AI visibility tools answer one question: when buyers ask ChatGPT, Gemini or another AI assistant about your field, is your business named, recommended or missing? A year ago only a few enterprise platforms tracked this. In 2026 there are dozens, from SEO suites adding a module to small tools built for one job.
We build one of them, Vistobi, so read this list with that in mind. We wrote it the way we would want to read it: what each tool is for, who it suits, and where it falls short, including ours.
What an AI visibility tool should measure
Before comparing tools, agree on what you are buying. A useful AI visibility tool does five things:
- Asks real buyer questions. Not your brand name, but the questions a customer would type, such as “best bookkeeping software for freelancers in Germany”.
- Repeats them on a schedule. AI answers change from one run to the next. One answer is an anecdote; the same questions over weeks are a trend.
- Separates mentioned from recommended. Being listed as one of ten options is not the same as being the suggestion.
- Shows sources. Which websites the answer relied on. That is where you need to appear.
- Leads to action. A list of pages, profiles and content to fix, not only a score.
If a tool cannot do the first two, it is an AI visibility checker for a one-off look, not a tracker.
The best AI visibility tools, compared
| Tool | Type | AI assistants covered (as described) | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Profound | Dedicated enterprise platform | Broad multi-engine coverage | Large brands with dedicated teams |
| Peec AI | Dedicated AI search analytics | ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and others | Marketing teams and agencies |
| Otterly.ai | Dedicated, lightweight | ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, Copilot; more as add-ons | Small brands, freelancers, small agencies |
| Semrush AI Visibility Toolkit | Module in an SEO suite | Several assistants plus Google AI features | Teams already using Semrush |
| Ahrefs Brand Radar | Module in an SEO suite | AI Overviews, AI Mode, ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, Perplexity, Grok | Teams already using Ahrefs |
| SE Ranking AI visibility | Module in an SEO suite | Google AI Overviews and AI Mode, plus ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini depending on plan | SE Ranking users who want AI data in their SEO workflow |
| Vistobi | AI visibility inside a website marketing assistant | ChatGPT and Gemini | Small businesses, stores and agencies that also want the fixes done |
Coverage is as described in vendor materials and independent reviews in autumn 2026. Every tool on this list adds engines regularly, so check the current list before you buy.
The tools, one by one
Profound
An enterprise platform built only for AI search visibility. Reviews agree on the audience: large brands that need depth, many prompts, and reporting for several teams. For a small business or a small agency it is usually more than you need.
Peec AI
A dedicated AI search analytics tool focused on how brands appear in AI answers, with competitor comparison. Reviews describe it as a fit for marketing teams and agencies tracking larger prompt sets.
Otterly.ai
A lightweight, dedicated tracker that is easy to start with. It is often recommended for small brands, freelancers and agencies that want AI visibility monitoring without an enterprise contract.
Semrush AI Visibility Toolkit
If your team already lives in Semrush, adding its AI visibility module keeps everything in one place. The trade-off is the usual one with suites: you pay for the suite, and AI visibility is one part of it. Published prices for the toolkit differ between sources, so confirm on Semrush's own pricing page.
Ahrefs Brand Radar
Ahrefs' answer to AI visibility, with the widest list of named AI surfaces among the suites, including Google AI Mode and Grok. It suits SEO teams already using Ahrefs and brands that want large-scale data. It is priced for that audience.
SE Ranking
SE Ranking tracks Google's AI Overviews and AI Mode alongside classic rankings, with chatbots such as ChatGPT available depending on plan and add-ons. A good fit if you want AI data next to your existing SEO reports.
Vistobi
Our own tool, so here is what it does and does not do.
What it does: Vistobi suggests buyer questions based on your website (you can edit them), asks ChatGPT and Gemini with live web context, and shows for each question whether you are mentioned, recommended or missing, who is named instead, and which sources the answers used. Every check is saved, so you see the trend. Gaps become to-dos on the same Today list as your SEO fixes, content and Google Business Profile work.
Limits: it checks two assistants, ChatGPT and Gemini. If you need Perplexity, Copilot or Google AI Overviews in the same report, one of the tools above covers more. The number of questions per check depends on the plan: 5 on the free plan (once a month), 8 on Starter, 12 on Growth and 20 on Agency.
Why we built it this way: we run our own stores in four countries and look after client sites in several languages. Knowing that AI assistants skip a brand is only useful if someone then fixes the pages and profiles behind it. Vistobi puts the measurement and the fixes in one place.
How to choose an AI visibility tool
1. Which assistants do your buyers use? For most consumer brands, ChatGPT and Google's AI features matter most. B2B buyers increasingly use Perplexity and Copilot too. Pay for coverage you need, not the longest list.
2. How many questions do you really need? Twenty well-chosen buyer questions, tracked monthly, beat five hundred generated ones nobody reads.
3. Do you already pay for an SEO suite? If yes, try its AI module first. If not, a dedicated or all-in-one tool is usually cheaper.
4. Who acts on the results? Enterprise teams have people to turn data into work. A small business or a small agency needs the tool to say what to do next.
5. Pricing model. Entry plans range from tens of dollars a month for lightweight tools to several hundred for enterprise platforms and suite add-ons. Model the cost for your number of brands, markets and questions a year from now.
A free AI visibility audit you can do today
Before paying for anything, run this in 15 minutes:
- Write ten questions a buyer would ask before choosing a business like yours.
- Ask each in ChatGPT and Gemini in a fresh chat, with web search on.
- Note for each: are you named, recommended, or missing? Who is named instead?
- Note the sources the answers link to. Are you on them?
- Repeat in a month with the same questions.
If you are missing from most answers, start with the basics in our guide on how to rank in ChatGPT. If you want this check repeated for you, the Vistobi AI visibility tracker does it on the free plan once a month.
Key takeaways
- An AI visibility tool should track real buyer questions over time, separate mentions from recommendations, and show sources.
- Enterprise platforms (Profound, Peec AI) suit large prompt sets and dedicated teams.
- Suite modules (Semrush, Ahrefs, SE Ranking) make sense if you already pay for the suite.
- Lightweight tools (Otterly.ai, Vistobi) suit small teams; Vistobi adds the fixes and SEO work in the same place.
- Start with a free manual check. It tells you whether you have a problem before you pay to measure it.
Related reading: AI visibility tool: what to look for, GEO vs SEO and best AI SEO tools for small businesses.