ResponseSource vs SourceBottle (2026): which should you pick?
As of Oct 23, 2026, ResponseSource and SourceBottle share a 2.4 GPA, and only SourceBottle has a free plan.
Checked Oct 23, 2026 · graded Oct 23, 2026 by ToolGPA
ResponseSource grades higher on value for money. SourceBottle grades higher on 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.
ResponseSource
UK journalist request service with a press release wire
SourceBottle
Media call outs and expert profiles for people seeking press
Which one is for you
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
Pick SourceBottle if
- Fits if you want to be quoted in the press and pay nothing to start
- Works for Australian and New Zealand businesses after local coverage
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay free, with a basic directory listing, 10 keywords and no helpdesk
- Watch out: fees are non-refundable, even for unused time, except where Australian Consumer Law says otherwise, and plans renew automatically
- Not for you if you budget in US dollars, as fees are in Australian dollars though the page shows a plain $ sign
- Pricey if you manage more than 5 experts, as the A$130 Agency plan covers 5 profiles
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAResponseSourceFair | 2.4GPASourceBottleFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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. | CUnlimited Pitches is A$65 a month (A$650 a year), around the middle of what this category charges once converted. There's also a pay-per-pitch option at A$25 a pitch, up to 3 a month. |
| Free plan and trial | CNo free plan, but a free one-week trial of the enquiry service, arranged by form or phone. | BFree gets you a profile, 10 keywords and unlimited replies to the call outs it emails you, so one person can really live on it. What you don't get is SourceBottle's team pitching you, or helpdesk support. |
| Features | 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. | CEmailed call outs, an expert profile in a directory journalists search, and on paid plans a human team that puts you forward for matching call outs. It does the job fully, but it's a small one. |
| Ease of use | BNo rating on record, but enquiries arrive by email, already checked by a moderation team, and you narrow them with delivery filters. | BNo rating on record, but there's little to set up: call outs arrive by email and you reply straight to the journalist. A profile with your keywords is the only setup. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb and email only, with no apps, integrations or API on record. | CWeb and email only, with no apps, integrations or API on record. |
| Best for | UK journalist requests for PR teams | free media call outs 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: ResponseSource and SourceBottle. How we grade
Where they differ
- ResponseSource also covers reports.
- SourceBottle also covers link outreach.
At a glance
| ResponseSource | SourceBottle | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | £625 per category / year and up, billed annually (excluding VAT) | A$65 per month, billed monthly (Australian dollars) |
| Free plan | None | Free Expert Profile with a basic directory listing and 10 keywords, plus media call outs by email that you can answer without limit. SourceBottle's team does not pitch you. |
| Free trial | Free one-week trial of the Journalist Enquiry Service, arranged by form or phone | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | ResponseSource Ltd | TheSourceBottle Pty Ltd |
| Price read from | responsesource.com | sourcebottle.com |
| Checked | Oct 23, 2026 | Oct 23, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
SourceBottle
- Its terms say fees are generally in Australian dollars; the pricing page shows them with a plain $ sign.
- A No Pitch, No Pay option charges A$25 per pitch, up to 3 pitches a month, with no subscription.
- Fees are non-refundable, including for unused time, except where Australian Consumer Law requires; plans renew automatically.
- The free plan gets no pitching, a basic listing and no helpdesk support; helpdesk access starts at Unlimited Pitches.
Key features
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.
SourceBottle
- Emailed media call outs
- Journalists and bloggers post requests for sources, which go out by email alert; every plan, including the free one, can reply to as many as you like.
- Expert Profile and directory
- A free profile listed in an Expert Directory the media can search, found by keywords: 10 free, 20 on pay per pitch and unlimited on paid plans.
- Human pitching service
- SourceBottle's pitching team searches the directory and puts your profile forward for call outs that match your expertise, uncapped on paid plans.
- Agency plan for PR firms
- One Agency plan covers up to 5 client Expert Profiles, each with unlimited pitching and keywords.
- Priority listing and promotion
- Paid plans get a priority place in the directory and can be featured on SourceBottle's home page and social accounts.
- Free for journalists
- Journalists and bloggers post call outs and search the expert directory at no cost, across Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, the UK, Ireland and North America.
Plans
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.
SourceBottle
FREEA$0
Expert Profile, basic Expert Directory listing, up to 10 keywords and unlimited replies to emailed call outs.
Unlimited PitchesA$65
per month, billed monthly (A$650 billed yearly)
Unlimited pitching of your profile by SourceBottle's team, unlimited keywords, priority listing, helpdesk support and possible home page features.
AgencyA$130
per month, billed monthly (A$1,300 billed yearly)
Everything in Unlimited Pitches for up to 5 client Expert Profiles, for PR professionals managing several experts.
Ways to pay less
ResponseSource
No public discounts listed.
SourceBottle
- Annual discount
Two months free with yearly billing
SourceBottle's pricing page says yearly plans get 2 months free: Unlimited Pitches is A$650 a year instead of A$65 a month, and Agency A$1,300.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, ResponseSource or SourceBottle?
As of Oct 23, 2026, ResponseSource starts at £625 per category / year and up, billed annually (excluding VAT), and SourceBottle starts at A$65 per month, billed monthly (Australian dollars).
Which has a free plan, ResponseSource or SourceBottle?
As of Oct 23, 2026, only SourceBottle 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.