The best AI visibility & AEO tools in 2026

A dozen tools now promise to tell you how AI engines see your brand, and they are genuinely different: some are enterprise platforms built around demand data, others are self-serve tools a founder can run in an afternoon. This is an honest, side-by-side look at the main options, including our own, with a feature matrix first, because the fastest way to compare is to see what each entry tier actually includes. All facts were compiled from vendor pricing pages on July 16, 2026.

What to look for in an AI visibility tool

• Engine coverage at your price. Not the engines on the homepage, the engines in the tier you would actually buy. Claude and Grok are the usual casualties of entry tiers.
• Scoring vs fixing. Does it just report a score, or does it also tell you (or generate) what to change? An action layer is what turns a dashboard into results.
• Proof. Can you connect Google Search Console or analytics to tie AI work back to real traffic?
• Workflow fit. API or MCP access if your team automates; seats, brands and prompt caps if you are an agency.
• Price honesty. Public pricing, predictable line items, and no credit math you need a calculator for.

The side-by-side matrix: what each entry tier includes

Everything below reflects each vendor’s entry paid tier as published on their own pricing page on July 16, 2026, not the maximum an enterprise contract can unlock.

Who each tool is for

The tools in detail

Cituna

Our tool. Cituna scans how ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude, Grok and Google AI Overviews cite your brand, shows the exact buyer prompts where you are missing, and generates the fixes (schema, FAQ markup, llms.txt and content recommendations) so you can act, not just watch a number. Daily tracking across all six engines is on every plan, a Google Search Console integration ties the work back to clicks, and a built-in MCP server lets you query your scans from Claude or any MCP client, all from $39/mo with a 7-day free trial (card required, no charge during the trial, cancel anytime). We do not track Microsoft Copilot today, and there is no standing free tier. Cituna scales from the $39 Starter to Max at $299, 120 tracked prompts, 50 brands, API access, and to custom Enterprise plans, so teams from solo founders to agencies can move fast without a procurement cycle.

Otterly.ai

A GEO-native monitor with the friendliest price on paper and a genuinely impressive set of free tools (visibility checker, prompt research, content audits). The $29/mo Lite tier covers 15 prompts across four engines (AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Perplexity, Copilot); Gemini, AI Mode and Claude are sold as per-month add-ons on top, Grok is not offered, and API/MCP access starts at the $189 Standard tier. A fair pick for solo marketers who want a low line item and don’t need Claude, Grok, Search Console data or uncapped recommendations.

Peec AI

Built for marketing teams, Peec focuses on AI search analytics, visibility, position and sentiment, with multi-country tracking, unlimited seats and an MCP server included on paid plans. Its pricing page lists ChatGPT, AI Overviews, AI Mode, Copilot, Perplexity and Gemini; Claude and Grok are not listed, and tier prices render client-side (Peec’s own comparison pages cite a Starter around €89/mo). Best for marketing teams and agencies that want polished analytics and are less focused on generated fixes or Search Console proof.

Profound

Widely seen as the enterprise category leader, with demand-level prompt data, agent/crawler analytics and a deep research library. Its published Starter is $99/mo billed yearly for one engine (ChatGPT), 50 prompts and one seat; Growth at $399 covers three engines, and the full engine list (including Claude, Grok and Copilot) is reserved for custom Enterprise contracts with a credit-based agent system. Best for larger teams that want analyst-grade data and can support an enterprise tool.

AthenaHQ

A Y Combinator-backed platform positioned around brand trust in AI. It is the one tool here with a standing free tier (starter credit, five engines including Claude), and its $295/mo Starter covers nine engines including Grok, with Search Console and GA4 integrations so you can compare SEO and AEO side by side. Pricing is credit-based (they publish a calculator), and there is nothing between the free tier and $295. Best for mid-market and enterprise brands that want a polished, integrated platform.

Scrunch AI

An enterprise-focused platform (now at scrunch.com) built around prompt-level tracking plus a distinctive agent-experience layer that serves AI crawlers machine-readable versions of your pages. Its published Starter is $300/mo ($250 annual) with three seats and capped page audits; reviewers note prompt allowances are consumed per engine tracked, and Grok coverage is reported at enterprise tiers. Best for larger, multi-site or regulated brands that value the crawler-delivery layer.

Which should you choose?

There is no universal winner, only the right fit:

• You want demand-level prompt data, analyst dashboards and org features, and pricing is not the constraint: Profound, AthenaHQ and Scrunch specialize there, and Cituna Max ($299) plus custom Enterprise plans cover high-volume, multi-brand teams that want six-engine coverage and the fixes without credit math.
• You are a founder or small team that wants broad engine coverage (including Claude and Grok), Search Console proof and generated fixes at a flat $39: that is exactly the gap Cituna was built for. Otterly is worth weighing if Copilot matters more to you than Claude/Grok and 15 prompts is enough; Peec if analytics depth beats an action layer.
• You are an agency managing several brands on a budget: weigh prompt limits, per-brand pricing and seats, this is where entry-tier caps (15 prompts, one seat, credit math) bite hardest.

If the “see the gap, generate the fix, then prove it with Search Console” workflow is what you want, that is what we built Cituna to do. The fastest way to compare is to start a free trial and see your own gaps. For the enterprise-priced tools specifically, see our Profound alternatives rundown.

Every comparison

The matrix above covers the six tools most people shortlist. The category is much wider than that, so every tool we have written up is indexed here.