Pressroom

Compared with what offices use today

Checked October 2026 from the vendors’ own pages, published contracts and price lists; sources at the bottom. Tell us if something is out of date.

Pressroom compared with four tools offices use today, on five questions (checked October 2026)
QuestionPressroomMailchimpConstant ContactGranicus govDeliveryMyGovTools
Is there an approval step the office controls, and does it block the send?Yes; sign-off required before sendNo approval step (authors cannot send; no gate)No approval stepNone marketedHuman review as a service, not a control the office owns
Is the email checked for accessibility before it sends, and is there a published conformance report?Yes; checks before sign-off; reports published, self-assessedNo email check; 2024 ACR claims WCAG 2.1 Level ANo email check; VPAT only on requestAccessibility is “the agency’s responsibility” with a manual checklist; no ACR for bulletins foundNo accessibility language found
Where is the archive, and who owns it when staff change?Public page per issue, permanent address, RSS; exports in fullCampaign pages inside the account; leaves with the accountShareable pages inside the accountBulletin pages under the agency’s contractNot stated
Who buys it and on what terms?The office; annual, under the bid lineThe office; monthly, by contacts and seats (Standard: 5 seats)The office; monthly, by contacts (Standard: 3 seats)The agency; multi-year terms with annual escalators (7% in one published contract)The office; $200 a month flat
Published price at about 10,000 subscribers$9,000 a yearabout $1,200–1,600 a year (Standard); about $4,200 (Premium)about $1,900 a year (Standard)not published; $6,000 a year for up to 5,000 plus $2,900 setup (Heber, CA, 2021); $23,300 a year at 28,000 (Burnsville, MN, 2025)$2,400 a year

The table scrolls sideways.

“We pay far less for Mailchimp.”

True. Pressroom costs more because it does different work: approvals, checks and a record. If an office only needs to send, Mailchimp is the right tool.

On govDelivery

It is a good platform bought by a city for the city, on the city’s terms. Pressroom is bought by one office for that office.

On Emma

One marketing tool, Emma (Teams plan), has an approvals dashboard; it has no accessibility check on the email, no record and no government terms.

“Keep what we have.”

The most common choice, and the one this page is really about. The cost of keeping a marketing account is invisible until the first complaint or records request.

Sources (checked October 2026)