# Source of Sources review (2026): is it any good? > Free email list of journalist queries looking for expert sources Checked Oct 23, 2026 ยท graded Oct 23, 2026 by ToolGPA. 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. - **Category:** Backlinks & Link Building - **Made by:** Jessa and Waffle, LLC - **Website:** https://www.sourceofsources.com - **Runs on:** Web - **Who should skip it:** Skip it if you want to search or filter queries, as the site describes no search or topic filter. - **Facts last checked:** Oct 23, 2026 ## Pricing As of Oct 23, 2026, Source of Sources is free to use. - **Pricing model:** 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 https://www.sourceofsources.com/ on Oct 23, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Source of Sources before buying. ## 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. ## Good for - Experts and founders looking for press mentions at no cost - SEO and PR teams answering journalist queries to earn coverage - Journalists who need sources quickly ## 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. ## ToolGPA grades **GPA: 2.8 out of 4**, graded Oct 23, 2026. 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. - **Value for money: A.** Completely 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: A.** Everything is free: up to three emails of queries a day, with no paid tier holding anything back. - **Features: D.** One 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: B.** No 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: C.** Email only, with no app, integrations or API on record. These are ToolGPA's own grades. 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. ## Where it 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. The category's chart of price against score: https://toolgpa.com/charts/link-building ## Keep it, 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. - You could make: Link outreach: an app builder makes this well. - You could not: A network of journalists who post requests for sources. A judgement by ToolGPA from this listing, by rules that are the same for every tool. Nothing was built to test it. **Tags:** Journalist requests, Link outreach ## Alternatives - [Qwoted](https://toolgpa.com/tools/qwoted): Marketplace where reporters request expert sources and PRs pitch. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/qwoted-vs-source-of-sources) - [Featured](https://toolgpa.com/tools/featured): AI assistant for PR that finds journalist requests and drafts pitches. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/featured-vs-source-of-sources) - [SourceBottle](https://toolgpa.com/tools/sourcebottle): Media call outs and expert profiles for people seeking press. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/source-of-sources-vs-sourcebottle) - [ResponseSource](https://toolgpa.com/tools/responsesource): UK journalist request service with a press release wire. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/responsesource-vs-source-of-sources) - [JustReachOut](https://toolgpa.com/tools/justreachout): Journalist search, pitch requests and link outreach in one tool. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/justreachout-vs-source-of-sources) ## Sources The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 23, 2026: - https://www.sourceofsources.com/ - https://www.sourceofsources.com/reporter/ - https://www.sourceofsources.com/universal-terms-of-service/ Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/source-of-sources Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).