Prowly vs Qwoted in 2026: Semrush-bundled media database vs free-tier source marketplace
One is a 600,000-journalist outreach database now sold only through Semrush starting at $149 a month. The other is a two-sided marketplace where journalists post requests and a free tier gets you in the door.
Prowly
Qwoted- Prowly's AI-Cited Media Database flags outlets that LLMs actually reference when answering questions; Qwoted has no comparable AI-citation signal.
- Qwoted has a genuinely free tier with 2 pitches a month; Prowly has no free plan, only a 7-day trial that blocks outbound email sending.
- Prowly is outbound: you search a 600,000-plus profile database and pitch cold. Qwoted is inbound: journalists post requests and you respond.
- Qwoted's Teams tier includes white-label delivery for agency client work; Prowly has no white-label option in its published plans.
- Prowly Pro at $279 a month adds Media Monitoring; Qwoted tops out at 35 pitches a month on Pro with no monitoring feature at all.
- Prowly can no longer be bought as a standalone product; new customers sign up through the Semrush AI PR Toolkit instead.
- Neither tool documents a public API, so pulling pitch or coverage data into a CRM or BI tool means manual export either way.
Prowly and Qwoted solve the same problem, getting your brand or clients into media coverage, from opposite directions. Prowly gives you a searchable database of over 600,000 journalist profiles to pitch cold, layered with an AI-Cited Media Database that flags which outlets large language models actually reference. Qwoted flips the model: journalists and podcasters post source requests, and you respond to what is already being asked for, with a free tier that costs nothing to start. Neither ships an API, so the comparison comes down to sourcing model, budget, and whether the AI-citation signal in Prowly is worth paying for through Semrush.
The tools at a glance
Prowly
AI-powered PR platform for media outreach, journalist discovery, and media monitoring, now part of Semrush.
Prowly used to be an independent PR platform; it now operates as the Semrush AI PR Toolkit, and new customers sign up through Semrush rather than Prowly directly. What survives the rebrand is the core product: a database of over 600,000 journalist and outlet profiles, searchable by keyword, location, audience size, and traffic, with AI tools for drafting pitch emails and press releases.
The standout feature is the AI-Cited Media Database, which filters that journalist list by which outlets large language models reference when generating answers in your industry. That is a different signal than domain authority or traffic, and it is the one piece of Prowly that Qwoted has nothing resembling. Media Monitoring, a journalist CRM, and a PR metrics dashboard round out the rest of the workflow, though Monitoring only ships on the $279/month Pro plan.
The catch is price and access. There is no free tier, the 7-day trial blocks outbound sending so you cannot test deliverability before paying, and $149 a month is the floor. For teams weighing this against Qwoted, Prowly is the pick when the AI-citation angle and a large searchable database matter more than getting started for free.
| Feature | Base $149/mo | Pro $279/mo |
|---|---|---|
| AI-Cited Media Database | ✓ | ✓ |
| 600,000+ journalist profiles | ✓ | ✓ |
| AI pitch and press release writing | ✓ | ✓ |
| Media Monitoring | ✗ | ✓ |
| Journalist CRM | ✓ | ✓ |
| PR metrics dashboard | ✓ | ✓ |
| Free trial | 7 days | 7 days |
Qwoted
Expert source marketplace connecting journalists, podcasters, and PR teams with credible voices across every industry
Qwoted is not a database you search, it is a marketplace journalists and podcasters actively use to find sources. They post what they need, you respond, and the free tier lets anyone try that loop for two pitches a month with no credit card. That structure means the people on the other end are already looking for a source when they see your pitch, which is a meaningfully different starting position than a cold-pitched database search.
The paid tiers scale up pitch volume and remove the 2-hour alert delay free users see. Pro at $149/month gets you 35 pitches, real-time alerts, and pitch intelligence for researching upcoming editorial opportunities. Teams, priced on request, adds an admin dashboard, white-label delivery for agencies, and unlimited pitching, which is the one area where Qwoted covers ground Prowly's published plans don't.
What Qwoted does not have is any AI-citation feature, an API, or a searchable cold-outreach database on Prowly's scale. It also serves podcast guest booking directly, an underserved niche most PR databases ignore. For solo practitioners, small agencies, or anyone who would rather respond to live requests than build cold-pitch lists, it is the lower-friction, lower-cost option of the two.
| Feature | Basic Free | Pro $149/month | Teams Contact for pricing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pitches per month | 2 | 35 | Unlimited |
| Real-time alerts | 2-hour delay | No delay | No delay |
| Pitch intelligence | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| White-label | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Team dashboard | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| API access | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Head-to-head feature comparison
| Feature | Prowly | Qwoted |
|---|---|---|
| Sourcing model | Outbound (600,000+ searchable journalist profiles) | Inbound (journalists post source requests you respond to) |
| AI-cited media / LLM citation tracking | Yes (AI-Cited Media Database) | No |
| AI-drafted pitches or press releases | Yes | No |
| Media monitoring | Yes (Pro plan only) | No |
| Real-time alerts | Not specified | Yes (2-hour delay on free plan) |
| Podcast guest booking | No | Yes |
| Pitch intelligence / opportunity research | No | Yes (Pro and Teams) |
| Journalist CRM | Yes | No |
| PR metrics dashboard | Yes | No |
| Team / agency dashboard | Not specified | Yes (Teams plan) |
| White-label delivery | No | Yes (Teams plan) |
| API access | No | No |
| Free tier | No (7-day trial, outbound email blocked) | Yes (2 pitches/month) |
| Starting price | $149/mo (via Semrush AI PR Toolkit) | Free |
Considering AI Peekaboo alongside Prowly and Qwoted?
Prowly's AI-Cited Media Database is a genuine signal, it flags outlets that large language models actually reference, but it lives inside a $149-plus-per-month PR-outreach bundle with no API and no ongoing visibility tracking once you've pitched. Qwoted has no AI-citation angle at all. AI Peekaboo is built specifically to monitor brand mentions and share of voice across ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity over time, with a read and write API on every plan starting at $50 per month. If the goal is tracking AI visibility continuously rather than pitching to AI-cited outlets once, it is the more direct tool for the job.
Read the AI Peekaboo review →Which should you choose?
ProwlyQwotedQwotedProwlyProwlyQwotedQwotedThese are two different sourcing philosophies wearing the same "PR outreach tool" label. Prowly assumes you know who to pitch and gives you a large database plus an AI-citation layer to prioritize targets. Qwoted assumes the journalist already wants a source and gets you in front of them for free. The right pick depends on whether your workflow is cold outreach at scale or responsive relationship-building on a budget.
Bottom line
Pick Qwoted if budget is the constraint or you'd rather respond to inbound requests than cold-pitch; the free tier alone justifies signing up before spending anything. Pick Prowly if you need a searchable database of 600,000-plus journalists, already run Semrush, and want the AI-Cited Media signal on top of standard outreach, accepting that entry starts at $149 a month with no free option. Neither hands you an API, so if programmatic access matters more than either tool's PR feature set, that is a dealbreaker for both.
Frequently asked questions
Is Prowly still available as a standalone subscription outside of Semrush?
No, Prowly no longer sells standalone subscriptions and requires signing up through the Semrush AI PR Toolkit starting at $149 per month for the Base plan. Qwoted, by contrast, remains fully independent with public self-serve pricing including a permanent free tier.
Qwoted vs Prowly for a small PR agency with a tight budget in 2026, which one should I start with?
Qwoted is the better starting point for a budget-constrained small agency because its free tier includes expert database access and daily opportunity alerts with no credit card required. Prowly's cheapest option is $149 a month through Semrush, with no free plan and a trial that blocks outbound email sending, so cost-conscious teams cannot fully test it before paying.
Does Qwoted have anything like Prowly's AI-Cited Media Database?
No, Qwoted has no equivalent feature for identifying which media outlets large language models cite when generating answers. Prowly's AI-Cited Media Database is built specifically for PR teams trying to earn coverage that also feeds AI-generated responses, and nothing comparable is documented anywhere in Qwoted's feature set.
Which is better for podcast guest booking, Prowly or Qwoted?
Qwoted is the clear choice for podcast guest booking since it includes dedicated tooling for that workflow alongside traditional press sourcing. Prowly's feature set is built around journalist database search, AI pitch drafting, and media monitoring, with no podcast-specific booking tools mentioned in its pricing or feature pages.
Do either Prowly or Qwoted offer an API for pulling data into other tools?
Neither tool documents a public API. Prowly's AI PR Toolkit listing under Semrush does not mention API access, and Qwoted explicitly confirms it has no API or third-party integrations on any plan, including Teams.
Is Qwoted's free plan enough to run a real PR program on its own?
Not on its own: Qwoted's free plan caps pitches at 2 per month and adds a 2-hour delay on real-time alerts, which is workable for occasional media opportunities but too thin for an active outreach program. Upgrading to Pro at $149 a month raises the cap to 35 pitches and removes the alert delay, putting it roughly in line with Prowly's entry price.