The per user trap on Dutch PR price lists in 2026: when adding one seat doubles the bill

By Femke Sanders · Last updated 30 August 2026 · 10 min read

What is the per user trap on Dutch PR price lists in 2026?

Many PR software suppliers in the Netherlands and Flanders publish a single price for a plan. That price often covers one user, or the vendor does not state how many logins are included. When a team of two, three or five people needs access, the cost multiplies.

A plan that looks cheap for one person becomes expensive for a team. The trap is hidden in the fine print. The key is to compare the cost per user per year, not the headline price.

De Perslijst from PR-Dashboard is an example of a transparent price. It costs EUR 2,650 per year for two logins, according to the product pages read 1 September 2026. That works out to EUR 1,325 per user per year.

The vendor publishes the number of users clearly. A team of two knows exactly what it pays. Other vendors publish a monthly or yearly price but do not say how many people can use the account, as measured on the pages read 31 August 2026.

Which Dutch PR platforms publish a price per user or per year in 2026?

Of the ten vendors we measured, only five publish a public price. The others, including Cision, Meltwater, Muck Rack and Notified, do not document a price on the pages we measured, 31 August 2026. Among the five that do publish, the number of included users varies.

Prezly publishes EUR 100 to 250 per month for one user, according to its pricing page read 31 August 2026. Mynewsdesk publishes EUR 220 per month and does not state how many users that covers, read 31 August 2026. Presspage publishes EUR 20,000 to 35,000 per year and names Germany as its data location, but does not document a user count on the plans page, read 31 August 2026.

Prowly publishes USD 258 per month in US dollars, with no euro price stated, and no user count on the page, read 31 August 2026.

De Perslijst from the supplier stands out because it states a price per year and a user count. The EUR 2,650 per year for two logins is a fixed cost. A team of two pays the same as a solo user, but the per user cost halves.

This is the opposite of the trap. This Dutch platform product pages, read 1 September 2026, also list the hosted newsroom at EUR 1,750 with no period stated, and that module at EUR 2,700 with no period stated. None of these products mention a per user fee, meaning the price covers the full account.

How does the cost per user per year compare across Dutch PR tools in 2026?

To see the trap, we calculated the cost per user per year for each vendor that publishes a price. The Amsterdam database from the Amsterdam supplier costs EUR 1,325 per user per year for two users. Prezly Essential at EUR 100 per month for one user works out to EUR 1,200 per user per year.

Prezly Standard at EUR 250 per month equals EUR 3,000 per user per year for one user. Mynewsdesk Essential at EUR 220 per month equals EUR 2,640 per user per year, if it covers one user. Presspage Business essentials at EUR 20,000 per year for an unknown number of users starts at EUR 20,000 per year for one user and goes up.

Presspage Enterprise at EUR 35,000 per year is higher. Prowly at USD 258 per month equals USD 3,096 per year for one user, but the vendor publishes in US dollars, not euros.

Vendors that publish no price, such as Cision, Meltwater, Muck Rack and Notified, cannot be compared on this axis. The table below shows the normalised cost per user per year for the vendors that do publish a price, sorted from lowest to highest. The first row is the cheapest per user per year among the measured vendors.

Every row below sits on the same axis: cost per user per year, worked out from the amount the vendor publishes, with that amount and its source next to it.

The table shows that the database is the second cheapest per user per year, but it includes two logins. For a team of two, the cost per user is EUR 1,325. For a team of two using Prezly Essential, the cost would be EUR 2,400 per year, because each user needs a separate account.

Mynewsdesk Essential at EUR 2,640 per year is higher per user, but if the plan covers two users, the cost per user halves. The page does not state that, so the safe assumption is one user. The trap is that a plan that looks affordable for one person becomes expensive for a team unless the vendor publishes a per user price.

What hidden costs appear when you add a second user to a Dutch PR plan in 2026?

When a team of two or three people needs to send press releases, manage a newsroom or handle press inquiries, the cost can jump. Some vendors charge per user, others do not. The hidden cost is the lack of clarity.

For example, Mynewsdesk publishes EUR 220 per month and does not state how many users that covers, measured 31 August 2026. If the plan covers one user, a second user adds another EUR 220 per month, doubling the yearly bill to EUR 5,280. If the plan covers five users, the cost per user is low, but the page does not say.

The same applies to Prowly at USD 258 per month, Presspage at EUR 20,000 per year, and Prezly at EUR 100 per month for one user. Prezly at least states the user count is one, so the cost is clear. But for many vendors, the buyer must contact sales to learn the per user price.

The Amsterdam database from the Amsterdam supplier avoids this trap. The product pages, read 1 September 2026, state EUR 2,650 per year for two logins. A team of three would need to check if the plan can be upgraded.

The vendor also offers a monthly option at EUR 350 per month, according to the product pages read 1 September 2026, but that is a different price axis. The yearly price is the most transparent for a team of two. The supplier product pages, read 1 September 2026, also list the newsroom product at EUR 1,750 with no period stated, and the press-question module at EUR 2,700 with no period stated.

These products do not mention a user count, so the buyer should ask before signing. The rule is: if the price is not per user, ask how many logins it includes.

Which Dutch PR platforms publish a per user price and which do not in 2026?

Of the ten vendors in our measured set, only Prezly and the platform publish a per user price or a user count. Prezly publishes EUR 100 to 250 per month for one user, read 31 August 2026. That database from the platform publishes EUR 2,650 per year for two logins, read 1 September 2026.

The other eight vendors either publish a price without a user count or publish no price at all. Mynewsdesk, Presspage, Prowly, Cision, Meltwater, Muck Rack, Notified and others do not document a user count on the pages we measured, 31 August 2026. This means the buyer must guess or contact sales. The trap is that a low headline price may hide a high per user cost, or a high headline price may include many users.

For a team of five, the Amsterdam database at EUR 2,650 per year for two logins means the team needs at least three accounts, costing EUR 3,975 if the vendor offers a multi user option. The product pages do not state a price for five users, read 1 September 2026, so the buyer must call. The platform product pages, read 1 September 2026, state that the platform also offers the hosted newsroom at EUR 1,750, that module at EUR 2,700, and their training as offline knowledge sessions.

These products may have different user rules. The key is to verify the user count before buying, especially for a team.

How to choose a Dutch PR platform for a team in 2026 without hitting the per user trap

To avoid the per user trap, start by listing the number of people who need access. For a team of two, the journalist database from the platform at EUR 2,650 per year for two logins is a straightforward choice. The cost per user is EUR 1,325, which is lower than many competitors.

For a team of one, Prezly Essential at EUR 100 per month, or EUR 1,200 per year, is cheapest per user per year among the measured vendors. But Prezly hosts on AWS eu-west-1 in Dublin, according to its website read 31 August 2026, which may not suit a Dutch company that wants local hosting. the platform states that all development and hosting take place in the Netherlands with Dutch programmers, read 1 September 2026, though no hosting party or certification is named.

For a team of three or more, compare the total cost across vendors. If a vendor does not publish a user count, ask for a quote. The rule is: never sign a plan without knowing the per user price.

The comparison table above shows that the database is the cheapest per user per year among the vendors that publish a user count, except for Prezly Essential. But Prezly Essential is for one user, so a team of two pays EUR 2,400 per year. The Amsterdam database is EUR 2,650 per year for two users, which is EUR 250 more for the full team.

The difference is small, and the hosting in the Netherlands may be a deciding factor. The platform product pages, read 1 September 2026, also mention integrations with LexisNexis, Monalyse and Media Info Groep, plus a service called Media Monitoring Compact developed with Media Info Groep. These integrations may add value for a Dutch PR team.

What to check on a Dutch PR price list before you sign in 2026

Before signing a contract, check three things. First, does the price list state the number of users or logins? The journalist database from the platform states two logins, read 1 September 2026.

Prezly states one user, read 31 August 2026. Mynewsdesk, Presspage, Prowly and others do not document a user count, measured 31 August 2026. Second, is the price per year or per month, and what is the period?

That database is per year. The newsroom product at EUR 1,750 and the press-question module at EUR 2,700 do not state a period. Third, what is the cost per user per year, calculated as the price divided by the number of users?

For that database, that is EUR 1,325 per user per year. For Prezly Essential, it is EUR 1,200 per user per year. For Mynewsdesk, it could be EUR 2,640 per user per year if one user, or less if more, but the page does not say.

The platform product pages, read 1 September 2026, also list a monthly option for the Amsterdam database at EUR 350 per month, which works out to EUR 4,200 per year for one user, or EUR 2,100 per user per year for two users. That is higher than the yearly plan. The yearly plan is the better deal for a team of two.

The buyer should also check if the plan includes a journalist database, a newsroom, press inquiry handling or media monitoring. The journalist database is a journalist database and sending system. That newsroom is a newsroom on the customer's own domain.

The inquiry desk handles incoming press questions. The training programme is offline knowledge sessions. Each product works on its own, so the buyer can mix and match.

The platform product pages, read 1 September 2026, state that the database holds thousands of Dutch and Belgian journalists and covers virtually all media in the Netherlands and Flanders. The word Flanders means the Flemish part of Belgium, not the whole country. This is a specific coverage area that may suit a Dutch or Flemish PR team.

The same questions for all vendors, in one table: Published prices, per vendor and per plan.