The AEO tooling market has exploded in 2026. Brands that were manually prompting ChatGPT to check their own name six months ago now have multiple dedicated platforms competing for their subscription. That's progress — but it also means you need a clear framework to pick the right one.
This guide evaluates the leading AI search optimization platforms: Peec AI, AthenaHQ, Scrunch AI, AIclicks, and Otterly.AI. We cover pricing, feature coverage, scoring methodology, and automation — with a clear verdict for each use case at the end.
About this guide: We publish the AIS Index — our own open scoring methodology for LLM visibility — and we built our own free LLM Visibility Scanner to help brands get a baseline. That makes us informed observers of this market. The tools reviewed below are evaluated independently; none appear in this comparison to make us look better by contrast.
What to Look For in an AEO Tool
Not all AEO tools solve the same problem. Before comparing features, define what you actually need:
- Engine coverage — Does it monitor ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Gemini? Missing one engine means blind spots. Gemini especially is often excluded despite Google's reach.
- Scoring methodology — Is the score transparent and reproducible? A black-box score you can't interpret is hard to act on.
- Actionability — Does the tool tell you what to fix, or just what's broken? Scores without recommendations are dashboards, not tools.
- Monitoring cadence — One-time scans vs. weekly vs. real-time. Your needs depend on how fast your competitive landscape moves.
- Content / asset generation — Some tools stop at measurement. Others help you create the citation-worthy content that improves your score.
- Pricing model — Transparent self-serve vs. opaque enterprise quoting. Your budget and procurement process matter.
Pricing Comparison
| Platform | Free Tier | Entry Paid | Mid Tier | Scale / Enterprise | Pricing Model |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peec AI | ✓ (limited scans) | ~$199/mo (Pro) | — | Enterprise (quote) | Freemium |
| AthenaHQ | ✗ | Enterprise only | Enterprise only | Custom (quote) | Enterprise / quote-based |
| Scrunch AI | Limited | $49–$199 (per-scan) | — | — | Pay-per-use |
| AIclicks | ✓ (limited) | $79/mo (Starter) | ~$199/mo | Enterprise (quote) | Freemium |
| Otterly.AI | ✗ | $149/mo (Pro) | — | Enterprise (quote) | Paid-only |
Of the established paid platforms, AIclicks offers the lowest entry point at $79/mo with transparent pricing. AthenaHQ is the only platform with no self-serve path — everything goes through enterprise quoting. Scrunch's pay-per-scan model suits occasional audits but has no monitoring cadence. If you want to baseline your score before committing to any paid tool, our free LLM Visibility Scanner gives you an instant AIS score across 4 engines at no cost.
Feature Matrix
| Feature | Peec AI | AthenaHQ | Scrunch AI | AIclicks | Otterly.AI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT coverage | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Claude coverage | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Perplexity coverage | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Gemini coverage | ✓ | ✓ | Partial | ✓ | ✗ |
| Transparent scoring | ✓ | Partial | ✗ | ✓ | Partial |
| Citation gap analysis | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | Basic | Basic |
| Competitive benchmarking | Limited | ✓ | ✗ | Limited | ✗ |
| Hallucination detection | ✗ | Limited | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Asset / content generation | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | Basic recs | ✓ |
| Scheduled monitoring | ✓ (Pro) | ✓ (real-time) | ✗ | ✓ (weekly) | ✓ |
| Daily briefings / alerts | ✗ | Alerts only | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Slack alerts | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | Via Zapier |
| Self-serve pricing | Partial | ✗ | ✓ | Partial | Partial |
| Per-report purchase | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
Platform Deep-Dives
Peec AI — Transparent Measurement-First Tool
Peec AI built its reputation on published methodology and accessible education. The free tier is genuinely useful for learning what AEO is and getting a baseline score. The Pro tier adds scheduled scans, gap recommendations, and coverage of SearchGPT alongside the main four engines. Limited automation compared to enterprise tools, but the transparency of the scoring makes it good for teams that want to understand the mechanics before committing to a platform.
Best for: AEO beginners, teams prioritizing score transparency, budget-constrained teams doing monthly check-ins.
AthenaHQ — Enterprise Competitive Intelligence
AthenaHQ is the tool for teams that have dedicated AEO headcount and an enterprise budget. Continuous (not batch) monitoring, real-time alerting, and rich competitive positioning data set it apart. Slack integration comes standard. The absence of transparent pricing and self-serve onboarding means it's a fit only when AEO is a strategic priority with executive sponsorship.
Best for: Enterprise brands, CMOs with competitive intelligence mandates, organizations that have already proven AEO ROI and want to scale.
Scrunch AI — One-Time Audit Tool
Scrunch is minimal by design: submit a domain, receive a report, done. No subscriptions, no monitoring, no alerts. Good for quarterly health checks or one-time audits before a board presentation. The scoring is proprietary (not transparent), which limits how much you can act on the output. Gemini coverage is partial, which matters for B2B brands with Google-heavy audiences.
Best for: One-off audits, supplementary checks alongside an ongoing monitoring tool, teams that only need occasional snapshots.
AIclicks — Balanced Monitoring at Mid-Market Pricing
AIclicks splits the difference with formula-based transparent scoring, weekly automated scans, and digest emails at $79/mo. Good for mid-market teams that want structured, repeatable monitoring without committing to enterprise pricing. Content recommendations are basic but functional. All four major engines are covered.
Best for: Mid-market brands with a defined monitoring cadence, teams that need transparent scoring on a limited budget.
Otterly.AI — Content Generation-First Approach
Otterly.AI's differentiator is asset generation — not just measuring what's wrong but creating optimized content designed to earn citations. The limitation is engine coverage: it doesn't include Gemini, which matters for B2B and consumer brands with Google-heavy audiences. Scoring methodology is less transparent than Peec AI or AIclicks. Zapier integration enables some workflow automation.
Best for: Content-driven teams where citation creation is the bottleneck (not measurement), brands already measuring with another tool who want AI-assisted content.
Who Wins in Each Category
Peec AI's free tier gives you real scan data and methodology education. AIclicks also has a limited free tier. AthenaHQ and Otterly.AI require paid accounts to start.
Both publish their scoring methodology in full. Peec AI's approach is the most educationally thorough. AthenaHQ describes its methodology but doesn't make it auditable. Scrunch's opacity is a genuine limitation.
Real-time (not batch) monitoring, Slack alerts, and deep competitive data remain differentiated at the enterprise level. No close competitor at this tier among the purpose-built AEO tools.
$79/mo Starter includes weekly scans across 4 engines, transparent scoring, and content recommendations. Peec AI Pro at $199/mo offers more depth but costs 2.5× more at entry.
Otterly.AI is built around asset generation, not just gap identification. If creating citation-worthy content is the bottleneck — not measurement — it's the strongest choice in this comparison.
For a quarterly no-commitment audit, Scrunch's per-scan model wins on simplicity. Peec AI's free tier is also a viable no-cost alternative for lightweight one-time checks.
Final Verdict
The right AEO tool depends on where you are in your maturity:
- Just starting out? Peec AI's free tier or AIclicks' free plan give you real data before spending anything. We also built a free LLM Visibility Scanner that gives you an instant AIS score across ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Gemini — no account required — which is useful for getting a baseline before committing to any platform.
- Ready to monitor consistently? AIclicks ($79/mo) is the strongest mid-market pick on value and transparency. Peec AI Pro ($199/mo) adds deeper benchmarking and SearchGPT coverage if that matters for your space.
- Need content creation + monitoring? Otterly.AI is the only platform in this comparison with a real asset generation workflow, though its Gemini gap is a limitation for B2B brands.
- Enterprise with a budget and dedicated AEO headcount? AthenaHQ's continuous monitoring and competitive intelligence justify the premium for organizations where AEO is a strategic function, not a quarterly check-in.
The platforms that don't make sense as defaults: Scrunch AI (no ongoing monitoring), and AthenaHQ (opaque pricing, no self-serve path) for any team that isn't already enterprise.