AI Search Visibility Tools, Compared (2026)

AI now answers "what's the best tool for X?" with one short list of names. A handful of tools help you track whether you're in it. Here's an honest look at Profound, Peec AI, Otterly and Cited — by price, engine coverage, and who each is actually for.

Updated July 2026 · by Cited (yes, we're one of them — we've tried to be fair)

The quick comparison

ToolStarts atFree check?Engines trackedBest for
CitedFree · then $49/moYes — no account2 (Perplexity, Google AI Overview)Founders & small teams who want to know now
Profound$99–$399/mo · enterprise $2k–5k+No10+ (ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini, Copilot…)Enterprises needing real-user-prompt data at scale
Peec AI$99–$499/moNoMultipleMid-market, competitor & sentiment analysis
Otterly$29/mo (Gemini extra)NoCore engines; Gemini/Google AI Mode as paid add-onsBudget buyers wanting basic tracking

Pricing from each vendor's public plans as of July 2026; tiers and add-ons change — check their sites for the latest.

When to choose which

Choose Profound

You're an enterprise, you want coverage across 10+ AI engines, and you value visibility grounded in real user prompts. It raised $96M at a $1B valuation for a reason — it's the deep, expensive end of the market ($99 to $5,000+/mo).

Choose Peec AI or Otterly

You're mid-market and want detailed competitor benchmarking, sentiment, and analytics. Peec leans competitive-first ($99–$499/mo, $4M ARR in ten months); Otterly is the lower-entry, query-first option ($29/mo, a 2025 Gartner Cool Vendor) — just note Gemini and Google AI Mode cost extra.

Choose Cited

You're a founder or small team and you want to know right now, for free, whether AI recommends you — without a sales call, an account, or a monthly commitment to find out. Cited runs your real buyer questions against Perplexity and Google AI Overview, shows exactly where you're named (or not) and who wins instead, and tracks it weekly for $49/mo if you want to watch the gap close.

Where Cited honestly fits

We're not trying to out-feature Profound. Cited covers fewer engines (2 today, more rolling out) and uses buyer-intent questions rather than real-user-prompt streams. What Cited does better than anyone: let you check for free, in minutes, with no account — and keep it affordable at $49/mo. If you've never looked at where you stand in AI answers, start free here, then decide if you need the enterprise tools.

Get your free AI-visibility report

FAQ

What is the cheapest AI search visibility tool?

Cited's diagnostic is free, then $49/mo for tracking. Among paid-only tools, Otterly starts at $29/mo; Peec and Profound start at $99/mo.

What's a good free alternative to Profound?

Cited offers a free diagnostic with no account — it runs your buyer questions against Perplexity and Google AI Overview and shows where you're named. Profound is the enterprise platform (10+ engines, $99–$5,000+/mo); Cited is the free-to-start, simple option.

Which is best for a founder or small team?

Cited, if you want to know now for free. Profound for enterprise breadth; Peec or Otterly for mid-market competitor and sentiment depth.

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