HARO vs Source of Sources (2026): which should you pick?
As of Oct 24, 2026, we pick HARO: it is third in our ranking of link building tools, and they share a 2.8 GPA.
Checked Oct 23, 2026 · graded Oct 23, 2026 by ToolGPA
They get the same grade on all five counts.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Source of Sources
Free email list of journalist queries looking for expert sources
Free
Which one is for you
Pick HARO if
- Fits if you're a founder or expert who wants to pitch reporters without paying anything
- Works for journalists and podcast hosts who need an expert source on deadline
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want to search or filter requests, as that's in Connectively, a separate platform
- Too light for PR teams that need to track pitches and replies, as HARO is only an email digest
- Watch out: one spam strike gets an account banned, and requests can't offer guest posts, link swaps or payment
- Watch out: every edition carries paid ads, and there are no weekend editions
- Not for you if you're counting on links, as the journalist picks whom to quote and whether to credit or link back
Pick Source of Sources if
- Fits if you want press mentions and don't want to pay anything
- Works for journalists who need an expert quickly, since posting a query is free
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want to search or filter queries, as the site describes no search or topic filter
- Too light for PR teams that need a dashboard, tracking or an archive of past queries
- Watch out: one off-topic or salesy reply to a reporter gets you removed, with no appeal
How we grade them
| 2.8GPAHAROGood | 2.8GPASource of SourcesGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AFree for sources and journalists, with no paid plan at all. The ads in each edition pay for it, so the cost lands on advertisers rather than on you. | ACompletely free for sources and journalists, with no paid plan at all. The site asks you to donate to animal charities instead. |
| Free plan and trial | AEverything is free: all three weekday editions and every request, with no paid tier holding anything back. | AEverything is free: up to three emails of queries a day, with no paid tier holding anything back. |
| Features | DOne narrow function: an email of staff-checked requests three times a weekday, answered by email, plus podcast guest requests and journalist profiles. Search, filters and response tracking sit in Connectively, a separate platform from the same owner. | DOne narrow function: an email of queries, up to three times a day. The site describes no dashboard, search or archive of past queries, and no way to filter them by topic. |
| Ease of use | BNo rating on record, but there's nothing to set up: sign up, the requests land in your inbox and you reply by email. | BNo rating on record, but sign-up asks only for a name and email address, and queries land in your inbox. There's nothing to set up. |
| Platforms and integrations | CEmail only, with no app, integrations or API on record. | CEmail only, with no app, integrations or API on record. |
| Best for | free journalist requests in your inbox | free journalist queries by email |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: HARO and Source of Sources. How we grade
Price against what you get
HARO has no paid plan and scores 2.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Source of Sources has no paid plan and scores 2.0.
On this chart the two sit in the same place: the same score for the same starting price. Of the other link building tools on the chart, none scores higher than HARO for less, and none scores higher than Source of Sources for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
In commonFree planWebLink outreachJournalist requests
At a glance
| HARO | Source of Sources | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Starts at | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Free for sources and journalists: three weekday editions of journalist requests and pitching by email, with no charge to receive the newsletter or pitch. | Everything is free: sources get journalist queries by email up to three times a day, and journalists post queries through a web form. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Featured.com | Jessa and Waffle, LLC |
| Price read from | blog.helpareporter.com | sourceofsources.com |
| Checked | Oct 23, 2026 | Oct 23, 2026 |
Worth knowing
HARO
- HARO is an email digest; filtering, search and response tracking are in Connectively, a separate platform from the same owner.
- Each edition carries paid ads, which is how the free service is funded.
- Requests may not ask for guest posts, link swaps or payment, and HARO bans accounts for spam under a one-strike policy.
- Staff review and schedule requests 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. MST on weekdays, and there are no weekend editions.
Source of Sources
- Queries arrive only by email; the site describes no dashboard, search or archive of past queries.
- Sign-up asks only for a name and email address, and the site does not describe filtering queries by topic.
- One off-topic or salesy reply to a reporter gets a source removed from the list, with no appeal.
Key features
HARO
- Three editions every weekday
- Requests arrive in a Morning (5:35 a.m. ET), Afternoon (12:35 p.m. ET) and Evening (5:35 p.m. ET) email, Monday to Friday.
- Pitching by email
- Sources reply to a request by email. Journalists' real addresses are hidden behind masked ones so they cannot be scraped into pitch lists.
- Reviewed requests
- Staff check each request: outlets need a Domain Authority of 20 or 10,000 monthly visitors, and HARO says it turns down about 32% of requests.
- AI detection on pitches
- Every pitch gets a score from Pangram for how likely it is to be AI-written, and journalists can filter out the ones flagged.
- Journalist profiles
- Reporters can claim a free profile; each request links to it so sources can check who is asking, and verified reporters' requests are listed first.
- Podcast guest requests
- A Podcasts category lets hosts and producers ask for guests, so sources can pitch shows as well as articles.
Source of Sources
- Query emails
- Up to three emails a day collect queries from journalists, broadcasters and bloggers who need an expert to quote.
- Direct replies to reporters
- Sources answer a query by emailing the journalist directly; nothing sits between the two.
- Reporter submission form
- Journalists file a query with its outlet, category and deadline; it goes out in the next mailing, usually within a few hours.
- Verified journalists
- Queries from an outlet's own email domain go out faster; a first query from a personal address is held until the journalist's identity is checked.
- Urgent queries
- A journalist with a deadline under four hours can ask for the query to be posted on Threads straight away.
Plans
HARO
Free$0
Every edition and every request, for both sources and journalists. The service is paid for by ads placed in the newsletter.
Source of Sources
Free$0
Media query emails up to three times a day for sources; free query submission for journalists.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, HARO or Source of Sources?
As of Oct 23, 2026, both HARO and Source of Sources are free to use.
Which has a free plan, HARO or Source of Sources?
As of Oct 23, 2026, both HARO and Source of Sources have a free plan.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.