Comparison
The best AI visibility & citation tracking tools in 2026.
The leading dedicated AI visibility tools are Profound, AthenaHQ, Otterly.ai, Peec AI, Scrunch AI, Rankscale, Trakkr.ai, Goodie AI, and CitationDesk, while Ahrefs, Semrush, and HubSpot add AI-visibility tracking to their existing suites. They differ most on entry price, whether there's a free tier, and how many LLMs they track — CitationDesk is the one with a genuinely free, no-signup Citation Readiness Score.
As people increasingly ask ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Gemini instead of searching Google, being cited by those models becomes its own discoverability channel. These tools all measure some version of that — here's how the 12 leading options compare, and which fits which budget. Written by the operator who built CitationDesk, including where each competitor is the better pick.
Prefer a written rundown? Read the guide to the best AI visibility tools, or score your own site free.
At a glance
| Tool | Entry price | Free tier | LLMs / surfaces tracked |
|---|---|---|---|
| CitationDesk | €0 Free · €49 Pro · €149 Team | ✓ Free forever (no signup) | ChatGPT · Claude · Perplexity · Gemini |
| Profound | $399/mo self-serve (Growth) · $499 (Lite) · $2,000-5,000+ (Enterprise) | ✗ | ChatGPT · Claude · Perplexity · Gemini · Copilot · Other LLMs |
| AthenaHQ | $295/mo (Self-Serve) · Enterprise custom | ✗ | ChatGPT · Claude · Perplexity · Gemini · AI Overviews · Copilot · Grok |
| Otterly.ai | $29/mo (Lite) → $189+ (Standard) → $409+ (Pro) | ✗ | ChatGPT · Perplexity · Google AI Overviews · Gemini |
| Peec AI | €85/mo Starter (50 prompts) → €205 Pro → €425 Scale · +€30–140/mo per extra LLM | ✗ | ChatGPT · Perplexity · Google AI Overviews (Claude · Gemini · Grok as paid add-ons) |
| Scrunch AI | $250/mo Core (125 prompts, 4 LLMs) · $300 Business/Agency · Enterprise custom | ✗ | ChatGPT · Claude · Perplexity · Gemini |
| Rankscale | $20/mo Essential (120 credits, 17+ engines) · $99 Pro · $780 Enterprise · credit-based | ~ free audit + 7-day trial | ChatGPT · Claude · Perplexity · Gemini · Google AI Mode · AI Overviews · Copilot · Grok · DeepSeek · 17+ total |
| Trakkr.ai | ~$59/mo (14-day free trial) · free AEO Checker (no signup) | ~ checker + 14-day trial | ChatGPT · Claude · Perplexity · Gemini (+ more, ~8 total) |
| Goodie AI | $399/mo Explorer (3 engines, free trial) · Pro / Enterprise custom (demo) | ✗ (trial) | ChatGPT · AI Overviews · Perplexity (Explorer) → up to 11 engines incl. Claude at Enterprise |
| Writesonic | Free trial (10 credits) · GEO requires Professional $249/mo+ | ✗ (10-credit trial) | ChatGPT · Claude · Perplexity · Gemini · AI Overviews · Grok · DeepSeek · Copilot |
| Ahrefs Brand Radar | €358/mo Select · €654/mo All Platforms (2,500 prompts) · free AI Visibility Checker | ~ limited checker | AI Overviews & AI Mode · ChatGPT · Copilot · Gemini · Perplexity · Grok (+ YouTube/TikTok/Reddit beta) |
| Semrush AI Toolkit | $99/mo AI Toolkit add-on (on top of a paid Semrush subscription) | ✗ | ChatGPT · Perplexity · Gemini · Google AI Overviews |
| HubSpot AEO Grader | Free one-time grade (signup) · $50/mo HubSpot AEO for continuous monitoring | ~ one-time grade | ChatGPT · Perplexity · Gemini |
Pricing and surfaces verified from each vendor's public pages. Last reviewed June 2026 — AI-visibility pricing changes fast; check the linked comparison and the vendor site before buying.
Dedicated AI-visibility platforms
CitationDesk vs Profound
Enterprise AI-search visibility platform
From $399/mo self-serve (Growth)
Compare →CitationDesk vs AthenaHQ
GEO platform — AI visibility + citation tracking
From $295/mo (Self-Serve)
Compare →CitationDesk vs Otterly.ai
AI search rankings + citation tracking
From $29/mo (Lite)
Compare →CitationDesk vs Peec AI
AI search analytics for marketing teams + agencies
From €85/mo Starter (50 prompts)
Compare →CitationDesk vs Scrunch AI
AI customer-experience + visibility platform
From $250/mo Core (125 prompts, 4 LLMs)
Compare →CitationDesk vs Rankscale
Budget credit-based tracker with the broadest engine coverage
From $20/mo Essential (120 credits, 17+ engines)
Compare →CitationDesk vs Trakkr.ai
Indie AI-visibility tracker with a free AEO checker
From ~$59/mo (14-day free trial)
Compare →CitationDesk vs Goodie AI
Enterprise AEO platform with autonomous optimization actions
From $399/mo Explorer (3 engines, free trial)
Compare →CitationDesk vs Writesonic
AI-visibility tracking inside an AI content-writing suite
From Free trial (10 credits)
Compare →SEO suites & graders with AI add-ons
CitationDesk vs Ahrefs Brand Radar
Enterprise AI-visibility add-on inside the Ahrefs suite
From €358/mo Select
Compare →CitationDesk vs Semrush AI Toolkit
AI-visibility tracking bolted onto the Semrush SEO suite
From $99/mo AI Toolkit add-on (on top of a paid Semrush subscription)
Compare →CitationDesk vs HubSpot AEO Grader
Free one-time AI brand-perception grade (ChatGPT · Perplexity · Gemini)
From Free one-time grade (signup)
Compare →How to choose
- Want to start free / single brand: CitationDesk — free Citation Readiness Score and fixes, no signup, then €49/mo.
- Widest engine coverage on a budget: Rankscale — 17+ engines from $20/mo (credit-metered).
- Enterprise share-of-voice across many LLMs: Profound, AthenaHQ, or Goodie ($295–$399/mo+).
- Already living in an SEO suite: Ahrefs Brand Radar, the Semrush AI Toolkit, or HubSpot AEO Grader as an add-on.
- Prompt-level sentiment / agency scale: Peec AI or Scrunch AI.
See where you stand — free.
Run a free Citation Readiness Score on any URL in 90 seconds. No signup. No credit card. You get the score plus the exact fixes (llms.txt, schema, robots allowlist).
Frequently asked questions
What are the best AI visibility and citation tracking tools?
The leading dedicated trackers are Profound, AthenaHQ, Otterly.ai, Peec AI, Scrunch AI, Rankscale, Trakkr.ai, Goodie AI, and CitationDesk; Ahrefs (Brand Radar), Semrush (AI Toolkit) and HubSpot (AEO Grader) add AI-visibility features to their existing suites. They differ most on entry price, whether they have a free tier, and how many LLMs they track.
Is there a free AI citation or visibility tracker?
CitationDesk offers a free-forever Citation Readiness Score (no signup) plus a free fix generator (llms.txt, schema, robots allowlist). Most dedicated platforms — Profound, AthenaHQ, Peec, Scrunch, Goodie — have no free tier; Rankscale, Trakkr, HubSpot, and Ahrefs offer a limited free checker or trial rather than a free-forever plan.
What is the cheapest AI visibility tool?
Rankscale’s Essential plan ($20/mo) is the cheapest paid dedicated tracker and reaches the most engines (17+). CitationDesk is the cheapest with a genuine free-forever tier, then a flat €49/mo Pro. Enterprise-leaning platforms such as Profound and Goodie start around $399/mo.
Which tools track Claude citations?
CitationDesk tracks Claude as a primary surface from the free tier. Several tools track Claude only on higher tiers or as a paid add-on (Peec AI), and some omit it entirely (HubSpot AEO Grader, Ahrefs Brand Radar). Most dedicated trackers cover the same core four — ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini.
How is AI visibility tracking different from traditional SEO rank tracking?
Traditional rank tracking measures where you appear in Google’s blue links. AI visibility (citation) tracking measures whether ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Gemini reference your content when they answer a question — a separate discoverability channel that matters as users shift from search results to AI answers.