“Profound vs AthenaHQ” pits two enterprise-grade AI-visibility platforms against each other, and they are genuinely different animals. Profound sells an enterprise platform built around demand-level prompt data, agent analytics and a deep research library. AthenaHQ is a Y Combinator-backed platform that leads with a rare standing free tier, broad engine coverage and search integrations. This is an honest side-by-side of the two, on the things that actually decide it: entry price, engines, how each meters usage, Search Console, and how you start.
We present Profound and AthenaHQ on their own terms first, then Cituna, which we build, as a third option near the end. Every Profound and AthenaHQ figure here is taken from that vendor’s own pricing page: Profound’s read September 25, 2026, AthenaHQ’s as of July 16, 2026, with its engines re-read October 1, 2026.
A note on fairness:
Where Profound wins
A fair comparison has to say where Profound is stronger. Profound’s advantages are about depth, not a longer feature list:
- Demand-level prompt-volume data. Profound is built around showing what people actually ask AI engines at scale. If that data is the reason you are buying, Profound is built for it.
- Agent and conversation-level analytics. Profound pairs visibility with agent analytics, conversation-level data and an API on Enterprise, for teams that want to act on the data programmatically, not just read it.
- A research library. Profound backs the data with a deep research library built for enterprise marketing teams, so the numbers come with context.
- Enterprise controls. Profound’s Enterprise contract includes all-time history, CSV and JSON exports, unlimited seats, SSO and SOC 2, which is what a security review and a procurement team usually ask for.
- A free 7-day trial. Profound’s trial runs 50 prompts a day on ChatGPT, Gemini and Google AI Overviews, from a prompt set Profound recommends for your industry, so you can see a snapshot before a sales conversation.
The trade-off to weigh against all of that is access. Profound lists no self-serve plan for brands: the trial covers three engines, from a prompt set you cannot edit, with no history, exports or API, and everything else is a custom Enterprise contract with no published price (tryprofound.com/pricing, read September 25, 2026). The $99 Starter and $399 Growth plans Profound listed earlier in 2026 are gone, so the depth above arrives on an enterprise contract, not at a self-serve price.
Where AthenaHQ wins
AthenaHQ competes on breadth and on-ramp rather than demand-data depth, and AthenaHQ does several things Profound’s Enterprise-only packaging does not:
- A genuine standing free tier. AthenaHQ lets you start at $0 on a free plan rather than a countdown timer, a rare thing in this category, and a real point in its favor if you want to try before you budget.
- Broad engine coverage at one price. AthenaHQ’s $295/mo plan covers eleven engines, including Claude and Grok by name. Where Profound reserves its full engine list for an Enterprise contract, and does not list Grok, AthenaHQ publishes a single paid tier that names them.
- Search Console and GA4 built in. AthenaHQ integrates Google Search Console and GA4, so you can put AI visibility next to real search and analytics data and compare SEO and AEO side by side.
- AthenaHQ’s Y Combinator pedigree. AthenaHQ is a Y Combinator-backed platform, a signal some buyers weigh in a fast-moving category.
AthenaHQ’s trade-offs are the mirror image of Profound’s. AthenaHQ’s pricing jumps from its free tier straight to $295/mo, and billing is credit-based, metered by usage rather than a flat monthly fee, so your bill depends on how much you run. And on demand-level prompt data and research, Profound goes deeper.
A third option: Cituna (the flat-rate alternative)
Disclosure: we build Cituna. If your shortlist is Profound versus AthenaHQ because you want serious AI-visibility coverage without the parts that push both toward enterprise pricing, Profound’s Enterprise-only contract, AthenaHQ’s $0-to-$295 jump and its credit meter, Cituna is built for that middle ground.
Cituna scans how ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude, Grok, Google AI Overviews and Google AI Mode cite your brand, shows the exact buyer prompts where you are missing, and generates the fix for each gap (schema, FAQ markup, llms.txt and the page changes). Cituna’s AutoSEO writes 30 articles a month on Starter and publishes them to WordPress, Shopify, a GitHub repo or any CMS by webhook, so a dashboard becomes shipped work. All seven engines are checked daily and included in the $39/mo Starter (Pro is $119, Max is $399, flat fees, no credits to estimate), a native Google Search Console integration ties the work back to real clicks, and a built-in MCP server is included from $39 (read tools on Starter; write actions like running a scan on Pro). MCP is not unique to us, several tools ship one now, and AthenaHQ already integrates Search Console; the rarer part is pairing them at a flat $39. When you need more, Cituna scales to custom Enterprise plans, custom prompt pools, brands and engine cadences with invoiced billing and priority onboarding. The straight trade-offs: we do not track Microsoft Copilot, and there is no standing free tier like AthenaHQ’s (our 3-day trial asks for a card up front, with no charge during the trial and cancel-anytime); if demand-level prompt-volume data is the reason you are buying, Profound’s depth is its own draw.
Here is how the three line up on the points the head-to-head usually turns on. AthenaHQ and Cituna are shown at their published entry position; Profound has no self-serve tier, so its column shows the free trial and the Enterprise contract.
| What you get | Profound | AthenaHQ | CitunaThat’s us |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry price / month | Enterprise, unpublished | $0 → $295* | $39 |
| AI engines included | 3 on the trial, up to 9 on Enterprise | 11* | 7 |
| Pricing model | Custom contract | Credit-based | Flat tiers |
| Google Search Console | |||
| Free entry | 7 days, 3 engines | Free tier | 3 days (card) |
Profound from tryprofound.com/pricing, read September 25, 2026: no self-serve plan for brands; a free 7-day trial with 50 prompts a day on ChatGPT, Gemini and Google AI Overviews, from a prompt set you cannot edit; and a custom Enterprise contract, with no published price, covering up to nine engines, including Claude, Copilot and Google AI Mode, with SSO and SOC 2. The $99 Starter and $399 Growth plans Profound listed earlier in 2026 are gone. AthenaHQ from athenahq.ai/pricing, July 16, 2026, with engines re-read October 1, 2026 (athenahq.ai/plans). Prices change often; verify before buying. ‘*’ = varies by tier: AthenaHQ’s eleven engines (including Claude and Grok) are on its $295/mo paid plan, above a standing free tier. ‘Pricing model’ reflects how each charges: Profound by custom contract, AthenaHQ credit-based, Cituna a flat monthly fee. 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.
The verdict, by use case
There is no universal winner here, only the right fit for your stage, budget and what you are actually buying:
- Large team buying demand-data depth. If you want to see what people ask AI engines at scale, agent analytics to act on it, and SSO, SOC 2 and data exports on a contract, Profound is built for that, and a sales conversation is the way in.
- Brand that wants breadth, integrations and a free on-ramp. You want the broadest published engine list (eleven, including Claude and Grok), Google Search Console and GA4 side by side, and a standing free tier to start at $0. AthenaHQ fits that shape better than Profound’s Enterprise-only packaging, just plan for AthenaHQ’s jump to $295 and credit-based billing once you outgrow the free plan.
- Team that wants coverage and the work done without credit math.You want seven engines including Claude and Grok checked daily, Search Console proof, generated fixes and published articles without credit meters or an enterprise conversation. That is the gap Cituna was built for, flat from $39/mo, up to Max at $399 and custom Enterprise plans.
The fastest way to decide between the two principals is to run Profound’s 7-day trial and AthenaHQ’s free tier side by side and see which view you reach for; Profound’s trial uses a prompt set Profound recommends for your industry, which you cannot edit, so its prompts will not match your own. For the broader field beyond this head-to-head, see our Profound alternatives and AthenaHQ alternatives rundowns, or the full best AI visibility tools comparison.
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.