Business Wire publishes one number. Its pricing page shows $475 as the starting price for a 400-word release on U.S. domestic local distribution, and every other circuit, word count and add-on is “Get a Quote”. Prezly’s pricing guide, updated September 21, 2026, puts a regional release from $510 and a national one from $940, again for the first 400 words, and attributes both to Business Wire; neither figure appears on Business Wire’s pricing page when we checked it on October 20, 2026.
That is more than PR Newswire tells you, and less than you need. A national announcement that runs past 600 words with a photograph is common, not the exception, and Business Wire does not say what that costs. This article sets out what is published, what is reported, what is not available anywhere, and how to put a realistic figure on your own release.
What Business Wire actually publishes
Business Wire’s pricing page, businesswire.com/pricing, was checked on October 20, 2026. It carries exactly one price: $475, described as the starting price for 400 words on U.S. domestic local distribution. The page says pricing “is based on several factors, including word count, geographic circuit, and any enhancements such as multimedia or translation”, and that volume discounts exist for organizations that publish regularly. None of those factors is priced.
The page does list what every release includes, which matters when you compare providers:
- 400 words with unlimited hyperlinks
- a full-color, linked logo
- rich-text formatting and financial tables
- analytics reports, editorial review, customized callout text and social sharing tools
- 24/7 customer support
Note what is not on that list: any image beyond the logo, a video, a PDF, any words beyond 400, any circuit beyond local, and any translation. Each of those is a quote.
What independent sources report
The figures below are third-party reported, not published by Business Wire. The most recent and most carefully sourced is Prezly’s pricing guide, updated September 21, 2026, which attributes its starting prices to Business Wire and is explicit that it found no published rate for extra words, multimedia or international circuits. Only the $475 figure appears on Business Wire’s own pricing page (checked October 20, 2026).
| Charge | Figure | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Local U.S. release, first 400 words | $475 | Published by Business Wire |
| Regional release, first 400 words | from $510 | Reported (Prezly, Sept 2026) |
| National U.S. release, first 400 words | from $940 | Reported (Prezly, Sept 2026) |
| Five local releases, unlimited words, flat rate | $2,595 | Reported; non-earnings releases, qualifying customers |
| Five regional releases, flat rate | $3,495 | Reported; same conditions |
| Five national releases, flat rate | $4,495 | Reported; same conditions |
| Membership fee | $0 | Reported from Business Wire’s FAQ; account verification still required |
| Each additional 100 words | not published | Older guides quoted about $195; treat as historical |
| Multimedia, video, PDF | not published | Older guides quoted about $425 for a first multimedia attachment; treat as historical |
| International and global circuits | not published | Quote only |
| Translation | not published | Quote only |
Two things stand out. The national figure now in circulation, $940, is higher than the $760 that older third-party guides quoted; the older number was an estimate, so it is not evidence of a price rise. And the overage charges, which decide most invoices, are not published anywhere we could find. If you see a confident per-100-word figure for Business Wire in 2026, ask the writer where it came from.
Why the starting price is not the price
A 400-word limit is tight. A funding announcement with two quotes, a boilerplate and a notes-to-editors block often runs to 600 words or more. On Business Wire’s model, words above the allowance cost extra, and the rate is not published. A photograph is a separate charge. A second market is a separate circuit.
So the honest way to read “$940 national” is as the floor of a range whose ceiling you learn from a salesperson. For a one-off release that is a real cost in itself: a communications manager cannot put a number in a budget line without first entering a sales process.
Who Business Wire is built for
Business Wire’s own pricing page makes this clear. It is organized around “ongoing distribution”, distribution plans, investor relations teams with an earnings cadence, and agencies managing many clients, and it invites regular senders to ask about volume discounts. Prezly reports flat-rate five-release bundles for qualifying customers, which tells you who the pricing is designed for. If you are a listed company with disclosure obligations, that is the right tool and the editorial review and financial-table support are worth paying for.
If you have one announcement, or a handful a year, you are buying a product designed for someone else, at a price designed to be negotiated.
A published price, for comparison
Presswire publishes its full rate card. Press release distribution to one region — the UK, Europe, North America or Asia — is $250 (£185, €220) per release, and worldwide distribution is $400 (£300, €350). Prices exclude VAT; any VAT is shown at checkout before you pay. There is no membership fee and no quote process: the pricing page is the invoice.
| Business Wire | Presswire | |
|---|---|---|
| Rate card published | One starting price | Every service, three currencies |
| National / single-region release | from $940 reported (U.S. national) | $250 (UK, Europe, North America or Asia) |
| Global release | quote | $400 |
| Membership | $0 reported | none |
| How you learn the final price | from a salesperson | from the website |
Those are different products. Business Wire’s U.S. national circuit and its disclosure services are built for listed companies with regulatory obligations, and if yours require it, nothing here changes that. The comparison is about the buyer who does not need that, and who is currently paying for it because the alternative was not visible.
How to get a real number from Business Wire
If Business Wire is the right wire for you, go into the quote with your release written. Ask for the price of your actual word count, your actual circuits, and each image separately, and ask whether a multi-release plan or the five-release flat rate Prezly reports applies to you, and what “qualifying customer” means. Ask for the quote in writing. The starting price on the website will not appear on it.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a Business Wire press release cost?
Business Wire publishes a starting price of $475 for a 400-word release on U.S. local distribution. Prezly reports regional releases from $510 and national releases from $940, before extra words, images or additional circuits, all of which are quoted individually.
Does Business Wire charge a membership fee?
Business Wire’s FAQ is reported as stating there is no membership fee, though accounts are verified before a first release.
How much does Business Wire charge per extra 100 words?
It does not publish the figure in 2026. Older third-party guides quoted around $195, but that should be treated as historical until confirmed on a current quote.
Is there a cheaper alternative with a published price?
Presswire distributes a release to one region — the UK, Europe, North America or Asia — for $250 (£185) and worldwide for $400 (£300), with the full rate card on its pricing page. See also every published press release distribution price in one table, what PR Newswire costs, GlobeNewswire pricing and the press release distribution service.
Prices checked October 20, 2026. Business Wire’s published starting price is from businesswire.com/pricing; reported figures are from Prezly’s Business Wire pricing guide, updated September 21, 2026. Presswire prices are from presswire.com/pricing and exclude VAT.