HARO compared
HARO vs. SourceBottle
HARO and SourceBottle both send journalist requests to sources by email, free of charge. HARO, founded in the United States in 2008, sends up to three emails each weekday and reports more than 800,000 sources. SourceBottle, founded in Australia in 2009, sends up to two alerts each weekday filtered by topic and country, and sells an optional service that pitches your expert profile for you. Both are free to read, so you can subscribe to both.
Updated Prices and plans checked November 13, 2026Sources
The short answer
HARO vs. SourceBottle: the short answer
HARO and SourceBottle are two of the longest-running journalist request services, and their free offer is much the same. A journalist submits a request, the service emails it to sources, and sources respond. Neither charges a source to receive or answer requests.
HARO (Help a Reporter Out) started in the United States in 2008 and is run by Featured (featured.com). It emails requests up to three times each weekday. SourceBottle started in Australia in 2009 and calls its requests call outs. It emails Drink Up! alerts up to twice each weekday, and you choose the topics and countries you want. It says it connects more than 65,000 experts, brands and PR professionals with media across Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, the UK, Ireland and North America.
The main difference beyond geography is SourceBottle's paid layer. You can create a free Expert Profile, and pay for SourceBottle's team to pitch that profile to matching call outs: $25 a pitch, or $65 a month for unlimited pitches. HARO has no paid tier.
Choose HARO if
- You are based in the United States, where HARO was founded and is run.
- You want the larger reported network: more than 800,000 sources and 75,000 journalists and bloggers.
- You want every request in the digest so you can choose for yourself.
- You want a platform option. HARO queries also appear in Connectively.
Choose SourceBottle if
- Your audience is in Australia or New Zealand, where SourceBottle was founded.
- You want alerts filtered by topic and by country.
- You want a public Expert Profile that journalists can search.
- You want someone to pitch for you. SourceBottle's paid plans add a human-driven pitching service.
HARO wrote this page, and HARO is owned by Featured (featured.com). Every SourceBottle fact below comes from SourceBottle's own site, checked on November 13, 2026 and linked in the sources.
Side by side
HARO and SourceBottle at a glance
| HARO | SourceBottle | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Free email newsletter of journalist requests | Platform connecting journalists with expert sources |
| Run by | Featured | SourceBottle. Founder: Bec Derrington |
| Founded | 2008, United States | 2009, Australia |
| Cost to receive and answer requests | Free | Free |
| Cost for journalists | Free | Free |
| Emails | Up to 3 each weekday | Up to 2 Drink Up! alerts each weekday |
| Filtering | Every active query, in each digest | By topic and country |
| Reported size | 800,000+ sources and 75,000+ journalists and bloggers | 65,000+ experts, brands and PR professionals |
| Expert profile | Not in HARO. Available on Connectively | Yes. Free Expert Profile and directory listing |
| Paid options | None | Pitching service: $25 a pitch, $65 or $130 a month |
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 SourceBottle?
SourceBottle describes itself as a connection platform that helps journalists identify credible subject matter experts and fresh case studies, and that lets experts, organisations and PR professionals respond to media opportunities. It was founded in Australia in 2009 by Bec Derrington. SourceBottle says it connects more than 65,000 experts, brands, PR professionals and organisations with media professionals and sends about 25 million emails a year. Journalists can post call outs for sources and also for giveaways and podcast guests.
Key differences
HARO vs. SourceBottle: key differences
- 1
Different home markets.
HARO was founded in the United States and is run from Arizona. SourceBottle was founded in Australia and lists Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, the UK, Ireland and North America as its regions. When you subscribe to SourceBottle, you pick an alert timezone, such as Melbourne, Auckland, London or New York, and the countries you want requests from.
- 2
HARO is the larger network.
HARO reports more than 800,000 registered sources and more than 75,000 journalists and bloggers. SourceBottle says it connects more than 65,000 experts, brands, PR professionals and organisations with the media. A larger network means more requests and more competition for each one.
- 3
Both are free to answer. SourceBottle sells pitching on top.
On both services, receiving requests and responding to them is free. SourceBottle also sells a service in which its team pitches your Expert Profile to relevant call outs. No Pitch, No Pay is $25 a pitch for up to 3 call outs a month. Unlimited Pitches is $65 a month or $650 a year. Agency is $130 a month or $1,300 a year for up to 5 profiles. SourceBottle's terms say fees are generally stated in Australian dollars.
- 4
SourceBottle has a built-in expert directory.
Every SourceBottle source can create a free Expert Profile and appear in its Expert Directory, where journalists search for experts. HARO itself is an email newsletter. Its platform option is Connectively, where sources keep a public expert profile and HARO queries appear alongside other requests.
- 5
HARO publishes how it screens.
HARO reviews journalist requests before sending and rejects about a third. It scores every pitch for AI-generated text and masks email addresses. SourceBottle's pricing page says it has moved from an automated pitching service to a hands-on, human-driven one for its paid plans.
Features
HARO vs. SourceBottle: feature comparison
| Feature | HARO | SourceBottle |
|---|---|---|
| Basics | ||
| Cost to receive requests | Free | Free |
| Cost to answer requests | Free | Free |
| Cost for journalists | Free | Free |
| Format | Email digests | Email alerts, plus a website of call outs |
| Frequency | Up to 3 emails each weekday | Up to 2 alerts each weekday |
| Choose topics and countries | No. Each digest has every active query | Yes |
| Founded | 2008 | 2009 |
| Profiles and pitching | ||
| Public expert profile | On Connectively | Yes. Free |
| Expert directory journalists can search | On Connectively | Yes |
| Done-for-you pitching | No | Paid. $25 a pitch, or from $65 a month |
| Giveaway and podcast guest requests | Not listed | Yes |
| 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 | Not stated |
“Not stated” means the detail does not appear on the SourceBottle pages we read on November 13, 2026. It does not mean the service lacks it.
Pricing
HARO vs. SourceBottle: pricing
Both services are free for sources and journalists. SourceBottle also sells a pitching service. Prices are from each site on November 13, 2026.
What each one costs
| HARO | SourceBottle | |
|---|---|---|
| Receive and answer requests | Free | Free. Expert Profile, directory listing, up to 10 keywords |
| Pay per pitch | None | No Pitch, No Pay: $25 per pitch. SourceBottle pitches your profile to up to 3 call outs a month |
| Unlimited pitching | None | Unlimited Pitches: $65 a month or $650 a year |
| Agencies | None | Agency: $130 a month or $1,300 a year, up to 5 Expert Profiles |
| Journalists | Free | Free |
SourceBottle's terms say fees are generally stated in Australian dollars (AUD). Sources: helpareporter.com/about and sourcebottle.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 SourceBottle together
Both are free to read, and they carry different requests from different journalists. A source with an audience in more than one country has a good reason to subscribe to both.
Whichever you read, 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. SourceBottle: frequently asked questions
Is SourceBottle free?
Yes, for receiving and answering requests. SourceBottle's free plan includes an Expert Profile, a directory listing and call outs by email. Its paid plans are for a pitching service: $25 per pitch, $65 a month for unlimited pitches, or $130 a month for agencies with up to 5 profiles.
Is HARO free?
Yes. HARO is free for both journalists and sources. It is supported by newsletter advertising.
What is the difference between HARO and SourceBottle?
Both email journalist requests to sources for free. HARO was founded in the United States in 2008, sends up to three emails each weekday and reports more than 800,000 sources. SourceBottle was founded in Australia in 2009, sends up to two alerts each weekday filtered by topic and country, and sells an optional service that pitches your expert profile for you.
Which is better for a small business, HARO or SourceBottle?
It depends on where your customers are. A small business in the United States can start with HARO, which was founded there. A small business in Australia or New Zealand can start with SourceBottle, which was founded in Australia. Both are free, so you can read both.
Does SourceBottle work outside Australia?
Yes. SourceBottle lists Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, the UK, Ireland and North America, and lets you choose the countries you receive requests from.
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.
Can I use HARO and SourceBottle together?
Yes. Both are free for sources, and the requests come from different journalists.
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 SourceBottle come from sourcebottle.com, read on November 13, 2026. Where SourceBottle 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)
- SourceBottle: plans and pricing (free plan, pitching plans, prices)
- About SourceBottle (founding, size, regions)
- SourceBottle: be a source (alert frequency, topics, timezones)
- SourceBottle terms (currency of fees)
HARO, SourceBottle 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.