The original HARO was simple. Journalists posted queries, sources replied by email, and the best responses earned a quote and a backlink. That model defined a generation of link building strategy.
The landscape looks different now. HARO rebranded to Connectively and shifted its approach. The free-for-all email blast that made the original service so accessible gave way to a more structured, publisher-driven platform. Whether that change works for your link building goals depends on what you’re trying to achieve.
The good news: the vacuum created space for platforms that do specific things better than HARO ever did. Some focus on B2B content. Others cover the UK and Australian markets that HARO never properly served. A few have added AI to the pitch process entirely.
Here are the haro alternatives worth evaluating in 2026, what each one actually does, and which ones produce links that move the needle.
Connectively
Connectively is what HARO became. It describes itself as a platform that “connects subject matter experts with top publishers to increase their exposure and create quality, ready-to-publish content.”
The model changed from HARO’s open email blasts. Connectively uses expert pages and publisher-submitted queries. Sources create an expert page, and publishers submit queries that get matched to relevant experts. The platform says it’s trusted by 1,000 publishers.
Connectively’s about page frames its mission around unlocking human knowledge: “less than 5% of the world’s knowledge exists online,” and the platform aims to connect “true subject matter experts with the world’s most powerful publishing platforms.”
Who it’s best for: Established thought leaders and subject matter experts who want ongoing publisher relationships, not one-off quote placements. The shift from HARO’s spray-and-pray model means less volume but potentially higher-quality placements.
Link building value: The publisher network skews toward major outlets (Fast Company, Fortune appear in their recent features section). If you can get matched, the domain authority of placements tends to be high. But the structured matching means fewer at-bats compared to the old HARO model.
Qwoted
Qwoted positions itself as “Connecting the Media with Expert Sources” and takes a more traditional approach to the journalist-source matching problem.
The platform operates on a tiered pricing model. The free Basic plan gives you 2 pitches per month with a 2-hour response delay. The Pro plan at $149 per month increases that to 35 pitches per month with no response delay, and adds features like real-time alerts, pitch intelligence, and access to their events and awards database. A Teams plan with custom pricing adds white labeling, weekly activity reports, and an administrative dashboard.
That 2-hour delay on the free plan matters more than it sounds. Journalist requests are competitive. By the time your pitch goes through on the free tier, Pro users have already responded. If you’re serious about using Qwoted for link building, the $149/mo Pro plan is effectively the real entry point.
Who it’s best for: PR professionals and agencies managing multiple clients who need a steady flow of journalist requests with pitch tracking and team features.
Link building value: Strong for building journalist relationships over time. The expert database feature means journalists can find you proactively, which is something most haro alternatives don’t offer. The pitch intelligence feature helps you refine what works.
Featured (formerly Terkel)
Featured absorbed Terkel and rebuilt itself as what it calls “Your co-pilot for PR.” It’s the most AI-forward platform on this list.
Featured aggregates media opportunities from multiple channels. According to its pricing page, the platform lets users “respond to journalist queries from HARO, LinkedIn, and more.” Beyond journalist requests, it also surfaces podcast guest opportunities, bylined article placements, speaking opportunities, and awards submissions.
The pricing structure is usage-based rather than feature-gated. Every plan, including the free tier, includes access to all PR tools, workflows, and delivery channels. The difference between plans is daily AI usage. The free plan supports exploring a few opportunities per week. The Lite plan suits “solo practitioners running focused PR.” The Pro plan (at 5x Lite usage) and Pro+ (at 20x) are built for power users and agencies.
Featured also includes media monitoring, competitor visibility tracking, and multi-channel delivery through Slack, email, text, or in-app notifications.
Who it’s best for: Solo founders, marketing managers, or small PR teams who want one platform covering journalist requests, podcasts, bylined articles, and speaking opportunities rather than juggling separate tools for each.
Link building value: The aggregation model is Featured’s biggest advantage. Instead of checking five platforms for media opportunities, you check one. The AI drafting tools can speed up pitch creation, though you’ll still want to personalize before sending. The bylined article placements are particularly valuable for link building since you control the content and can include contextual links.
MentionMatch (formerly Help a B2B Writer)
MentionMatch is the most focused platform on this list. It does one thing: connect B2B writers with expert sources for quotes.
The platform describes its value proposition clearly: “Writers need unique quotes. Experts want coverage. MentionMatch makes the match.” It claims to be trusted by 9,000+ B2B sources, with teams at Shopify, HubSpot, Ahrefs, G2, and Semrush among its users.
The process is straightforward. Writers submit requests describing what expertise they need. Sources register and select their areas of expertise. MentionMatch sends relevant requests to matching experts via email. Sources respond with quotes, and writers incorporate them into published content.
Available expertise areas include Marketing, SaaS, Sales, SEO, Content Marketing, CRO, Email Marketing, Analytics, Design & UX, AI & Tech, Ecommerce, and DTC.
Who it’s best for: B2B SaaS companies, marketing agencies, and anyone whose expertise maps to the platform’s category list. If you’re in B2B and want earned mentions in industry publications, this is the most targeted option.
Link building value: High for B2B brands. The writers using MentionMatch typically work for established B2B publications, which means the resulting links carry real domain authority. The narrow focus also means less competition per request compared to broader platforms. The tradeoff is volume. You’ll get fewer opportunities than a general-purpose platform, but the hit rate tends to be higher.
SourceBottle
SourceBottle takes a different approach from most platforms on this list. It’s free to use and emphasizes accessibility.
Founded by Bec in 2009, SourceBottle describes itself as “a global publicity platform” created “to disrupt the traditional media relations model and ensure everyone has free access to media leads to tell their story.” The platform connects journalists, reporters, bloggers, and writers with expert sources across multiple categories.
SourceBottle covers a range of callout types beyond standard journalist queries. You can find requests for expert sources, giveaways, podcast guests, case studies, speakers, and article contributors. The platform also offers an Expert Profile feature (free to create) that lists you in their Expert Directory so journalists can search and find you directly.
For those who want more, SourceBottle offers an upgrade with a “human-driven, targeted, on-demand media pitching service.”
Who it’s best for: Small businesses, solo entrepreneurs, and anyone starting out with digital PR who doesn’t want to pay before proving the model works. The Australian origin gives it strong coverage in APAC markets that other platforms overlook.
Link building value: The free model means low barrier to entry, but that also means more competition per request. The real value is in the Expert Profile feature, which lets journalists come to you. For brands targeting Australian, New Zealand, or broader APAC media coverage, SourceBottle fills a gap that US-centric platforms miss entirely.
ResponseSource
ResponseSource is the UK market’s dominant journalist-source matching platform, with over 20 years of operation behind it.
The platform offers three core services. The Journalist Enquiry Service delivers journalist enquiries directly to your inbox from top UK media outlets. The Press Release Wire provides press release distribution to UK media outlets and journalists. And through its parent company Pulsar Group, users can access the Vuelio Media Database for comprehensive UK media contact data, monitoring, analysis, and reporting.
ResponseSource says it helps “thousands of companies gain coverage every year” and receives “hundreds of journalist requests” through the platform each week.
Who it’s best for: Any brand targeting UK media coverage. If your link building strategy includes British publications, ResponseSource is essentially required. The platform is used by PR practitioners, digital marketers, staff journalists, and freelancers across the UK media ecosystem.
Link building value: Very high for UK-focused campaigns. The 20-year track record means the platform has deep relationships with UK journalists who actively use it. The Vuelio Media Database integration adds a contact discovery layer that helps you build relationships beyond reactive pitching. For international brands wanting UK backlinks, this is the most direct path.
PressPlugs
PressPlugs describes itself as “the vetted journalist request network for serious communication professionals.” It occupies a similar UK-focused niche as ResponseSource but targets smaller businesses and solo PR practitioners.
The platform offers a free 7-day trial and delivers “top journalist requests direct to your inbox every working day.” For businesses, it includes a PR Toolkit to help with DIY PR. For PR professionals, it emphasizes time savings by curating top-tier UK journalist requests so you don’t need to scour social media yourself.
PressPlugs also highlights mutual respect between PRs and journalists as a core value, which translates to a more curated, quality-over-quantity approach to request matching.
Who it’s best for: UK-based small businesses doing their own PR, and boutique PR agencies that want a curated feed of high-quality journalist requests without the enterprise pricing of larger platforms.
Link building value: The vetting process means fewer junk requests, which saves time. The smaller scale compared to ResponseSource can actually be an advantage since fewer sources compete for each opportunity. For small businesses targeting UK media specifically, the combination of a free trial and PR Toolkit makes it the lowest-risk entry point.
How to choose the right platform
The haro alternatives that work best for link building depend on three things: your market, your niche, and your budget.
By geography: If you’re targeting US and global publications, Connectively, Qwoted, and Featured cover the broadest range. For UK coverage, ResponseSource and PressPlugs are purpose-built. For Australia and APAC, SourceBottle is the clear choice.
By niche: B2B companies should start with MentionMatch. Its narrow focus means higher relevance per request and less wasted time pitching outside your expertise. Generalist brands benefit more from Qwoted or Featured’s broader opportunity pools.
By budget: SourceBottle is free. Qwoted’s free tier gives you 2 pitches per month. Featured offers a free plan with limited AI usage. PressPlugs has a free 7-day trial. If you’re testing the waters, start with the free options and upgrade once you’ve proven the pitch-to-placement pipeline works.
By workflow: Featured stands out if you want one platform aggregating opportunities across multiple channels. Qwoted wins on pitch intelligence and journalist relationship building. MentionMatch wins on B2B specificity.
The biggest mistake people make with any of these platforms is treating them as a volume game. Sending 50 generic pitches produces worse results than sending 5 pitches tailored to exactly what the journalist asked for. Pick one or two platforms that match your market, learn what their journalists respond to, and focus your energy there.