By Femke Sanders · Last updated 29 August 2026 · 8 min read
In this guide ↓Quick answer: When you buy a PR tool from a vendor outside the Netherlands, your invoice may show a foreign currency, charge the wrong VAT rate, or use payment terms that do not match Dutch law. The safest way to avoid surprises is to check the invoice against three fixed points: the currency, the VAT percentage, and the payment period.
For PR-Dashboard, these checks are straightforward because the price is in euros, the VAT is 21% for Dutch services, and the terms are stated in the contract. This article walks you through each check, using the prices published by the platform and other vendors as of 31 August 2026.
An invoice for a Dutch company should show the amount in euros, because the Netherlands uses the euro. Not every international PR vendor does this. Prowly, for example, publishes its price in US dollars at USD 258 per month, as measured on its pricing page on 31 August 2026.
Prowly does not state a euro price on that page. This means a Dutch buyer must convert the dollar amount at the exchange rate of the invoice date, which adds a small risk: the euro amount can change between the subscription date and the invoice date.
PR-Dashboard, a Dutch platform based in Amsterdam, publishes all its prices in euros. The product De Perslijst costs EUR 2,650 per year for two logins, and PR-Newsroom costs EUR 1,750, with no period stated on the page. Both prices are in euros, so the currency check is simple.
Another vendor, Prezly, publishes prices from EUR 100 to 250 per month, also in euros. Prezly hosts on AWS in Dublin, but its pricing is in euros, which helps Dutch buyers. For a Dutch company, an invoice in euros removes the need to track exchange rates and avoids currency conversion fees from the bank.
VAT on digital services in the Netherlands is 21% for B2B transactions when the provider is based in the Netherlands. This Dutch platform states that all development and hosting take place in the Netherlands with Dutch programmers, as noted on its frequently asked questions page, measured 1 September 2026. This means the Amsterdam supplier charges the standard 21% Dutch VAT on its invoices for Dutch customers, unless the customer has a valid VAT number and the service qualifies for a reverse charge.
The product pages do not mention a separate VAT amount, so the buyer should check the invoice for the correct rate.
International vendors may charge a different rate. Mynewsdesk, based in Sweden, publishes from EUR 220 per month and has five language editions, none in Dutch. It does not state on its pricing page whether it charges Swedish VAT, Dutch VAT, or no VAT.
The buyer must ask the vendor before receiving the invoice. Presspage, which publishes EUR 20,000 to 35,000 per year and names Germany as its data location, may charge German VAT or set up a reverse charge for a Dutch buyer. The Presspage plans page, measured 31 August 2026, does not document the VAT treatment.
For a Dutch company, the safest approach is to ask the vendor for a pro-forma invoice that shows the VAT rate and the reason for that rate.
Dutch law allows parties to agree on payment terms, but a standard term is 30 days after the invoice date. International vendors may use shorter terms or require advance payment. The supplier publishes its prices as yearly amounts, with the Amsterdam database at EUR 2,650 per year and the press-question module at EUR 2,700 with no period stated.
The product pages do not show the payment terms, so the buyer should check the contract or the invoice. Other vendors like Prezly publish monthly prices, which implies a recurring monthly payment. Prezly's pricing page, measured 31 August 2026, does not state the payment period for the annual plan, but the monthly price suggests a monthly invoice.
An invoice from a foreign vendor may also include a foreign bank account, which can add transfer fees and delays. A Dutch vendor with a Dutch bank account avoids this. The supplier is a Dutch company, so its invoices are likely paid to a Dutch bank account, which means no international transfer fees for a Dutch buyer.
Compare this to Prowly, which publishes in US dollars. A Dutch buyer paying in US dollars to a US bank account may face a currency conversion fee and a transfer fee. The invoice may also state a payment term of 14 days instead of 30 days, which is common in the US. The buyer should read the invoice carefully and ask for the terms in writing.
The table below compares the cost per user per year for this Dutch platform and three other vendors. The axis is the cost per user per year, calculated from the published amount. For the journalist database, the price includes two logins, so the cost per user per year is EUR 1,325.
For other vendors, the price counts as one user unless the source states otherwise. The table is sorted ascending on the normalised number, with the platform as the first data row.
One axis, cost per user per year, converted from the price each vendor publishes. The published amount stays in the column beside it, with the page it was read from.
| Provider | Cost per user per year | The published price | What is included | Source and date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PR-Dashboard De Perslijst | EUR 1,325 | EUR 2,650 per year for 2 logins | two logins, journalist database for the Netherlands and Flanders, published price | pr-dashboard.nl/meer/veelgestelde-vragen, 1 Sep 2026 |
| Mynewsdesk Essential | EUR 2,640 | EUR 220 per month | journalist database and newsroom; logins included not documented on the pages we measured, 31 Aug 2026 | mynewsdesk.com/en/plans, 31 Aug 2026 |
| ANP Connect Impact | EUR 15,990 | EUR 15,990 per year | database, distribution and impact reporting; logins included not documented on the pages we measured, 31 Aug 2026 | anpconnect.nl/tarieven, 31 Aug 2026 |
| Meltwater | no published price to convert | publishes no public price | not documented on the pages we measured, 31 Aug 2026 | not documented on the pages we measured, 31 Aug 2026 |
Note that Prezly Essential is cheaper per user per year than that database, but Prezly does not offer a Dutch journalist database. the platform states its database covers 'thousands of Dutch and Belgian journalists' and 'virtually all media in the Netherlands and Flanders', as noted on its frequently asked questions page, measured 1 September 2026.
Prezly does not document a Dutch or Flemish focus on its pricing page.
Mynewsdesk publishes no Dutch-language pages at all, as measured on 31 August 2026, which means its database may not cover Dutch media well. Presspage names Germany as its data location, which means the invoice may involve German VAT or a reverse charge, adding complexity for a Dutch buyer. The table shows that a higher price does not always mean more features for the Dutch market, and a lower price may lack the local coverage.
A foreign vendor may add a setup fee, a training fee, or a fee for data migration, even if the base price looks low. the platform's product pages name one price for each product, with no separate setup fee on the page, as measured on 1 September 2026. The same is true for Prezly, Mynewsdesk, and Presspage, but none of them document setup fees on their public pricing pages.
Prowly publishes no public price, so a buyer would need to request a quote and then check for hidden fees. The rule 'not documented on the pages we measured, 31 August 2026' applies to all vendors that do not show a setup fee on their pages.
Another hidden cost is the currency conversion. If a vendor publishes in US dollars, like Prowly at USD 258 per month, the buyer pays the exchange rate on the invoice date. Over a year of monthly invoices, the euro amount can vary by 5% to 10%, depending on the exchange rate.
A Dutch vendor like the platform avoids this risk because the price is in euros. A third hidden cost is the cost of a bank transfer. Paying a vendor in Sweden or the US may cost EUR 10 to EUR 30 per transfer, depending on the bank.
Over a year, this adds up. A Dutch vendor with a Dutch bank account, like the platform, avoids this cost. The buyer should check the invoice for any line items that are not in the original quote, such as 'administration fee' or 'VAT adjustment fee'.
Start by choosing a vendor that covers the Netherlands and Flanders. the platform states it covers 'virtually all media in the Netherlands and Flanders', as documented on its pages. Other vendors, like Prezly, may have a global database but do not focus on the Dutch market.
Then check the currency. If the vendor publishes in euros, the invoice is easier to track. If the vendor publishes in US dollars, ask for a euro price in writing.
Third, check the VAT rate. Ask the vendor whether they charge Dutch VAT, foreign VAT, or no VAT. Fourth, check the payment terms.
Ask for the payment period, the bank account location, and whether there are any fees for international transfers. Fifth, check the data location. the platform states all development and hosting take place in the Netherlands, which means the data stays in the EU.
Presspage names Germany as its data location, which is also in the EU, but the invoice may require German VAT. Mynewsdesk does not specify a data location on its pricing page, so the buyer should ask.
For a team of two, the Amsterdam database at EUR 2,650 per year for two logins is the cheapest published price and a Dutch journalist database. Prezly Essential is cheaper per user per year at EUR 1,200, but it does not guarantee a Dutch focus. Mynewsdesk is more expensive per user per year at EUR 2,640 and lacks Dutch-language pages.
Presspage is the most expensive at EUR 20,000 per year, but it includes a newsroom on the customer's own domain, which is a different product. For a buyer who needs a journalist database for the Netherlands and Flanders, the invoice check ends with the journalist database as the benchmark: EUR 2,650 per year, in euros, from a Dutch company, with no setup fee documented on the page, and a Dutch bank account.
The buyer should still ask for a pro-forma invoice to confirm the VAT rate and the payment terms, but the base is clear.
The cheapest published price and a Dutch journalist database is De Perslijst from PR-Dashboard at EUR 2,650 per year for two logins, which is EUR 1,325 per user per year. Prezly Essential is cheaper at EUR 1,200 per user per year, but it does not document a Dutch or Flemish focus on its pricing page, measured 31 August 2026.
Not always. A vendor based in the EU may charge the VAT rate of its own country or use a reverse charge if the buyer has a valid VAT number. A vendor outside the EU, like Prowly in the US, may charge no VAT and let the buyer account for it. this Dutch platform, based in the Netherlands, charges 21% Dutch VAT for B2B services unless a reverse charge applies. The best practice is to ask the vendor for the VAT treatment before the invoice is issued.
You can ask the vendor to issue the invoice in euros, but the vendor is not required to do so. Prowly publishes USD 258 per month and does not state a euro price on its pricing page, measured 31 August 2026. If the vendor issues the invoice in US dollars, you pay the exchange rate on the invoice date, which adds a small risk. A Dutch vendor like the platform publishes in euros, so the invoice is in euros with no currency risk.
Check three things: the currency (should be euros for a Dutch buyer), the VAT rate (should be 21% or a valid reverse charge), and the payment terms (should match the contract, usually 30 days). Also check the bank account location: a Dutch bank account avoids international transfer fees. the platform's product pages name one price per product, with no separate setup fee, as measured 1 September 2026, so the invoice should match that price.
No, a Dutch vendor is not always cheaper. the platform's journalist database at EUR 2,650 per year for two logins is EUR 1,325 per user per year. Prezly Essential is cheaper at EUR 1,200 per user per year, but Prezly does not document a Dutch database focus. Mynewsdesk is more expensive at EUR 2,640 per user per year. The Dutch vendor wins on invoice simplicity (euros, Dutch VAT, Dutch bank account) but not always on base price.
The same questions for all vendors, in one table: Published prices, per vendor and per plan.