Mention vs ResponseSource in 2026: Global media monitoring vs UK-only journalist enquiry service
Mention scans over 1 billion sources worldwide for brand mentions. ResponseSource connects UK PR professionals with journalists actively seeking comment, and does almost nothing outside the UK and Ireland.
Mention
ResponseSource- ResponseSource's Journalist Enquiry Service delivers live, opt-in media requests from UK journalists, a reverse-pitch model Mention does not offer in any form.
- Mention monitors 1 billion+ sources for brand mentions and sentiment globally. ResponseSource's monitoring is limited to basic coverage tracking of press release and JES response pickup.
- ResponseSource has no published pricing and no API access on any tier. Mention includes API access in its $599/month Company plan.
- ResponseSource is almost entirely UK and Ireland focused. Mention has no geographic limitation and monitors global sources.
- Mention includes white-label reporting and social media publishing. ResponseSource offers neither; its core product is the journalist database and enquiry service.
- Neither tool tracks brand visibility or citations inside ChatGPT, Gemini, or Perplexity answers.
Mention and ResponseSource both sit inside PR and communications workflows, but they solve opposite ends of the problem. Mention is a listening tool: it watches over 1 billion sources for what has already been said about your brand, with sentiment analysis and competitor benchmarking layered on top. ResponseSource is a sourcing tool: its Journalist Enquiry Service surfaces live requests from UK journalists actively looking for an expert quote, data point, or case study for a story they are already writing. One tells you what has happened; the other creates the opportunity for coverage to happen. The catch is that ResponseSource only really works if your PR activity is UK or Ireland focused, while Mention has no such geographic limitation.
The tools at a glance
Mention
Social listening and media monitoring across 1 billion+ sources with sentiment analysis, competitor benchmarking, and centralized social publishing
Mention tracks brand mentions, competitor activity, and topic conversations across news, social platforms, forums, blogs, and review sites in real time, with sentiment classification and competitor share-of-voice benchmarking. It has no journalist database or enquiry-matching feature; it is purely a listening and analytics layer.
Since its acquisition by Mynewsdesk, Mention consolidated to a single Company plan at $599/month, with white-label reporting and API access included at that tier. There is no self-serve trial or public per-seat pricing tiering the way ResponseSource's modular offering works either, just the one plan plus an Enterprise tier.
Where ResponseSource is narrowly UK-focused, Mention has no geographic restriction; its 1 billion+ source coverage spans global news, social, and forum content in whatever markets a brand needs to monitor.
| Feature | Company $599/month | Enterprise Contact for pricing |
|---|---|---|
| Monitored sources | 1B+ | 1B+ |
| Geographic coverage | Global | Global |
| Sentiment analysis | ✓ | ✓ |
| White-label reporting | ✓ | ✓ |
| API access | ✓ | ✓ |
| Journalist enquiry matching | ✗ | ✗ |
ResponseSource
UK media relations platform connecting PR professionals with journalists seeking expert comment
ResponseSource's core product is the Journalist Enquiry Service, where UK journalists post live requests for expert comment, data, or sources while actively writing a story, and PR subscribers respond directly. This reverse-pitch model is something Mention has no equivalent for; Mention only observes conversation that has already happened rather than surfacing active editorial opportunities.
Beyond JES, ResponseSource offers a UK journalist and media outlet database for proactive outreach and a press release wire for distribution to curated UK media lists. Coverage monitoring exists but is basic, tracking pickup of releases and JES responses rather than broad real-time sentiment analysis across a billion sources.
The platform has no published pricing, requiring a sales conversation for a quote, and has no API access on any tier, which limits integration with modern PR tech stacks. Its value is almost entirely concentrated in the UK and Irish markets; outside those, it offers little.
| Feature | JES Only Contact | Journalist Database Contact | Full Suite Contact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Journalist Enquiry Service | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
| UK journalist database | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Press Release Wire | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Coverage monitoring | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| API access | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Head-to-head feature comparison
| Feature | Mention | ResponseSource |
|---|---|---|
| Primary function | Brand and media monitoring | UK journalist sourcing and media relations |
| Geographic focus | Global | UK and Ireland almost exclusively |
| Real-time mention/media monitoring | Yes, across 1B+ sources | Basic coverage tracking only |
| Sentiment analysis | Yes | No |
| Journalist enquiry matching (reverse pitching) | No | Yes, Journalist Enquiry Service |
| Press release distribution | No | Yes, Press Release Wire |
| White-label reporting | Yes, included in Company plan | No |
| API access | Yes, included in Company plan | No |
| Published pricing | Yes, $599/month | No; contact sales for quote |
| AI/LLM citation tracking | No | No |
Which should you choose?
ResponseSourceMentionMentionMentionMentionThese two tools rarely compete for the same budget line because they solve opposite problems: ResponseSource creates editorial opportunity by surfacing journalists actively looking for a source, while Mention measures the aftermath of coverage and conversation once it exists. The geography question settles most of the decision on its own. If your PR footprint is UK or Ireland, ResponseSource's Journalist Enquiry Service is worth having regardless of what monitoring tool sits alongside it. Outside those markets, ResponseSource has essentially nothing to offer and Mention becomes the default by elimination.
Bottom line
UK and Irish PR teams should treat ResponseSource's Journalist Enquiry Service as a standing subscription for earning coverage, and layer Mention or a similar monitoring tool on top to measure what that coverage produces. Teams operating outside the UK should skip ResponseSource entirely and put the budget into Mention or a comparable global monitoring platform instead.
Frequently asked questions
Can ResponseSource replace a monitoring tool like Mention?
No. ResponseSource's coverage monitoring is basic, tracking pickup from press releases and Journalist Enquiry Service responses, but it does not offer real-time sentiment analysis or the billion-plus source coverage that Mention provides. Teams need both tools for different jobs: ResponseSource to generate coverage opportunities, and Mention to measure the resulting conversation at scale.
Is ResponseSource worth it for a brand outside the UK?
Generally no. ResponseSource's Journalist Enquiry Service and media database are almost exclusively UK and Irish focused. Brands operating primarily in the US, Europe, or other markets will get minimal value and should look at Mention or a market-appropriate monitoring and PR tool instead.
Does Mention have anything like ResponseSource's Journalist Enquiry Service?
No. Mention has no feature for matching PR professionals with journalists actively seeking sources; its entire product is built around monitoring mentions that already exist across news, social, and forum content. The reverse-pitch, opt-in model that ResponseSource's JES offers has no equivalent in Mention.
Why does ResponseSource not publish its pricing?
ResponseSource requires a sales conversation for quotes across all three of its tiers: JES Only, Journalist Database, and Full Suite. This is common for UK PR tools sold to agencies and enterprises where usage volume and seat count vary widely, but it does add friction compared to Mention's single published $599/month plan.
Do either of these tools track AI search visibility in ChatGPT or Gemini?
No. Neither Mention nor ResponseSource tracks brand visibility in AI-generated answers from ChatGPT, Gemini, or Perplexity. Both are built around traditional media relations and monitoring channels, and teams that need AI answer-engine visibility tracking will need a dedicated tool for that specific job.