AI visibility tools, compared fairly
We are a competitor to some of these, so here is how we did it: every fact comes from the vendor's own public pages, read on 10 Nov 2026, with the link beside it. Prices move. Check before you buy.
| Tool | Entry price (as listed) | Delivery | Our page |
|---|---|---|---|
| Profound | Custom (7-day free trial) | Software. | CiteTrace vs Profound |
| Peec AI | $95 / month (50 prompts) | Self-serve software. | CiteTrace vs Peec AI |
| Otterly.AI | €29 / month (16 prompts) | Self-serve software. | CiteTrace vs Otterly.AI |
| AthenaHQ | Free tier; $295 / month | Self-serve software. | CiteTrace vs AthenaHQ |
| Scrunch AI | $250 / month billed annually | Software. | CiteTrace vs Scrunch AI |
| Semrush AI Visibility Toolkit | From $99 / month (per help center) | Self-serve software. | CiteTrace vs Semrush AI Visibility Toolkit |
| Ahrefs Brand Radar | From €47 / month (custom prompts) | Self-serve software. | CiteTrace vs Ahrefs Brand Radar |
Software or an agency?
- AI answers vary between runs, sessions and tools. Digiday (1 May 2026) quotes an agency chief executive: "If you use three different tools and give them the same prompts, you get three different answers."
- Agencies often treat these tools as a benchmark, not a source of truth. Same Digiday article: some agency executives said they use them as a benchmark and some are building internal tooling to control cost.
- The tools above sell measurement and recommendations. None of the vendor pages we read claims to carry out the fixes for you. Enterprise tiers add success managers or white-glove setup.
- Most are usage-metered. Prompts, credits or per-engine add-ons set the price, so compare cost at your own prompt count, engine count and frequency.
If you have someone who will do the work, software is cheaper and you should buy it. If you want the work done and a number on Friday, that is what we sell. Also see our playbook, which you can follow yourself.
Frequently asked questions
Which AI visibility tool is cheapest?
Among the public prices we read on 10 Nov 2026, Otterly.AI Lite (€29 a month, 16 prompts) and Ahrefs custom prompts (from €47 a month) are lowest. Prompt counts differ a lot, so compare at the number of questions you need to track.
Do these tools improve my visibility?
They measure it and, in some cases, recommend actions. The vendor pages we read do not claim to carry out the fixes. Fixing means publishing pages, outreach and reviews, which a person or an agency does.
Is CiteTrace a software tool or an agency?
Both, in that order of importance: it is a done-for-you service with its own tracker underneath. Our tracker covers fewer engines than the biggest tools, which we say plainly on every comparison page.
See who the AI recommends instead of you
A free 10-question audit: 4 engines, the pages they cite, three fixes to start with.