# Muck Rack vs Meltwater: which do AI models recommend for PR, September 2026

GTM AI Recommendation Index, September 2026 Edition, PR and media monitoring. Eight of twelve models named Muck Rack first on the direct prompt; one named Meltwater. Page: https://gtm-ai-index.com/marketing/pr-and-media-monitoring/muck-rack-vs-meltwater/

| | First-choice share | Rank | Negative rate | Labels | Models naming it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Muck Rack | 24% | #1 of 13 | 17% | 53 | 12 of 12 |
| Meltwater | 4% | #7 of 13 | 43% | 56 | 12 of 12 |

## The direct prompt, model by model

- Kimi K2: both first (first choices: Meltwater, Muck Rack) (alternatives: Brand24, Mention, Semrush AI PR Toolkit, Talkwalker)
- Claude Haiku 4.5: muck rack first (first choices: Muck Rack) (alternatives: Brand24, Cision, Meltwater, Mention)
- GPT-5.4 mini: muck rack first (first choices: Muck Rack) (alternatives: CisionOne, Meltwater)
- Gemini 3.5 Flash: muck rack first (first choices: Muck Rack) (alternatives: Meltwater, Propel PRM, Semrush AI PR Toolkit)
- Grok 4.1 Fast: muck rack first (first choices: Muck Rack) (alternatives: Agility PR Solutions, Brand24, Semrush AI PR Toolkit)
- Mistral Small: muck rack first (first choices: Muck Rack) (alternatives: Brand24, CisionOne, Onclusive, Semrush, Semrush AI PR Toolkit)
- DeepSeek V4 Flash: muck rack first (first choices: Muck Rack) (alternatives: Agility PR Solutions, Meltwater, Semrush AI PR Toolkit)
- Qwen 3.7 Flash: muck rack first (first choices: Agility PR Solutions, Muck Rack) (alternatives: Semrush AI PR Toolkit)
- Perplexity Sonar: neither first, one named (first choices: Semrush AI PR Toolkit) (alternatives: Brand24, Cision, Meltwater)
- Llama 4 Maverick: neither first, one named (first choices: Agility PR Solutions) (alternatives: Muck Rack, Semrush)
- GLM 4.7 FlashX: neither first, one named (first choices: Agility PR Solutions) (alternatives: Muck Rack, Semrush AI PR Toolkit)
- MiniMax M2.5: neither named (first choices: Agility PR Solutions, Brand24) (alternatives: Critical Mention, Mention, Respona)

## What the models said about Muck Rack

- "Avoid: Enterprise platforms like Meltwater, Cision, or Muck Rack" (Kimi K2, budget prompt, hard negative)
- "Other options include Muck Rack, Meltwater, and Agility PR, but they are more expensive and may be more suitable for larger companies." (Llama 4 Maverick, paraphrase prompt, soft negative)
- "Its journalist database skews toward business, technology, and trade press, and it lacks strong competitor benchmarking." (Perplexity Sonar, negative prompt, soft negative)
- "Muck Rack is a media relations platform ... popular with mid-market agencies and in-house teams that prioritize media relations workflow efficiency" (Claude Haiku 4.5, direct prompt, first choice)
- "Widely considered the most modern and intuitive UI... Highly recommended if pitching and relationship management are your main goals." (Gemini 3.5 Flash, scale prompt, first choice)
- "identify Agility PR Solutions and Muck Rack as the two strongest contenders for the mid-market segment" (Qwen 3.7 Flash, direct prompt, first choice)

## What the models said about Meltwater

- "Meltwater is notorious for its aggressive auto-renewal clauses... they will legally lock you into another full year" (Gemini 3.5 Flash, negative prompt, hard negative)
- "rely on opaque pricing, aggressive contract terms, and bundling to maximize revenue... avoid the all-in-one suites" (Kimi K2, negative prompt, hard negative)
- "Avoid Meltwater and Cision unless you have specific needs that outweigh their significant contract risks" (Mistral Small, negative prompt, hard negative)
- "Enterprise PR + social in one place → Meltwater or Cision ... Standout Strength: Widest source coverage and best PR-social integration" (DeepSeek V4 Flash, comparative prompt, first choice)
- "Often considered the industry leader for pure media monitoring... Best archive of TV, Radio, and Print news." (Qwen 3.7 Flash, comparative prompt, first choice)
- "Meltwater | Enterprise brands needing deep social listening | 300K+ news sources, AI-powered insights" (GLM 4.7 FlashX, comparative prompt, first choice)

Share is the count of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts over all twelve models, for a mid-market B2B company; rank is within the category. Comparisons are drawn for the top eight products in each category. Published under CC BY 4.0; the output is the models' output, and nothing here is a recommendation by the index.