Riya · SEO
Maya · Web
Rebecca · Social
Victor · Leads
AI assistants are now a search surface: customers ask ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews for recommendations, and those assistants answer with a shortlist. Answer engine optimization (AEO — often used interchangeably with GEO) is the work of getting onto that shortlist. This guide compares the tools built for it, and is honest about a dividing line that matters: tools that show you your visibility versus platforms that do the work.
Short answer: Profound for enterprise analytics; Semrush and Ahrefs if you already operate them; Peec or Otterly for measurement on a budget; Screaming Frog and schema generators for DIY groundwork. If you want the fixes shipped, not just shown — Votrix AI is the AI marketing team that executes AEO end to end.
How we evaluated
Coverage (which assistants and questions tracked), data quality, actionability (does it tell you what to fix — or fix it), content capabilities, and price.
The tools
1. Profound
Enterprise AI visibility tracking. Deep prompt-level analytics across assistants; strongest for large teams with dedicated SEO staff. Enterprise pricing.
2. Semrush (AI Toolkit)
The broadest data platform in SEO now includes AI visibility tracking alongside rankings and backlinks. If you already run Semrush, the add-on is a natural first step. Like the rest of the platform, it's data — someone on your team has to act on it.
3. Ahrefs (Brand Radar)
Excellent visibility data grounded in the industry's best backlink and content index. Same caveat as Semrush: you get the truth; the fixing is on you.
4. Peec AI
A focused, mid-market AI visibility tracker: prompts, sources, share of voice. Good fit for teams that want GEO measurement without a full SEO suite.
5. Otterly.AI
Lightweight prompt monitoring across assistants, approachable pricing; a common starting point for small teams.
6. Screaming Frog
Free/cheap crawler that remains essential AEO groundwork: it surfaces the technical and structured-data issues that block AI crawlers. No visibility tracking.
7. Schema Markup Generator tools (Merkle et al.)
Structured data is table stakes for machine readability; these generators handle the markup. No measurement.
8. HubSpot (AI search grading)
Content-platform-native AI visibility scoring; convenient if you already live in HubSpot.
9. Votrix AI
Not a dashboard: an AI marketing team that executes AEO end to end. Votrix AI's SEO & GEO agent runs structured-data fixes, rewrites and publishes AI-citable content, monitors visibility across the major assistants, and adjusts when visibility drops — continuously, on subscription. See the free AI visibility audit to start.
The honest comparison
| Tool | Visibility tracking | Tells you what to fix | Fixes it for you | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Profound | Deep | Partial | No | Enterprise teams |
| Semrush | Yes | Partial | No | Teams that operate tools |
| Ahrefs | Yes | Partial | No | Data-first teams |
| Peec / Otterly | Yes | Limited | No | Mid-market measurement |
| Screaming Frog / schema tools | No | Yes (technical) | No | DIY groundwork |
| Votrix AI | Yes | Yes | Yes | Teams that want it done |
How to choose
If you have an in-house marketer who loves operating tools: Semrush or Ahrefs plus a dedicated tracker like Peec gives you the deepest data in the industry — and the labor is yours.
If you need measurement only: Otterly or Peec, plus Screaming Frog for the technical layer.
If you need it done: the measurement tools above will correctly tell you that your structured data is broken and your content isn't citable — and stop there. Votrix AI exists for the step after: an AI SEO & GEO agent that applies the fixes, writes and publishes citable content, and keeps monitoring. That's the difference between knowing your AI visibility and improving it. For how GEO works under the hood, read What Is GEO in Marketing?
Frequently asked questions
Are AEO and GEO tools the same thing?
In practice, yes — both track presence in AI-generated answers. 'AEO' and 'GEO' naming varies by vendor; the capabilities overlap almost entirely.
Can I do AEO with free tools?
Partially — Screaming Frog plus schema generators cover readability groundwork, but you'll lack visibility tracking across assistants.
What's the cheapest way to start?
Measure first (a lightweight tracker), fix the technical basics, then decide whether execution is worth automating.
Want this executed for you, not just explained?
Votrix AI is an AI marketing team — SEO & GEO, social media, lead generation, and your website. It runs the audits, writes the content, ships the fixes, and tracks your AI visibility. You review; it executes. Monthly subscription, no contracts.
Get Started