What Tools Help You Track AI Visibility?

Imagine someone asks ChatGPT, “Which brand is best for X?” If your brand is included in that answer—or even cited—you’ve won visibility in AI search. But how do you know whether your brand shows up in these AI answers? That’s where AI visibility tracking tools come in.

In this article, I’ll explain:

1. 1.
   What “AI visibility tracking” means
2. 2.
   Key features to look for
3. 3.
   Some popular tools (Athena, Profound, and others)
4. 4.
   Pros, cons, and tips
5. 5.
   What to choose depending on your needs

Let’s dive in.

In traditional SEO, you try to rank high on Google, get clicks, and track keywords, impressions, positions, etc. But with AI (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, etc.), users might not click links at all—they just read the generated answer. So:

• AI visibility = How often, where, and how your brand or content is mentioned (or cited) in AI-generated answers
• Tracking that visibility = Using tools that ask lots of AI prompts and see whether your brand appears

These tools run many queries, compare responses, and analyze how AI “sees” your brand. Some also tell you which pages or content pieces are causing the mentions—so you can improve them.

Not all tools are built the same. Here are things to care about:

Feature Why It Matters AI engine coverage (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google’s AI Overviews, Gemini, etc.) If a tool only tracks one engine, you’ll miss parts of your visibility. Mentions vs. Citations “Mention” means your brand is named; “citation” means your page is used as a source with a link. Good tools distinguish them. Share of Voice / Prominence Not just whether you appear, but how often vs. competitors, and how “prominent” your brand is in the answer. Sentiment & Accuracy Sometimes AI mentions brands incorrectly. Good tools flag whether the AI’s statement is positive/accurate. Prompt-level analysis & testing You want to test which prompts lead to your brand being mentioned—these help you optimize content. Technical & crawler analytics How does the AI crawl your site? Which pages are being read by AI systems? Integrations & attribution Can the tool tie AI visibility to your website traffic, conversions, Analytics (GA4), etc.? Data freshness, sampling, transparency AI models and prompt behavior change fast. You want fresh results and clarity about how the tool collects data (APIs vs scraping).

A good tool doesn’t just report visibility—it guides you to improve it.

Let’s look at some known tools and what makes them distinct.

• Profound is a platform focused on AI visibility and optimization.
• It tracks brand mentions across many AI engines (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, etc.).
• Offers “Agent Analytics” to see which AI crawlers access your site and which pages they read.
• Helps you see which content or pages are causing the AI mentions, so you can optimize.
• One differentiator: deep analytics and attribution, which is attractive for enterprises.

Limitations/considerations:

• Some critics compare it to Athena in terms of cost or flexibility.
• If your needs are lighter or your budget smaller, some features may feel overkill.

• AthenaHQ is another tool in this space, aiming to provide AI visibility + optimization features.
• It emphasizes flexibility: “unlimited responses analyzed, unlimited seats” (per their marketing) compared to tiered models.
• It positions itself not just as a tracker, but as an active optimization engine—helping you act, not just watch.

Possible downsides/trade-offs:

• Some analysts suggest Athena lacks certain enterprise security features compared to Profound. For example, Profound supports SOC 2 controls, role-based access, etc.
• According to a performance test, Profound showed much higher AI visibility scores (34.4%) versus Athena’s 0.2% in a comparative test.

• Otterly.ai — A newer platform designed to monitor how brands show in responses from LLMs.
• SE Ranking AI Visibility Tracker — Some SEO tools have added AI visibility modules (e.g. SE Ranking) to monitor how your brand is cited in AI-driven results.
• Scrunch — A tool focused on helping you optimize how your brand appears in generative AI answers.

Because this space is new and fast-moving, new tools appear frequently. Always check what AI engines they support and how they gather data.

• You get visibility into a new “search frontier” (AI answers) that traditional SEO can’t measure.
• You can see what prompts lead to mentions and tailor your content accordingly.
• You detect brand mis-mentions, misinformation, or wrong portrayals early.
• They help you compare with competitors—who’s getting more AI traction.
• For larger organizations, you can tie AI visibility to business metrics (traffic, leads).

• The tools depend on how they query AI systems. Some use API access, others may simulate queries (scraping). That difference affects reliability.
• AI models update often. What works this week might change next week.
• For smaller brands or content domains, the volume of relevant prompts might be low, so data may feel sparse.
• Cost: Enterprise-level tools can be expensive, and you may not need every feature.
• You must act on insights; tracking alone isn’t enough.

1. 1.
   Start small. Pick a few core prompts/queries in your domain and track them.
2. 2.
   Integrate with analytics. See which AI mentions lead to clicks or conversions.
3. 3.
   Improve your content for AI. Use clear, structured content (lists, Q&A, schema).
4. 4.
   Watch your “false mentions.” Sometimes AI gets it wrong. Use tools that flag accuracy.
5. 5.
   Re-run benchmarks regularly. Models evolve, so visibility changes over time.
6. 6.
   Combine with traditional SEO. Strong page authority still helps AI systems trust your content.

Here’s a simplified guide:

Your Situation What You Need Recommended Starting Tools Enterprise/big budget/need security & depth Full visibility, attribution, and strict controls Profound (strong in analytics, enterprise features) Growing business/more flexibility/lower cost Unlimited seats, prompt testing, active optimization AthenaHQ (marketing claims of flexibility) You already use an SEO suite Want AI visibility inside your existing tools SE Ranking, Scrunch, or add-ons in your SEO stack You’re experimental/small domain Want to test a few prompts first Newer tools like Otterly.ai or trial plans

When you test any tool, ask:

• Which AI engines are supported?
• How often is the data refreshed?
• How do they collect the data (API, scraping, hybrid)?
• Can I tie visibility to real traffic/conversions?
• Do they allow prompt testing?
• Are there features for managing AI misstatements?
• Is the price worth it for your scale?

AI visibility tracking is one of the emerging frontiers in digital marketing. Traditional SEO doesn’t tell you whether AI engines are talking about your brand—but these tools do.

By using platforms like Profound, Athena, Otterly.ai, or integrations in SEO suites, you can measure how AI sees your brand, and more importantly, influence it.