Key Takeaways
- An AI search audit checks how ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini answer questions in your category and whether they name you.
- Start with a free manual audit to define the prompts that matter, then add a tool if you need scale.
- Otterly.AI and Peec AI are affordable picks; Profound fits enterprises; Semrush and Ahrefs cover existing users.
- Audit to find gaps, then track to confirm your fixes worked.
An AI search audit checks how AI assistants answer questions in your category. It shows whether they mention your brand and which sources they cite. It gives you a baseline and a list of gaps to fix.
Why bother? Because you can’t improve what you’ve never measured. Most B2B teams have no idea whether ChatGPT names them or a competitor. The only way to find out is to look.
This guide ranks 11 AI search audit tools, from a free manual method to enterprise platforms. Each is compared on what it diagnoses, who it fits, and how it prices.
One quick disclosure: OutreachBloom publishes this site. We’re a B2B outbound agency, not an audit tool, so we appear only as the agency-audit category. I’ll tell you plainly when the free option is all you need.
One quick note: these tools are new and their pricing shifts often. I’ve kept pricing general on purpose, so check each vendor’s site for the current number before you buy.
AI Search Audit Options at a Glance
| Option | Best for | Pricing model |
|---|---|---|
| Manual prompt-set audit | Everyone, as a first step | Free |
| Otterly.AI | SMBs wanting a quick audit | Published monthly plans |
| Peec AI | Teams auditing vs competitors | Published monthly plans |
| Profound | Enterprises needing depth | Custom, quote-based |
| Semrush / Ahrefs | Existing SEO-suite users | Part of the subscription |
| Agency audit | Teams wanting it done for them | Project or retainer |
How We Evaluated These AI Search Audit Tools
We ranked each option on what it diagnoses, which AI assistants it covers, who it fits, and how it prices. We weighted the clarity of the gap list most heavily. An audit is only useful if it tells you what to fix.
Tool categories reflect each vendor’s own positioning, reviewed in July 2026. Pricing moves fast here, so confirm the current figure on each site before buying.
1. A Manual Prompt-Set Audit: Best Free First Step
Quick take: A manual audit means writing the prompts your buyers would ask, running them through the AI assistants yourself, and recording whether you’re mentioned and how.
This is where I tell everyone to start, and yes, it’s free. Pick 20 to 30 real buyer questions, run them once, and log the answers. You’ll learn more about your gaps in an afternoon than a dashboard teaches in a week. Our AI search visibility audit checklist gives you the prompt structure.
- Free, using the AI tools and a spreadsheet.
- Forces you to define the prompts that matter.
- Produces a concrete gap list you can act on.
Pricing: Free.
Best for: every team, as the first audit before buying anything.
Limitation: Manual work that doesn’t scale past a few dozen prompts.
2. Otterly.AI: Best for a Quick SMB Audit
Quick take: Otterly.AI audits which prompts mention your brand and whether your links get cited, with SMB-friendly plans and simple output.
Otterly.AI turns the manual method into a scheduled report. For a small team, it’s a fast way to get an audit without running every prompt by hand.
- Audits mentions and cited links across AI answers.
- Runs a defined prompt set on a schedule.
- Clear output for non-specialists.
Pricing: Published monthly plans; confirm current pricing on its site.
Best for: SMBs wanting a repeatable audit without the manual effort.
Limitation: Lighter analysis than tools built for large prompt sets.
3. Peec AI: Best for Auditing Against Competitors
Quick take: Peec AI audits your AI answer presence and benchmarks it against competitors, with published plans aimed at smaller teams.
Peec AI is handy when the point of the audit is “where do rivals get named and we don’t.” Seeing the gap next to a competitor makes the fix easier to prioritize.
- Audits mentions and visibility across assistants.
- Competitor benchmarking on shared prompts.
- Trend view for repeat audits.
Pricing: Published monthly plans; check current tiers on its site.
Best for: teams whose audit is a competitive gap analysis at heart.
Limitation: Coverage is lighter than an enterprise platform’s.
4. Profound: Best for Enterprise-Depth Audits
Quick take: Profound audits AI answer coverage at enterprise depth, including the source pages that shape how assistants describe you.
Profound suits large brands that need a thorough audit across many prompts, with source-level detail. Knowing which pages feed your answers turns the audit into a content plan.
- Deep audit of mentions, sentiment, and citations.
- Source analysis behind the answers.
- Competitor and share-of-voice comparison.
Pricing: Custom and quote-based, aimed at enterprise budgets.
Best for: enterprises that need a deep, source-level audit.
Limitation: Priced beyond most small teams.
5. AthenaHQ: Best for an Audit That Comes With Fixes
Quick take: AthenaHQ audits your AI presence and points at the content and sources to change, so the report ends in a to-do list.
AthenaHQ leans toward action, which suits teams that want the audit to lead somewhere. It’s less “here’s the score” and more “here’s what to do next.”
- Audits brand presence across assistants.
- Content and source gap analysis.
- Recommendations tied to findings.
Pricing: Published plans; check its site for current tiers.
Best for: teams that want an audit plus a fix list.
Limitation: A newer platform still building out features.
6. Goodie: Best for an Approachable One-Off Audit
Quick take: Goodie audits how your brand shows up in AI answers, with a marketer-friendly interface and clear output.
Goodie fits a team that wants a clean read on AI presence without a heavy platform. It reports mentions and visibility so a one-off audit stays simple.
- Audits brand mentions across AI assistants.
- Simple, marketer-friendly reporting.
- Visibility snapshot for a baseline.
Pricing: Published plans; confirm current pricing on its site.
Best for: marketers who want an easy, approachable audit.
Limitation: Fewer advanced features than enterprise tools.
7. Scrunch AI: Best for Auditing Multiple Brands
Quick take: Scrunch AI audits AI search presence with a workflow built for agencies and teams checking several brands at once.
Scrunch AI suits people who audit more than one account. Its multi-brand reporting keeps client audits organized where a single-brand tool would get messy.
- Multi-brand AI audit workflow.
- Mention and citation reporting.
- Output suited to client deliverables.
Pricing: Published plans; verify current pricing on its site.
Best for: agencies auditing several brands.
Limitation: More tool than a single brand needs.
8. Semrush and Ahrefs AI Features: Best for Existing Suite Users
Quick take: Semrush and Ahrefs have both added AI visibility features, so existing users can audit AI mentions inside a tool they already pay for.
If you already run Semrush or Ahrefs, their AI features let you audit without a new subscription. The reporting sits beside your keyword and backlink data. For a wider view, compare the AEO tools built specifically for this.
- AI audit features inside established SEO suites.
- Alongside existing keyword and link data.
- No extra tool to learn for current users.
Pricing: Part of a Semrush or Ahrefs subscription.
Best for: teams already on either suite.
Limitation: Not worth subscribing for the AI audit alone.
9. A DIY Spreadsheet Template: Best for a Repeatable Free Audit
Quick take: A DIY spreadsheet template structures the manual audit so you can rerun it the same way each quarter and compare results.
This is the manual method with rails. A fixed template keeps your prompts, columns, and scoring consistent, so quarter-over-quarter numbers mean something.
- Free, built on the manual method.
- Consistent structure for repeat audits.
- Easy to share with your team.
Pricing: Free.
Best for: teams that want a free audit they can repeat reliably.
Limitation: Still manual, so it caps at a modest prompt count.
10. An Agency Audit Deliverable: Best for Having It Done for You
Quick take: An agency audit is a done-for-you deliverable where a specialist runs the prompts, analyzes the gaps, and hands you a plan.
This fits teams that want the answer without the legwork. A good agency audit includes the prompt set, the mention and citation findings, and a prioritized list of fixes. That’s the kind of audit we run at OutreachBloom as part of AI-search visibility work.
- Done-for-you prompt research and analysis.
- Gap findings with a prioritized action plan.
- Context from someone who does this daily.
Pricing: Project-based or part of a retainer.
Best for: teams that want the audit and the plan handed over.
Limitation: Costs more than running it yourself, and quality varies by provider.
11. Rankscale: Best for a Prompt-Level Audit View
Quick take: Rankscale audits how you place across a set of prompts, treating AI answers like a ranking surface.
Rankscale suits teams that think in ranks and want their AI audit framed the same way. It maps where you appear prompt by prompt.
- Prompt-level AI audit and ranking view.
- Mention and citation checks.
- Baseline you can revisit.
Pricing: Published plans; check its site for current pricing.
Best for: teams that want a rank-style audit.
Limitation: A newer entrant with growing coverage.
How to Choose an AI Search Audit Tool
Start free. Run a manual audit or a spreadsheet template first. It defines the prompts that matter and shows you what good looks like. Most teams find their biggest gaps here without spending a dollar.
Then match a tool to your need. Auditing against rivals points to Peec AI; enterprise depth points to Profound; existing suite users can lean on Semrush or Ahrefs. Once you’re auditing regularly, pair it with one of the best AI visibility tracking tools to watch the score between audits.
If you’d rather skip the legwork, an agency audit hands you the findings and the plan.
Pro Tip
Run your first audit before you shortlist any tool. The prompts you write and the gaps you find will tell you which features you need. Then you buy the right tool instead of the flashiest demo.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an AI search audit?
An AI search audit is a point-in-time check of how ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini answer questions in your category. It shows whether they mention your brand and which sources they cite. It gives you a baseline and a gap list to act on.
What is the best AI search audit tool?
For most B2B brands, a free manual prompt-set audit is the best place to start. It forces you to define the prompts that matter. Otterly.AI and Peec AI are strong affordable tools, and Profound fits enterprises that need depth.
Is an audit different from ongoing tracking?
Yes. An audit is a one-time or periodic diagnostic that establishes where you stand, while tracking watches that position continuously. Most teams audit first to find the gaps, then track to see if their fixes worked.
Can I run an AI search audit for free?
Yes. Write 20 to 30 buyer prompts, run them through the AI assistants by hand, and record whether you’re mentioned and how. A spreadsheet and an afternoon are enough for a first audit.
How often should I audit AI search?
A full audit every quarter suits most B2B brands, with a lighter check after a launch or a big content push. Between audits, ongoing tracking catches drift without a full rerun.
Where to Start
Run a free manual audit this week, find the prompts where a competitor gets named and you don’t, and fix those first. Add a tool once you know which features your gaps call for.
If you’d rather have the audit and plan handed to you, that’s part of the AI-search visibility work we do at OutreachBloom. Either way, the brands that measure first are the ones AI tools start naming.

Jayson is a long-time columnist for Forbes, Entrepreneur, BusinessInsider, Inc.com, and various other major media publications, where he has authored over 1,000 articles since 2012, covering technology, marketing, and entrepreneurship. He keynoted the 2013 MarketingProfs University, and won the “Entrepreneur Blogger of the Year” award in 2015 from the Oxford Center for Entrepreneurs. In 2010, he founded a marketing agency that appeared on the Inc. 5000 before selling it in January of 2019, and he is now the CEO of EmailAnalytics and OutreachBloom.



