Profound alternatives in 2026: 9 AI visibility tools compared

My Profound alternatives picks are OtterlyAI for small teams and Peec AI for flat plans; keep Profound for enterprise security and broader coverage.^[1][2][3]

I run Searchmaxxed, which provides managed search work, so I've kept it outside the nine-tool list. These are my selections, based on published features and plan limits.

Which Profound alternatives should you compare?

I'd compare OtterlyAI for a small team and Peec AI for shared daily tracking, then choose the other Profound alternatives by their specific job.^[1][2] Rankscale and AthenaHQ offer credits; ZipTie lets you configure prompts, engines and frequency.^[6][7][8]

Price and coverage sources: vendor pages, 28 September 2026. Dollar amounts without a currency label keep the vendor's $; they aren't AUD conversions. GST not stated.^{[9][1][13][5][15][7][16]}

Ahrefs' custom-prompt package differs from its AI index add-on and its core SEO subscription.^[13][17] ZipTie's starting figure describes an editable configuration, not a fixed allowance shared by every customer.^[8]

How did I compare tools like Profound?

I compared tools like Profound on six fields: function, engines, starting price, trial, plan restrictions and who I'd choose each for. I used the vendors' published pages, not hands-on account tests.

Read the allowance beside the price. A prompt means a question you track. A check means one update under the vendor's rules. A credit pays for an answer or action, depending on the product.^{[11][13][6][7]}

API access lets other software pull the tracking data; MCP lets AI assistants query it.^[18]

For example, Ahrefs spends checks by platform and location, while AthenaHQ defines one credit as one AI response.^[13][7] Those units need separate budgets.

What does Profound pricing include, and when should you stay?

Keep Profound if your team needs ongoing daily tracking, enterprise access controls and its broader answer-engine coverage.^[3][19] Its Enterprise plan advertises SSO/SAML and SOC 2 compliance, plus dedicated support and up to nine engines.^[3] SSO connects company logins; SOC 2 concerns security controls.^[20]

• What it does: Answer Engine Insights tracks brand presence, citations, sentiment and competitive position.^[19] Profound also offers Agents for content work.^[21]
• Engines tracked: Trial covers ChatGPT, Gemini and Google AI Overviews.^[3] Enterprise advertises up to nine answer engines.^[3]
• Starting price: Trial is free; Enterprise uses custom pricing.^[3] It lists no price for a smaller paid plan.^[3]
• Free trial: Fifty prompts run daily for seven days.^[3]
• What it cannot do: Trial users can't customise their recommended prompt set.^[19] Trial also has no history, exports or API.^[22]
• Best for: I'd keep Profound on an enterprise shortlist where access controls and ongoing coverage matter more than a small self-serve plan.^[3]

1. OtterlyAI: best for a small team's first tracker

OtterlyAI is my starting pick for a small team's daily tracking. Lite includes 15 prompts across four engines and unlimited team members.^[1] You can test a focused question set before choosing a larger plan.

• What it does: It reports brand visibility, domain rankings and link citations, with prompt research and a generative engine optimisation audit.^[23] That audit examines readiness for AI answers.
• Engines tracked: ChatGPT, AI Overviews, Perplexity and Microsoft Copilot come with the plan.^[1] Claude, AI Mode and Gemini cost extra.^[1]
• Starting price: Lite displays $29/month on monthly billing.^[1]
• Free trial: Yes, for new users.^[24] The pricing FAQ doesn't state its length.^[24]
• What it cannot do: Lite's included allowance stops at 15 prompts.^[1] API access and MCP access appear on Standard, which displays $189/month.^[1]
• Best for: I'd choose it for one team's initial tracking questions, provided the four included engines cover the job.^[1]

2. Rankscale: best for a credit-based starting plan

Rankscale suits a team that wants to control engine choice and tracking frequency through a credit budget. Its Pro page names ten engines.^[10] Its calculator assigns different credit costs to different engines.^[6]

• What it does: It tracks AI answers through brand dashboards and includes page audits on Pro.^[10]
• Engines tracked: Pro names ChatGPT, Perplexity, AI Mode, AI Overviews, Gemini, DeepSeek, Mistral, Claude, Grok and Copilot.^[10]
• Starting price: Essentials starts at $20/month.^[9] Pro displays $99 with 1,200 credits each month.^[10]
• Free trial: Pro offers seven days, with no charge until day seven.^[10]
• What it cannot do: Unlimited search-term creation doesn't buy unlimited executions.^[10] The calculator assigns ChatGPT 0.25 credits and Claude two credits per run.^[6]
• Best for: I'd choose it when you can budget usage by engine and frequency. Check the actual Essentials allowance before treating Pro's engine list as entry-plan coverage.

3. ZipTie: best for choosing prompts, engines and cadence

ZipTie is my pick for configuring the tracking job around your own question set. You select engines, prompt slots and frequency.^[8] Its AI Overviews checks also include Google's top-ten organic results.^[8]

• What it does: It tracks prompts, responses, mentions, citations, sentiment and competitor metrics.^[11]
• Engines tracked: Choose ChatGPT, AI Overviews, Perplexity, AI Mode, Copilot, Bing AI Overview or Gemini.^[8]
• Starting price: The Starter preset starts at USD 42.75/month; its configuration stays editable.^[8][11]
• Free trial: Seven days with 25 daily prompts across ChatGPT, AI Overviews and Perplexity, without a card.^[8]
• What it cannot do: Trial workspaces have no API or MCP access.^[25] A prompt already checked holds its slot until the refresh window resets.^[25]
• Best for: I'd choose it for controlled tracking across selected engines, especially when organic results should sit beside Google's AI answers.^[8]

4. Peec AI: best for flat plans and shared access

Peec AI suits teams that want daily tracking and unlimited users on a defined base plan.^[2] Starter includes 50 prompts and three models.^[2] Extra model add-ons make that included count different from a hard ceiling.^[12]

• What it does: It provides AI search visibility analytics for brands.^[2]
• Engines tracked: Starter, Pro and Advanced each include three selected models.^[2] Peec sells extra models and advertises up to 13 on Enterprise.^[12][2]
• Starting price: Starter costs EUR 85/month, billed monthly, for one project.^[2]
• Free trial: Peec offers a free trial.^[26] Its pricing page doesn't specify the duration.^[26]
• What it cannot do: The base Starter fee doesn't include unlimited models or projects.^[2] The Enterprise offer names API access and SSO.^[2]
• Best for: I'd choose it when shared access and a predictable base plan matter. Budget extra models separately and confirm the integrations in your chosen tier.

5. Ahrefs Brand Radar: best for an existing Ahrefs workflow

I'd test Ahrefs Brand Radar's included custom-prompt allowance first if your team already uses Ahrefs. Lite and higher plans include that allowance.^[4] Buying the wider AI index answers a different research question.^[13]

• What it does: Custom Prompts follows selected questions; Brand Radar AI adds research across a large prompt index.^[13]
• Engines tracked: The index covers AI Overviews, AI Mode, ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Copilot.^[4] Custom Prompts also supports Claude.^[4]
• Starting price: The Basic custom-prompt package costs $50/month for 2,500 extra checks.^[13] Lite costs $129/month; the AI index starts at $199/month.^[17][13]
• Free trial: Ahrefs offers a free visibility preview.^[27] That establishes a preview, not a paid-plan trial.
• What it cannot do: Ahrefs re-tests the index's question sets monthly.^[4] Claude consumes eight checks per custom-prompt update.^[28]
• Best for: I'd choose it for an Ahrefs team that separates selected-prompt monitoring from wider market research.

6. Semrush: best for SEO and AI tracking in one subscription

For an existing SEO workflow, I'd compare Semrush before adding a separate tracker. Its SEO plan includes custom-prompt monitoring beside rankings and site audits.^[5] Starter makes the AI allowance clearer with 50 prompts tracked daily.^[5]

• What it does: Semrush combines SEO tools with AI visibility reporting, sentiment monitoring and custom prompts.^[5]
• Engines tracked: Starter's icons name Google Search, ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini, plus “more”.^[5] Ask for the full engine list before buying.
• Starting price: SEO displays $139.95/month on monthly billing.^[14] Starter, combining SEO and AI Search, displays $199/month.^[5]
• Free trial: Its AI visibility feature page offers seven days free.^[29]
• What it cannot do: Starter's AI brand-performance allowance covers one domain and 50 daily prompts.^[5] Confirm the engine split before treating Google's icon as both AI surfaces.
• Best for: I'd choose it when one team's SEO and AI monitoring should share a subscription, subject to the plan's domain and engine limits.

7. Scrunch: best for site audits beside AI monitoring

Scrunch earns a place on my shortlist when site audits need to sit beside answer tracking. Core includes 125 prompts and five site audits a month.^[15] The audit allowance gives you a concrete reason to compare it beyond the engine count.

• What it does: It combines citation monitoring, sentiment, recommendations, bot-traffic analysis and site audits.^[15] Bot traffic means visits from automated agents.
• Engines tracked: Core covers ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews and Copilot.^[15] Enterprise expands to nine engines.^[15]
• Starting price: Core displays $250/month.^[15] The Enterprise offer gives no published fee.^[15]
• Free trial: Core offers seven days.^[15]
• What it cannot do: Core covers one country, one language and one persona, meaning a sample audience profile.^[15] The tier table reserves Query API and Looker Studio access for Enterprise.^[15]
• Best for: I'd choose it for a team investigating page access and content problems while tracking AI answers, within those market limits.

8. AthenaHQ: best for response credits across many models

AthenaHQ suits a team that wants to budget by AI response across a broad model list.^[7] Starter advertises 11 models and 3,600 credits.^[7] The free Essential tier offers a smaller starting allowance.^[7]

• What it does: It provides prompt and response analysis, source and competitor insights, content recommendations and an AI agent.^[7]
• Engines tracked: Essential names ChatGPT, Perplexity, AI Overviews, Gemini and Copilot.^[7] Starter adds AI Mode, Claude, Grok, DeepSeek, Meta AI and Mistral.^[7]
• Starting price: Essential is free with 300 credits; Starter displays $295/month.^[7] One credit means one AI response.^[7]
• Free trial: Essential supplies a free entry tier.^[7] The pricing page doesn't specify a separate paid-plan trial.^[7]
• What it cannot do: Starter's subscription excludes API access and extra credits, which cost more.^[7] Their add-on prices require a quote.^[7]
• Best for: I'd choose it for a team that can budget response volume across the models it needs.

9. Goodie: best for tracking with strategist support

Goodie is my pick when strategist support should come with the software. Core includes AEO strategist support, five seats and 120 prompts.^[16] AEO means work to help a brand appear in AI answers.

• What it does: Goodie monitors citations, ranking position and sentiment daily, and offers content creation and optimisation actions.^[30]
• Engines tracked: Core includes ChatGPT, AI Overviews, Perplexity, AI Mode and Copilot.^[31] Enterprise advertises up to 13 models.^[16]
• Starting price: Brand Core displays $399/month.^[16] Agency Growth displays $275/month, billed quarterly or annually.^[16]
• Free trial: Core offers seven days.^[16]
• What it cannot do: Agency Growth's ten monthly pitch workspaces don't cover ongoing client subscriptions.^[30] Full client workspaces bill separately on brand plans starting at $399/month.^[30]
• Best for: I'd choose it for a brand wanting software plus guidance, or an agency that budgets prospect pitches separately from ongoing client work.

How should you choose a Profound alternative?

I'd choose a Profound alternative through four checks: the actual plan, its allowance, a repeatable trial and the person doing the work. Have your required engines and business questions ready before comparing prices.

Check the plan you'll buy

Write down the engines you need, then check that plan's inclusions. OtterlyAI sells Claude, Gemini and AI Mode as extras.^[1] Scrunch's four-engine Core differs from its nine-engine Enterprise offer.^[15]

If you serve Australia, ask the vendor to demonstrate your target location and language. Treat the configured sample as your test scope.

Budget the unit that runs out

Ahrefs states that one prompt on one platform in one location uses one check.^[13] Its example assigns 150 monthly checks to five daily prompts on one platform.^[28]

Adding platforms or locations means budgeting more checks.^[13] Claude needs a separate allowance because each update uses eight checks.^[28] Ask for a quote based on your complete prompt set.

ZipTie takes another approach: a daily prompt slot reruns without a new per-check charge.^[25] AthenaHQ defines its credit as one response.^[7] Ask each vendor to price your exact configuration.

Run a trial you can repeat

Keep your prompts, competitors, location and engines fixed while testing. Save the underlying answers and cited URLs when the plan allows it.

Profound's Trial prevents prompt editing and has no exports.^[19][22] ZipTie's trial excludes its API.^[25] A trial can therefore test the dashboard without testing your planned reporting setup.

Choose who acts on the findings

Give each proposed change an owner. Check whether your team can write the page, fix access and review the outside sources.

Profound Agents and Goodie both advertise content actions.^[21][30] Ask who reviews the output and deploys the changes you require. Our explanation of AI SEO connects those decisions to the website work.

What can AI visibility tools measure?

AI visibility tools measure the answers they sample from selected prompts and engines; Profound describes daily runs of its tracked prompts.^[19][21] Use those observations to compare your brand's presence under a defined test.

Profound says it collects answers from the consumer browser experience.^[21] Ahrefs distinguishes a monthly research index from custom prompts with selectable update frequency.^[4] Different inputs and schedules give you different things to interpret.

Google says AI Overviews and AI Mode can use different models and techniques, so their responses and links vary.^[32] I would compare trends under stable settings before acting on one answer.

For Google's AI features, a supporting page must be indexed and eligible for a search snippet.^[32] Google says existing SEO fundamentals still apply, with no additional technical requirements.^[32]

A missing mention gives me a reason to inspect page access, content and sources. It doesn't tell me which change caused the absence.

Where does Searchmaxxed fit?

Searchmaxxed fits when you want a team to build and check the changes after tracking. We use the Managed Search Loop to choose the next job from your search data and plan.

We do agentic SEO: AI agents help us research and improve your site. They connect to your whole Search Console and GA4. Every week they check competitor sites, Google results and what AI answers say about your business.

Our Managed Search Loop compares that evidence with your plan. Suppose the tracked answers name competitors and your site lacks a page answering the same question. We'd check the gap, build the page and measure what happens next.

We build new pages and fixes on your Agentic Website, which you own. It lives on GitHub and Vercel. We also add schema, meaning machine-readable page facts, and links between related pages.

Our Off-Page Source Layer covers links, reviews, business citations, press and mentions on other sites. A person approves every public change. After release, the agents measure the result and we choose the next job.

Before Searchmaxxed, I built Radiant Roof Repairs from zero to more than A$1 million a year in revenue. SEO was the only marketing channel. I did that work by hand; it gives the method its operating history.

Choose the package by the work you want us to run:

• Growth System: page releases, technical fixes, schema, internal links, landing-page improvements, source basics and AI visibility tracking.
• Agentic Search Engineering: more page releases, comparison and industry pages, digital PR, link campaigns and tracking across ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and AI Overviews.
• Local Search: local pages, Google Business Profile work, reviews, local links, business citations and local AI tracking.
• Custom & Enterprise: agreed scope for multiple markets, engineering, reporting and first-party research.

For the starting site work, Agentic Website Full Build includes research, sitemap, design, pages and measurement. Agentic Migration keeps a design worth retaining and moves the site into an owned setup. AI SEO Audit supplies the diagnosis, ranked fixes and plan.

Compare the package inclusions, then choose the scope around your site and team. Let's talk pricing.

Frequently asked questions