How we make this list: we compare pricing pages, product documentation and public user reviews. Ratings come from G2, Capterra or Trustpilot, with the date we checked them.
Key takeaways
- Profound is the enterprise-grade pick, with deep prompt analytics across up to nine AI engines on higher plans.
- Otterly.AI is the best budget starting point, near $29 per month for daily prompts across four engines.
- Peec AI suits agencies that need client workspaces, with a $95 monthly starter plan and unlimited seats.
- Brandlight fits teams that want a demo-led enterprise evaluation rather than a self-serve signup.
- Semrush and Ahrefs suit teams that already pay for SEO, since AI visibility rides on the same subscription.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Best for | Starting price | Free plan |
|---|
 Profound | Enterprise AI visibility | See website | Free trial |
 Brandlight | Enterprise brand tracking | See website | No |
 Peec AI | Agency client reporting | $95 per month | Free trial |
 Otterly.AI | Budget AI tracking | $29 per month | Free trial |
 AthenaHQ | Widest model coverage | $295 per month | Yes |
 Semrush AI Toolkit | SEO plus AI visibility | $99 per month | Free trial |
 Ahrefs Brand Radar | Prompt database research | $199 per month | Free trial |
 HubSpot AEO | CRM-connected visibility | $50 per month | Free trial |
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The best Daydream AEO alternatives
Starting priceSee website
Free planFree trial
Profound is the reference product most AEO comparisons measure against. It tracks how AI engines such as ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity cite your brand, with citation context, sentiment and share of voice across competitors. Higher plans cover up to nine engines, and its Agents feature drafts content and publishes it to a CMS such as Contentful.
Pricing is the main hurdle. Brands pay custom Enterprise rates, while agencies start near $99 per month plus $399 per client workspace, and the free 7-day trial covers three engines with 50 daily prompts. The trial also lacks exports, so export your prompt list before it lapses. For enterprise brand and PR teams that need depth and compliance controls, Profound remains the benchmark.
What we like- Deep prompt analytics
- Up to 9 engines on Enterprise
- Sentiment and share of voice
Watch out for- No public brand pricing
- Free trial has no exports
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
Brandlight, formerly Scrunch's rebranded competitor in this space, focuses on how AI engines present your brand versus rivals, with tracking across major answer engines and reporting built for marketing leadership. Its pitch is brand measurement rather than content production: visibility scores, citation trends and competitor comparisons that a CMO can read without learning SEO tooling.
There is no self-serve signup or public price, so evaluation starts with a demo. That suits enterprise teams that buy through procurement, but it frustrates small teams that want to test quickly. If your budget needs a published number before a demo, start with Otterly or Peec instead, and bring Brandlight in for the enterprise shortlist.
What we like- Brand-focused AI visibility
- Competitor tracking
- Enterprise support
Watch out for- Demo-only buying
- No public pricing
#3Peec AI
Best for: Agency client reporting4.7/5 on
G2 (21 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit peec.ai
Starting price$95 per month
Free planFree trial
Peec AI is built for agencies and in-house teams that report AI visibility to clients or leadership. The Starter plan near $95 per month covers 50 daily prompts with unlimited seats, and its reports show which sources AI engines actually link to, which is the evidence clients ask for. Looker Studio reporting suits agencies that bill visibility retainers.
Self-serve plans cover three engines of your choice, so teams that need six or more engines must move up. Even with that limit, Peec's combination of citation proof and agency-friendly reporting makes it one of the most practical mid-market picks. Start here if your main need is credible client reporting at a known monthly price.
What we like- Starter covers 50 daily prompts
- Unlimited seats
- Citation-level sources
Watch out for- Self-serve plans cover three engines
- Higher tiers needed for full coverage
#4Otterly.AI
Best for: Budget AI tracking4.7/5 on
G2 (54 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit otterly.ai
Starting price$29 per month
Free planFree trial
Otterly.AI is the cheapest way to start tracking AI visibility seriously. Near $29 per month buys 15 daily prompts across ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Perplexity and Copilot, which is enough for a small brand tracking its core topics. Setup is fast, and the dashboard stays readable for non-SEO users.
The prompt allowance is the limit. Fifteen prompts per day covers a focused brand, but an agency tracking many clients or a large brand tracking hundreds of topics will outgrow it quickly. Paid add-ons extend engine coverage. For a first AEO tool, or for a small team proving the value of AI tracking before spending more, Otterly is the right starting point.
What we like- Lowest published price here
- 15 daily prompts
- Four engines covered
Watch out for- Prompt allowance is small
- Limited depth versus enterprise tools
Starting price$295 per month
Free planYes
AthenaHQ covers more AI models than any other tool on this list, with 11 models tracked and a free Essential tier for basic use. Paid plans start near $295 per month with 3,600 credits, and the tool suits Shopify stores and brands that need broad coverage rather than deep work on three engines. Its reporting also fits agencies that present visibility data in client dashboards.
The credit model needs attention, since heavy prompt volumes consume credits faster than a flat prompt allowance. At $295 per month, AthenaHQ is also the priciest entry point here. For teams whose question is breadth, meaning which models mention us at all, AthenaHQ answers it better than narrower tools.
What we like- Covers 11 models
- Free Essential tier
- 3,600 credits on paid plans
Watch out for- Highest entry price here
- Credit model needs care
Starting price$99 per month
Free planFree trial
Semrush's AI Toolkit adds AI search tracking to the SEO platform many teams already use. The toolkit alone costs near $99 per month, while bundle plans near $199 per month include 50 daily prompts across ChatGPT, AI Mode and other engines alongside rank tracking, site audits and content tools. That bundling is the point: one subscription covers classic SEO and AI visibility together.
Teams that do not already use Semrush may find a dedicated tool such as Otterly or Peec cheaper for AI tracking alone. Teams that already pay for Semrush should add the toolkit before buying a second platform, since paying twice for overlapping rank data wastes budget. Check whether your plan includes the toolkit or needs the bundle upgrade.
What we like- AI tracking on top of full SEO suite
- 50 daily prompts on bundles
- Familiar workflows
Watch out for- Toolkit alone is $99
- Bundle needed for full value
Starting price$199 per month
Free planFree trial
Ahrefs Brand Radar approaches AI visibility from research: a database of hundreds of millions of real prompts, tracked across six engines, with Claude available as an option. That scale helps teams discover which questions real users ask, rather than guessing prompts from keyword lists. Custom prompts are free on paid Ahrefs plans, which suits research-heavy teams.
Brand Radar requires a paid Ahrefs plan near $199 per month for the index tier, so it is not a cheap standalone purchase. It is also more research-oriented than action-oriented: it shows what AI engines say, but content production still needs another tool or team. For SEO teams already on Ahrefs, Brand Radar is the natural AI add-on.
What we like- Huge prompt database
- Six engines tracked
- Free custom prompts on paid plans
Watch out for- Needs a paid Ahrefs plan
- Research-first, less action-oriented
Starting price$50 per month
Free planFree trial
HubSpot AEO connects AI visibility to the CRM, which is its real difference. It tracks brand visibility, sentiment and competitor share of voice across ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini, then ties citation sources to CRM records so marketers can see which content influences pipeline. It also drafts blog posts through Content Agent and publishes inside HubSpot's CMS.
The standalone app costs near $50 per month with a 28-day trial, and it is also included in Marketing Hub Professional and Enterprise. Prompt allowances are modest, near 25 on the app and Professional tiers and 50 on Enterprise. Teams outside HubSpot get less value, since the CRM link is the point. HubSpot customers should trial it before buying a standalone AEO tool.
What we like- Ties visibility to CRM data
- Drafts content in HubSpot CMS
- 28-day trial
Watch out for- Prompt allowance is small
- Best inside HubSpot ecosystem
How we chose
We compared tools on engine coverage, prompt allowances, pricing transparency, reporting depth and whether they help you act or only measure. We used vendor pricing pages and recent comparison guides for rates, and we favored tools with published prices where available. We did not claim hands-on testing. Instead we weighed what each tool tracks, what it costs at realistic prompt volumes, and who it is built for, so buyers can match a tool to their team size and reporting need.
Reading visibility scores honestly
Treat every AI visibility score as a trend, not an exact number. Answer engines are probabilistic: the same prompt can return different citations on different days, and a single query proves little. Track the same prompt set weekly, watch direction over a month, and judge changes by whether citation share moves consistently, not by one day's result.
Also separate measurement from action. A dashboard that shows you are rarely cited does not fix the problem; content changes do. The most useful tools either draft fixes, export gap briefs to your project tools, or at least show which pages AI engines cite so you can improve them. Before renewing any AEO tool, check whether it changed a decision or a page in the last quarter. If it only produced reports, a cheaper tracker plus your own content work may serve you better.
Frequently asked questions
What is AEO and how is it different from SEO?
AEO, or answer engine optimization, tracks how AI engines such as ChatGPT and Perplexity answer questions about your brand, while SEO tracks rankings in classic search results. Both matter, but AEO measures citations and mentions inside AI answers rather than positions on a results page.
How many prompts do I actually need to track?
Small brands can start with 15 to 50 daily prompts covering core products, brand names and top questions. Larger brands and agencies tracking many clients need hundreds, which pushes them toward higher tiers or credit-based plans. Start small and expand only when the prompt list genuinely grows.
Can I track AI visibility for free?
Yes, with limits. AthenaHQ offers a free Essential tier, HubSpot offers a free AEO grader, and Ahrefs offers a free AI visibility checker. Free tools suit one-time checks, but ongoing daily tracking needs a paid plan on any serious tool.
Which engines should I track first?
Start with ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews and Perplexity, since those three drive most AI search exposure today. Add Gemini, Copilot and Claude once the core three are covered, since each engine cites different sources and no single engine tells the full story.
Does improving AI visibility also help classic SEO?
Often yes, since both reward clear, well-structured, authoritative content with direct answers and strong citations. Schema markup, question-based headings and expert authorship help both channels, though AI engines weigh source authority and citation context more heavily than classic ranking signals do.
Sources we checked (8)
- https://tryprofound.com
- https://brandlight.ai
- https://peec.ai
- https://otterly.ai
- https://athenahq.ai
- https://www.semrush.com
- https://ahrefs.com
- https://www.hubspot.com
Is your product missing or out of date?
We review this list regularly. Vendors can request a listing, send updated pricing or ask about featured placement.
Shihab Mia · Founder, Rankite
Shihab has 5+ years in B2B and SaaS SEO. He writes Rankite's software buying guides from pricing pages, documentation and public user reviews. More about Shihab.