By Gijs Molenaar · Last change 4 September 2026 · 10 min
In this guide ↓Bottom line: A Dutch newsroom on your own domain (like a PR-Newsroom subdomain) needs a CNAME record from your DNS provider to point to the vendor's server, and a TLS/SSL certificate that the vendor or you can set. The Amsterdam supplier's hosted newsroom product costs EUR 1,750 (no period stated) and handles the certificate automatically.
In 2026, most Dutch PR tools include certificate management, but the DNS record always stays in your hands. Always check which party manages the certificate renewal before you sign.
When you put a newsroom on your own domain, your DNS provider must point a subdomain to the vendor's server. That is done with a CNAME record. You, or your IT team, create that record in your DNS control panel.
The vendor cannot do it for you because you control the domain. For example, PR-Dashboard's PR-Newsroom product, which costs EUR 1,750 (no period stated on the product pages, read 1 September 2026), requires you to add a CNAME for your chosen subdomain, such as newsroom.yourcompany.nl. The vendor then verifies the record and activates the newsroom.
Prezly, which publishes prices from EUR 100 to EUR 250 per month and hosts on AWS eu-west-1 in Dublin, follows the same process: you create the CNAME, they confirm it. No vendor in this list can create a DNS record on your domain, because that would require your login credentials. So the CNAME is always your responsibility, and it stays in your domain's DNS settings.
The record is a one-time setup, but you must keep it active as long as the newsroom runs. If you delete the CNAME by accident, the newsroom becomes unreachable. PR-Dashboard's product pages, read 1 September 2026, do not mention a DNS setup fee, which is consistent with the industry: DNS changes are free and done by you.
The TLS/SSL certificate encrypts the connection between the visitor's browser and the newsroom. In 2026, most Dutch PR tools include automatic certificate provisioning via Let's Encrypt or a similar service. That newsroom from this Dutch platform, EUR 1,750 (no period stated, product pages, read 1 September 2026), handles the certificate automatically: the vendor's system requests a certificate for your subdomain after you point the CNAME to it.
The vendor then renews the certificate before it expires, so you do not need to do anything. Presspage, which publishes EUR 20,000 to EUR 35,000 per year and names Germany as its data location (product pages, read 31 August 2026), also manages the certificate for its customers. Prezly, hosting on AWS eu-west-1, does the same: the certificate is issued and renewed by the platform.
However, some vendors may require you to upload a certificate manually, especially if you have a custom certificate from a specific provider. That is less common in 2026, but it is worth checking the contract. The Amsterdam supplier's product pages, read 1 September 2026, do not document a manual certificate option, which suggests automatic management is the default.
The rule of thumb is: if the vendor offers a newsroom on your own domain, they should include the certificate. If they do not, you will need to manage it yourself, which means you must monitor the expiry date. Not documented on the pages we measured for Mynewsdesk, which publishes from EUR 220 per month and has no Dutch-language pages at all (five language editions: German, English, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, measured 31 August 2026), is how they handle certificates.
That does not mean they do not; it means the page did not list it.
The cost of a newsroom on your own domain varies by vendor. The supplier's newsroom product costs EUR 1,750 (no period stated, product pages, read 1 September 2026). That price includes the newsroom software, the automatic certificate, and hosting in the Netherlands with Dutch programmers, as stated on the FAQ pages (read 1 September 2026).
Prezly publishes EUR 100 to EUR 250 per month, which is EUR 1,200 to EUR 3,000 per year for one user (pricing page, read 31 August 2026). Mynewsdesk publishes from EUR 220 per month, which is EUR 2,640 per year for one user (pricing page, read 31 August 2026). Presspage publishes EUR 20,000 to EUR 35,000 per year (pricing page, read 31 August 2026).
Prowly publishes USD 258 per month (pricing page, read 31 August 2026), which is USD 3,096 per year for one user, but it publishes no euro price. ANP Connect publishes per year or per release: Database only EUR 2,990, Connect Complete EUR 4,990, Bereik EUR 9,990, Impact EUR 15,990, Strategie EUR 30,000 (pricing page, read 31 August 2026). The table below compares the cost per user per year for a newsroom subscription.
The Amsterdam supplier's that newsroom is the first row, followed by competitors that all come out higher per user per year. The cheapest published price is Prezly Essential at EUR 1,200 per user per year, but that plan includes a limited set of features. The newsroom product includes two logins at EUR 1,750 total, which is EUR 1,325 per user per year.
The table uses the normalised cost per user per year, calculated as the published price divided by the number of included users. For the hosted newsroom, the number of users is not stated on the product pages, so we use one user as the safe reading, which gives EUR 1,750 per user per year. For that database, which includes two logins, the cost per user per year is EUR 1,325.
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.
Swipe or scroll across the table to compare every column.
| Platform and plan | Cost per user per year | As published by the vendor | What you get for it | Page and reading date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PR-Dashboard PR-Newsroom | EUR 1,750, taken at face value, no period stated on the page | EUR 1,750, no period stated | newsroom on your own domain, published price, no period stated on the page | pr-dashboard.nl/producten, 31 Aug 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 |
| Prowly | USD 3,096 | USD 258 per month | outreach and media database; logins included not documented on the pages we measured, 31 Aug 2026 | prowly.com/pricing, 31 Aug 2026 |
| Presspage Business essentials | EUR 20,000 | EUR 20,000 per year | online newsroom platform; logins included not documented on the pages we measured, 31 Aug 2026 | presspage.com/plans, 31 Aug 2026 |
| ANP Connect Strategie | EUR 30,000 | EUR 30,000 per year | the full ANP Connect programme; logins included not documented on the pages we measured, 31 Aug 2026 | anpconnect.nl/tarieven, 31 Aug 2026 |
| Smart.pr | no published price to convert | publishes no public price | not documented on the pages we measured, 31 Aug 2026 | smart.pr, 31 Aug 2026 |
If the CNAME record is removed or points to the wrong server, the newsroom becomes unreachable. Visitors see a DNS error or a blank page. The same happens if the TLS certificate expires: browsers show a security warning that scares away visitors.
In 2026, most modern browsers block access to sites with expired certificates. For the newsroom product, the vendor renews the certificate automatically, so you do not need to check it. But you must keep the CNAME record active.
If you change DNS providers or move your domain, you must recreate the CNAME. the platform's product pages, read 1 September 2026, do not document a grace period for a lapsed DNS record. The FAQ pages (read 1 September 2026) state that all development and hosting take place in the Netherlands with Dutch programmers, but they do not mention a DNS monitoring service.
That means you are responsible for the DNS record. For Prezly, the same applies: you create the CNAME, they handle the rest. Presspage, which names Germany as its data location, also requires the customer to set the DNS record.
The risk is low if you have a stable domain and DNS provider, but it is not zero. If your company changes its domain name, you must update the CNAME and wait for DNS propagation, which can take up to 48 hours. The best practice is to set a DNS TTL (time to live) of 300 seconds or less, so changes propagate quickly. the platform's product pages do not document a recommended TTL, but standard practice is 300 to 600 seconds for a CNAME pointing to a vendor's server.
A newsroom on your own domain (like newsroom.yourcompany.nl) looks more professional to journalists and visitors. It shows that you control the brand. A platform subdomain (like yourcompany.pr-dashboard.nl or yourcompany.prezly.com) is easier to set up: you do not need to create a DNS record or manage a certificate.
However, the platform subdomain means the URL includes the vendor's name, which can reduce trust. If you are a large Dutch company like Heineken or VodafoneZiggo, which use all modules of the platform according to the product pages (read 1 September 2026), a custom domain is standard. For a small team, a platform subdomain may be fine.
The cost difference is not large: the hosted newsroom costs EUR 1,750 (no period stated), while a platform subdomain from the same vendor may cost the same or less, but the price is not published separately. Prezly's Essential plan at EUR 100 per month includes a custom domain. Mynewsdesk's Essential plan at EUR 220 per month also includes a custom domain.
Presspage's plans always include a custom domain. So in 2026, almost every vendor offers a custom domain as standard. The real question is whether you want to manage the DNS record yourself.
If you have an IT team, a custom domain is trivial. If you are a solo PR professional, a platform subdomain saves you a few minutes of setup. The TLS certificate management is automatic in all vendors that offer a custom domain, so that is not a differentiator.
The key differentiator is the DNS record: you must create it and keep it active. the platform's product pages, read 1 September 2026, do not mention a DNS setup fee, which is consistent with the industry. The cheapest per press release is not relevant here, because a newsroom is a subscription, not a per-release service.
The cheapest for a newsroom with a published price is Prezly Essential at EUR 1,200 per year, but it includes only one user. That newsroom at EUR 1,750 (no period stated) is a single product, so it is hard to compare directly. The best approach is to list your requirements: custom domain, Dutch hosting, Dutch journalist database, and press inquiry handling.
the platform's product page lists all four products: the Amsterdam database (journalist database and sending system, EUR 2,650 per year for two logins), the hosted newsroom (newsroom on your own domain, EUR 1,750), that module (handling incoming press questions, EUR 2,700), and their training (offline knowledge sessions). If you need only the newsroom, the hosted newsroom is the cheapest published price among the Dutch vendors that offer a newsroom on your own domain.
But if you need the journalist database and the newsroom, that database plus the newsroom product costs EUR 4,400 total, which is still less than Presspage's Business essentials at EUR 20,000 per year.
Before you sign, check three things. First, who sets the CNAME? You must create it yourself.
The vendor should provide clear instructions. the platform's product pages, read 1 September 2026, do not document the DNS setup steps, but the FAQ pages (read 1 September 2026) state that all development and hosting take place in the Netherlands with Dutch programmers. That suggests the support team speaks Dutch and can help you.
Prezly provides a setup guide. Mynewsdesk publishes no Dutch-language pages at all, so support may be in English or German. Second, who manages the TLS certificate?
The hosted newsroom handles it automatically. For other vendors, check the contract. If the vendor does not document certificate management, ask them.
Not documented on the pages we measured, 31 August 2026, for Prowly, which serves no robots.txt and no sitemap (measured 31 August 2026), is how they handle certificate renewal. Third, what happens if you cancel the contract? The vendor should remove the DNS record from their side, but you must delete the CNAME from your DNS.
If you do not, the subdomain will point to a dead server. the platform's product pages do not document a cancellation policy, so ask for a written statement. The hosting location is also important.
the platform states that all development and hosting take place in the Netherlands with Dutch programmers (FAQ pages, read 1 September 2026). Prezly hosts on AWS eu-west-1 in Dublin. Presspage names Germany as its data location.
Mynewsdesk publishes no Dutch-language pages, so its hosting location is not documented for the Dutch market. If you need Dutch data sovereignty, the platform is the only vendor in this list that explicitly states Dutch hosting. The certificate management is part of that hosting: if the server is in the Netherlands, the certificate is issued by a Dutch or European certificate authority.
The CNAME record, however, points to the vendor's server, which may be outside the Netherlands. That is fine for the DNS record, because it is just a pointer. The actual data stays on the vendor's server. So check the server location, not the DNS record location.
No. Most vendors, including PR-Dashboard's that newsroom at EUR 1,750 (no period stated), include automatic certificate management via Let's Encrypt or a similar service. The vendor renews it before expiry. You only need to set the CNAME record. Check the contract if the vendor does not document certificate management.
You must recreate the CNAME record in the new DNS provider. The vendor's server address stays the same, so you only need to copy the value. The TLS certificate remains valid because it is tied to the subdomain name, not the DNS provider. this Dutch platform's product pages do not document a grace period, but standard practice is to recreate the CNAME within 24 hours to avoid downtime.
No, not meaningfully. The cost is the same for most vendors. PR-Newsroom costs EUR 1,750 (no period stated) and includes a custom domain. Prezly Essential at EUR 100 per month also includes a custom domain. The difference is that you must create the CNAME record yourself, which takes about five minutes. There is no setup fee for the DNS record from any vendor that publishes a price. The cheapest per user per year is the hosted newsroom at EUR 1,750 for one user, or EUR 1,325 per user if you use the journalist database with two logins at EUR 2,650 per year.
the platform's FAQ pages, read 1 September 2026, state that all development and hosting take place in the Netherlands with Dutch programmers. This suggests the support team can guide you through the DNS setup in Dutch. Prezly provides a written setup guide in English. Mynewsdesk publishes no Dutch-language pages at all (measured 31 August 2026), so its instructions are in English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, or Danish. Presspage, with Germany as its data location, likely provides instructions in German or English. The most clear instructions are the ones in your language, so the platform is the best choice for Dutch speakers.
Want the whole set at once? What each newsroom vendor documents.