Cision
5.3/10Cision is a PR and communications platform for corporate comms teams and agencies. It covers media monitoring, journalist outreach, social listening, analytics, and PR Newswire distribution.
Data last updated November 2026 · Our methodology
Overview
Cision is a public relations and earned-media suite. Its main platform is CisionOne, an AI-assisted product launched in June 2023. CisionOne combines monitoring of print, online, TV, radio, podcast and social coverage with a journalist and media-contact database, release outreach, social listening and management, and reporting dashboards. The same company owns PR Newswire for wire distribution and investor relations, PRWeb for lower-cost releases, and Brandwatch for consumer intelligence and social media management. Buyers can therefore assemble monitoring, outreach and distribution from one vendor. The platform suits corporate communications departments, PR agencies, public sector communications offices and investor relations teams that need to measure coverage and report on its value. It is not a fit for small marketing teams looking for email or SMS campaign tools. Cision publishes no prices. Every deal is a custom annual quote based on seats and modules. Third-party procurement data puts the median contract around 12,600 USD per year, and broad enterprise programs can run past 100,000 USD. PR Newswire releases are billed separately, by release or in packages. Cision's own pages do not list third-party integrations in any detail, so buyers should confirm connectors during the sales process. The main drawbacks are opaque, contract-locked pricing with no free trial and no monthly plans, plus recurring user complaints about support turnover and onboarding complexity after platform upgrades.
Our Rating
AI Software5.3/10
Marketing5.3/10
Who Cision is best for
Best software for EnterpriseGood fit
Cision's broad monitoring, its distribution network and enterprise deals that can exceed 100,000 USD a year make it a fit for large communications departments.
PR agencies use the media database, monitoring and coverage reports to serve several clients.
PR Newswire investor relations and regulatory disclosure distribution serve listed companies and finance firms.
Cision lists public sector communications and government relations as dedicated use cases.
Less suited
Cision is useful for marketing teams responsible for earned media and brand reputation, but it lacks email and campaign automation tools.
Mandatory annual contracts and median costs above 12,000 USD a year make Cision expensive for small teams.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- One vendor covers monitoring across print, online, TV, radio, podcasts and social media.
- The vendor also owns PR Newswire, so distribution and coverage measurement can sit with one supplier.
- Reporting dashboards help PR teams show coverage results to leadership.
- G2 users rate the content calendar for scheduling posts across several accounts highly.
- CisionOne has a large review base on G2, with about 1,289 reviews averaging 3.9 out of 5.
Cons
- No public pricing; quotes vary widely and reviewers report unexpected billing.
- Annual contracts are mandatory, and there is no free trial or monthly plan.
- Reviewers complain about customer support turnover and complex onboarding.
- Some users were unhappy with recent platform upgrades and with limited flexibility in the newsletter features.
- Costs are high for small teams, and wire releases are billed separately.
Key Features
Cision Pricing
CisionOne (custom quote)
- Social listening and management
- AI-powered insights and reporting
- Journalist and media contact database
- Journalist outreach and release sending
- Annual contract required; no monthly plans
- Media monitoring across print, online, broadcast, podcast and social
PR Newswire distribution
- Investor relations tools
- Multimedia content services
- Press release distribution billed per release or through annual packages
Frequently Asked Questions
Cision does not publish prices. Third-party procurement data shows a median of about 12,600 USD per year, with deals ranging from roughly 3,200 to 31,000 USD. Large enterprise programs can exceed 100,000 USD.
Third-party reviews report that Cision offers no free trial or monthly plans. Contracts are annual and quoted by the sales team.
Not by default. PR Newswire releases are priced separately, either per release or through annual packages, so buyers should confirm this in the quote.
CisionOne tracks print, online, TV, radio, podcast, magazine and social coverage in real time and adds AI-driven analysis and reporting.
Cision is privately held by Platinum Equity, which bought it for 2.7 billion USD in January 2020. Cision also owns PR Newswire, PRWeb and Brandwatch.
No. Cision focuses on PR, media relations, monitoring and social listening, not on email or SMS campaign automation.
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Ranked near Cision in AI Software
See Cision in the listCision is #673 in AI Software by our score.
