Source of Sources review (2026): is it any good?
Free email list of journalist queries looking for expert sources
Source of Sources report card
Good · out of 4.0 · graded Oct 23, 2026
Best for free journalist queries by email
Source of Sources is a free email list of journalist queries, sent up to three times a day, and you reply to reporters directly. There's no dashboard, search, archive or topic filter, and one off-topic or salesy reply gets you removed from the list with no appeal.
Who Source of Sources is for
- 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
Who Source of Sources is not for
- 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
Why Source of Sources gets a 2.8
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- AValue for moneyCompletely free for sources and journalists, with no paid plan at all. The site asks you to donate to animal charities instead.
- AFree plan and trialEverything is free: up to three emails of queries a day, with no paid tier holding anything back.
- DFeaturesOne 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.
- BEase of useNo 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.
- CPlatforms and integrationsEmail only, with no app, integrations or API on record.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Source of Sources' own pages on 23 October 2026. Its site returned a server error when we checked it again later that day. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
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<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/source-of-sources#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/source-of-sources.svg" alt="Source of Sources: 2.8 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where Source of Sources stands among link building tools
Source of Sources's GPA of 2.8 is higher than 45 of the 50 other link building tools we grade, and level with 4.
It stands best on free plan and trial (A, above 47 of 50) and worst on features (D, above 0).
Source of Sources has no paid plan.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.0 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 51 link building tools we grade, cut by the letter each got. Source of Sources’s own letter is outlined.
- AValue for moneyAbove 40 of 50, level with 10
- AFree plan and trialAbove 47 of 50, level with 3
- DFeaturesAbove 0 of 50, level with 3
- BEase of useAbove 44 of 50, level with 6
- CPlatforms and integrationsAbove 0 of 50, level with 27
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 45 link building tools. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
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
Keep Source of Sources, or make your own?
Keep it
Source of Sources is free, so making your own would save you nothing.
And it is not the kind of software a weekend replaces. It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 2.8 is higher than 45 of the 50 other link building tools we grade.
What you could make
- Link outreach: an app builder makes this well.
What you could not
- A network of journalists who post requests for sources.
What this rests on. Source of Sources’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is Source of Sources?
Source of Sources (SOS) is a free service started by Peter Shankman, the founder of Help a Reporter Out (HARO). Journalists submit requests for expert sources through a web form, and subscribers receive them in emails up to three times a day and reply to the reporter directly. There are no paid plans; the site asks users to donate to animal charities instead.
Worth knowing
- 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
- 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.
Source of Sources pricing
As of Oct 23, 2026, Source of Sources is free to use.
- Starts at
- Free
- Free plan
- 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
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Media query emails up to three times a day for sources; free query submission for journalists. |
Read from sourceofsources.com on Oct 23, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Source of Sources before you buy.
Source of Sources alternatives
- Source of Sources vs Qwoted
Free plan · from $149/mo
- Source of Sources vs Featured
Free plan · from $29/mo
- Source of Sources vs SourceBottle
Free plan · from $65/mo
- Source of Sources vs ResponseSource
Free trial · from £625/yr
- Source of Sources vs JustReachOut
Free trial · from $98/mo
Common questions
Does Source of Sources have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 23, 2026. Source of Sources is listed for Web.
Does Source of Sources have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 23, 2026. Source of Sources is listed for Web.
Is Source of Sources open source?
Source of Sources is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 23, 2026.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 23, 2026.