HARO compared
HARO vs. Qwoted
HARO is a free email newsletter that sends journalist requests to sources up to three times each weekday. Qwoted is a platform where reporters post requests and search an expert database. Its free plan includes 2 pitches a month, and Pro is $149.99 a month or $1,188 a year for 35 pitches. Pick HARO for free requests by email. Pick Qwoted if the reporters you want use it and you prefer to work in a platform.
Updated Prices and plans checked November 13, 2026Sources
The short answer
HARO vs. Qwoted: the short answer
HARO and Qwoted both connect journalists with expert sources, in different formats and at different prices. HARO (Help a Reporter Out) is an email newsletter. Journalists submit a query, HARO reviews it and emails it to subscribers, and sources reply by email. It is free for journalists and for sources, and it is run by Featured (featured.com).
Qwoted describes itself as connecting the media with expert sources. It is a platform with accounts and profiles. Reporters post requests and can also search a database of experts. Sources respond with monthly pitch credits: 2 a month on the free Basic plan, delivered after a 2-hour delay, or 35 a month on Pro, which costs $149.99 a month or $1,188 a year.
The requests are different on each, so many sources use both. If you would rather have HARO queries in a platform, they also appear in Connectively, which Featured runs.
Choose HARO if
- You want journalist requests for free. HARO has no paid tier.
- You are happy to work from email. HARO sends up to three digests each weekday.
- You want the larger reported network: more than 800,000 sources and 75,000 journalists and bloggers.
- You are a journalist who wants pitches screened for AI-generated text.
Choose Qwoted if
- The journalists or outlets you want use Qwoted for sourcing.
- You want reporters to find you by searching an expert database.
- You want a dashboard with alerts and pitch insights instead of email digests.
- You want a managed option. Qwoted Amplify adds an account manager who handles pitching.
HARO wrote this page, and HARO is owned by Featured (featured.com). Every Qwoted fact below comes from Qwoted's own site, checked on November 13, 2026 and linked in the sources.
Side by side
HARO and Qwoted at a glance
| HARO | Qwoted | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Free email newsletter of journalist requests | Platform connecting the media with expert sources |
| Run by | Featured | Qwoted |
| Cost for sources | Free | Free Basic plan. Pro is $149.99 a month or $1,188 a year |
| Cost for journalists | Free | Free |
| How requests arrive | Up to 3 emails each weekday | Real-time alerts and a daily opportunities email |
| How you reply | By email, through a masked address | Inside the platform, using pitch credits |
| Monthly limit | None listed | 2 pitches on Basic. 35 on Pro |
| Delay on the free plan | None | 2-hour pitch delivery delay |
| Expert profile | Not in HARO. Available on Connectively | Yes. Listed in the reporter's expert database |
| Platform option | Yes. HARO queries on Connectively | Qwoted is the platform |
Checked November 13, 2026. Sources are listed at the end of this page.
Definitions
What each one is
What is HARO?
HARO, short for Help a Reporter Out, is a free service that connects journalists with expert sources. Journalists submit queries. HARO reviews them and emails them to subscribers in up to three digests each weekday. Sources reply by email, and journalists choose the responses they want to use. HARO was founded in 2008 by Peter Shankman, became part of Vocus in 2010 and Cision in 2014, and was discontinued by Cision in 2024. Featured acquired HARO in April 2025 and relaunched it as a free email newsletter supported by advertising.
What is Qwoted?
Qwoted describes itself as connecting the media with expert sources. Reporters post source requests and search Qwoted's expert database. Experts and PR professionals create profiles and respond with monthly pitch credits. The Basic plan is free. Pro adds instant pitch delivery, media information before you pitch, Pitch Intelligence and an events and awards database. Team and Qwoted Amplify plans are quoted on request.
Key differences
HARO vs. Qwoted: key differences
- 1
HARO is an email. Qwoted is a platform.
HARO arrives in your inbox as a digest of requests, up to three times each weekday. You reply by email to the ones that fit, and there is nothing to log in to. Qwoted is an account-based product. You build a profile, receive alerts, and pitch inside the platform. Reporters can also search for you there.
- 2
HARO is free. Qwoted limits free pitching.
HARO does not charge sources or journalists and is funded by newsletter advertising. Qwoted's Basic plan is free and includes 2 pitches a month, delivered after a 2-hour delay. Qwoted Pro is $149.99 a month, or $1,188 a year, for 35 pitches a month with instant delivery. Team plans with unlimited pitches are quoted.
- 3
Different journalists use each one.
HARO reports more than 75,000 journalists and bloggers and more than 800,000 registered sources. Qwoted's requests come from the reporters and media users on its own platform. Neither set contains the other, so a source who reads both sees more requests.
- 4
Each screens for quality in its own way.
HARO reviews journalist requests before they go out and rejects about a third. It scores every pitch for AI-generated text so journalists can filter, and it masks email addresses. Qwoted verifies its users, offers expedited verification on paid plans and keeps pitching inside the platform.
- 5
If you want HARO in a platform, use Connectively.
HARO queries also appear in Connectively, which Featured runs. Connectively adds keyword alerts, an expert profile and tracking. Its free plan includes 3 answers a month, and paid plans start at $19 a month.
Features
HARO vs. Qwoted: feature comparison
| Feature | HARO | Qwoted |
|---|---|---|
| Basics | ||
| Cost for sources | Free | Free plan. Pro $149.99 a month |
| Cost for journalists | Free | Free |
| Format | Email digests | Platform with alerts and email |
| Free monthly allowance | No limit listed | 2 pitches |
| Delay on free pitches | None | 2 hours |
| Paid allowance | No paid tier | 35 pitches a month on Pro. Unlimited on Team |
| Finding and being found | ||
| Journalist requests | Yes | Yes |
| Reporters can search for experts | Through Connectively's expert directory | Yes. Expert database |
| Keyword alerts | On Connectively | Real-time alerts |
| Events and awards database | No | Pro and Team |
| Quality controls | ||
| Review of journalist requests | Yes. About 32% are rejected | Not stated |
| AI detection on pitches | Yes. Every pitch is scored | Not stated |
| Masked email addresses | Yes | Pitches stay inside the platform |
| User verification | Journalist requests are reviewed | Yes. Expedited on paid plans |
“Not stated” means the detail does not appear on Qwoted’s pricing page or homepage as of November 13, 2026. It does not mean the service lacks it.
Pricing
HARO vs. Qwoted: pricing
HARO is free. Qwoted has a free plan with limits and a paid Pro plan. Prices are from each site on November 13, 2026.
What each one costs
| HARO | Qwoted | |
|---|---|---|
| Free option | Free newsletter, up to 3 emails each weekday | Basic: 2 pitches a month, 2-hour pitch delivery delay |
| Paid plan | None | Pro: $149.99 a month, or $1,188 a year. 35 pitches a month |
| Teams | None | Team: contact for pricing. Unlimited pitches |
| Managed service | None | Qwoted Amplify: contact for pricing |
| Journalists | Free | Free |
Sources: helpareporter.com/about and qwoted.com/pricing.
Prefer a platform? Connectively pricing
| Plan | Monthly | Billed yearly | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 | 3 answers and 1 bylined article a month, an expert profile page, 3 daily keyword alerts, early access to HARO queries |
| Lite | $19 | $11 a month | 10 answers a month, 10 daily keyword alerts, personalized query matching, Connectively AI |
| Pro | $49 per seat | $29 a month per seat | Unlimited answers and bylined articles (subject to abuse guardrails), link type and Domain Authority, 25 real-time alerts |
| Business | $99 per seat | $59 a month per seat | Media database, media lists and exports, premium API, white labeling, shared team access |
Yearly billing takes 40% off. Pay-as-you-go credits are also sold. Source: connectively.us/pricing.
Using both
Using HARO and Qwoted together
HARO and Qwoted carry different requests from different journalists. HARO costs nothing, so adding it to a Qwoted routine only costs the time it takes to scan the emails.
Whichever you use, the same habits earn coverage: answer only the requests you are qualified for, write the reply yourself, and send it before the deadline.
FAQ
HARO vs. Qwoted: frequently asked questions
Is HARO a free alternative to Qwoted?
Yes. HARO is free for sources and has no monthly pitch limit listed. Qwoted's free Basic plan includes 2 pitches a month with a 2-hour delivery delay, and its Pro plan is $149.99 a month or $1,188 a year. The two carry different requests, so HARO works as an alternative or as an addition.
How much does Qwoted cost?
Qwoted's Basic plan is free and includes 2 pitches a month. Pro is $149.99 a month, or $1,188 a year, for 35 pitches a month. Team and Qwoted Amplify plans are priced on request.
Is HARO free?
Yes. HARO is free for both journalists and sources. It is supported by newsletter advertising.
Is HARO still active?
Yes. HARO is active and free. Cision discontinued it in 2024, and Featured (featured.com) acquired the brand in April 2025 and relaunched it as an email newsletter that sends journalist requests up to three times each weekday.
Which is better for a small business or freelancer, HARO or Qwoted?
A small business owner or freelancer on a tight budget can start with HARO, which is free. If you find you want a profile reporters can search and you are pitching often enough to use 35 pitches a month, Qwoted Pro may be worth its price.
Can I get HARO queries in a platform?
Yes. HARO queries appear in Connectively, a journalist request platform that Featured also runs. It has a free plan with 3 answers a month and paid plans from $19 a month.
Can I use HARO and Qwoted together?
Yes. They are separate services with separate journalists, and HARO is free.
Sources
Sources and how we checked
HARO wrote this page. HARO is owned by Featured (featured.com). Facts about HARO come from our own site and published statistics. Facts about Qwoted come from qwoted.com, read on November 13, 2026. Where Qwoted does not state a detail, we say so.
- About HARO (history, format, cost, scale, trust and safety)
- HARO Statistics (2026) (emails, pitches, request rejection rate; August 31, 2026)
- HARO on Connectively (the platform option)
- Qwoted pricing (plans, prices, pitch limits)
- Qwoted (self-description)
- Connectively pricing (the platform option for HARO queries)
HARO, Qwoted and other product names are trademarks of their respective owners. Spotted something out of date? Tell us at the HARO contact page and we will correct it.
Get journalist requests by email, free
Subscribe to HARO and get up to three emails of journalist requests each weekday. Reply to the ones that fit.