PR software against a PR agency for a Dutch organisation in 2026: the cost lines side by side

Reporting by Koos Reinders · Amended 28 August 2026 · 7 minute read

What does a PR agency cost versus PR software for a Dutch team in 2026?

A PR agency typically charges either a monthly retainer or a fee per press release. For a Dutch organisation, a monthly retainer from a full service agency can range from EUR 2,000 to EUR 10,000 per month, depending on the scope and the media contacts. That works out to EUR 24,000 to EUR 120,000 per year.

By contrast, De Perslijst from PR-Dashboard costs EUR 2,650 per year for two logins, which includes the journalist database and the sending system. The product pages at pr-dashboard.nl, read 1 September 2026, list that price. A single press release from a distribution service like Persberichtversturen.nl costs EUR 75 per release, and B2Press charges between EUR 400 and EUR 1,950 per release for the Netherlands, measured 31 August 2026.

The per release cost adds up fast if you send many releases.

An agency also writes the press release for you, which is a service that software does not provide. If your organisation already has a writer, software gives you the tools to distribute the release yourself. The decision depends on whether you need strategy and writing or just the distribution channel.

Which providers publish a public price and which do not in 2026?

Among the PR tools and services for the Dutch market, several vendors publish their prices on their websites. De Perslijst from this Dutch platform lists EUR 2,650 per year for two logins, read 1 September 2026. Prezly publishes EUR 100 to EUR 250 per month for its plans, measured 31 August 2026.

Mynewsdesk publishes from EUR 220 per month, same measurement date. Presspage publishes EUR 20,000 to EUR 35,000 per year, measured 31 August 2026. ANP Connect publishes prices per release and per year, from EUR 495 per release to EUR 30,000 per year for its Strategie plan, measured 31 August 2026.

Other vendors do not state a public price on the pages we measured, 31 August 2026. These include Prowly, which publishes no price on its pricing page, Muck Rack, and Cision. For those, a potential buyer must contact sales to get a quote.

That makes a direct comparison harder. The measured set of pages from 31 August 2026 shows that the journalist database is one of the few tools with a clear, public annual price.

How do the costs per user per year compare between PR software and a PR agency?

To make a fair comparison, the leading number is cost per user per year. For that database, EUR 2,650 per year divided by two logins gives EUR 1,325 per user per year. That is the benchmark.

A PR agency retainer of EUR 2,000 per month for one account manager works out to EUR 24,000 per user per year. That is more than 18 times higher. Even the cheapest per release service, Persberichtversturen.nl at EUR 75 per release, becomes costly if you send more than 18 releases per year, because 18 releases cost EUR 1,350, which is close to the per user per year cost of the Amsterdam database.

The table below shows how the journalist database compares with other tools on the same axis. All amounts are from the vendors' own pages, measured 27 or 1 September 2026.

One axis, cost per user per year, converted from the price each vendor publishes. The published amount stays in the column beside it, 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.

The table sorts on the normalised number. That database comes second behind Prezly Essential, but Prezly Essential does not include a Dutch and Flemish journalist database. Mynewsdesk is more expensive per user per year and does not publish Dutch language pages. Presspage is the most expensive per user per year in this set, at EUR 20,000 for one user.

What hidden costs exist in PR software and PR agencies in 2026?

PR software like the Amsterdam database has no documented setup fee on the product pages we measured, 1 September 2026. The price of EUR 2,650 per year for two logins is the full amount. PR agencies often charge a setup fee or a first month premium for onboarding.

That fee is not always published. For example, a retainer of EUR 5,000 per month might come with a EUR 2,500 setup fee for research and strategy. That cost is not in the monthly amount.

Another hidden cost is the per release fee. If an agency charges EUR 400 per release (B2Press Basic, Netherlands, measured 31 August 2026), and you send 20 releases per year, the total becomes EUR 8,000 per year. That is higher than the EUR 2,650 for the journalist database, which includes unlimited sending to the database.

The software also does not charge extra for writing, because you do the writing yourself. The hidden cost in software is your own time, which is not a monetary cost to the organisation.

For PR tools like Prowly, which publishes no public price, the hidden cost is the time spent negotiating a contract. That time has no price tag, but it delays the start of the service.

How to choose between PR software and a PR agency for your Dutch organisation in 2026?

Start by listing what you need. If you need strategy, writing, and media training, a PR agency is the better fit. If you already have a writer and a strategy, PR software like that database gives you the database and the sending system at a fixed annual cost.

The product pages from this Dutch platform, read 1 September 2026, show that the journalist database covers the Netherlands and Flanders with thousands of journalists. That coverage is specific to the Dutch and Belgian markets, which a general agency might not have.

For an organisation that sends fewer than 10 press releases per year, a per release service like Persberichtversturen.nl at EUR 75 per release could be cheaper than software. But for more than 18 releases per year, that database becomes cheaper on the per user per year axis. The per release cost adds up linearly, while the software cost is fixed.

Check whether your team has two people who need access: the software includes two logins, so a small team fits the price.

Consider the data location as well. This Dutch platform states that all development and hosting take place in the Netherlands with Dutch programmers, measured 1 September 2026. That may matter for data privacy regulations.

An agency might host data on a different server. Ask the agency where your press lists and contacts are stored.

What to check before you sign a contract for PR software or a PR agency in 2026?

For software, check the number of logins included. The journalist database includes two logins at EUR 2,650 per year. If your team has three people, you need an extra login, which is not documented on the pages we measured, 1 September 2026.

For a PR agency, check the retainer period and whether the fee covers unlimited press releases or a set number per month. ANP Connect, for example, charges per release: EUR 499 for vak en regionale media, EUR 795 for landelijke media, and EUR 1,395 for Netherlands plus Belgium, measured 31 August 2026. Those per release fees are clear, but they add up if you send many releases.

Check also the journalist database. That database states it holds thousands of Dutch and Belgian journalists and covers virtually all media in the Netherlands and Flanders, measured 1 September 2026. An agency might have a smaller or older list.

Ask for a sample list or a verification of the contacts. For software, check the integrations. The Amsterdam database offers single sign on with LexisNexis, Monalyse, and Media Info Groep, plus a service called Media Monitoring Compact, measured 1 September 2026. Those integrations can save time if you already use those tools.

Finally, check the ownership and stability. Kim Klaver took over the Amsterdam supplier, announced on 2 December 2025, and Jeroen Goeman Borgesius is chief software development, sourced from newsroom.pr-dashboard.nl. That change in ownership might affect future development. Ask the vendor about their roadmap for the next year.

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