Best AI Search Visibility Tools 2026 (Tested and Compared)
Key facts7 tools compared: HubSpot AEO, Otterly.ai, Peec AI, SE Ranking, Semrush, AthenaHQ, Profound
- 7 tools compared: HubSpot AEO, Otterly.ai, Peec AI, SE Ranking, Semrush, AthenaHQ, Profound
- HubSpot AEO (best for: CRM-powered insights): $50/mo
- Otterly.ai (best for: Budget tracking): $29/mo
- Peec AI (best for: Agencies, unlimited seats): $95/mo
- SE Ranking (best for: SEO + AI in one): $129/mo
AI search is eating into traditional web traffic, and HubSpot AEO is the tool most teams should start with to track and improve where they stand. According to a SparkToro/Datos study, 60% of Google searches now end without a click. Meanwhile, ChatGPT has 883 million monthly users asking for product recommendations, and 93% of AI Mode sessions never generate a website visit. Your brand is either part of the AI answer or it's invisible to a growing share of your buyers.
These are seven AI visibility tools compared on pricing, features, and public user reviews. Here's what stood out.
Want to skip the comparison and just see where you stand? Check your AI visibility score with HubSpot AEO →
Quick comparison: best AI visibility tools for 2026
| Tool | Price | AI Engines | Free Trial | CRM | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HubSpot AEO | $50/mo | ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity | 28 days | Yes | CRM-powered insights |
| Otterly.ai | $29/mo | 4 engines (+3 as add-ons) | Yes | No | Budget tracking |
| Peec AI | $95/mo | 3 engines (choose) | Yes | No | Agencies, unlimited seats |
| SE Ranking | $129/mo | 5 LLMs | 14 days | No | SEO + AI in one |
| Semrush | $199/mo | ChatGPT, Perplexity, AI OV | 7 days | No | SEO + AI Search suite |
| AthenaHQ | $295/mo | 11 models (Starter) | Free plan | No | Revenue attribution |
| Profound | Custom | Up to 9 engines | 7 days | No | Enterprise, compliance |
1. HubSpot AEO
HubSpot AEO tracks how your brand appears across ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity, then connects those insights directly to your CRM data. That CRM integration is the key differentiator: instead of showing you a generic list of prompts, it prioritizes gaps based on your actual customer segments, deal stages, and content library.
Setup takes under five minutes. Enter your domain and up to five competitors. HubSpot AEO scores your visibility (0-100), shows which prompts cite you vs. competitors, and delivers weekly trend alerts. The prompt tracking breaks down by buyer's journey phase, product relevance, and individual AI engine.
HubSpot's own marketing team used the AEO framework to optimize a single page and earned 159 AI citations and over 1,000 page views from AI referral traffic within four weeks. For existing content, they saw 200% growth in AI citations and 39% more organic traffic after targeted metadata and FAQ updates. (Source: Contrast Blog)
What to know. HubSpot AEO focuses on AI visibility, not traditional SEO. It doesn't do keyword research, backlink analysis, or site audits. Most teams pair it with a traditional SEO tool. If you're already on HubSpot's Marketing Hub Professional ($800/mo billed annually), AEO is included. Otherwise, the standalone plan is $50/month with a 28-day free trial.
| Plan | Price | Includes |
|---|---|---|
| Standalone | $45/mo billed annually, $50 monthly | 25 prompts across ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity; more prompts purchasable |
| Marketing Hub Professional / Enterprise | Included | Expanded prompts and CRM-powered recommendations. Marketing Hub Pro from $800/mo billed annually ($890 monthly) |
Ready to test it? Start your free 28-day trial with HubSpot AEO →
2. Otterly.ai
Otterly.ai is the most affordable entry point for AI visibility tracking. The Lite plan ($29/month) gives you 15 tracked prompts across four AI engines (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews and Copilot), with Gemini, AI Mode and Claude available as paid add-ons. It runs daily checks and shows competitor comparisons with clean benchmark metrics.
What to know. The $29 price is attractive, but 15 prompts is limiting for serious monitoring. The Standard plan ($189/month) gives you 100 prompts. No CRM integration, so you'll spend more time manually deciding which gaps matter most. The interface has a steeper learning curve than HubSpot AEO or Peec AI.
| Plan | Price | Includes |
|---|---|---|
| Lite | $25/mo billed annually, $29 monthly | 15 prompts |
| Standard | $160/mo billed annually, $189 monthly | 100 prompts; +100 prompts for $99 |
| Premium | $422/mo billed annually, $489 monthly | 400 prompts; +100 prompts for $99 |
| Enterprise | Custom | From 1,000 prompts |
3. Peec AI
Peec AI stands out for agencies and larger teams because every plan includes unlimited user seats. The Starter plan ($95/month, or $80/month billed annually) tracks 50 prompts across three AI models of your choice with daily monitoring. The Pro plan ($245/month) raises you to 150 prompts and a second project. Multi-country tracking starts on Advanced ($495/month).
What to know. The three-engine limit on Starter means you're choosing between ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and others rather than covering all of them. For comprehensive multi-engine tracking at this price point, HubSpot AEO covers ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity for half the cost. Peec AI's strength is in the unlimited seats and agency workflow.
| Plan | Price | Includes |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | $80/mo billed annually, $95 monthly | 50 prompts, 3 models of your choice, unlimited users, 1 project |
| Pro | $205/mo billed annually, $245 monthly | 150 prompts, 3 models, unlimited users, 2 projects |
| Advanced | $420/mo billed annually, $495 monthly | 350 prompts, 3 models, 5 projects, multi-country, Looker Studio |
| Enterprise | Custom | Up to 13 LLMs, SSO, API |
4. SE Ranking
SE Ranking is the best value if you want AI visibility tracking bundled with a full traditional SEO suite. The Core plan ($129/month) includes AI monitoring (100 daily prompts across 5 LLMs) at no additional cost, plus rank tracking, site audits, backlinks, keyword research, and content tools.
What to know. AI tracking depth isn't as detailed as dedicated tools. You won't get CRM-powered prioritization like HubSpot AEO or the prompt-level granularity of AthenaHQ. It's a solid middle ground for teams that want everything in one dashboard without paying for multiple tools.
| Plan | Price | Includes |
|---|---|---|
| Core | $129/mo | 10 projects, 1 manager seat, 2k keywords, 100 AI prompts daily across 5 LLMs. 20% off billed annually |
| Growth | $279/mo | 30 projects, 3 seats, 5k keywords, 250 AI prompts daily. 20% off billed annually |
| Enterprise | Custom | |
| AI Search add-on | From $71.20/mo billed annually | 200+ prompts, includes SE Visible |
5. Semrush
Semrush added an AI Visibility Toolkit that tracks prompts across ChatGPT, Perplexity, and AI Overviews. It's a natural fit if you're already using Semrush for traditional SEO and want AI tracking without switching platforms.
What to know. Full AI visibility tracking isn't included in the entry SEO plan. The Starter SEO + AI Search plan ($199/mo) includes it, with 50 prompts tracked daily, and the standalone AI Visibility Toolkit is $99/mo per domain. Extra users are a separate add-on, so costs still climb as the team grows. For dedicated AI visibility tracking, HubSpot AEO delivers comparable insights at $50/month with a purpose-built interface, while Semrush bundles it into its broader SEO suite.
| Plan | Price | Includes |
|---|---|---|
| SEO | Check current pricing | 5 websites, 500 keywords, basic AI search tracking |
| Starter (SEO + AI Search) | $199/mo | 50 AI prompts tracked daily, 1 domain for AI brand performance. About 17% off billed annually |
| Pro+ (SEO + AI Search) | $248.17/mo billed annually | 15 websites, 1,500 keywords, 100 prompts |
| Advanced (SEO + AI Search) | $455.67/mo billed annually, $549 monthly | 40 websites, 5,000 keywords, 200 prompts, API |
| AI Visibility Toolkit | $99/mo per domain | 25 custom prompts, 1 domain |
6. AthenaHQ
AthenaHQ is built for teams that need to tie AI visibility directly to revenue. Its unified GEO Score combines citation count, sentiment, traffic impact, and query types into one metric. Native Shopify and Google Analytics integrations connect AI mentions to actual purchases.
What to know. Credit-based pricing means costs can escalate. Testing one prompt across three engines burns three credits. The Starter plan is $295/month with 3,600 credits. Enterprise plans (custom pricing) unlock persona targeting, multi-region tracking, and prompt volume forecasting. The free Essential plan ($25 of credit) is enough to test it, but for most teams starting out, HubSpot AEO at $50/month is a more accessible paid entry point.
| Plan | Price | Includes |
|---|---|---|
| Essential | $0 | 300 credits ($25 of credit); ChatGPT, Perplexity, AI Overviews, Gemini, Copilot; unlimited members |
| Starter | $295/mo | 3,600 credits/mo, 11 models; API and extra credits are paid add-ons. 17% off billed annually |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom credits, SSO, persona targeting, multi-region |
7. Profound
Profound offers broad engine coverage: up to 9 answer engines on Enterprise, including ChatGPT (with GPT-5.2 support), Claude, Perplexity, Gemini, Copilot, DeepSeek, and Grok. Its Conversation Explorer taps into 400 million+ real user prompts, showing what people actually ask AI about your category.
What to know. This is an enterprise tool with enterprise pricing. Profound offers a free 7-day trial (50 prompts a day across ChatGPT, Gemini and Google AI Overviews). Beyond that, pricing is custom, with Enterprise covering up to 9 answer engines. SOC 2 Type II and HIPAA compliance make it the default for regulated industries like healthcare and finance. For most marketing teams, the breadth is overkill. HubSpot AEO or Peec AI cover the engines that matter most at a fraction of the cost.
| Plan | Price | Includes |
|---|---|---|
| Trial | Free | 7 days, 50 prompts run daily; ChatGPT, Gemini, Google AI Overviews; limited AI Marketer credits |
| Enterprise | Custom | Up to 9 answer engines, tailored prompt tracking, SSO/SAML, SOC 2 |
| Agency Growth | Not published | 400 credits/mo per client workspace (self-serve) |
How to choose the right AI visibility tool
Starting with AI visibility tracking: HubSpot AEO ($50/month, 28-day free trial). CRM-powered recommendations mean you focus on the gaps that actually matter for your business. Lowest friction way to get started.
Tightest budget: Otterly.ai ($29/month). 15 prompts across four engines (more as add-ons). Good for initial exploration, but you'll outgrow it quickly.
Agency with multiple clients: Peec AI ($95/month). Unlimited seats and multi-project support make it practical for client work.
Want AI + traditional SEO in one dashboard: SE Ranking ($129/month) or Semrush ($199/month). SE Ranking is better value; Semrush has deeper traditional SEO features.
E-commerce with revenue attribution: AthenaHQ ($295/month). Shopify and GA4 integrations connect AI visibility to actual revenue.
Enterprise with compliance needs: Profound (custom pricing, free 7-day trial). SOC 2, HIPAA, up to 9 engines, and a dedicated strategist.
My recommended starting point: HubSpot AEO ($50/month). Start with the free trial, run your first audit, and expand from there based on what you learn. You can always add a specialized tool later.
Which AI visibility tool is right for you?
- Best for starting out + CRM integration: HubSpot AEO ($45/mo billed annually, $50 monthly, 28-day free trial)
- Best for tightest budget, basic tracking: Otterly.ai ($25/mo billed annually, $29 monthly, 15 prompts)
- Best for unlimited users, agency-friendly: Peec AI ($80/mo billed annually, $95 monthly)
- Best for AI visibility + traditional SEO in one login: Semrush ($199/mo) or SE Ranking ($129/mo)
- Best for revenue attribution + e-commerce: AthenaHQ (Free Essential tier, paid from $295/mo)
- Best for enterprise, up to 9 engines, compliance: Profound (Custom pricing, SOC 2)
Best starting point for most teams: HubSpot AEO at $50/mo with a 28-day free trial.
FAQ
What are the best AI search visibility tools in 2026?
HubSpot AEO for CRM-powered AI tracking ($50/month), Otterly.ai for budget monitoring ($29/month), Peec AI for agencies ($95/month), SE Ranking for combined SEO + AI ($129/month), and Profound for enterprise compliance (custom pricing).
Do I need a dedicated AI visibility tool or can I use my existing SEO platform?
Traditional SEO tools track rankings and backlinks, not AI citations. Only 38% of top-10 Google pages get cited in AI answers. A dedicated tool like HubSpot AEO tracks a fundamentally different channel. Most teams use both.
How much does AI visibility tracking cost?
Entry-level tracking starts at $29/month (Otterly.ai). HubSpot AEO offers the best value at $50/month with a 28-day free trial. AthenaHQ starts at $295/month (with a free Essential tier), and Profound's brand plans are custom-priced after a free trial.
How long does it take to improve AI search visibility?
Most brands see measurable improvement within 4-8 weeks of targeted optimization. HubSpot's own team earned 159 AI citations from a single optimized page in four weeks. Consistent weekly publishing compounds results over time.
Which AI engines should I track for brand visibility?
Start with ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews. They account for the largest share of AI-influenced purchase decisions. Add Gemini and Perplexity as you scale. HubSpot AEO covers ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity in the base plan.
Conclusion: start tracking before your competitors do
AI search visibility is the new baseline for marketing teams that take organic growth seriously. The tools exist, the data is actionable, and the brands that move first will build compounding advantages. Start with HubSpot AEO ($50/month, 28-day free trial) to understand where you stand. Pair it with a traditional SEO tool if you don't have one. Run your first audit today.
The brands winning in 2026 are the ones that treat AI search as a channel, not a curiosity. Don't wait until your competitors figure it out first.
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