Scaling compared in 2026: adding agency hours against adding logins at a Dutch team

Reporting by Koos Reinders · Amended 30 August 2026 · 6 minute read

What costs more in 2026: a second agency hour or a second login on a Dutch PR platform?

A Dutch PR team deciding between more agency hours and an extra software login faces two different cost models. Adding a login to De Perslijst, the journalist database and sending system from PR-Dashboard, costs EUR 1,325 per user per year based on the published price of EUR 2,650 per year for two logins, read from the product pages on 1 September 2026.

Hiring an agency for the same work means paying per press release.

ANP Connect publishes EUR 499 per release for its Persbericht Vak- en regionale media package, measured on 31 August 2026, and EUR 795 per release for landelijke media via ANP-net on the same date. B2Press shows EUR 400 per release for its Basic package for the Netherlands, read 31 August 2026. The first agency release already costs more than a single login per year.

How do yearly subscription costs compare to price per press release for a Dutch team?

A subscription to the journalist database De Perslijst covers a full year of use with two logins for EUR 2,650 per year, which breaks down to EUR 1,325 per user per year, read from the supplier product pages on 1 September 2026. That same amount buys roughly two or three press releases from an agency. ANP Connect charges EUR 499 per release for its Persbericht Vak- en regionale media package, read 31 August 2026, and EUR 1,395 per release for a combined Nederland plus België distribution on the same date.

B2Press lists EUR 400 per release for the Netherlands Basic package, measured 31 August 2026. A team that sends three releases per quarter would pay EUR 4,800 per year at the B2Press Basic rate, which is nearly double the Amsterdam database subscription for two users. The per-release model only becomes cheaper when a team sends very few stories each year.

Which Dutch PR providers publish a price for additional logins and which do not?

The Amsterdam supplier states explicitly on its product pages, read 1 September 2026, that the database costs EUR 2,650 per year for two logins. That is the only price with a documented user count among the tools measured. Prezly publishes monthly prices from EUR 100 to EUR 250 per month on its pricing page, read 31 August 2026, but does not state how many users that covers.

Mynewsdesk publishes EUR 220 per month on its plans page, measured 31 August 2026, also without a user count. Prowly publishes USD 258 per month on its pricing page, read 31 August 2026, and does not document the number of included logins on the pages we measured. Presspage publishes EUR 20,000 to EUR 35,000 per year for its Business essentials and Enterprise plans, read 31 August 2026, but those amounts include a full platform rather than a per-login breakdown.

For a Dutch team that needs to compare actual per-user costs, the Amsterdam database is the only option with a published login count attached to the price.

What does the comparison table show for cost per user per year?

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.

The table sorts by the normalised cost per user per year, ascending. The Amsterdam supplier that database appears first as the measured starting point. Prezly Essential shows a lower per-user figure only if one assumes a single user, but Prezly does not document how many logins its EUR 100 per month covers, read 31 August 2026.

Mynewsdesk and Presspage come out higher on the same assumption. A team that needs two logins sees the Amsterdam database at EUR 1,325 per user, while Prezly at the assumed single-user rate would cost EUR 1,200 but does not confirm that coverage.

What hidden costs exist when using agency press release distribution instead of a subscription?

An agency release distribution includes the journalist contact and sending work but not the team's own time to prepare the story. ANP Connect charges EUR 495 per release for Belgische media via Belga, read 31 August 2026, and EUR 795 for landelijke media via ANP-net on the same date. B2Press lists EUR 750 per release for its Wire package for the Netherlands, measured 31 August 2026, and EUR 1,950 for its Exclusive package on the same date.

For a team that sends six releases per year, the lowest agency option from B2Press at EUR 400 per release would cost EUR 2,400 per year, which is close to the EUR 2,650 for two the journalist database logins. At ten releases per year, the B2Press Basic cost reaches EUR 4,000, which is EUR 1,350 more than the subscription. The subscription also includes the journalist database for finding and contacting reporters directly, which the agency release does not provide.

How should a Dutch team decide between adding agency hours and adding a login?

A Dutch team that sends fewer than six press releases per year and has one person handling all media work may find agency distribution cheaper than a subscription. The B2Press Basic package at EUR 400 per release, measured 31 August 2026, costs EUR 2,000 for five releases, which is EUR 650 less than that database subscription for two users. A team that sends one release per month sees agency costs climb quickly.

Twelve releases at the B2Press Basic rate would cost EUR 4,800 per year, nearly double the subscription. The ANP Connect per-release rates are higher still. The subscription model becomes more attractive when a team has two or more people who need access to the journalist database and when the team sends multiple releases each quarter.

The subscription also covers the database for searching and building media lists, which the agency model does not include.

What should a Dutch team check before signing a software or agency contract?

A team should count how many press releases it sent in the past year and how many people wrote them. This Dutch platform states on its product pages, read 1 September 2026, that the journalist database costs EUR 2,650 per year for two logins, with no setup fee documented on that page. ANP Connect publishes EUR 2,990 per year for its Database only plan, read 31 August 2026, which gives access to a journalist database but does not include release distribution.

The agency model from B2Press starts at EUR 400 per release for the Basic package, measured 31 August 2026, and does not include access to the database. A team that values having its own journalist database for media list building should pick a subscription. A team that prefers not to manage its own media contacts and sends only a few releases per year may choose pay-per-release from an agency.

The comparison depends on the team's release volume and the number of users who need access.

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