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AI visibility tools for small businesses: real prices compared (October 2026)
Updated October 19, 2026 · 8 min read · By the Selka research team
short answer
For a small business, AI visibility tools start at $29 to $50 a month (Otterly, HubSpot AEO) and reach $95 to $99 a month for deeper trackers (Peec AI, Promptwatch, Semrush, Rankscale). Profound is mostly enterprise. Most of these tools measure where you stand; few tell you what to do next. Check how many prompts and engines you get, whether answers are real or API-based, and whether every number shows how many runs it's based on.
- Entry prices run from $29 to $50 a month; deeper trackers start around $95.
- Cheap entry plans often limit prompts or engines. Check the plan you'd actually need.
- Most trackers report numbers but don't tell you what to build or fix.
- Prices change often and review sites disagree. Confirm on each vendor's own pricing page.
Disclosure: we make Selka, an AEO tool for small businesses.We've kept the comparison factual, used each vendor's public pricing, and said where others are the better pick. Prices checked October 2026.
What AI visibility tools cost in October 2026
| Tool | Starts at | What the entry plan includes | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Otterly | $29/mo | 15 prompts on ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Perplexity and Copilot | Cheap tracking across many engines |
| HubSpot AEO | $50/mo | 25 prompts on ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity, 28-day trial | Teams already on HubSpot |
| Peec AI | $95/mo | 50 prompts, 3 models, unlimited users | Teams with an SEO or content person |
| Promptwatch | $95/mo | 50 prompts across 4 models | SEO teams and agencies |
| Semrush AI Toolkit | $99/mo | Per domain, alongside Semrush's SEO data | Existing Semrush users |
| Rankscale | $99/mo | Pro: 1,200 credits, all engines, credits roll over | Pay-per-use tracking |
| Profound | Custom | Mostly enterprise, through sales | Large brands |
Note that cheap entry plans are often not the plan you'd end up on. A handful of prompts covers one or two topics at most. Price the tier that fits the number of questions you actually want to track.
Five things to check before you pay
- Real answers or API answers? The consumer ChatGPT app and the developer API can answer differently. Real, logged-out answers are closer to what buyers see.
- Run counts.The same prompt gives the same list of brands less than 1 time in 100. Every visibility number should show how many answers it's based on.
- Engines included. Google AI Overviews matter for most small businesses, and some tools charge extra for them or for Gemini.
- Where the prompts come from. A tracker is only as good as the questions it tracks. Prompts should come from real buyer questions in your category.
- What happens after the number. Does the tool tell you which pages to write, what to fix, and where to get mentioned? Or just where you stand?
Which one should you pick?
- You only want to watch a few prompts cheaply: Otterly.
- You live in HubSpot: HubSpot AEO.
- You have an SEO or content team: Peec AI or Promptwatch.
- You're an enterprise brand: Profound.
- You have no SEO person and want to be told what to do: that's what we built Selka for. It finds the topics, gives you the pages to write and fix, finds the threads AI reads, and includes an AI tracker with brand and prompt tracking. Founding price is $29/mo for the first 100.
For side-by-side details, including where each tool beats Selka, see our comparison page.
Sources
- HubSpot AEO pricing
- Otterly pricing
- Peec AI pricing
- Promptwatch pricing
- Rankscale pricing
- Search Engine Land: AI recommendation lists rarely repeat
Facts checked October 19, 2026. See all of our findings on the research page.
