Prowly vs Source of Sources in 2026: paid AI-citation database vs free HARO-style email digest
One is a $149-plus-a-month platform with an AI-Cited Media Database, media monitoring, and a journalist CRM. The other is Peter Shankman's free email list: no dashboard, no filtering, no cost.
Prowly
Source of Sources- Source of Sources is completely free with no paid tiers; Prowly starts at $149 a month with no free plan at all.
- Prowly's AI-Cited Media Database is a genuine differentiator; Source of Sources has no filtering, search, or AI features of any kind.
- Source of Sources sends up to three plain email digests a day with no platform, dashboard, or login required.
- Neither tool has an API; Source of Sources has no software layer at all beyond email.
- Prowly's 600,000-plus journalist database supports proactive, filtered outreach; Source of Sources offers no search, only reactive replies to whatever appears in the digest.
- Source of Sources enforces a strict no-spam policy and removes off-topic pitchers from the list with no appeals.
- Prowly requires going through Semrush to buy; Source of Sources requires only a name and email to join.
Prowly and Source of Sources sit at opposite ends of the PR-tooling budget spectrum, which makes them an odd pair to compare and also a common one for anyone researching options before committing money. Prowly, now sold through the Semrush AI PR Toolkit, gives you a searchable 600,000-plus journalist database, AI-assisted pitch drafting, and an AI-Cited Media Database that flags outlets large language models actually cite, starting at $149 a month. Source of Sources is Peter Shankman's free successor to HARO: no login, no search, just up to three email digests a day of journalist queries you reply to directly. Neither is really competing for the same budget, but plenty of teams weigh a free channel against a paid platform before deciding where to spend.
The tools at a glance
Prowly
AI-powered PR platform for media outreach, journalist discovery, and media monitoring, now part of Semrush.
Prowly is a full PR platform now operating as the Semrush AI PR Toolkit, combining a searchable database of over 600,000 journalist profiles with AI tools that draft pitch emails and press releases and a CRM that tracks contact history and pitch status. It is built for teams running structured outreach, not for opportunistically replying to whatever crosses an inbox.
The AI-Cited Media Database is the feature with no equivalent in Source of Sources or almost anywhere else: it filters journalists and outlets by whether large language models reference them when answering questions, letting you prioritize pitches to outlets whose coverage feeds AI-generated answers as well as traditional rankings. Media Monitoring adds AI summaries and audience demographics on your coverage, though only on the $279/month Pro plan.
What Prowly does not offer is a way in at zero cost. There is no free tier, the 7-day trial blocks outbound email so you cannot test deliverability before paying, and $149 a month is the floor. Compared against Source of Sources, it is a different category of spend entirely, one built for teams that need search, filtering, monitoring, and reporting rather than a passive email feed.
| Feature | Base $149/mo | Pro $279/mo |
|---|---|---|
| AI-Cited Media Database | ✓ | ✓ |
| 600,000+ journalist profiles | ✓ | ✓ |
| AI pitch and press release writing | ✓ | ✓ |
| Media Monitoring | ✗ | ✓ |
| PR metrics dashboard | ✓ | ✓ |
| Journalist CRM | ✓ | ✓ |
| Free trial | 7 days | 7 days |
Source of Sources
Free daily email digest connecting journalists with expert sources, from the founder of HARO
Source of Sources is Peter Shankman's rebuilt version of Help a Reporter Out, the platform he founded in 2008 and sold to Cision before it was wound down. The model has no software layer: journalists submit queries through a form, Shankman reviews them, and subscribers get up to three email digests a day listing what reporters are looking for. You reply directly to the journalist, no platform in between.
There is no search, no topic filtering, no dashboard, and no tracking of what happens after you reply, which is a real limitation next to a tool like Prowly. What it does have is a strict no-spam rule: off-topic pitchers get removed from the list with no appeals, which keeps signal higher than most free source-request lists manage. Signing up costs nothing and takes name and email, no credit card, no sales call.
Source of Sources works as a supplementary channel, not a program on its own. It is well suited to solo experts, small businesses, or PR consultants layering a free source in alongside a paid tool, rather than to a team that needs the searching, filtering, and reporting a platform like Prowly provides.
| Feature | Free $0 |
|---|---|
| Daily journalist query emails | ✓ |
| Direct journalist contact | ✓ |
| Dashboard or search interface | ✗ |
| Topic filtering | ✗ |
| Analytics or tracking | ✗ |
| API access | ✗ |
Head-to-head feature comparison
| Feature | Prowly | Source of Sources |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | $149-$279/mo | Free |
| AI-cited media / LLM citation tracking | Yes | No |
| AI-drafted pitches or press releases | Yes | No |
| Journalist database with search/filtering | Yes (600,000+ profiles) | No (email digest only) |
| Media monitoring | Yes (Pro plan) | No |
| Dashboard or platform login | Yes | No |
| Query/digest frequency | Not applicable (search-based) | Up to 3 email digests/day |
| Analytics or coverage tracking | Yes (PR metrics dashboard) | No |
| CRM for contacts | Yes | No |
| API access | No | No |
| Free tier or trial | 7-day trial only, no free tier | Fully free, no paid tier |
| Sign-up friction | Semrush account required, no direct standalone sign-up | Name and email only |
Considering AI Peekaboo alongside Prowly and Source of Sources?
Prowly's AI-Cited Media Database is a real signal for outlets that large language models reference, but it only comes bundled inside a $149-plus-a-month Semrush subscription with no API. Source of Sources has no AI features at all, it is a free email list. AI Peekaboo is a dedicated AI visibility tool that tracks brand mentions and citation share across ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity on an ongoing basis, with a read and write API included from $50 a month, a more direct fit for teams whose actual goal is measuring AI visibility rather than pitching press.
Read the AI Peekaboo review →Which should you choose?
Source of SourcesProwlyProwlySource of SourcesProwlySource of SourcesProwlyThese tools are not really fighting for the same budget line. Source of Sources costs nothing and asks for almost nothing in return, which makes it an easy yes as a supplementary channel regardless of what else you use. Prowly is the tool for teams that need to search, filter, monitor, and report, work a free email digest was never built to do.
Bottom line
Sign up for Source of Sources first, it costs nothing and takes about 30 seconds, and treat it as a free supplementary channel rather than a full PR program. If you need a searchable database, AI-assisted pitching, monitoring, and reporting, that is a different budget tier entirely, and Prowly is built for it, now sold through Semrush starting at $149 a month. Running both is a reasonable setup: Source of Sources costs nothing to leave running in the background while a paid tool like Prowly does the structured outreach work.
Frequently asked questions
Is Source of Sources a real alternative to a paid tool like Prowly?
Not as a full replacement: Source of Sources is a free email digest with no search, filtering, or analytics, while Prowly is a $149-plus-a-month platform with a searchable 600,000-profile database, AI pitch drafting, and media monitoring. Source of Sources works well as a free supplementary channel, not as a standalone PR program for a team with real coverage targets.
How much does Source of Sources cost compared to Prowly?
Source of Sources is completely free with no paid tiers, while Prowly starts at $149 a month for the Base plan through the Semrush AI PR Toolkit and rises to $279 a month for Pro. There is no comparable free option on the Prowly side; the closest thing is a 7-day trial that blocks outbound email sending.
Does Source of Sources have anything like Prowly's AI-Cited Media Database?
No, Source of Sources has no AI features, search, or filtering of any kind, it is a plain email digest of journalist queries sent up to three times a day. Prowly's AI-Cited Media Database, which flags outlets that large language models cite, has no equivalent anywhere in the Source of Sources product.
Who runs Source of Sources and why does that matter for source quality?
Peter Shankman, who founded Help a Reporter Out (HARO) in 2008 before selling it to Cision, runs Source of Sources as a simpler, independent successor after HARO was wound down. That pedigree matters because Shankman's strict no-spam enforcement, removing off-topic pitchers with no appeals, keeps quality higher than a typical free source-request list.
Can I use Source of Sources and Prowly together?
Yes, and it is a sensible setup for teams with budget for a paid tool. Source of Sources costs nothing to keep running in the background for opportunistic replies, while Prowly handles the structured, searchable outreach, AI-assisted pitching, and monitoring a free email digest cannot provide.
Does either Prowly or Source of Sources track coverage results?
Prowly includes a PR metrics dashboard that aggregates coverage earned, media reach, and engagement data for reporting. Source of Sources has no tracking or analytics whatsoever, you reply directly to journalists by email and there is no platform recording what happens next.