If you are comparing Cituna and AthenaHQ, the deciding factor is usually where you sit on the price ladder. Cituna is the flat-rate platform in the band AthenaHQ leaves empty: $39/mo for all seven engines checked daily, with the fixes generated for you, up to Max at $399. AthenaHQ is a polished, Y Combinator-backed platform with a rare standing free tier and an eleven-engine paid plan. This is an honest, side-by-side comparison, feature matrix first. Every AthenaHQ figure comes from its public pricing page on July 16, 2026, with prices and engines re-read October 1, 2026, verify current terms before you decide.
A note on fairness:
Cituna vs AthenaHQ: the side-by-side matrix
Everything below reflects each tool’s entry position as published on July 16, 2026 (AthenaHQ re-read October 1, 2026), for AthenaHQ, both its free Essential tier and its $295 Starter plan, not the maximum an enterprise contract can unlock.
| What you get | CitunaThat’s us | AthenaHQ |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price / month | $39 | $0 → $295* |
| Pricing model | Flat tiers | Credit-based |
| AI engines included | 7 | 5 free / 11 paid* |
| Claude tracked | Paid ($295) | |
| Grok tracked | Paid ($295) | |
| Microsoft Copilot | ||
| Search Console integration | ||
| MCP access at entry | ||
| Generated fixes | — | |
| Free trial | 3 days (card) | Free tier |
AthenaHQ figures compiled from its public pricing page on July 16, 2026, with prices and engines re-read October 1, 2026 (athenahq.ai/plans); Cituna figures are our own published plans. Prices change often, verify before buying. ‘*’ = varies by tier: AthenaHQ’s free Essential tier covers five engines including Microsoft Copilot, and its $295/mo Starter covers eleven engines including Claude and Grok, with Search Console and GA4 integrations. ‘Pricing model’ reflects how each price is published. AthenaHQ meters usage in credits ($25 starter credit on the free tier, 3,600 credits on the $295 Starter), while Cituna lists a flat monthly fee ($39 Starter, $119 Pro, $399 Max). A dash in a cell means the figure is not specified in our source data for that tool. Notes: Cituna checks all seven engines daily; MCP read tools are included from $39, write tools from Pro ($119). Spot an error? Tell us and we will correct it.
No column wins every row, which is the point. AthenaHQ is the more engine-complete tool, eleven engines including Microsoft Copilot, and the only one of the two with a standing free tier. Cituna puts seven engines, Search Console and an MCP server on a flat $39 line, in the band AthenaHQ leaves empty. Read the matrix by the row that matters most to the buyers you are trying to reach.
Where Cituna wins
The case for Cituna is the middle of the market, plus flat billing and the fix.
- The $39 middle they skip. AthenaHQ publishes a free tier and a $295/mo Starter with nothing in between (athenahq.ai/pricing, July 16, 2026). If your budget lives in the low hundreds, Cituna starts at $39 for all seven engines and steps to $119 (Pro) and $399 (Max), a real plan in the band AthenaHQ leaves empty.
- Flat fees, no credit math. Cituna bills a fixed monthly rate; AthenaHQ meters usage in credits (a $25 starter credit, then 3,600 on its $295 Starter), so its bill moves with how much you scan. A flat line item is easier to budget and predict.
- Seven engines at $39, Claude and Grok included. ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude, Grok, Google AI Overviews and Google AI Mode all come with the $39 Starter, checked daily, you do not have to reach AthenaHQ’s $295 tier to add Grok.
- It does the work, not just the score. When a scan finds a gap, Cituna generates the fix for it (schema, FAQ markup, llms.txt and the page changes), and its AutoSEO writes 30 articles a month on Starter and publishes them to WordPress, Shopify, a GitHub repo or any CMS by webhook, so you leave with work shipped rather than a number to watch.
- MCP and Search Console proof at $39. A built-in MCP server lets you query your scans from Claude or any MCP client (read tools on Starter, write actions like running a scan on Pro), paired with a native Search Console tie-in on every plan. AthenaHQ ships Search Console too but does not surface MCP; MCP is not unique to us either (Peec ships one), so the rarer part is getting both at $39 rather than the $295 entry.
Where AthenaHQ wins
Give AthenaHQ its due, these are real advantages that should shape your decision, not throwaway concessions.
- A genuine standing free tier. AthenaHQ’s free Essential tier gives you a $25 starter credit and five engines, including Microsoft Copilot, so you can start at $0 with no card and no countdown. Cituna has a 3-day trial that asks for a card (no charge during the trial, cancel anytime), not a standing free tier, so AthenaHQ is the lower-friction way to start.
- More engines, including Copilot. AthenaHQ’s $295 Starter covers eleven engines, including Grok and Microsoft Copilot, versus our seven, so if your buyers use Copilot, AthenaHQ has the broader net.
- Search Console and GA4. AthenaHQ integrates both Google Search Console and GA4, so you can line up SEO, analytics and AEO together. Cituna ships the native Search Console tie-in as its proof layer, but not GA4.
- AthenaHQ’s Y Combinator pedigree and enterprise logos. AthenaHQ is venture-backed with serious enterprise customers.
The verdict by use case
The right choice comes down to where you sit on the price ladder and which engines your buyers use. Three common cases:
- The bootstrapped founder or small team in the middle of the ladder → Cituna. If you have outgrown a free tier but cannot justify a $295 jump, the flat $39 Starter, seven engines, generated fixes, Search Console and MCP, is exactly the band AthenaHQ skips. You are trading Copilot coverage and a standing free tier for a real plan at a fraction of the price.
- The team that wants the broadest engine list → AthenaHQ, or Cituna at scale. If you specifically want eleven engines including Microsoft Copilot and GA4 alongside Search Console, AthenaHQ’s $295 plan is the broader net. If you want seven-engine coverage and the fixes without credit math, Cituna Max ($399) adds 90 tracked prompts, 10 brands, daily scans on every brand and API access, with custom Enterprise plans beyond that.
- The team that wants to start at $0 with no commitment → AthenaHQ, then reassess. Its standing free tier (a $25 credit, five engines, no card) is the most generous on-ramp here. Once you are past evaluating, if flat pricing and the generated fixes matter more than Copilot and a free tier, Cituna’s $39 middle earns the switch.
For the wider field beyond these two, the enterprise platforms above AthenaHQ and the low-cost monitors below Cituna, see our rundown of the best AI visibility tools and our AthenaHQ alternatives guide.
Drafted with AI assistance from our own research and Search Console data, and reviewed by Rahul A before publishing. Rules and prices change; check the linked official source before you act.