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10 Best Profound Alternatives in 2026 (Compared for SEO and SaaS Agencies)

Table of Contents

Profound alternatives get over 500 searches a month in Google. If you are hunting for one, you are not alone.

No doubt, Profound is one of the best tools to track visibility in AI answers. But the plans cost more than most SEO budgets. The data shows where you stand, not what to fix. And a few AI engines cost extra on top.

We looked for a Profound alternative for our own SaaS backlink agency, SaaSBacklinks.co. This list is what we found. Let’s get started.

In this listicle, we’re breaking down the 10 best Profound alternatives for SEO agencies, SaaS marketers, and in-house teams. You’ll get honest takes on pricing, features, real G2/Capterra feedback, and where each tool actually fits.

Let’s get into it.

Quick Comparison: Best Profound Alternatives In 2026

ToolBest ForStarting PriceFree TrialG2 Rating
Peec AIClean GEO-native tracking for client work$80/mo (annual)7-day, no card4.9 (limited reviews)
SE RankingSEO + AI visibility in one platform$95.20/mo (annual)14-day4.7 (2,396 reviews)
RankabilityAgency workflow and client reporting$99/moDemo available5.0 (30 reviews)
ZipTie.devSmall client rosters, tight budgets$69/mo14-day, 75 searchesNo G2 reviews yet
Otterly AISimple AEO baseline for small teams$29/moYes (confirm length)5.0 (limited reviews)
Scrunch AIHallucination detection on AI mentions$250/mo7-day, no card4.6 (50+ reviews)
SurferExisting Surfer customers$99/mo, or $158 standaloneFree plan4.8 (537 reviews)
Ahrefs Brand RadarExisting Ahrefs customersFree on any Ahrefs plan; $199 standaloneNone4.5 (Ahrefs reviews)
SemrushEnterprise-adjacent SaaS clients$139/moFree tier4.5 (3,300+ reviews)
AthenaHQClients with dedicated analystsFree, then $295/moFree plan4.9 (32 reviews)

How We Picked These Profound Alternatives

We were not writing a list at first. We were picking a tool for our own agency. These are the things that mattered.

  • AI engine coverage: A tool that tracks half the engines gives you half the picture. We looked for ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, Gemini, and the newer ones.
  • Does it tell you what to fix: This is where most tools stop. Seeing your score is easy. Knowing the next move is not. We gave credit to tools that point at the page, the source, or the gap.
  • Depth of the data: We looked beyond simple mention counts. Citations, source links, competitors, and changes over time mattered to us
  • Team and workflow fit: Your needs change depending on how you work. We checked things like multi-client support, team seats, permissions, and how easy each tool is to use day to day.
  • Pricing you can predict: We looked at the full cost, not just the starting price. Credits, user limits, and extra charges can add up.

10 Best Profound AI Alternatives In 2026

1. Peec AI

Best For: SEO agencies who want a clean GEO-native tracker built for client-facing work

Starting Price: $80/month (annual), 7-day free trial, no credit card

Peec AI is one of the simplest AI visibility trackers we’ve looked at. It shows how your brand appears across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, Gemini, Copilot, and AI Mode.

The platform focuses on three key metrics: Visibility, Position, and Sentiment. You can view all of them in one dashboard, which makes reports easy to understand.

What We Like Most

It’s very easy to get started. You add your brand and domain, and Peec suggests prompts based on how people actually search. You can filter data by country, AI model, and prompt tags to see how visibility changes across markets.

Another good part is unlimited user seats on every plan. Every plan also runs daily tracking, so your trend data lines up across dates and models.

Key Features of Peec AI

  • Measure Visibility, Position, and Sentiment from one dashboard
  • Check which sources AI platforms use and cite for your tracked prompts
  • View citation data at both the domain and URL level
  • Track both “used” and “cited” sources, so you know if AI trusts your content
  • Filter results by country, AI model, and prompt tags
  • Compare your results with competitors
  • Get daily updates on every plan
  • Connect with Looker Studio (available on Advanced), REST API and MCP (available on Enterprise)
  • Add unlimited team members and clients without paying extra for seats.
  • Export your data as CSV when you want to create custom reports.

Pros of Peec AI

  • Clean and intuitive dashboard
  • Strong support team
  • Unlimited seats on all plans
  • Daily tracking on every tier, not just the top one

Cons of Peec AI

  • Every plan includes only 3 of the 6 AI models
  • Looker Studio needs the $420 plan; the API is Enterprise only
  • It monitors well, but doesn’t prescribe what content to write next
  • Prompt setup can overwhelm first-time AI SEO users

Pricing of Peec AI — If You Already Have a Plan

Every plan includes 3 AI models. Adding a fourth costs more as you move up.

Your planModels includedEach extra model
Starter $80/mo3 of 6+$30/mo
Pro $205/mo3 of 6+$70/mo
Advanced $420/mo3 of 6+$140/mo
EnterpriseUp to 11Included

Pricing of Peec AI — If You Don’t Have a Plan

PlanPrice (annual)PromptsProjectsCountriesLookerAPI
Starter$80/mo5011NoNo
Pro$205/mo15023NoNo
Advanced$420/mo35053YesNo
EnterpriseCustomCustomUnlimitedUnlimitedYesYes

Annual billing saves 15%. Peec also runs separate agency bundles with centralised billing and shared prompt allocation.

What Users Say About Peec AI (Source: G2)

What Alexandre A. likes and dislikes about Peec AI, 

2. SE Ranking

Best For: SEO agencies who want AI visibility and traditional SEO under one platform

Starting Price: $95.20/month (annual) for the plan that includes AI tracking, 14-day free trial

SE Ranking is one of the most practical Profound alternatives for agencies. The AI Results Tracker is included in the Pro plan, so you pay once and get keyword research, site audit, backlinks, rank tracking, and AI visibility tracking together.

The AI Results Tracker covers ChatGPT, ChatGPT Search, Google AI Overviews, AI Mode, Gemini, and Perplexity. You can see where your brand appears, which competitors show up with you, and how your visibility changes over time.

One thing to know up front. The $52 Essential plan does not include AI tracking. The real entry point for AI visibility is the Pro plan.

What We Like Most

The Pro plan bundles AI visibility with the full SEO suite. You can identify visibility gaps, monitor citation trends, analyse competitors, and see which pages AI engines reference most often.

For agencies, the Agency Pack matters. You manage multiple client accounts from one workspace with no separate billing per client, and white-label reports are built in.

Key Features of SE Ranking

  • Track AI results across 6 AI search platforms
  • All SEO work in one place: rank tracking, site audits, backlinks, and keyword research.
  • Check your Share of Voice on Pro plans and above.
  • Connect GA4 to see if your AI visibility is bringing in more traffic.
  • Use Data Studio on Pro plans and above to build your reports.
  • Create white-label reports for clients
  • Manage multiple client accounts from one workspace
  • No separate billing for each client account
  • Project API with 10k to 100k monthly credits by tier

Pros of SE Ranking

  • Strongest price-to-coverage ratio in this list
  • AI tracking is bundled into Pro, not billed as a separate add-on
  • Full SEO stack included
  • Solid white-label reports and agency billing

Cons of SE Ranking

  • The $52 plan has no AI tracking at all
  • Interface is not the most intuitive
  • Pricing structure can be overwhelming
  • AI Results Tracker has fewer GEO-specific features than dedicated tools

Pricing of SE Ranking — If You Already Have a Plan

Your planAI Results TrackerWhat it costs you
Essential $52/moNot includedUpgrade to Pro: +$43.20/mo
Pro $95.20/moIncludedFree
Business $207.20/moIncludedFree

Pricing of SE Ranking — If You Don’t Have a Plan

PlanAnnualMonthlyAI trackingProjectsKeywordsSeats
Essential$52/mo$65/moNo55001
Pro$95.20/mo$119/moYes302,0003
Business$207.20/mo$259/moYesUnlimited5,0005

An AI Search add-on is sold separately on all tiers. Agency Pack is available on Pro and Business with annual billing.

What Users Say About SE Ranking (Source: G2)

What Nicolas L. likes and dislikes about SE Ranking,

3. Rankability

Best For: SEO agencies that want tracking and content production in one workflow

Starting Price: $99/month, demo available

Rankability is built for agencies that manage multiple clients. It splits into two halves: Tracker for visibility monitoring, and the content platform for creating and optimising pages.

Tracker rolls keyword rankings, AI mentions, and citations into a single score called the Search Performance Index (SPI). It covers Google, local packs, and up to 9 AI platforms, so clients get one number they understand instead of five dashboards.

The content side handles briefs, drafts, optimisations, and scheduled publishing through Routines.

What We Like Most

The single-score reporting is the standout. Most tools hand a client a wall of metrics. SPI combines traditional search, AI answers, and video search into one line on a chart.

We also liked that you can choose which AI platforms to track and how often. That controls cost, which most tools in this category don’t let you do.

Key Features of Rankability

  • Track visibility across Google, local packs, and up to 9 AI platforms
  • Search Performance Index (SPI) combining search, AI, and video visibility
  • Monitor brand mentions, citations, and competitor share of voice
  • Choose which AI platforms to track and set your own tracking frequency
  • Create content one page at a time or in bulk.
  • Audit and optimise existing pages
  • Publish directly to WordPress, Webflow, or GitHub.
  • Publish to WordPress, Webflow, and GitHub
  • Automate recurring drafts with Routines
  • Connect through API and MCP to Claude, Codex, and other agents
  • Unlimited users on every plan
  • Create content one page at a time or in bulk.

Pros of Rankability

  • One score clients actually understand
  • Tracking and content production in the same tool
  • Unlimited users on every tier
  • You control tracking frequency, so costs stay predictable

Cons of Rankability

  • Plans come with 5, 20, or 60 workspaces.
  • The starting price is high for solo SEOs.
  • It has fewer integrations than bigger SEO tools.
  • Content asset limits make tracking capacity less clear.

Pricing of Rankability — If You Already Have a Plan

Your planWorkspacesContent assets/moOptimizations/moRewrites/mo
Core $99/mo5303010
Scale $299/mo2010010035
Advanced $799/mo60300300100

Pricing of Rankability — If You Don’t Have a Plan

PlanPriceWorkspacesRoutinesUsersAPI and MCP
Core$99/mo55UnlimitedStandard
Scale$299/mo2020UnlimitedHigher
Advanced$799/mo6060UnlimitedHighest

Annual billing saves about 17%. Need more than 60 workspaces, SSO, or an SLA? That’s a sales conversation.

What Users Say About Rankability (Source: G2)

What Aaron T. likes and dislikes about Rankability,

Read More About: Best SEO MCP Servers in 2026

4. ZipTie.dev

Best For: Solo SEOs and 2-3 person agencies who need clean tracking without the suite tax

Starting Price: $69/month, 14-day free trial with 75 AI searches

ZipTie.dev is a simple alternative to Profound for teams that only need visibility tracking. It monitors how your brand appears across ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews.

You get visibility data, a clean dashboard, and easy-to-understand reports. For solo SEOs and small agencies, that’s often exactly what you need.

One catch worth knowing before you buy: every plan is single-seat.

What We Like Most

What we like most is that you only pay for what you use. Each AI search checks all three engines, so it’s easy to keep track of your credits. You can also choose how often your prompts run, which helps you keep your monthly cost under control.

The dashboard is simple and the reporting is clear. There’s no suite to learn around it.

Key Features of ZipTie.dev

  • Track visibility across Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT, and Perplexity
  • One AI search covers all three engines
  • Control how often prompts are checked to manage monthly costs
  • See which websites and domains are cited for your tracked prompts
  • AI Data Summaries that highlight key findings and trends
  • AI Content Optimizations included on every plan
  • AI Prompt Generation Assistant
  • Track across 14 countries
  • Scale tracking up or down based on your needs

Pros of ZipTie.dev

  • Cheapest broad-coverage entry point on this list
  • Predictable monthly costs
  • Every search hits all three engines
  • Content optimizations included, not billed separately

Cons of ZipTie.dev

  • 1 seat on every plan, including the $159 tier
  • Narrower engine coverage (3 engines)
  • Only 14 countries supported
  • Email-only support
  • Limited integration set

Pricing of ZipTie.dev — If You Already Have a Plan

Your planAI searches/moData summariesOptimizationsSeats
Basic $69/mo5005101
Standard $99/mo1,000501001
Pro $159/mo2,0001002001

There is no seat add-on. If a second person needs access, this is the wrong tool.

Pricing of ZipTie.dev — If You Don’t Have a Plan

PlanPriceAI searchesEnginesCountriesSupport
TrialFree, 14 days75314Email
Basic$69/mo500314Email
Standard$99/mo1,000314Email
Pro$159/mo2,000314Email
CustomOn requestCustom314Email

Yearly billing saves 15%.

What Users Say About ZipTie.dev (Source: G2)

What Katie B likes and dislikes about ZipTie.dev,

5. Otterly AI

Best For: Small teams who want a simple AEO baseline tool to learn the category

Starting Price: $29/month, free trial available

Otterly AI was one of the first tools in the answer engine optimization category. It’s still one of the easiest to set up. You add your brand, website, and target topics, and the platform starts tracking the prompts that matter to your business.

Along with visibility tracking, you get prompt opportunities, intent patterns, and an understanding of why certain pages get cited while others get ignored.

What We Like Most

Four engines come on every plan: ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Perplexity, and Microsoft Copilot. Even the $29 tier gets all four, which is rare at that price.

You also get built-in content audits, briefs, and optimisation recommendations. If your content isn’t showing up in AI answers, Otterly points at what might be holding it back.

The Agency Partner programme is worth knowing about. Subscribe to Standard or Premium, apply, and you get more prompts, unlimited workspaces, pitch workspaces for prospects, and branded Looker Studio reports.

Key Features of Otterly AI

  • Track visibility across ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Perplexity, and Copilot on every plan
  • Gemini, Google AI Mode, and Claude available as add-ons
  • AI Prompt Research Tool with prompt and topic suggestions
  • Brand Visibility Index and Domain Ranking
  • Link Citations Analysis
  • Generative Engine Optimization audits
  • Run content audits and identify crawlability issues
  • Create content briefs based on visibility opportunities
  • ChatGPT Ads Tracking on every plan
  • Multi-country support across 50+ countries
  • Unlimited team members on every plan
  • API, MCP, and Agent Analytics from Standard up

Pros of Otterly AI

  • Cheapest serious entry point on this list
  • Four engines even on the $29 plan
  • Unlimited team members on every tier
  • Strong, founder-led customer support
  • Rapid feature shipping cadence

Cons of Otterly AI

  • 15 prompts on Lite is tight
  • Lite gives you 1 workspace, not unlimited
  • Gemini, AI Mode, and Claude all cost extra
  • Add-on prices scale hard as you move up tiers
  • Pricing jumps from $29 to $189 with nothing in between

Pricing of Otterly AI — If You Already Have a Plan

Four engines come with every plan. The other three are add-ons, and they scale hard.

Your planGoogle AI ModeGeminiClaude+100 prompts
Lite $29/mo+$9/mo+$9/mo+$29/moNot available
Standard $189/mo+$59/mo+$59/mo+$109/mo+$99/mo
Premium $489/mo+$149/mo+$149/mo+$439/mo+$99/mo

Adding Claude to Premium costs more than a whole Standard plan. Worth checking before you upgrade.

Pricing of Otterly AI — If You Don’t Have a Plan

PlanPricePromptsEnginesWorkspacesRecommendationsAPI
Lite$29/mo15413/weekNo
Standard$189/mo1004UnlimitedUnlimitedYes
Premium$489/mo4004UnlimitedUnlimitedYes
EnterpriseFrom $1,000/moCustomCustomUnlimitedUnlimitedYes

Annual billing saves 15%. Standard adds a Looker Studio connector, 2,000 API requests, and 200k Agent Analytics events per month.

What Users Say About OtterlyAI (Source: G2)

What Marni S likes and dislikes about OtterlyAI,

6. Scrunch AI

Best For: SaaS and B2B brands worried about AI hallucinations in their brand mentions

Starting Price: $250/month, 7-day free trial, no credit card

Scrunch AI tracks and improves visibility across AI search platforms. Along with monitoring brand mentions, citations, and prompts, it looks at how AI agents access and interpret your website.

That last part is what makes Scrunch different. It finds technical issues that stop your content from being picked up, so you’re improving visibility, not just measuring it.

Worth knowing: Scrunch was acquired by Sitecore in June 2026.

What We Like Most

The Agent Experience Platform (AXP) is the headline feature. It detects AI agents at the edge and serves them a stripped-down, token-light version of your site, without changing anything for human visitors.

The catch is that AXP sits on the Enterprise plan. At $250/month, you get monitoring, citations, insights, and site audits, but not AXP.

We also liked the site audit and sitemap tools. They show how AI consumes your pages, which most trackers ignore completely.

Key Features of Scrunch AI

  • Visibility tracking across 4 LLMs on Core, 9 on Enterprise
  • Monitor the prompts that matter to your brand
  • Track brand mentions and citations
  • See which websites AI platforms cite most often
  • Query fan-out and funnel stage analysis
  • Find content gaps and missed opportunities
  • Compare AI visibility with competitors
  • Track AI bot and crawler traffic
  • Site audits and site maps showing how AI reads your site
  • Sentiment analysis and persona targeting
  • Agent Experience Platform (AXP) on Enterprise
  • SOC 2 Type II, RBAC, and SAML/OIDC SSO on Enterprise

Pros of Scrunch AI

  • Clean dashboard built for client-facing work
  • Responsive support team
  • Strong enterprise security (SOC 2 Type II)
  • Technical angle no other tool on this list covers
  • 7-day trial with no credit card

Cons of Scrunch AI

  • Core covers 4 LLMs, not the full 9
  • AXP, Looker Studio, and API are all Enterprise only
  • Core is 1 workspace and 1 country
  • Reporting and export features are weak
  • Roadmap now sits inside a larger CMS vendor

Pricing of Scrunch AI — If You Already Have a Plan

Your planLLMsAXPLooker / APIWorkspacesSeatsCountries
Core $250/mo4NoNo151
Enterprise9YesYesCustomCustomUnlimited

Most of what Scrunch is known for sits behind Enterprise. Budget for the jump.

Pricing of Scrunch AI — If You Don’t Have a Plan

PlanPricePromptsLLMsSite auditsPage optimizationsCompetitors
Core$250/mo12545/mo1/mo5
EnterpriseCustomCustom9Full siteCustomCustom

Core engines: ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, Copilot. Enterprise adds Claude, Gemini, Meta AI, Google AI Mode, and Grok. Agency pricing is on a separate tab.

What Users Say About Scrunch AI (Source: G2)

What Tyler B likes and dislikes of Scrunch AI,

7. Surfer

Best For: Agencies already paying for Surfer who want AI tracking inside their existing stack

Starting Price: $99/month for Standard, or $158/month for AI Search Analytics standalone

Surfer’s AI tracking used to be a paid add-on. That changed. AI visibility is now included from the Standard plan up, and there’s a standalone product if you don’t want the rest of Surfer.

If you already write content in Surfer, this is the easiest win on the list. Your content optimizer and your AI visibility data sit in the same dashboard.

There is a catch. Standard tracks ChatGPT only. Full model coverage starts at Pro.

What We Like Most

The integration is the real value. When you write content, you can score it for both traditional SEO and AI search readiness from the same screen.

Mention Gap and Brand Sentiment come on every tier that includes tracking, so even the $99 plan gives you competitive context, not just a raw visibility number.

Key Features of Surfer

  • Track ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Mode, AI Overview, and Gemini
  • Mention Gap and Brand Sentiment on every AI tracking tier
  • Visibility Score and Share of Voice
  • Integrates with Surfer’s content editor for AI-search-aware writing
  • Content Audit with ranking drop alerts
  • Plan content using a clear topical map.
  • Avoid keyword cannibalization on higher plans.
  • Add your brand knowledge and set custom voice.
  • WordPress, Google Docs, Contentful, and Zapier integrations
  • Export your data anytime as CSV.

Pros of Surfer

  • AI tracking now included, not a separate add-on
  • Standalone option if you don’t want the full suite
  • Clean integration with the broader Surfer suite
  • Real-time content scoring tied to AI visibility data

Cons of Surfer

  • Standard tracks ChatGPT only. Full coverage needs Pro at $182
  • Doesn’t track Claude, Copilot, Grok, Meta AI, or DeepSeek
  • Weekly refresh on Standard; daily starts at Pro
  • White-label is Enterprise only at $999/mo

Pricing of Surfer — If You Already Have a Plan

AI tracking is included from Standard up. You pay nothing extra.

Your planAI promptsEnginesRefreshExtra cost
Discovery $49/mo0Must upgrade
Standard $99/mo25ChatGPT onlyWeeklyFree
Pro $182/mo50All 5DailyFree
Peace of Mind $299/mo100All 5DailyFree
Enterprise $999/moCustomAll 5DailyFree

Pricing of Surfer — If You Don’t Have a Plan

Buy AI Search Analytics on its own. No Surfer subscription needed.

ProductPrice (annual)PromptsRefreshWorkspaces
AI Search Analytics$158/mo100 dailyDaily5

Scales to 50, 100, 200, or unlimited prompts. Includes Mention Gap, Brand Sentiment, Visibility Score, Share of Voice, and CSV export.

Full Surfer plans (annual):

  • Discovery $49
  • Standard $99
  • Pro $182
  • Peace of Mind $299
  • Enterprise $999.
  • Seats run 1, 3, 5, and 10 by tier.

What Users Say About Surfer (Source: G2)

What Nikhil likes and dislikes about Surfer,

8. Ahrefs Brand Radar

Best For: Agencies already running Ahrefs who want AI visibility in the same dashboard

Starting Price: Free on any paid Ahrefs plan, or from $199/month standalone

Ahrefs Brand Radar gives you a 360-degree view of your brand across Google and AI search. Instead of only tracking AI platforms, it also shows how your brand appears across Google, YouTube, TikTok, and Reddit.

The platform works more like a research tool than a tracker. Enter your brand, a competitor, or any domain and see visibility, mentions, citations, and presence across platforms instantly.

Here’s the part most roundups get wrong. Brand Radar is included in every paid Ahrefs plan. If you already pay for Ahrefs Lite, you have it right now.

What We Like Most

Brand Radar uses real search prompts, not made-up ones. So the data actually reflects what people are searching. It tracks a huge database of 460M+ monthly prompts, across AI Overviews, AI Mode, ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, Perplexity, and Grok. This makes the insights feel real and reliable.

You can also explore entire niche topics, not just your brand. That helps you find content opportunities that build topical authority over time.

Unlimited projects and zero setup. You can analyse any domain’s AI visibility on the spot, which is useful for pitches.

Key Features of Ahrefs Brand Radar

  • Track across AI Overviews, AI Mode, ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Copilot, and Grok
  • 460M+ monthly prompts from real search data
  • You can see when and where your brand shows up in AI answers.
  • It also shows which pages and URLs are being cited.
  • You can compare your visibility with competitors easily.
  • You can research any brand, product, region, or even a person.
  • It tracks mentions on YouTube, including titles, descriptions, and transcripts.
  • You can also monitor Reddit and TikTok mentions (currently free in beta).
  • You can create your own custom prompts and track them daily.
  • It includes web visibility and search demand insights as well.
  • And if you’re on Advanced, you get Looker Studio integration for reporting.

Pros of Ahrefs Brand Radar

  • Included free on every paid Ahrefs plan
  • Real-query database, not synthetic prompts
  • Historical data depth no startup can match
  • Unlimited projects and instant lookups
  • Available standalone with a free Ahrefs account included

Cons of Ahrefs Brand Radar

  • The included prompt allowance is small — 5 on Lite, 20 on Advanced
  • No Claude and no Meta AI
  • No free trial and no discounts, ever
  • Overage is billed per check, so costs can creep
  • More of a research tool than an action tool

Pricing of Ahrefs Brand Radar — If You Already Have a Plan

Brand Radar is already in your plan. You may not know you have it.

Your planPriceBrand Radar promptsChecks/moExtra cost
Lite$129/mo5150Free
Standard$249/mo10300Free
Advanced$449/mo20600Free
Enterprise$1,499/mo83+2,500+Free

Five prompts won’t cover a client. Top up with a package:

PackagePriceExtra checks/moOverage rate
Basic$50/mo+2,500$0.020/check
Growth$100/mo+7,000$0.015/check
Scale$250/mo+25,000$0.010/check

Pricing of Ahrefs Brand Radar — If You Don’t Have a Plan

Brand Radar sells standalone. You get a free Ahrefs account with it.

OptionPriceWhat you get
Brand RadarFrom $199/moResearch across 460M+ prompts
Select platforms$398/moPick the engines you need
All platforms$699/mo6 engines plus 2,500 custom prompt checks

Ahrefs runs no discounts and no free trial. The free tier is Ahrefs Free.

What Users Say About Ahrefs Brand Radar (Source: G2)

What Aditee likes and dislikes about Ahrefs Brand Radar,

9. Semrush

Best For: SaaS marketing teams whose clients already use Semrush across their stack

Starting Price: $139/month, free tier available

Semrush is one of the leading SEO Tools and bundles AI visibility into its SEO plans. The AI Visibility Toolkit covers ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Google AI Mode, and AI Overviews.

The useful news for existing customers: AI tracking is included from the cheapest paid plan up. You don’t buy a separate product.

The plans are now sold as “SEO + AI Search,” with four tiers. Prompt allowances scale from custom monitoring on the base plan to 200 daily prompts on Advanced.

What We Like Most

Semrush One connects to the wider Semrush toolkit. You move from visibility tracking to keyword research, content analysis, and competitor research without leaving the platform.

For agencies serving clients who already live in Semrush, that continuity is worth real money. The client already knows the interface.

Key Features of Semrush

  • AI visibility tracking across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Google AI Mode, and AI Overviews
  • Monitor AI sentiment and custom prompts
  • AI visibility reports for any domain
  • AI-ready site audit
  • Full SEO suite: keyword research, backlinks, rank tracking, site audit
  • Historical SEO data on Pro+ and above
  • Keyword cannibalization analysis
  • Multi-location and multi-device tracking
  • SEO Share of Voice on Advanced
  • MCP access from Starter; API from Advanced

Pros of Semrush

  • Mature, reliable SEO suite
  • AI tracking included from the base paid plan
  • Historical data depth
  • Free tier to test before you commit

Cons of Semrush

  • Claude is not supported
  • Every plan is single-seat. Extra users start at $45/mo
  • White-label reporting is a separate $20/mo add-on
  • Add-ons stack fast
  • The AI toolkit feels less refined than GEO-native tools

Pricing of Semrush — If You Already Have a Plan

AI tracking is included from the cheapest paid plan up.

Your planAnnualMonthlyAI prompts dailyExtra cost
SEO$117.33/mo$139/moCustom prompt monitoringFree
Starter$165.17/mo$199/mo50Free
Pro+$248.17/mo$299/mo100Free
Advanced$455.67/mo$549/mo200Free

Add-ons that catch people out:

Add-onPriceWhy you’d need it
Additional usersFrom $45/moEvery plan is single-seat
Pro Report$20/moWhite-label client reports
Base Report$10/moGA4 and GSC in one PDF
Lead Generation$90/moAgency Partners listing

Pricing of Semrush — If You Don’t Have a Plan

PlanAnnualMonthlyAI promptsWebsitesKeywordsAPI
Free$0$0Demo only1 projectNo
SEO$117.33/mo$139/moCustom5500No
Starter$165.17/mo$199/mo505500No
Pro+$248.17/mo$299/mo100151,500No
Advanced$455.67/mo$549/mo200405,000Yes

Annual billing saves up to 17%. Enterprise is custom.

What Users Say About Semrush (Source: G2)

What Pedro likes and dislikes about Semrush,

10. AthenaHQ

Best For: In-house marketing teams or agencies serving $15K+ retainers with a dedicated analyst

Starting Price: Free on the Essential plan, then $295/month

AthenaHQ has the most opinionated AI visibility product on this list. It doesn’t just track. It recommends the next action based on visibility gaps.

The dashboard is genuinely sharp. The data is rich. And there’s now a free plan, so you can test the whole thing before spending anything.

Starter covers 9 models: ChatGPT, Perplexity, AI Overviews, AI Mode, Gemini, Claude, Copilot, Grok, and more on request. That’s the broadest coverage in this article.

What We Like Most

The Athena AI agent is the standout. Ask a question in plain English about competitors, content gaps, citations, or visibility trends, and get an answer based on your account data. It cuts analysis time significantly.

The free Essential plan is also a genuine differentiator. 300 credits and 5 models at zero cost is enough to run a real test on one brand.

Key Features of AthenaHQ

  • Visibility across 9 AI models on Starter
  • Athena AI agent for plain-English analysis
  • Prompt and response analysis with conversation context
  • Unlimited competitor tracking and benchmarking
  • Sources and competitor insights
  • Real-time brand sentiment intelligence
  • On-page and off-page GEO/SEO actions
  • Content optimization agent with self-learning improvement
  • Smart robots.txt and llms.txt management for AI crawlers
  • GA4 and Search Console integration
  • Shopify and Webflow integrations
  • Data export to CSV
  • Unlimited seats with role-based access control
  • Athena Citation Engine (ACE) and multi-region on Enterprise

Pros of AthenaHQ

  • Free plan with 300 credits and 5 models
  • Broadest model coverage on this list
  • Recommendations are real, not a relabeled dashboard
  • Unlimited seats with RBAC on every tier
  • Best-looking dashboard of the 10 tools

Cons of AthenaHQ

  • Each AI response burns 1 credit, so 3,600 goes fast
  • Data opacity around how credits get spent
  • API access is a paid add-on, not included
  • Multi-region and the Citation Engine are Enterprise only
  • Frequent feature changes that disrupt agency reporting workflows

Pricing of AthenaHQ — If You Already Have a Plan

Your planCredits/moModelsAPI accessRegionsExtra credits
Essential (free)3005No1Not available
Starter $295/mo3,6009Paid add-on1Paid add-on
EnterpriseCustom9+IncludedMultipleIn contract

1 credit = 1 AI response. Contact them for add-on pricing — it isn’t published.

Pricing of AthenaHQ — If You Don’t Have a Plan

PlanPriceCreditsModelsSeatsFree credit
EssentialFree3005Unlimited$25
Starter$295/mo3,6009Unlimited$300/mo
EnterpriseCustomCustom9+UnlimitedIn contract

Annual billing saves 17%, taking Starter to about $245/mo.

What Users Say About Surfer (Source: G2)

What Joe likes and dislikes about Athena HQ,

Which Profound Alternative Should You Pick by Client Type?

The right tool depends on the client work you’re billing. Here’s how we’d match these picks to common agency setups.

First: check what you already pay for

Before you buy anything, look at your current stack.

If you already pay forYou already haveDo this
Ahrefs (any paid plan)Brand Radar, 5-20 promptsTurn it on. Add a $50 package if you need more.
Semrush (any paid plan)AI Visibility ToolkitCheck your prompt allowance before buying elsewhere.
Surfer Standard or above25-100 AI promptsTurn it on. Upgrade to Pro for full engine coverage.
SE Ranking Pro or BusinessAI Results TrackerTurn it on. It’s already included.

That covers a lot of agencies. Don’t double-spend.

For SEO agencies running multiple SMB clients ($2K-$5K retainers)

Pick ZipTie.dev or Otterly Lite. Both keep your tooling overhead under $100/month. ZipTie if you need solid AI Overview tracking and you’re a solo operator. Otterly if you want the cheapest entry point and four engines from day one.

One warning: ZipTie is single-seat on every plan. If two people need access, go Otterly.

For mid-sized SEO agencies ($5K-$10K retainers)

Pick SE Ranking or Rankability. SE Ranking is the smarter buy if you bill SEO and AI visibility together — Pro at $95.20 covers both. Rankability wins if you want tracking and content production in one workflow and you’re under 20 clients.

For SaaS in-house teams or enterprise-adjacent agencies

AthenaHQ or Semrush. AthenaHQ if recommendations and broad model coverage matter, and start on the free plan. Semrush if your team already uses it across other workflows.

For agencies who want the cleanest client-facing dashboard

Peec AI. Unlimited seats, daily tracking, and reports a client can read without a call. Budget for a fourth AI model on top of the base plan.

Final Thoughts on Profound Alternatives

There’s no single best Profound alternative for every team. It depends on your client mix, your budget, and how much workflow integration you need.

Start by auditing what you already pay for. Four tools on this list are already sitting inside subscriptions most agencies have.

Then run the free trials. Put a real client account through them for two weeks. See which dashboard you’d actually pull up in a client review. That’s the tool to commit to.

Questions You Might Have About Profound Alternatives

1. What is Profound, and why do teams look for alternatives?

Profound helps you track how your brand appears in AI answers. It’s useful, but pricing is where most teams hesitate. The base plan at $99 only covers ChatGPT. If you want to track multiple AI platforms, the cost jumps to $399.

2. What is the cheapest Profound alternative?

AthenaHQ is free to start. Otterly AI is the cheapest paid tool at $29 a month, and it covers four engines.

3. Which one is best for SEO agencies?

 Peec AI at $80 a month for clean client reports. SE Ranking at $95.20 if you want SEO and AI visibility in one tool.

4. Which one is best for SaaS teams?

AthenaHQ. It tracks 9 AI models and has a free plan, so you can test it first.

5. Do any of them offer white-label reports?

 Yes. SE Ranking includes them on Pro. Rankability shares client dashboards. Semrush charges $20 a month extra.

6. Do I already have AI tracking?

Maybe. Ahrefs, Semrush, Surfer Standard, and SE Ranking Pro all include it. Check before you buy.

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