HARO alternatives in 2026
Cision shut down Connectively, the platform that used to be HARO, on 9 December 2024, and Featured.com relaunched HARO as a free daily email in April 2025. Most journalist requests now go through Qwoted, Featured, Source of Sources, MentionMatch (formerly Help a B2B Writer) and, in the UK, ResponseSource.
What happened to HARO
HARO (Help a Reporter Out) sent journalists' source requests to experts by email several times a day. Cision owned it from 2014, renamed it Connectively in 2024 and closed it on 9 December 2024. In April 2025 Featured.com bought the HARO name and brought the email back for free, with spam filtering added.
So HARO exists again, but many people who relied on it spread out across other request platforms while it was gone. If you're looking for a replacement, these are the ones worth knowing.
HARO alternatives compared
| Platform | Price | How it works | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Qwoted | Free for 2 pitches a month (2-hour delay). Pro is US$149 a month for 35 pitches | Journalists post requests on the site and by email, and you pitch through the platform | Experts and PR people who want a steady flow of vetted requests |
| Featured | Free plan. Paid plans from US$39 a month | Publishers post questions, you answer in the app and the best answers are placed in articles | Getting quoted on business websites and earning links |
| Source of Sources | Free | A daily email from HARO founder Peter Shankman, with each request showing the journalist, outlet and deadline | Free, hand-checked requests from named journalists |
| MentionMatch (formerly Help a B2B Writer) | Free | B2B writers send requests by email to sources who choose their categories | B2B experts in SaaS, marketing and finance |
| ResponseSource (UK) | Annual subscription priced per category, on request | UK journalists' requests go to your inbox, filtered by sector | UK PR teams and agencies |
| EarnedDesk | US$199 a month, 3-day free trial | Reads the news each morning and gives you five story ideas, each with the journalist who wrote the article | Owners who want to pitch today instead of waiting for a request |
Prices were checked in October 2026 and change often, so confirm them on each platform's site.
Waiting for a request or pitching today
Every request platform works the same way: a journalist asks, and you reply before everyone else does. You can only respond to what gets posted, and a good request can draw hundreds of answers.
EarnedDesk works the other way round. It finds the stories already in the news that your business has something to say about, and shows you the journalist who wrote each one. You write the pitch and send it yourself, on the same day.
Where the request platforms are better
- The journalist has already asked for a source, so a good, quick answer has a real chance of being used.
- Several of them are free, and EarnedDesk is not.
- Featured and Qwoted are built for volume if you want many small quotes and links.
- ResponseSource has the deepest pool of UK requests.
- EarnedDesk doesn't carry journalist requests at all, so it won't replace them if that's what you want.
Using both
Many people keep one free request feed running and use EarnedDesk for the pitches they start themselves. The request feed catches journalists who are asking, and EarnedDesk covers the stories nobody has asked about yet.
Common questions
Is HARO still running?
Yes. Connectively, the platform that used to be HARO, closed on 9 December 2024. Featured.com bought HARO and relaunched it as a free daily email in April 2025.
What is the best free HARO alternative?
Source of Sources and MentionMatch are free. Qwoted and Featured both have free plans with limits, and the relaunched HARO is free as well.
What replaced Connectively?
Nothing replaced it directly. Its users moved to Qwoted, Featured, Source of Sources, MentionMatch and, in the UK, ResponseSource, and HARO itself came back under Featured.com in 2025.
Is EarnedDesk a journalist request platform?
No. EarnedDesk doesn't show journalist requests. It finds stories already in the news that suit your business and shows you who wrote them, so you can pitch without waiting to be asked.
Can I use a request platform and EarnedDesk together?
Yes. A request feed covers journalists who are asking for sources, and EarnedDesk covers the stories you pitch on your own.
Try EarnedDesk free for 3 days
A daily brief, five ideas and the journalist behind each story. You send every pitch yourself.
Card required, nothing charged for 3 days. From US$199/month after that.