A practical guide for SEO specialists and marketing managers evaluating GEO/LLM visibility platforms
Prices verified December 2025. This market evolves quickly. Always check vendor websites for current pricing.
The Short Version
If you’re short on time, here’s what you need to know:
| Tool | Best For | Starting Price | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|
| Promptmonitor | Best value overall | $29/month | 8+ LLMs |
| Otterly.ai | Simple tracking | $29/month | 4 LLMs |
| LLMrefs | Budget/freemium | Free to $79/month | 6+ LLMs |
| Peec AI | European teams | €89/month | 5+ LLMs |
| Surfer AI Tracker | Content teams | $95/month add-on | 3+ LLMs |
| Semrush AI Toolkit | Existing Semrush users | $99/month add-on | 5 LLMs |
| Ahrefs Brand Radar | Existing Ahrefs users | Around $199/month per index | 4+ LLMs |
| Profound | Enterprise | $499/month | 10+ LLMs |
Quick picks:
- Need affordable tracking? Promptmonitor or Otterly.
- Already use Semrush or Ahrefs? Their AI add-ons.
- European company? Peec AI.
- Fortune 500 budget? Profound.
What These Tools Actually Do
Traditional SEO tools track your Google rankings. AI search optimization tools track something different: whether ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google’s AI Overviews mention your brand when users ask questions.
Here’s a concrete example. You search “best CRM for startups” in ChatGPT. A tracking tool shows you: your brand wasn’t mentioned, HubSpot appeared 3 times, Pipedrive once, Salesforce got a full paragraph. That’s the core output. Visibility data across AI platforms.
How tools collect data
Not all tools work the same way.
Live sampling tools send prompts to AI platforms in real time, similar to how a user would. They show what’s happening now, but results can vary between runs. Database tools analyze large collections of pre-recorded prompts and responses. Semrush claims 200M+ prompts in their database. Ahrefs organizes data by prompt indexes per platform. These offer historical depth but may lag behind real-time changes.
Most tools use some combination of both approaches. The method affects data freshness and consistency.
Tool categories
Tracking-only tools monitor where you appear across AI platforms. They diagnose the problem but don’t prescribe the fix. Most tools fall here.
Optimization tools go further. They analyze why you’re not being cited and suggest content changes. Fewer tools offer this, and recommendation quality varies.
All-in-one platforms combine tracking with content creation. Useful if you need both, but often weaker at each individual function.
All tools listed here include competitor tracking. You see which brands AI mentions alongside yours and identify gaps where rivals appear but you don’t.
Feature Comparison
Platform Coverage
| Platform | Otterly | Peec | Profound | Semrush | Ahrefs | Surfer | LLMrefs | Promptmonitor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Perplexity | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| AI Overviews | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Claude | Add-on | Add-on | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Gemini | Add-on | Add-on | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
Coverage details vary by vendor. ChatGPT tracking may include different modes depending on the tool.
Key Features
| Feature | Otterly | Peec | Profound | Semrush | Ahrefs | Surfer | LLMrefs | Promptmonitor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daily updates | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Sentiment analysis | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Optimization tips | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | Basic | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| AI crawler analytics | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Free trial | ✓ | 7 days | ✗ | Demo | Beta | ✗ | Freemium | 7 days |
| SOC 2 certified | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Tool-by-Tool Breakdown
1. Budget-Friendly (Under €100/month)
1.1. Otterly.ai
Tracks brand mentions and link citations across ChatGPT, Perplexity, AI Overviews, and Copilot. Clean interface with daily updates and straightforward reporting. European company.
Pricing: Starting at $29/month. Higher tiers available for more prompts. Gemini and AI Mode cost extra.
Best for: Small teams wanting simple, affordable tracking without complexity.
The catch: Tracking only. Shows where you appear but offers no guidance on improvement. Prompt-based pricing escalates quickly if you track many keywords.
1.2. LLMrefs
GEO-native platform with a proprietary “LLMrefs Score” that quantifies your visibility. Uses keyword-based tracking rather than prompt-based, which feels familiar to SEO teams.
Pricing: Free for 1 keyword. $79/month Pro for 50 keywords. Custom Enterprise pricing available.
Best for: Solo marketers and startups wanting low-risk entry into AI visibility tracking.
The catch: Smaller dataset than enterprise tools. Weekly refresh on lower tiers. Minimal guidance on how to actually improve visibility.
1.3. Promptmonitor
Tracks 8+ AI platforms directly from chat interfaces rather than APIs, showing exactly what users see. Unique features include AI crawler analytics and publisher contact discovery from cited sources.
Pricing: $29/month for 25 prompts. $39/month for 50 prompts plus crawler analytics. $129/month for 150 prompts and 5 projects. Unlimited team seats on all plans.
Best for: Agencies managing multiple clients. Budget-conscious teams wanting comprehensive coverage.
The catch: Newer platform with less brand recognition. Tracking-focused and doesn’t provide optimization recommendations.
2. Mid-Market (€100-300/month)
2.1. Peec AI
European-built platform based in Berlin. Tracks visibility across major AI platforms and distinguishes between “visibility” (brand mentions) and “sources” (your URLs being cited). This is a useful distinction most tools miss.
Pricing: €89/month for starter plan. €199/month for 100 prompts. €499+ for enterprise. Claude, Gemini, and DeepSeek are add-ons. Multi-language tracking included.
Best for: European companies needing multi-language tracking and GDPR-conscious operations.
The catch: Tracking-focused like most tools. Shows what’s happening but doesn’t explain why or how to fix gaps.
2.2. Semrush AI Visibility Toolkit
Add-on to Semrush’s SEO platform. Tracks AI mentions using their database of 200M+ prompts. Integrates visibility data with your existing SEO workflow.
Pricing: $99/month per domain as standalone. Bundled in Semrush One from $199/month to $549/month. Extra domains cost $99 each.
Best for: Teams already using Semrush who want AI visibility without adding another tool.
The catch: Standalone version limited to 25 prompts. Scaling costs add up. No Claude or DeepSeek coverage. Some users report generic recommendations.
2.3. Surfer AI Tracker
Add-on to Surfer’s content platform. Shows AI visibility predictions while you write, useful for optimizing content for both Google and AI simultaneously.
Pricing: $95/month add-on for 25 prompts. Included in the Scale plan at $175/month. Requires Surfer subscription.
Best for: Content teams already using Surfer who want integrated AI visibility in their writing workflow.
The catch: Limited platform coverage focusing on ChatGPT, AI Overviews, and Perplexity. Weekly updates only. Total cost runs $175-270/month with base subscription.
3. Enterprise (€300+/month)
3.1. Ahrefs Brand Radar
Research-oriented tool analyzing brand mentions using their prompt index database. Strong integration with Ahrefs’ web data, useful for connecting AI visibility to backlink profiles.
Pricing: Basic features free for Ahrefs subscribers. AI platform indexes cost around €179-199/month each, varying by region. Full coverage requires multiple indexes.
Best for: SEO teams already using Ahrefs who want AI visibility as a research and exploration tool.
The catch: Per-index pricing gets expensive quickly. Functions as research database rather than real-time tracker. Some users report accuracy concerns for certain platforms.
3.2. Profound
Enterprise-grade platform tracking 10+ AI engines with deep analytics, AI crawler monitoring, and content workflows. SOC 2 Type II certified. Clients include MongoDB, Indeed, and Ramp.
Pricing: $499/month minimum for Lite plan covering 4 LLMs and 1 region. Enterprise plans run into multi-thousand dollars.
Best for: Fortune 500 companies with dedicated budgets and compliance requirements.
The catch: No free trial available. No multi-account setup, which is problematic for agencies. The $499 minimum only covers 4 platforms. Full coverage requires enterprise pricing.
How to Choose: Decision Framework
1. By budget
1.1. Under €100/month:
- Promptmonitor at $29-39. Best value with most platforms.
- Otterly at $29. Simplest option.
- LLMrefs from free to $79. Freemium entry point.
1.2. €100-300/month:
- Peec AI at €89-199. Best European option.
- Semrush AI Toolkit at $99 add-on. For existing Semrush users.
- Surfer AI Tracker at $95-175. For content teams.
1.3. €300+/month:
- Ahrefs Brand Radar at around €179+ per index. For existing Ahrefs users.
- Profound at $499+. Enterprise only.
2. By use case
“I just want to know if we’re being mentioned” Otterly or Promptmonitor. Both start at $29/month. Get visibility data fast.
“I already use Semrush or Ahrefs” Their AI add-ons. Keeps data in one place, though costs add up.
“I’m an agency with multiple clients” Promptmonitor offers unlimited seats and multi-project support. Peec AI has agency tiers.
“I need enterprise security” Profound. It’s SOC 2 Type II certified among the GEO-specific tools listed here.
“I’m a European company” Peec AI is Berlin-based and GDPR-conscious. Promptmonitor offers regional tracking.
“I’m a content team” Surfer AI Tracker, but only if you already use Surfer.
What These Tools Can’t Do (And What They Can)
These tools diagnose. They show where you’re invisible. They don’t automatically fix the problem.
They track, not optimize. Most tools reveal gaps but don’t explain why you’re missing or how to improve. That requires strategy: entity optimization, content restructuring, authority building.
Results fluctuate. AI responses are non-deterministic. Same prompt, different answer tomorrow. Tools sample responses, but no platform captures every output. Methodology varies. Some tools run each prompt once while others average multiple runs. Ask vendors about sampling methodology if consistency matters to you.
No revenue attribution. These tools show mentions, not conversions. Connecting “ChatGPT cited us” to “customer signed up” requires separate analytics.
Coverage evolves. Most focus on ChatGPT, Perplexity, and AI Overviews. Newer platforms like DeepSeek, Grok, and Meta AI often require add-ons or aren’t covered yet.
But here’s what they do well. They make the invisible visible. Without tracking, you’re guessing. With it, you know exactly where you stand and where competitors are winning. That’s the foundation any improvement strategy needs.
Quick Verdict
Best overall value: Promptmonitor. $29/month for 8+ platforms, daily updates, and crawler analytics.
Best for enterprise: Profound. SOC 2 compliance, dedicated support, and deep analytics. Budget $500+ per month.
Best for existing SEO stacks: Semrush AI Toolkit or Ahrefs Brand Radar, whichever you already use.
Best for Europeans: Peec AI. Berlin-based, multi-language, and GDPR-aware.
Best for content teams: Surfer AI Tracker, but only if you’re already using Surfer.
Best freemium option: LLMrefs. Start free, upgrade when ready.
“Best value” means most platforms covered per euro spent at entry-level pricing.
Getting Started
Pick one tool. Set up 10-20 prompts covering your core keywords and brand name. Check weekly for the first month to establish a baseline.
That’s enough to understand your AI visibility landscape and decide whether deeper investment makes sense.
Last updated: December 2025. Prices and features change frequently in this market. Verify on vendor websites before purchasing.
