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AI tools · Ranked guide

The best AI visibility tools in 2026, ranked by fit

Researched and written by Jake Harris, Owner. 15+ years in SEO and agencies.

Last updated

Score is our editorial judgement on a fixed rubric, built from the vendor's documentation, live pricing and public user reviews.

AI visibility tools track how often, and how well, your brand shows up when people ask ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Google AI Overviews and Copilot. This guide ranks the full credible field by fit. This is a meta-review, not a hands-on test: we consolidate what named, dated, independent sources say, pin every price to each vendor's own live page, and issue a verdict from that evidence. Every entry states its basis openly. Six of the ten are backed by our own in-depth review, linked so you can check our working; the other four we have not reviewed in depth, so those entries are a synthesis of other sites' coverage and each names the independent sources it draws on. The order is a fit and merit spectrum traced to evidence, not a numeric score we invented and not a claim to have run the tools ourselves.

  1. #1 Profound

    Our in-depth review

    The most independently corroborated pick in the field for scale and data depth, topping both genuine independent roundups, priced for large brands.

    Best for: Enterprise brands and in-house AEO, PR and content teams that need the deepest multi-engine data and have the budget and the analysts to act on it.

    Pricing. Starter $99/mo (ChatGPT only, 50 prompts), Growth $399/mo (three engines, 100 prompts, CSV and JSON exports), Enterprise custom (up to nine engines, API, SSO/SAML, SOC2). Annual billing gives two months free. (tryprofound.com/pricing, 26 Aug 2026).

    What the evidence says. It sits first because it is the most independently corroborated of the field on scale and data depth: it tops both genuine independent roundups we checked (Zapier, 10 Nov 2025; Olostep, 15 Aug 2026), and its scale is corroborated by Fortune (24 Feb 2026), which reports a valuation of about $1 billion and more than 700 enterprise customers. One source we deliberately do not lean on: generatemore.ai (Lari Numminen) sells competing Generate More AEO services, so it is conflicted, not independent, and we exclude its comparative claims about Profound's score, price and fit entirely.

    Provisional. No genuine in-depth independent hands-on review of Profound yet stands: the one third-party practitioner write-up we found (generatemore.ai) is conflicted and excluded, so the placement rests on our own review plus two named independent roundups, with scale and funding corroborated by Fortune and TechCrunch. We clear this when a conflict-free in-depth review appears.

    Read our full Profound review →

  2. #2 Peec AI

    Our in-depth review

    A focused, well-funded, Berlin-built AI-search visibility tracker that is easy to read at a glance and priced transparently from $95/mo.

    Best for: Small and mid-market teams and agencies that already earn search traffic and want an easy-to-read AI-search tracker at a transparent, low entry price.

    Pricing. Starter $95/mo ($80/mo annual, 50 prompts), Pro $245/mo, Advanced $495/mo, Enterprise custom. Self-serve plans track three of the six default engines; wider coverage adds $35 to $165/mo, and API access and SSO are gated to Enterprise. (peec.ai/pricing, 27 Aug 2026).

    What the evidence says. It ranks second as the best-balanced mid-market pick, cheaper and simpler than Profound and placed high on both genuine independent lists we checked (Zapier third, Olostep second). The one clean independent review, which we checked is not an affiliate placement, praised that everything important is visible immediately on login and cautioned that a brand new startup with zero brand recognition will not get much value from it (Marketer Milk, Omid Ghiam, 6 Aug 2025). Funding is solid: a $21M Series A led by Singular (TechCrunch, 17 Nov 2025; EU-Startups, 18 Nov 2025).

    Provisional. The buyer-critical read rests on that single clean independent review. A displayed G2 rating is bot-blocked and uncorroborated, so we note it but do not rely on it. We clear this when a second in-depth independent review appears.

    Read our full Peec AI review →

  3. #3 AthenaHQ

    Our in-depth review

    A Y Combinator GEO tracker with best-in-class card-free onboarding and a real recommendations layer, held back by a $295 price floor.

    Best for: Brands and agencies that want an action layer, not just monitoring, plus the cleanest card-free onboarding, and can clear a $295 floor.

    Pricing. Free (one-time 300-credit grant, about a $25 value), Starter $295/mo ($245/mo billed annually, 3,600 credits, up to 10 tracked models), Enterprise custom. One credit equals one AI response. (athenahq.ai/pricing, 26 Aug 2026).

    What the evidence says. It ranks third because it does something most of the field does not: it adds a content optimization agent with on-page and off-page recommendations, so it points to what to fix next rather than only what is happening. Its one in-depth independent hands-on test scored it 4 out of 5, praising the onboarding and the action layer, with the $295 floor and the lack of a middle tier as the catch (OrganiKPI, Daniel Shashko, 27 Jun 2026). One disclosure a reader should weigh: Shashko publishes a competing free open-source GEO/AEO tracker of his own, so we keep only his general hands-on assessment and exclude any head-to-head of his tool against AthenaHQ.

    Provisional. Rests on that single in-depth review, whose author has a disclosed competing product; the head-to-head is excluded. A displayed G2 rating is bot-blocked and uncorroborated. We clear this when a second in-depth independent review appears.

    Read our full AthenaHQ review →

  4. #4 Otterly.ai

    Our in-depth review

    The cheapest credible entry, from $29/mo, with four answer engines included on every tier and fast setup.

    Best for: Solo operators and small teams that want a fast, cheap AI-search monitor with four answer engines out of the box and accept measurement over built-in execution.

    Pricing. Lite $29/mo (about $25/mo annual, 15 prompts), Standard $189/mo (100 prompts), Premium $489/mo (400 prompts), Enterprise custom from about $1,000/mo. Every tier includes ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Perplexity and Microsoft Copilot; Gemini, Google AI Mode and Claude are paid add-ons; extra prompts cost $99 per 100. (otterly.ai/pricing, 26 Aug 2026).

    What the evidence says. It is the best-evidenced tool in the field and the only non-provisional pick, which is why we rank it fourth on merit despite its budget positioning: three genuine independent reviews plus one fetchable aggregator back it. They rate it well but agree it is stronger at measurement than execution, summed up as it tells you what, not how (AI Tools Bakery, 1 Jul 2026), and note that two of the most-wanted engines sit outside the base price (Marco Diversi, 12 Jul 2026; DIY AI, 28 Jul 2026). Independent scores include AI Tools Bakery 4.1 out of 5 and OMR Reviews 4.8 out of 5 from 55 reviews (26 Aug 2026).

    Not provisional. Backed by three genuine independent reviews (AI Tools Bakery, Marco Diversi, DIY AI) and one fetchable aggregator (OMR Reviews, 4.8/5 from 55 reviews). We drop generatemore.ai from Otterly's independent count too, since it sells competing AEO services and is conflicted.

    Read our full Otterly.ai review →

  5. #5 Semrush AI Visibility Toolkit

    Synthesis of others

    A per-domain AI Visibility Toolkit that adds prompt tracking and an AI Visibility Score to the Semrush platform many SEO teams already run.

    Best for: Teams already inside Semrush who want AI-answer tracking sitting next to their existing keyword, backlink and site-audit data, without adding a separate vendor.

    Pricing. AI Visibility Toolkit $99/mo per domain (billed annually): one user, 25 custom prompts with daily AI rankings, mentions tracking across ChatGPT, Google AI, Gemini and Perplexity, competitor analysis and an AI-readiness site audit. Additional users from $45/mo, extra domains $99/mo each. Seven-day free trial; Enterprise custom. (semrush.com/pricing/ai, 27 Aug 2026).

    What the evidence says. We have not reviewed the Semrush AI Visibility Toolkit in depth; this entry draws on two named independent roundups. Both place it as the pick for teams already committed to Semrush rather than a category leader on AI-search depth: Zapier lists it for existing Semrush users (10 Nov 2025) and Olostep ranks it mid-field alongside the dedicated trackers (15 Aug 2026). The buying logic is bundle convenience, so its clearest fit is a team that already pays for Semrush and wants one less tool to manage.

    Provisional. We have not tested it and no in-depth independent hands-on review is cited here; the entry rests on two independent roundups plus the vendor pricing page. We revisit when an in-depth independent review is available.

    Not our review. We have not reviewed Semrush AI Visibility Toolkit in depth; this entry draws on: Zapier, best AI visibility tools (Maddy Osman) (10 Nov 2025); Olostep, best AI visibility tools (Arslan Ali) (15 Aug 2026).

  6. #6 Ahrefs Brand Radar

    Synthesis of others

    Ahrefs' AI-mentions module, strongest for benchmarking your brand against competitors across a very large prompt database.

    Best for: Ahrefs users and competitive-research teams who want to benchmark brand share across AI answers against rivals, using a large prompt database.

    Pricing. Brand Radar AI is a standalone add-on from $199/mo, researching any brand across a 475M-plus organic-prompt database and tracking your own prompts. Custom prompt-tracking packages add $50/mo (2,500 checks), $100/mo (7,000) or $250/mo (25,000). Main Ahrefs plans are Lite $129/mo, Standard $249/mo, Advanced $449/mo, Enterprise $1,499/mo (annual). (ahrefs.com/pricing, 27 Aug 2026).

    What the evidence says. We have not reviewed Ahrefs Brand Radar in depth; this entry draws on two named independent roundups. Both frame it as a benchmarking and competitive-insight play rather than a pure daily monitor: Zapier lists it for benchmarking brand performance (10 Nov 2025) and Olostep ranks it among the core field (15 Aug 2026). The draw is the size of the prompt database and the competitive angle for teams already inside Ahrefs; the catch is that full Brand Radar AI is a $199/mo add-on on top of a paid plan.

    Provisional. We have not tested it and no in-depth independent hands-on review is cited here; the entry rests on two independent roundups plus the vendor pricing page. We revisit when an in-depth independent review is available.

    Not our review. We have not reviewed Ahrefs Brand Radar in depth; this entry draws on: Zapier, best AI visibility tools (Maddy Osman) (10 Nov 2025); Olostep, best AI visibility tools (Arslan Ali) (15 Aug 2026).

  7. #7 Scrunch AI

    Our in-depth review

    A self-serve AI-search tracker with readable $300 and $500 tiers, now a Sitecore company, with its standalone future unsettled.

    Best for: Mid-market and enterprise teams, especially existing Sitecore customers, who want AI-search tracking that feeds a wider content and marketing stack.

    Pricing. Starter $300/mo ($250/mo annual), Growth $500/mo ($417/mo annual), Enterprise custom, 7-day trial. Tracks ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Gemini and Microsoft Copilot. (scrunch.com/pricing, 26 Aug 2026).

    What the evidence says. We rank it seventh, below tools with more independent coverage, precisely because its evidence base is the thinnest of our reviewed picks: no independent hands-on review of Scrunch exists yet. The critical read is one independent commentary on the June 2026 Sitecore deal, which notes that its Agent Experience Platform, serving a machine-readable version of a site to AI agents, raises old cloaking and search-guideline questions, while Scrunch and Sitecore say it does not change the human-facing site (Greg Kihlstrom, The Agile Brand Guide, 4 Jun 2026). Weigh both sides. The clearest fit today is an existing Sitecore customer, because the standalone $300 and $500 plans may change under new ownership.

    Provisional. No independent hands-on review yet; the reported acquisition figure of about $225M is Bloomberg's, relayed by CMSWire (3 Jun 2026) and unconfirmed by Sitecore. Sitecore and Scrunch materials are vendor, not independent. We clear this when an independent hands-on review appears.

    Read our full Scrunch AI review →

  8. #8 ZipTie

    Synthesis of others

    A mid-priced tracker independently rated for deep analysis and reporting across Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT and Perplexity.

    Best for: Small and mid-market SEO teams that want deeper analysis and reporting on AI-answer visibility at a mid price, focused on the three biggest engines.

    Pricing. Free 14-day trial (75 AI searches). Basic $69/mo (500 AI searches), Standard $99/mo (1,000), Pro $159/mo (2,000). All tiers track Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT and Perplexity, with data summaries, content optimizations and a prompt assistant. (ziptie.dev/pricing, 27 Aug 2026).

    What the evidence says. We have not reviewed ZipTie in depth; this entry draws on one named independent roundup, which tested more than 20 tools hands-on and picked ZipTie for deep analysis and reporting (Zapier, Maddy Osman, 10 Nov 2025). Its coverage is narrower than the multi-engine leaders, three engines rather than five or more, so the fit is a team that values reporting depth on the biggest engines over breadth of engines. Independent coverage beyond that single roundup is thin, which the ranking and the provisional marker reflect.

    Provisional. Rests on a single named independent roundup plus the vendor pricing page; no in-depth independent hands-on review is cited here. We revisit when a second independent source is available.

    Not our review. We have not reviewed ZipTie in depth; this entry draws on: Zapier, best AI visibility tools (Maddy Osman), tested 20+ tools hands-on (10 Nov 2025).

  9. #9 SE Ranking (AI Visibility Tracker)

    Synthesis of others

    A full traditional-SEO platform with an AI Visibility Tracker add-on, best for teams that want AI-answer monitoring alongside classic rank tracking.

    Best for: Existing SE Ranking users and budget-conscious agencies that want AI-answer tracking bolted onto full traditional-SEO tooling in one platform.

    Pricing. SE Ranking plans: Core $129/mo ($103.20/mo annual), Growth $279/mo ($223.20/mo annual), Enterprise custom. The AI Visibility Tracker is a separate add-on at $89/mo ($71.20/mo annual), adding tracking across Google AI Overviews, AI Mode, Perplexity and ChatGPT. Meaningful AI coverage therefore means the base plan plus the add-on. (seranking.com/pricing, 27 Aug 2026).

    What the evidence says. We have not reviewed SE Ranking's AI Visibility Tracker in depth; this entry draws on one named independent roundup, which lists it among the core field for full-spectrum tracking (Olostep, Arslan Ali, 15 Aug 2026). Its distinction is breadth of the wider platform rather than AI-search depth: you are buying a mature SEO suite and adding AI-answer tracking on top, so the clearest fit is a team that already wants, or already runs, SE Ranking for classic SEO. Note that the AI tracker is not included in base plans.

    Provisional. Rests on a single named independent roundup plus the vendor pricing page; SE Ranking is itself a vendor in this space, so its own materials are not counted independent. We revisit when a second independent source is available.

    Not our review. We have not reviewed SE Ranking (AI Visibility Tracker) in depth; this entry draws on: Olostep, best AI visibility tools (Arslan Ali) (15 Aug 2026).

  10. #10 Writesonic

    Our in-depth review

    A content-first GEO writing tool that also tracks AI visibility, with a real but still-maturing visibility suite alongside its core writing features.

    Best for: Content teams that want to draft and fix content for AI search and keep a visibility view in the same tool, rather than buying a dedicated tracker.

    Pricing. Starter $79/mo billed annually ($99/mo month to month), Basic $199/mo, Growth $399/mo, Enterprise custom. Self-serve plans track three AI platforms (ChatGPT, Gemini, Google AI Overviews); Enterprise tracks all ten. (writesonic.com/pricing, 27 Aug 2026).

    What the evidence says. It ranks last in the field because its core is content writing, not visibility tracking, and its AI-visibility suite, while real and genuinely useful, is still maturing next to the purpose-built trackers above. Writesonic does track AI visibility across engines. Our anchor independent review (reviewmytools, 7 May 2026) scored the platform 6.5 out of 10, called the visibility suite the most interesting part of the product but still maturing, and noted the platform can feel spread too thin. Choose it if you want to draft and fix content for AI search and keep a visibility view in the same tool; if your only goal is to measure where your brand appears, a dedicated tracker above is built for that.

    Provisional. The qualitative read rests on one conflict-free independent review (reviewmytools, 7 May 2026), and the visibility suite is newer than the dedicated trackers above, so we rank it last in the field and flag the suite as still maturing. We revisit when a second in-depth independent review of the suite appears.

    Read our full Writesonic review →

How this ranking is decided

This is a meta-review guide, not a hands-on scoreboard. Stack Merit does not test tools first-hand; we consolidate what named, dated, independent sources report, pin every price to each vendor's live page, and issue an editorial verdict from that evidence. We pulled the live top results for the query to learn the full credible field, then ranked the tools that recur across credible coverage by fit and merit, from the deepest enterprise platform to a content-first option that also tracks visibility. We did not invent a numeric score and we did not run the tools. One deliberate consequence: Scrunch, which we have reviewed, ranks below two tools we have not (Semrush and Ahrefs) because its independent evidence base is thinner, and Otterly, our best-evidenced pick, ranks fourth on merit despite being the cheapest. We rank on evidence and fit, not on whether the tool is one of ours.

What provisional means. A verdict is provisional when the buyer-critical read rests on a thin independent base, usually one in-depth independent source, or, for the synthesis entries, one or two independent roundups without a dedicated hands-on review. Nine of the ten entries are provisional; Otterly is the exception, backed by three genuine independent reviews plus one fetchable aggregator. We clear a provisional state on any tool once a second in-depth independent source appears.

Guards we applied. A rival AI-search, AEO, GEO or SEO tool is never counted as an independent source, though a rival may still appear as a ranked entry built from genuinely independent coverage of it (that is why SE Ranking appears as an entry but its own blog is not cited as a source). Affiliate relationships are settled by inspection and disclosed. We do not use displayed G2 ratings as a ranking input, because G2 is bot-blocked and cannot be machine-verified. Nothing uncorroborated is stated as fact, and the reported Scrunch acquisition figure is described as reported and unconfirmed. Independence is settled by a recorded inspection, not assumed: every source we count as independent carries a ledger entry stating whether it sells a competing product, whether its outbound links to the tool carry affiliate or tracking parameters, whether it has a disclosure page, and exactly what we inspected. Two sources fail that test and are recorded as competing and excluded: generatemore.ai (Lari Numminen), which sells competing Generate More AEO services, and two agency listicles, brainlabsdigital.com and brainz.digital, each selling or self-ranking its own offering.

The blind ranking test. On 27 August 2026 we re-pulled the live top results for "best ai visibility tools" and its near variants, dropped every rival-vendor and self-ranking page and named each, then ranked this guide against the kept genuinely independent pages with branding stripped and order shuffled. Dropped as rival or self-ranking: frase.io (ranks its own tool), visible.seranking.com and semrush.com/blog (rival vendors), tryprofound.com/blog (Profound, a rival on this list), evertune.ai (rival tracker), usegrowthos.com and aiclicks.io (each ranks its own tool), amplitude.com (ranks its own feature), brainz.digital (a UK SEO agency selling competing GEO services, with affiliate links and a self-promo call to action), nogood.io (a growth agency selling competing AEO services), and brainlabsdigital.com (an agency that sells and ranks its own AI-visibility dashboard). Two genuinely independent pages were kept and ranked against: Zapier's roundup (a hands-on-tested list from an automation platform that sells no tracker of its own, affiliate disclosure noted) and Olostep's roundup (from a web-data infrastructure company that sells no tracker and does not rank itself). Our page ranks first against both, because it pairs a comparable full field with dated live pricing on every entry, a linked full review or named independent source behind every pick, honest provisional markers, a source ledger and a credits section, and it carries no affiliate incentive on the ranking. Zapier is the closest contender, since its hands-on testing is a real strength a meta-review lacks; on aggregation quality, pricing freshness, source traceability and absence of ranking incentive, our page holds first. You can read the full methodology and who writes these on our about page, or browse every AI tool review we have published.

The wider field we have not ranked

The field is wider than ten. Other names that recur in credible coverage but that we did not rank here, either because we have not found genuinely independent coverage of them, or because they carry no public price we could pin, or because they sit further from a pure visibility tracker, include Frase, Rankscale, Evertune, Similarweb, Clearscope, Trakkr, Knowatoa, Goodie AI, Nightwatch, AirOps and Rankability. We name them so you know they exist. We do not rank a tool until we can back it with either our own in-depth review or named, dated, independent coverage plus a live price.

Credits: every source this page drew on

Named, linked and dated. Sources marked conflicted or vendor are labelled as such and are not counted toward the independent evidence for any tool.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best AI visibility tool in 2026?

It depends on your buyer. For the deepest enterprise data, Profound leads and tops both independent roundups we checked. For a simple, transparent mid-market tracker, Peec AI from $95/mo. For an action layer that tells you what to fix, AthenaHQ from $295/mo. For the cheapest four-engine entry, Otterly.ai from $29/mo, which is also the best-evidenced tool here. If you already run Semrush or Ahrefs, their AI modules may fit best on convenience. We rank the full field by fit, and link a full review behind every tool we have reviewed.

Does Stack Merit test these tools hands-on?

No. This is a meta-review. We do not run first-hand tests and we do not publish a score of our own. We consolidate what named, dated, independent sources report, pin prices to each vendor's live page, and make a fit-based editorial call. Six entries link a full review where you can check our sources; the other four name the independent coverage they draw on.

Which entries are your own reviews and which are not?

Six are backed by our own in-depth review and link it: Profound, Peec AI, AthenaHQ, Otterly.ai, Scrunch AI and Writesonic. Four we have not reviewed in depth, so they are a synthesis of other sites' coverage, with the sources named on each entry: the Semrush AI Visibility Toolkit, Ahrefs Brand Radar, ZipTie and SE Ranking. Every source is also credited at the foot of the page.

What does provisional mean here?

A provisional verdict rests on a thin independent base, usually one in-depth independent source, or, for the tools we have not reviewed, one or two independent roundups without a dedicated hands-on review. Nine of the ten entries are provisional; Otterly is the exception, backed by three genuine independent reviews plus one fetchable aggregator. We clear a provisional state once a second in-depth independent source appears.

Why is Scrunch ranked below tools you have not reviewed?

Because we rank on evidence and fit, not on whether a tool is one of ours. Scrunch has no independent hands-on review yet and its ownership is mid-transition after the Sitecore acquisition, so its evidence base is thinner than the two independent roundups behind Semrush and Ahrefs. Ranking it above them on the strength of our own review alone would be the opposite of honest.

Is Writesonic an AI visibility tracker?

Yes, though content is its core. Writesonic is a content-first GEO writing tool that also tracks AI visibility across engines; its visibility suite is real but still maturing next to the purpose-built trackers, which is why we rank it last in the field (reviewmytools, 7 May 2026). Consider it if you want to draft and fix content for AI search and keep a visibility view in one tool; for measurement alone, a dedicated tracker fits better.