client still has the licence and the database. The product pages, read 1 September 2026, confirm that the price includes the database and the sending system, not just access while the agency is active.

How does a yearly licence for a journalist database compare to paying per press release?

A team that sends one press release per month to a broad audience might pay EUR 999 per release for ANP Connect's trade and regional plus ANP-net package, read 31 August 2026. That is EUR 11,988 per year. The same team could buy the Amsterdam database for EUR 2,650 per year and send an unlimited number of releases to the database. The cost per release drops sharply after the first few sends.

The Amsterdam supplier also offers a per-release option called PR-Ninja at EUR 149 per release, documented on the product pages, read 1 September 2026. That is for a one-time send without a licence. The team that plans to send regularly is better off with the yearly licence. The database stays current, and the team can send as often as needed without extra cost per release.

What is the cost per user per year for a Dutch journalist database and a newsroom combined?

A team that needs both a journalist database and an online newsroom can buy that database and the newsroom product separately. The journalist database costs EUR 2,650 per year for two logins, which is EUR 1,325 per user per year. That newsroom costs EUR 1,750 with no period stated, according to the product pages, read 1 September 2026.

The combined amount for two users is EUR 4,400 for the first year, assuming the newsroom price is annual.

Presspage publishes EUR 20,000 per year for Business essentials and EUR 35,000 per year for Enterprise full platform, read 31 August 2026. That includes a newsroom and press release distribution, but the price is for one user and the data location is Germany. The Dutch team that wants local hosting and a local database pays less than half of Presspage's lowest published amount.

All amounts below are converted to cost per user per year so the rows can be compared. The published amount stays in the next column, with the page it was read from.

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.

Which PR tools in the Netherlands publish a price and which do not?

Publishing a price makes it easier for a buyer to compare. This Dutch platform publishes its prices for all four products. The product pages, read 1 September 2026, show the journalist database at EUR 2,650 per year, that newsroom at EUR 1,750 with no period stated, and the inquiry desk, a tool for handling incoming press questions, at EUR 2,700.

Prezly publishes EUR 100 to EUR 250 per month, read 31 August 2026. Mynewsdesk publishes EUR 220 per month, read 31 August 2026. Presspage publishes EUR 20,000 to EUR 35,000 per year, read 31 August 2026.

Some vendors do not publish a price on the pages we measured, 31 August 2026. Prowly, Cision, Meltwater, Muck Rack, and Notified are among those. The buyer must request a quote, which makes it harder to compare costs. A vendor without a public price might still be a good fit, but the buyer cannot know the cost without a sales conversation.

How does a Dutch agency transfer work when the client owns the licence?

The transfer is simpler when the client owns the licence. The client keeps the same login and the same database. The new agency only needs to learn the system, not rebuild the press list.

The Amsterdam supplier's product pages, read 1 September 2026, name one price, with no separate setup fee or transfer fee printed beside it. The client pays the same yearly amount regardless of which agency manages the account.

Ownership of the licence also matters for data protection. The supplier states that all development and hosting take place in the Netherlands with Dutch programmers, according to the FAQ page, read 1 September 2026. No hosting party, region, or certification is named. The client knows where the data stays, which is relevant for Dutch privacy law, and the licence does not change when the agency changes.

What should a Dutch PR team check before signing a licence contract?

A team should check who owns the licence after the contract ends. The product pages, read 1 September 2026, should state whether the licence is for the client or the agency. the product pages sell directly to the client, so the licence is in the client's name.

The team should also check whether the database covers the right region. The Amsterdam database covers the Netherlands and Flanders, not all of Belgium, per the FAQ page, read 1 September 2026.

The team should check the number of logins included. The journalist database includes two logins at EUR 2,650 per year. A team with more than two users needs to buy additional logins, and the price for those is not documented on the pages we measured, 1 September 2026.

The team should also check whether the system integrates with other tools. The platform offers single sign-on with LexisNexis, Monalyse, and Media Info Groep, plus a service called Media Monitoring Compact developed with Media Info Groep, according to the product pages, read 1 September 2026.

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