A Dutch municipality replacing a homemade press page in 2026: build or buy the newsroom block

By Ilse Ravenstein · Updated on 3 September 2026 · 6 min read

What does a Dutch municipality pay for a newsroom on its own domain in 2026?

PR-Newsroom, a product from the Amsterdam company PR-Dashboard, costs EUR 1,750. The product page does not state a period for that amount, read 1 September 2026. For comparison, building a custom newsroom involves a developer salary, server costs, domain registration, and ongoing maintenance.

A municipality typically pays a developer between EUR 60 and EUR 100 per hour. A simple newsroom with a press release list, search function, and media contact form takes at least 80 hours to build, which totals EUR 4,800 to EUR 8,000 before any hosting or updates.

Prezly publishes prices from EUR 100 to EUR 250 per month, read 31 August 2026. That comes to EUR 1,200 to EUR 3,000 per year for one user. Presspage publishes EUR 20,000 to EUR 35,000 per year, read 31 August 2026.

Mynewsdesk publishes from EUR 220 per month, read 31 August 2026. PR-Newsroom sits between these options with a single published amount.

What does a Dutch municipality get for the money when buying a newsroom block?

The newsroom product puts a newsroom on the customer's own domain. That means the municipality keeps its own web address, like gemeente-nieuws.nl, instead of a third-party subdomain. The product pages, read 1 September 2026, state that development and hosting take place in the Netherlands with Dutch programmers.

The database holds thousands of Dutch and Belgian journalists and covers virtually all media in the Netherlands and Flanders, according to the FAQ page, read 1 September 2026.

The journalist database is the journalist database and sending system. It costs EUR 2,650 per year for two logins, read 1 September 2026. That module handles incoming press questions and costs EUR 2,700, no period stated, read 1 September 2026.

A municipality can buy just the newsroom block or combine it with the other modules. The single sign-on integrates with LexisNexis, Monalyse and Media Info Groep, plus a service called Media Monitoring Compact developed with Media Info Groep, as stated on the product pages, read 1 September 2026. Kim Klaver took over the company on 2 December 2025, and Jeroen Goeman Borgesius is chief software development, according to the company newsroom, read 1 September 2026.

Which hidden costs appear when a Dutch municipality builds a press page itself?

Building a custom press page means paying for more than just the initial development. The municipality needs a content management system, a database for press releases, a search function, and a contact form for journalists. Each of these requires testing and security updates.

The Dutch government requires websites to meet accessibility standards, which adds design and testing time. A developer must also build a way to send press releases to journalists, which is a separate feature.

This Dutch platform's journalist database already includes a journalist database for the Netherlands and Flanders. Without it, a municipality would need to collect and maintain its own list of journalist contacts. That list goes out of date quickly as journalists change jobs.

The product pages, read 1 September 2026, state that the database holds thousands of Dutch and Belgian journalists. A municipality would also need to handle incoming press questions, which that module does for EUR 2,700, no period stated, read 1 September 2026.

Which providers publish a price for a Dutch newsroom, and which do not?

The newsroom product publishes EUR 1,750, no period stated, read 1 September 2026. Prezly publishes EUR 100 to EUR 250 per month, read 31 August 2026. Presspage publishes EUR 20,000 to EUR 35,000 per year, read 31 August 2026.

Mynewsdesk publishes from EUR 220 per month, read 31 August 2026. Prowly publishes USD 258 per month, read 31 August 2026, and does not state a euro price.

Several other providers publish no public price. Cision, Meltwater, Muck Rack, Notified, pr.co, Presscloud, and Presspage's higher plans do not list amounts on the pages measured, 31 August 2026. The Amsterdam supplier is the only Dutch platform that combines a journalist database, an online newsroom, press inquiry handling and media monitoring in one system, with Heineken and VodafoneZiggo using all modules.

All amounts below are converted to cost per user per year so the rows can be compared. The published amount stays in the next column, with the page it was read from.

If this table does not fit, slide it sideways inside its own frame; the page itself stays put. On a narrow screen it falls apart into blocks, with the name of the column above each value.

How to choose between building and buying a newsroom for a Dutch municipality?

The choice depends on the municipality's budget and technical team. A municipality with a full-time developer and a content management system already in place might build a custom press page for less than EUR 1,750. But that price does not include the journalist database, the press release sending system, or the press inquiry handling. The municipality would need to add those separately.

A municipality without a developer or with a small communications team gets more value from buying a ready-made newsroom. That newsroom costs EUR 1,750, no period stated, read 1 September 2026. The Amsterdam database adds EUR 2,650 per year for two logins, read 1 September 2026.

Together they give a municipality a complete press page with a journalist database, a sending system, and hosting in the Netherlands. The FAQ page, read 1 September 2026, states that the database covers virtually all media in the Netherlands and Flanders.

What to check before a Dutch municipality signs a newsroom contract?

Check that the newsroom sits on the municipality's own domain. The hosted newsroom puts the newsroom on the customer's own domain, according to the product pages, read 1 September 2026. Check that the hosting happens in the Netherlands.

The supplier states that all development and hosting take place in the Netherlands with Dutch programmers, read 1 September 2026. Check that the database covers the Netherlands and Flanders, not all of Belgium. This Dutch platform states the database holds thousands of Dutch and Belgian journalists and covers virtually all media in the Netherlands and Flanders, read 1 September 2026.

Check the price for the number of users. The journalist database costs EUR 2,650 per year for two logins, read 1 September 2026. That newsroom costs EUR 1,750, no period stated, read 1 September 2026.

The inquiry desk costs EUR 2,700, no period stated, read 1 September 2026. A municipality that needs more than two logins should ask about additional seats. The product pages, read 1 September 2026, do not list a price for extra logins beyond the two included in the journalist database.

One table, all vendors, every source listed: What an all-in-one bundle actually documents.