How we make this list: we compare vendor pricing pages, product documentation and plan limits, and print the month we checked each price. We don’t accept payment for rankings.
QUICK ANSWER
Otterly.AI is the best Profound alternative for most teams in 2026, because it starts at $29 a month with 15 prompts and publishes its prices. Peec AI suits prompt-level tracking at $80 a month on annual billing, Ahrefs suits SEO data at $29 a month, and AthenaHQ is the best free pick with 300 credits on its Essential plan.
Key takeaways
Otterly.AI takes the top spot: the Lite plan costs $29 a month, or $25 on annual billing, with 15 prompts (Nov 2026).
3 of the 8 tools here have a free plan, and the cheapest paid start is $29 a month: Otterly.AI Lite and Ahrefs Starter (Nov 2026).
Profound does not publish prices, and its 7-day trial covers only 50 prompts, which is too short to judge a visibility tool.
Peec AI Starter costs $80 a month on annual billing with 50 prompts across 3 models, while Scrunch and Goodie cost $250 and $295 a month.
AthenaHQ is the only dedicated GEO tool here with a free plan, at 300 credits on its Essential tier.
Profound alternatives make sense once the missing prices, not the tool, become the problem. Profound does not publish prices; every plan is custom and quoted by sales, with enterprise pricing tailored to prompts, engines and credits (Nov 2026). The trial lasts 7 days with only 50 prompts, which is too short to judge a visibility tool. And Profound is likely too costly for small teams, with pricing that starts with a sales call.
This list groups the 8 best Profound alternatives by the reason people leave: no public prices, a trial that is fixed and short, and a price that is likely too high for small teams. Each pick carries a clear switch-if line, so you can find the tool that fixes your exact complaint. Start with our best AI search visibility tools for agencies guide if you want the wider agency picture.
Switch if: Switch if you want a dedicated GEO tool from $29 a month.
Otterly.AI is the pick when you want a dedicated AI search visibility tool at the lowest published price. The Lite plan costs $29 a month with 15 prompts, or $25 a month on annual billing (Nov 2026), and Standard costs $189 a month while Premium costs $489. The tool tracks how your brand appears in AI answers across engines and sends alerts when visibility shifts.
The catch is the prompt cap. Lite covers only 15 prompts, so a brand that tracks many products will outgrow it fast, and there is no free plan. Pick Otterly.AI when your budget is tight and 15 prompts cover your brand, and pick Peec AI when you need 50 prompts across 3 models.
Switch if: Switch if you need 50 prompts across 3 models.
Peec AI is the pick when you want prompt-level tracking across several models. The Starter plan costs $95 a month, or $80 a month on annual billing (Nov 2026), and covers 50 prompts across 3 models. Pro costs $245 a month, or $205 on annual billing, and Advanced costs $495 a month, or $420 on annual billing. The dashboard shows which prompts surface your brand and where rivals win.
The catch is the price and the missing free plan. Starter at $80 a month on annual billing is a real bill for a small team, and there is no free plan. Pick Peec AI when you need 50 prompts across 3 models and can budget for it, and pick Otterly.AI when 15 prompts and $29 a month fit better.
Switch if: Switch if SEO data matters as much as AI visibility.
Ahrefs is the pick when AI visibility is one job inside a bigger SEO brief. The Starter plan costs $29 a month (Nov 2026) with 200 credits, and Lite costs $129, Standard $249 and Advanced $449 a month. The platform pairs AI visibility tracking with the deepest backlink index on this list, plus Keywords Explorer and Site Audit, so a team can watch AI answers and organic rankings in one login. The free Webmaster Tools plan covers your own sites.
The catch is the price curve and the focus. Ahrefs is expensive for small businesses at higher tiers, and AI visibility is one feature among many, not the core product. Pick Ahrefs when SEO data matters as much as AI visibility, and pick Otterly.AI when AI answers are the whole job.
Switch if: Switch if AI visibility sits inside a bigger SEO job.
Semrush is the pick when AI visibility sits inside a full SEO suite. The Pro plan starts at $139.95 a month, or $117.33 a month on annual billing (Nov 2026), and includes AI search tracking alongside keyword research, site audits, rank tracking and backlink analysis. The free plan gives a limited look at the platform with a 7-day trial of the paid features. If your team already runs SEO on Semrush, AI visibility costs nothing extra.
The catch is the price and the size. Semrush is expensive for a small team that only wants AI visibility, and the number of tools can overwhelm a new user. Extra users, toolkits and App Center apps raise the bill. Pick Semrush when AI visibility sits inside a bigger SEO job, and pick AthenaHQ when you want a free plan for AI visibility alone.
Switch if: Switch if you want to start free and grow into a paid plan.
AthenaHQ is the pick when you want a free plan for AI visibility. The Essential plan is free with 300 credits (Nov 2026), and Starter costs $295 a month with an annual discount of 17%. The platform tracks how your brand appears in AI answers and sends alerts when visibility shifts.
The catch is the price jump. Starter at $295 a month is a big step from free, and the free plan covers only 300 credits. Pick AthenaHQ when you want to start free and grow into a paid plan, and pick Otterly.AI when $29 a month fits your budget today.
Switch if: Switch if traffic estimates and AI visibility belong together.
Similarweb is the pick when you want traffic estimates beside AI visibility data. The Web Intelligence plan costs $125 a month on annual billing, or $199 month to month (Nov 2026), and self-serve packages suit individuals and small teams. Free tools show limited, high-level data, and the platform pairs AI visibility tracking with traffic data for any website, so a marketer can see a rival's traffic and its AI presence in one place.
The catch is the pricing and the data. Most pricing requires talking to sales, traffic figures are estimates rather than exact analytics, and the tool can be costly for small businesses. Pick Similarweb when traffic estimates and AI visibility belong together, and pick Ahrefs when backlink and keyword data matter more.
Switch if: Switch if your agency tracks many brands and needs white-label reports.
Scrunch AI is the pick for an agency that tracks many brands in AI search. The Starter plan costs $250 a month on annual billing, or $300 month to month (Nov 2026), and covers 125 prompts. Higher tiers add more prompts, brands and white-label options, so an agency can report AI visibility to clients under its own brand. A 7-day trial lets a team test the product before paying.
The catch is the price and the trial. Starter at $250 a month on annual billing is a real bill, and the 7-day trial is short for judging a visibility tool. Pick Scrunch when your agency tracks many brands and needs white-label reports, and pick Peec AI when your team tracks one brand and $80 a month fits better.
Switch if: Switch if you want a simple GEO dashboard and $295 a month fits.
Goodie AI is the pick when you want a simple GEO dashboard without agency features. The Core plan costs $295 a month on annual billing, or $354 month to month (Nov 2026), and covers 120 prompts. The dashboard shows how your brand appears in AI answers, which prompts surface your brand and where rivals win, with a clean interface that a small team can learn in a day.
The catch is the price and the missing free plan. Core at $295 a month on annual billing is a real bill, and there is no free plan. Some sources list $399 a month, so check the live pricing page before you buy. Pick Goodie when you want a simple dashboard and $295 a month fits, and pick Otterly.AI when $29 a month fits better.
We compared vendor pricing pages, documentation and plan limits, and checked every price in Nov 2026.
Criterion
Weight
What we looked at
Published price and small-team fit
30%
Profound's main fault is the missing price list and the likely cost for small teams, so we priced each tool at 50 prompts where the vendor publishes that tier.
Free plan size
25%
Profound has no free plan, so we compared free credits, prompt limits and trial lengths directly against that bar.
Prompt coverage and engines
25%
An AI visibility tool lives or dies by its prompts, so we weighed prompt counts, model coverage and engine breadth.
Reporting and alerts
20%
Visibility data must reach the team, so we checked dashboards, reports, alerts and API access on every tool.
What is the cheapest Profound alternative?
Otterly.AI is the cheapest Profound alternative, at $29 a month for the Lite plan with 15 prompts, or $25 a month on annual billing (Nov 2026). Ahrefs follows at $29 a month for Starter, and Peec AI Starter costs $80 a month on annual billing, or $95 month to month. The three differ in what the price buys: Otterly.AI tracks AI search visibility only, Ahrefs adds backlinks and keywords, and Peec AI tracks 50 prompts across 3 models. See our best cheap AI search visibility tools guide for the wider cheap end.
What is the best free Profound alternative?
Yes. AthenaHQ, Semrush and Ahrefs have free plans, so 3 of the 8 tools here cost nothing to start (Nov 2026). AthenaHQ Essential is free with 300 credits, Ahrefs Webmaster Tools is free for site owners, and Semrush has a limited free plan. All three beat Profound, which has no free plan and only a 7-day trial of 50 prompts. Free plans limit prompts and history, so check the cap before you build a workflow on one.
Why do people leave Profound?
People leave Profound for three reasons: the missing prices, the short trial and the likely cost for small teams. Profound does not publish prices, so every plan is custom and quoted by sales. The trial lasts 7 days with only 50 prompts, which is too short to judge a visibility tool. And Profound is likely too costly for small teams, with enterprise pricing that starts with a sales call. Otterly.AI, Peec AI and Ahrefs publish prices from $29 a month, while AthenaHQ offers a free plan.
Can I move my Profound data to another tool?
Yes, and most of the tools here offer free migration help. Otterly.AI, Peec AI and Scrunch all import your Profound prompt lists, tracked brands and visibility history, and most keep your prompt monitoring running through the move. Export your prompt list with engines and brands before you switch, and keep your Profound account active for a month so you can check that tracking and reports still work. Switching costs a weekend of setup, not your visibility data.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best Profound alternative in 2026?
Otterly.AI is the best Profound alternative for most teams in 2026, because it starts at $29 a month with 15 prompts and publishes its prices. Peec AI is the best pick for prompt-level tracking at $80 a month on annual billing, Ahrefs is the best pick for SEO data at $29 a month, and AthenaHQ is the best free pick with 300 credits on its Essential plan.
Is there a free Profound alternative?
Yes. AthenaHQ, Semrush and Ahrefs have free plans, so 3 of the 8 tools here cost nothing to start (Nov 2026). AthenaHQ Essential is free with 300 credits, Ahrefs Webmaster Tools is free for site owners, and Semrush has a limited free plan. Profound has no free plan, only a 7-day trial of 50 prompts.
What is the cheapest Profound alternative?
Otterly.AI is the cheapest Profound alternative, at $29 a month for the Lite plan with 15 prompts, or $25 a month on annual billing (Nov 2026). Ahrefs also starts at $29 a month for Starter, and Peec AI Starter costs $80 a month on annual billing. Remember that Otterly.AI Lite covers only 15 prompts, so check the prompt cap before you buy.
How much does Profound cost?
No. Profound does not publish prices, and every plan is custom and quoted by sales (Nov 2026). Enterprise pricing is tailored to prompts, engines and credits, and a self-serve Agency Growth plan includes 400 credits per client workspace, but no price was listed. The 7-day trial covers 50 prompts. Otterly.AI, Peec AI and Ahrefs publish prices from $29 a month.
How much does Peec AI cost?
Yes. Peec AI Starter costs $95 a month, or $80 a month on annual billing (Nov 2026), and covers 50 prompts across 3 models. Pro costs $245 a month, or $205 on annual billing, and Advanced costs $495 a month, or $420 on annual billing. Higher tiers add more prompts, models and features, so check the prompt count at your real monitoring volume.
Is Scrunch or Goodie better?
Yes, in different ways. Scrunch is best for agencies, with 125 prompts on the Starter plan at $250 a month on annual billing and white-label options for client work. Goodie is best for a simple GEO dashboard, with the Core plan at $295 a month on annual billing and 120 prompts. Pick Scrunch for agency tracking and Goodie for a simple dashboard.
Can I switch AI visibility tools later without losing my data?
Yes. Every tool on this list imports prompt lists and tracked brands from a file or from another platform, and most offer free migration help on paid plans. Export your prompt list with engines and brands before you move, and keep your Profound account active for a month so you can check that tracking and reports still work. Switching costs a weekend of setup, not your visibility data.
Final verdict
Pick Otterly.AI if you want a dedicated GEO tool from $29 a month.
Pick Peec AI if you need 50 prompts across 3 models.
Pick Ahrefs if SEO data matters as much as AI visibility.
Pick Semrush if AI visibility sits inside a bigger SEO job.
Pick AthenaHQ if you want to start free and grow into a paid plan.
Pick Similarweb if traffic estimates and AI visibility belong together.
Pick Scrunch AI if your agency tracks many brands and needs white-label reports.
Pick Goodie AI if you want a simple GEO dashboard and $295 a month fits.
Compare the 10 best AI search visibility tools in 2026 by price, free plan and best fit. See where Profound and Peec AI win, their limits, and which to pick.
Our 2026 shortlist of the 8 best cheap AI search visibility tools, with real starting prices, free plan details, pros, cons and a clear pick for each use case.
