Profound Alternatives in 2026: 9 AI Visibility Tools Compared, and When Profound Still Wins

The best Profound alternative depends on who's buying. Stay with Profound if you're an enterprise that needs SSO, SOC 2 and up to nine answer engines.^[1] Switch if you want a smaller paid plan without an enterprise contract. For small budgets, Rankscale starts at USD 20 per month and OtterlyAI at USD 29 per month.^[2][3] Peec AI suits flat plans with unlimited users.^[4] Semrush and Ahrefs Brand Radar suit teams already inside those suites. I'm Brenden House, and I run Searchmaxxed, a managed search service, so it stays off this list. These picks are my own selection.

Which Profound alternatives made my list?

Nine Profound alternatives made the list, with Profound as the benchmark row. Every price comes from the vendor's own pricing page on 28 September 2026, in the currency and billing unit the vendor published.

How did I compare them?

I compared every tool on the same six points: what it does, engines tracked, starting price, free trial, limits and the buyer it suits. The facts come from each vendor's own pricing and feature pages, captured on 28 September 2026. I didn't run hands-on account tests or use G2 and Capterra ratings.

A few terms recur. A prompt is a question the tool puts to an AI engine, such as ChatGPT or Google AI Overviews. Credits are prepaid units a tool spends on each answer. Share of voice is your share of brand mentions against competitors. An API feeds the data into your own software, and MCP connects it to AI assistants.

The numbering follows each tool's lowest paid plan for brands, with Peec's euro price placed by face value. The order reflects entry cost only.

What does Profound offer, and when is it still the right choice?

Profound is still the right choice for enterprise teams that need up to nine answer engines, SSO and SOC 2 in one contract.^[1] SSO lets staff sign in with the company login, and SOC 2 is an independent audit of security controls.

• What it does: Answer Engine Insights tracks visibility scores, share of voice, sentiment, citation sources and competitor rankings.^[6] Agents, Agent Analytics, Prompt Volumes and FactCheck sit beside it.^[1][6]
• Engines tracked: The Trial covers ChatGPT, Gemini and Google AI Overviews.^[1] Enterprise adds Perplexity, AI Mode, Copilot, DeepSeek, Claude and Exa Search, up to nine engines.^[1]
• Starting price: The Trial is free and Enterprise is custom.^[1] A self-serve Agency Growth plan gets 400 credits per client workspace a month, but its price is not published on the pricing page we captured.^[1]
• Free trial: Yes. The Trial runs 50 prompts daily for 7 days.^[1]
• What it cannot do: Trial users get a recommended prompt set they can't edit.^[1] The Trial also has no history, exports or API, and covers one language and one region.^[1]
• Best for: Enterprise marketing teams that need security controls, 30+ languages and 150+ regions.^[6] Profound says a third of the Fortune 100 trust its enterprise capabilities.^[8]

1. Rankscale: best for a low entry price across many engines

Rankscale suits buyers who want the lowest paid entry on this list and a long engine list. It bills in credits, so cost follows how many prompts you run, on which engines and how often.^[2]

• What it does: It tracks brand visibility in AI answers. It also analyses shopping results and sponsored ads in ChatGPT, AI Mode and Copilot.^[2]
• Engines tracked: The Pro plan lists ChatGPT, Perplexity, AI Mode, AI Overviews, Gemini, DeepSeek, Mistral, Claude, Grok and Copilot.^[2]
• Starting price: Essentials starts at USD 20 per month, and Pro at USD 99 per month with 1,200 credits.^[2] Growth and Enterprise start at USD 385 and USD 780 per month.^[2]
• Free trial: Pro has a 7-day free trial, with no charge until day 7.^[2]
• What it cannot do: Credit use rises with engines and cadence: 50 prompts run weekly use 162.5 credits a month in Rankscale's example.^[2] Its calculator prices a Claude run at 2 credits and a ChatGPT run at 0.25.^[2]
• Best for: Budget-minded teams that want Claude, Grok and DeepSeek in view without an enterprise contract.^[2]

2. OtterlyAI: best for solo marketers and small teams

OtterlyAI's Lite plan buys 15 prompts tracked daily for USD 29 per month, with unlimited team members.^[3] OtterlyAI says Gartner recognised it as a 2025 Cool Vendor for AI in Marketing.^[9]

• What it does: It reports a Brand Visibility Index, domain rankings and link citations, with prompt research and a GEO audit.^[3] GEO, or generative engine optimisation, is work to get a brand into AI answers.
• Engines tracked: ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Perplexity and MS Copilot come with every plan. Claude, AI Mode and Gemini cost extra.^[3]
• Starting price: Lite costs USD 29 per month billed monthly, or USD 25 per month billed annually, for 15 prompts.^[3]
• Free trial: Yes. OtterlyAI offers a free trial to new users.^[3]
• What it cannot do: Fifteen prompts cover a narrow slice of a market. API and MCP access start on Standard at USD 189 per month.^[3]
• Best for: Solo marketers and small teams testing AI visibility before a bigger commitment.^[3]

3. ZipTie: best for paying only for what you track

ZipTie prices by configuration. You pick engines, prompt volume and cadence, then pay for that mix.^[7] Its AI Overviews checks also capture Google's top-10 organic results, so classic and AI results sit side by side.^[7]

• What it does: It tracks prompts, responses, mentions, citations, sentiment and competitor metrics.^[7]
• Engines tracked: ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Perplexity, Google AI Mode, Microsoft Copilot, Bing AI Overview and Gemini.^[7]
• Starting price: The Starter preset starts from USD 42.75 per month. Professional starts from USD 659.59 and Enterprise from USD 3,137.09, and every preset stays editable.^[7]
• Free trial: Seven days with 25 daily prompts on ChatGPT, AI Overviews and Perplexity, and no card needed.^[7]
• What it cannot do: API and MCP access cost an extra USD 10 per month and stay off during the trial.^[7] ZipTie doesn't issue refunds, so test on the trial first.^[7]
• Best for: Teams that want usage-based billing and organic results beside AI answers.^[7]

4. Peec AI: best for flat plans with unlimited users

Peec AI suits SEO and content teams who want flat tiers, unlimited users and daily tracking.^[4] It runs each prompt once every 24 hours on every model you select.^[10]

• What it does: It tracks brand mention frequency, citation sources and sentiment. An Earned Media module shows which outside sources shape ChatGPT's answers.^[11]
• Engines tracked: Self-serve plans choose 3 models from ChatGPT, AI Mode, AI Overviews, Copilot, Gemini and Naver AI.^[4] Enterprise tracks up to 13.^[4]
• Starting price: Starter costs EUR 85 per month, billed monthly, for 50 prompts and one project.^[4] Agency plans start at $245 per month for 10,000 credits, and the agency page we captured doesn't name the currency.^[12]
• Free trial: Yes, though the page I captured doesn't state its length.^[4]
• What it cannot do: Self-serve plans stop at three models, and API access and SSO sit on Enterprise.^[4]
• Best for: Teams wanting predictable monthly costs, unlimited seats and 15% off for annual billing.^[4] Advanced adds Looker Studio, Google's free reporting tool.^[4]

5. Ahrefs Brand Radar: best for Ahrefs users who want a big prompt index

Brand Radar suits teams already paying for Ahrefs. Lite and higher Ahrefs plans include some tracked AI prompts.^[13] The Brand Radar AI add-on opens a research index of 449M+ prompts.^[14]

• What it does: It covers brand mentions, AI citations, competitor benchmarks and share of voice, with API access.^[13] Ahrefs models every index prompt from real searches in its keyword database.^[15]
• Engines tracked: AI Overviews, AI Mode, ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Copilot.^[15] Claude works for custom prompts at 8 checks per update.^[13]
• Starting price: Lite costs USD 129 per month with 5 tracked AI prompts.^[14] The Brand Radar AI add-on starts from USD 199 per month.^[14]
• Free trial: Ahrefs offers a free AI visibility preview.^[15] Trial terms for paid plans aren't on the pages I captured.
• What it cannot do: Ahrefs re-tests index question sets monthly on a 90-day window, so the index gives a monthly picture.^[15] Custom prompts supply the daily view.^[13]
• Best for: SEO teams that want AI visibility next to backlinks and keywords in one login.

6. Semrush: best for teams already running SEO in Semrush

Semrush folds AI visibility into its SEO plans, so AI tracking sits beside rankings and site audits.^[16] Even the base SEO plan includes custom prompt monitoring.^[16]

• What it does: It offers a visibility overview, brand sentiment, competitor research, daily prompt tracking and prompt research.^[17]
• Engines tracked: The pricing page icons show Google Search, ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini, "& more".^[16]
• Starting price: SEO costs USD 139 per month billed monthly, or USD 117.33 per month billed annually.^[16] Starter (SEO + AI Search) costs USD 199 per month with 50 prompts tracked daily.^[16]
• Free trial: Yes, 7 days of free toolkit access, plus a free plan for trying the platform.^[17][16]
• What it cannot do: Starter covers AI brand performance for one domain.^[16] API data integration arrives on Advanced at USD 549 per month.^[16]
• Best for: Freelancers through to agencies who want one subscription for SEO and AI search.^[16]

7. Scrunch: best for site audits beside AI tracking

Scrunch pairs AI visibility monitoring with site audits, and its Agent Experience Platform for AI agents sits on Enterprise.^[18] Scrunch says over 500 companies trust it and that it holds SOC 2 Type II.^[19]

• What it does: It covers monitoring, sentiment, recommendations, bot traffic and site audits.^[18] It shows which domains and URLs your tracked answers cite most.^[20]
• Engines tracked: Core covers ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AIO and Copilot.^[18] Enterprise adds Claude, Gemini, Meta AI, AI Mode and Grok.^[18]
• Starting price: Core costs USD 250 per month for 125 prompts and 5 site audits.^[18] Enterprise pricing isn't published.^[18]
• Free trial: Yes, 7 days on Core.^[18]
• What it cannot do: Core tracks one country and one persona, without Looker Studio or API access.^[18]
• Best for: Teams that want technical site checks and AI tracking from one vendor.^[18]

8. AthenaHQ: best for credit-based buying across many engines

AthenaHQ bills in credits, and one credit equals one AI response.^[21] A free Essential plan sits below the USD 295 Starter, so you can test it before paying.^[21]

• What it does: It offers prompt and response analysis, source and competitor insights, content recommendations and an AI agent.^[21]
• Engines tracked: Essential covers ChatGPT, Perplexity, AI Overviews, Gemini and Copilot.^[21] Starter lists 11 models, adding AI Mode, Claude, Grok, DeepSeek, Meta AI and Mistral.^[21]
• Starting price: Essential is free, with a USD 25 credit and 300 credits.^[21] Starter costs USD 295 per month for 3,600 credits.^[21]
• Free trial: Trial terms are not published on the pricing page we captured. The free Essential plan lets you test it first.^[21]
• What it cannot do: API access and extra credits are paid add-ons on Starter, priced on request.^[21] Starter supports a single region.^[21]
• Best for: Self-guided small and midsize businesses.^[21]

9. Goodie: best for tracking plus AEO strategist support

Goodie sells a full-stack AEO platform with monitoring, optimisation actions, an AEO writer and commerce tracking.^[22] AEO, or answer engine optimisation, is work to get a brand named in AI answers. Every brand plan I captured includes AEO strategist support.^[22]

• What it does: It combines prompt research, visibility monitoring and optimisation actions with an AEO writer and revenue attribution.^[22]
• Engines tracked: Core tracks 5 core models, including ChatGPT, Perplexity, AI Mode and Copilot.^[22] Enterprise tracks up to 13.^[22]
• Starting price: Core costs USD 399 per month for 120 prompts.^[22] The agency Growth plan costs USD 275 per month, billed quarterly or annually, for 10 pitch workspaces.^[22]
• Free trial: Yes, 7 days on Core.^[22]
• What it cannot do: Each agency client workspace bills on a brand plan from USD 399 per month.^[22] On agency Growth, each client workspace tracks three core models.^[22]
• Best for: Brands that want tracking and hands-on AEO guidance from one vendor.^[22]

What can these tools measure, and what can't they?

These tools count how often your brand, pages and competitors appear when a fixed set of prompts runs on chosen engines. They can't see every buyer's answer or tell you why an answer changed.

Sampling

Profound puts it plainly: "AI platforms don't return the same answer twice."^[6] Profound, Peec AI and Goodie run tracked prompts daily.^[6][10][22] Rankscale's credit example assumes weekly runs, and Ahrefs re-tests its index monthly.^[2][15]

Google adds its own variation. AI Overviews and AI Mode may use different models, so their responses and links vary.^[23] AI Overviews also often don't trigger at all.^[23] A visibility score is an average of samples, so I trust a month of trend inside one tool over any single day.

Settings

Each run happens under settings the tool controls. Profound's Trial covers one language and one region, and Scrunch Core covers one country and one persona.^[1][18] A persona is a sample buyer profile the tool uses for its questions. It can't log in as your real buyer, so treat results as a controlled sample.

Prompt choice

The score depends on the prompts. Profound's Trial hands you a recommended set you can't edit, while Enterprise users can edit and add prompts.^[1] Ahrefs models its index prompts from real searches in its keyword database.^[15]

Easy prompts flatter a brand, and hard prompts bury it. I keep one fixed prompt set for trends and test new prompts as a separate set.

Access and cause

A tracker can show you're missing from an answer. It can't show whether the cause is a blocked crawler, a missing page or weak outside sources. OpenAI says sites that opt out of OAI-SearchBot, its search crawler, won't appear in ChatGPT search answers.^[24] Google says a page must be indexed and eligible for a snippet to appear as a supporting link in AI features.^[23] Google also counts AI feature traffic inside the Web search type in Search Console, so there's no separate AI line.^[23] I explain the retrieval side in how to get cited by ChatGPT.

How should you choose a Profound alternative?

Choose by the job first and the budget second.

• Engines on the entry plan. Check which engines the plan you'll buy includes. OtterlyAI charges extra for Claude, AI Mode and Gemini, and Peec AI's self-serve plans stop at three models.^[3][4]
• Prompt count. Entry plans range from 15 prompts on OtterlyAI Lite to 125 on Scrunch Core.^[3][18]
• Billing model. Peec AI, OtterlyAI, Scrunch and Goodie use flat tiers. Rankscale and AthenaHQ use credits, and ZipTie charges by configuration.^[2][21][7]
• Regions and languages. Several entry plans cover one country or region. Buy multi-market coverage if your buyers sit in more than one.^[18][21]
• Exports and API. Check which tier opens API access. OtterlyAI starts it on Standard, while Peec AI and Scrunch keep it on Enterprise.^[3][4][18]
• Security. If procurement needs SSO or SOC 2, start with Profound Enterprise, Scrunch or Goodie Enterprise.^[1][19][22]
• Who acts. A dashboard nobody acts on changes nothing. Plan who writes the pages and fixes access, then who earns the outside mentions. My guide to what AI SEO is covers that work.

When does a managed service fit instead of a tool?

A managed service fits when you want someone to change the answers as well as track them.

At Searchmaxxed we do agentic SEO. We build AI agents that plug into your whole Search Console and GA4. Every week the agents scrape your competitors' sites, read the Google results and check what AI answers say about you. That data feeds our Managed Search Loop, which checks it against your plan and picks the next best job.

We build the on-page work on your Agentic Website, which lives on GitHub and Vercel and which you own. That means new pages, fixes, schema and internal links. Our Off-Page Source Layer builds the outside record: links, reviews, citations, press and mentions on other sites. A person checks every change before it goes live. Then the agents measure what it did, and the loop picks the next job.

Before Searchmaxxed, I built Radiant Roof Repairs from zero to more than A$1 million a year in revenue, with SEO as the only marketing channel. I ran those steps by hand, and our agents now run them every week. By my own count, our work has generated more than A$10 million in revenue through search for our clients. We're a Queensland team. We work with companies across Australia and take on companies beyond it.

Our Growth System includes AI visibility tracking. Agentic Search Engineering adds AI answer tracking across ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and AI Overviews. See the scope on our AI search optimization, GEO and AEO pages, and compare packages on pricing. Let's talk pricing.

Frequently asked questions

How much does Profound cost?

On 28 September 2026, Profound's pricing page showed a free 7-day Trial and custom Enterprise pricing.^[1] Its FAQ mentions a self-serve Agency Growth plan, but its price is not published on the pricing page we captured.^[1]

Does Profound have a free trial?

Yes. The Trial runs 50 prompts daily for 7 days across ChatGPT, Gemini and Google AI Overviews.^[1] It comes with a recommended prompt set that you can't customise.^[1]

What is the cheapest Profound alternative?

Rankscale has the lowest paid entry here at USD 20 per month.^[2] OtterlyAI's Lite plan costs USD 29 per month for a fixed 15 prompts.^[3] AthenaHQ also has a free Essential plan with 300 credits.^[21]

Which Profound alternatives track Claude?

Rankscale lists Claude on Pro, and AthenaHQ includes it on Starter.^[2][21] OtterlyAI sells Claude as an add-on, and Ahrefs tracks it for custom prompts.^[3][13] Scrunch, Goodie and Peec AI include Claude at Enterprise level.^[18][22][4]

Are there tools like Profound for agencies?

Yes. Goodie's agency Growth plan costs USD 275 per month, billed quarterly or annually, for 10 pitch workspaces.^[22] Peec AI's agency plans start at $245 per month for 10,000 credits, with no currency named.^[12]

Do these tools read the real chat screen or the API?

It varies by vendor. Profound says it captures from the consumer browser.^[6] Peec AI labels some Enterprise models as API.^[4] The other pages I captured didn't state their method, so ask before you compare scores.

Can Search Console show my AI Overviews traffic on its own?

No. Google counts AI Overviews and AI Mode traffic inside the Web search type in the Performance report.^[23] That's why our agents plug into your whole Search Console and GA4, then check AI answers directly every week.

Can an AI visibility tool improve my visibility?

A tool measures, and the improvement comes from the work. Google says the usual SEO fundamentals still apply to its AI features, with no extra technical requirements.^[23] In our Managed Search Loop, the tracking data picks the next page, fix or source to build.

Should I buy a tool or hire someone to run AI search?

Buy a tool if your team has time to write pages, fix access and earn outside mentions. Hire a service if nobody owns that work. At Searchmaxxed, our Agentic Website and Off-Page Source Layer carry that work, and a person checks every change.

Is Profound worth it for a small business?

Profound's captured pricing offered a free Trial and custom Enterprise pricing, with no smaller paid plan on the page.^[1] Small teams wanting a self-serve paid plan can compare OtterlyAI, Rankscale, ZipTie or Peec AI first.^[3][2][7][4]