MentionMatch vs ResponseSource (2026): which should you pick?
As of Oct 23, 2026, MentionMatch grades higher than ResponseSource: 2.8 against 2.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 23, 2026 · graded Oct 23, 2026 by ToolGPA
MentionMatch grades higher on value for money and the free plan. They get the same grade on features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
MentionMatch
Free matching of B2B writers with expert sources for quotes
ResponseSource
UK journalist request service with a press release wire
Which one is for you
Pick MentionMatch if
- Fits if you're a B2B marketer or founder who can supply quotes or data
- Works for B2B writers who need original expert quotes
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you work in consumer or general news, as requests are B2B only
- Tight if deadlines are short, as free sources get requests a day later than API subscribers
- Pricey if you only want requests sooner, as the API that sends them instantly is $500 a month
- Watch out: writers are only encouraged, not required, to link to the sources they quote
- Too light for a steady stream from any one title, as each publication can send at most three requests a week
Pick ResponseSource if
- Fits if you're a UK PR team after national, regional and trade coverage
- Works for consumer brands answering journalists who want products to review
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if your market isn't the UK, as its pages describe UK media only
- Pricey if you cover several sectors, as each is a separate yearly subscription from £625 plus VAT at 20%
- Watch out: the price varies by sector and only the £625 floor is published
- Pricey if you also send releases, as Press Release Wire is extra, from £85 a release
- Watch out: the Vuelio media database on the same page is priced only by quote, and the trial is arranged by form or phone
How we grade them
| 2.8GPAMentionMatchGood | 2.4GPAResponseSourceFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AThe service is free for sources and writers, and that's the whole product for most people. The paid API is $500 a month, for agencies and software tools that want requests instantly by webhook. | B£625 a year and up per sector, before VAT, and one licence covers a whole office. Split across a team of five that's about £10 a head a month, inside this category's cheaper quarter. On your own it's about £52 a month per sector. |
| Free plan and trial | BFree with no cap a normal source would reach. But free requests arrive a day later than API subscribers', who also get Verified Sender Status on replies, so free users answer second. | CNo free plan, but a free one-week trial of the enquiry service, arranged by form or phone. |
| Features | CRequests matched by expertise, a writer form with approval, links for quotes used, a public page of today's requests and the API feed. It does matching fully, but that's a smaller job, and B2B topics only. | CModerated requests from national, regional, trade and consumer journalists, 25 sectors, delivery filters and an office-wide licence. It does the job fully, but only for UK media, and the press release wire is priced on top. |
| Ease of use | BNo rating on record, but nothing to set up: register as a source, pick your areas and matching requests come by email. | BNo rating on record, but enquiries arrive by email, already checked by a moderation team, and you narrow them with delivery filters. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb and email for everyone. The webhook feed to your own endpoint, Airtable, Notion or Asana comes only with the $500 API. | CWeb and email only, with no apps, integrations or API on record. |
| Best for | free expert quote requests in B2B | UK journalist requests for PR teams |
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: MentionMatch and ResponseSource. How we grade
Price against what you get
MentionMatch starts at $500 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. ResponseSource starts at about $68.86 a month and scores 2.3.
They score the same, and ResponseSource starts $431.14 a month lower. Of the other link building tools on the chart, 6 score higher than MentionMatch for less, and 2 score higher than ResponseSource 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
- MentionMatch also covers link outreach.
- ResponseSource also covers reports.
At a glance
| MentionMatch | ResponseSource | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free trial |
| Starts at | $500 per month for the API, billed monthly | £625 per category / year and up, billed annually (excluding VAT) |
| Free plan | Free for sources to receive matching requests by email and for writers to submit requests; publications can send up to 3 requests a week. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | Free one-week trial of the Journalist Enquiry Service, arranged by form or phone |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Superpath Incorporated | ResponseSource Ltd |
| Price read from | buy.stripe.com | responsesource.com |
| Checked | Oct 23, 2026 | Oct 23, 2026 |
Worth knowing
MentionMatch
- Requests cover B2B topics only, such as marketing, SaaS, sales and SEO, not consumer or general news.
- Free sources get requests a day later than API subscribers, who also get Verified Sender Status on replies.
- The API price was read from its Stripe checkout, which showed rupees from India at Stripe's exchange rate.
- Each publication can submit at most three requests a week, and the team approves each one first.
ResponseSource
- Prices are in pounds and exclude VAT at 20%; each sector category is a separate annual subscription whose price varies.
- The service covers UK media; the pages do not describe requests from other countries.
- Press Release Wire is priced separately: from £85 per release, or £675 for 10 and £1,050 for 20, with extras such as video from £40.
- The Vuelio media database sold on the same page is priced only by quote.
Key features
MentionMatch
- Requests matched by expertise
- Sources pick areas such as marketing, SaaS, sales, SEO, CRO, analytics, AI or ecommerce and receive only requests that match.
- Writer request form
- Writers describe the quotes, anecdotes or data they need; each request is approved first and sent ahead of its deadline, aiming for at least 2 days.
- Links for quotes used
- Writers are encouraged to credit a quote they use with a link to the source's site.
- Today's requests
- A public page lists the current requests, alongside a best-practices guide for answering them.
- API webhook feed
- The paid API sends every request to your own endpoint or to tools such as Airtable, Notion or Asana as it arrives, set up with the team's help.
ResponseSource
- Journalist Enquiry Service
- Requests for expert comment, case studies, interviews and products to review arrive by email from UK print, broadcast and online journalists.
- Moderated requests
- A quality control team reviews each request before it goes out, and delivery filters narrow the feed by request, media and sender type.
- 25 sector categories
- Subscribe only to the sectors you work in, from Business & Finance to Travel; each category is priced separately.
- Office-wide licence
- One licence covers an entire office, so a whole PR team can see and answer the same enquiries.
- Press Release Wire
- Sends releases to UK journalists and news desks, hosts them in a customizable newsroom indexed by search engines, and reports on release and newsroom views.
Plans
MentionMatch
Free$0
Sources get requests matched to their expertise by email; writers submit requests for quotes.
MentionMatch API$500
per month, billed monthly
Requests delivered instantly by webhook rather than a day later, plus Verified Sender Status on replies. Checkout shown in rupees at Stripe's stated rate.
ResponseSource
Journalist Enquiry Service£625
per category / year and up, billed annually
Moderated journalist requests by email for one of 25 sectors; the price varies by category, and one licence covers a whole office.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, MentionMatch or ResponseSource?
As of Oct 23, 2026, ResponseSource is cheaper to start with: about $68.86 a month, against $500 a month for MentionMatch. MentionMatch starts at $500 per month for the API, billed monthly, and ResponseSource starts at £625 per category / year and up, billed annually (excluding VAT).
Which has a free plan, MentionMatch or ResponseSource?
As of Oct 23, 2026, only MentionMatch has a free plan. ResponseSource does not, though it has a free trial.
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.