7 Profound alternatives for small brands (2026)
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If you have looked at Profound and found its pricing is a demo, a trial and a custom quote, the shortlist below is built for a small brand: seven tools, roughly in order of what it costs to start, each with the page its price was read from. We make one of them and have said which.
We make SeenScan, so weigh this accordingly. Every price and limit for another product on this page was read from that company’s own pricing page on and links to it. This category re-prices constantly — check the source before you buy.
Entry price and engines, side by side
| Tool | Starts at | Engines listed | Free option |
|---|---|---|---|
| SeenScan (ours) | $19/mo | ChatGPT, Gemini | First result, no card |
| Wellows | $29/mo Basic | OpenAI, Gemini, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, AI Mode | 7-day trial |
| Otterly | $29/mo Lite ($25/mo billed annually) | ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Perplexity, Copilot; others as add-ons | Free trial |
| Ahrefs Brand Radar | From $50/mo (custom prompts) | Varies by tier | Not listed |
| AthenaHQ | Free Essential; $295/mo Starter | Eleven models on Starter | Free Essential tier |
| SE Ranking | Free checker (5 a day); 14-day trial | Not listed on its checker page | 5 free checks a day; 14-day trial |
| Semrush | Part of its main plans; no standalone price listed | Not listed on its pricing page | Not listed |
For reference, Profound lists a free 7-day trial and custom Enterprise pricing through a demo; see SeenScan vs Profound for that comparison in full.
What each tool is good at
1. SeenScan — $19/month (ours)
One brand, up to five competitors and ten questions checked daily on ChatGPT and Gemini, with the full citation-gap report on every plan. Your first result is free and needs no card; daily tracking runs on a 7-day trial that does. Month-to-month, nothing to install.
Best for: one Shopify or DTC store asking whether AI names it. Skip it if you need Perplexity, Copilot or Google AI Overviews, team seats, or tracking by region.
2. Wellows — from $29/month
Wellows prices by a monthly pool of answers rather than by engine: Basic is $29 and covers 12 prompts a day across all five of its engines, with a 7-day trial. At the same money it covers more engines than SeenScan does.
Best for: a small brand that wants engine breadth at the bottom of the market. Check: how fast the pool of monthly answers runs down with your number of questions.
3. Otterly — from $29/month
Otterly Lite is $29 a month ($25 billed annually) for 15 prompts across four engines, with a free trial. The next tier, Standard, is $189 for 100 prompts and adds API access.
Best for: small teams who want Perplexity, Copilot and AI Overviews coverage. Watch: the jump from $29 to $189 is steep, so check Lite’s 15-prompt limit against what you actually need.
4. Ahrefs Brand Radar — from $50/month
Brand Radar lists custom-prompt tracking from $50 a month (included with paid Ahrefs plans) and a wider “AI Visibility Index” at $199 a month. Tiers and what each includes change, so read the page.
Best for: teams already inside Ahrefs who want AI visibility next to rank tracking, since custom prompts come with the paid plans.
5. AthenaHQ — free tier, then $295/month
AthenaHQ has a free Essential tier with a small starting credit and, above it, Starter at $295 a month for eleven models. The free tier is worth a look whatever you decide.
Best for: teams that need many models. Note the gap: its pricing page lists nothing between free and $295.
6. SE Ranking — free checker
SE Ranking’s AI visibility checker gives you 5 free checks a day and a 14-day trial of its paid tracking.
Best for: a quick spot check with no signup. Use the 14-day trial if you want to see its paid tracking before deciding.
7. Semrush — inside its main plans
Semrush folds AI visibility into its main plans, with prompt allowances that rise by tier (50 on its Starter tier). It does not list a standalone price for it.
Best for: teams already paying for Semrush, where it joins an existing workflow.
How to choose without a score
- Start with a free check. SE Ranking’s checker and our free first result both tell you, in minutes, whether AI names your brand at all. That changes what you are shopping for.
- Then decide which engines matter. If your customers ask ChatGPT and Gemini, most of this list is more than you need. If Perplexity or Google AI Overviews drive your category, start with Wellows or Otterly.
- Then ask monitoring or project. Monitoring is a recurring check that shows change over weeks. A one-off audit is a different purchase. Know which one you are paying for.
- Prefer the list to the score. A single visibility number tells you where you stand, not what to do. The pages AI cites for competitors and not for you are specific places to go and earn a mention — see citation gaps explained.
Questions people ask
What is the cheapest Profound alternative?
Among the pricing pages we read on October 1, 2026, SeenScan has the lowest paid plan at $19 a month. Otterly Lite and Wellows Basic are $29 a month. SE Ranking, AthenaHQ and Profound each offer a free way to start.
Is there a free Profound alternative?
SE Ranking has a free AI visibility checker with 5 checks a day, AthenaHQ has a free Essential tier, and SeenScan’s first result is free without a card. None of them is free for ongoing daily tracking.
Which alternative covers the most AI engines for the money?
Wellows Basic lists all five of its engines for $29 a month and Otterly Lite lists four for the same price. SeenScan covers two, ChatGPT and Gemini, for $19 a month. If you need Perplexity or Google AI Overviews, SeenScan is not the right pick.
Do any of these need something installed on my store?
SeenScan does not: no script, no app and no Shopify permissions. We have not checked what each of the others asks for, so confirm that with each vendor.
Related: AI visibility tracking under $20 a month and SeenScan pricing.
See what AI says about your brand
SeenScan puts your customers’ questions to ChatGPT and Gemini every day and shows you where you’re named, where a competitor is named instead, and which pages to go earn. Your first result is free and needs no card; daily tracking runs on a 7-day trial that does require one.
Start tracking free