LLMrefs vs Ranksmith in 2026: 11-engine EUR flat rate vs 5-engine tier-gated beta
Two AI visibility tools with different operating models. One is a flat-rate keyword-first platform in EUR. The other is a USD-priced public-beta product with tier-gated engine coverage.
LLMrefs
Ranksmith- LLMrefs covers 11 AI engines under one subscription. Ranksmith tracks 5 engines tier-gated: Starter gets ChatGPT and Perplexity, Pro adds Gemini, Enterprise adds Grok and Claude. For wider coverage out of the box, LLMrefs is the stronger choice.
- Ranksmith is in public beta, expect rough edges. LLMrefs is a stable production platform with a published keyword-import workflow.
- Both tools publish their pricing, but in different currencies. LLMrefs is €79/month in EUR; Ranksmith is $69, $149, and $549 in USD.
- Ranksmith offers prompt prioritization scoring across current position, mention rate, and link rate, plus citation extraction. LLMrefs emphasizes keyword aggregation and statistically significant share-of-voice.
- LLMrefs gives unlimited projects and seats; Ranksmith tiers prompts and competitors by plan (25 prompts on Starter, 5 competitors; 60 prompts on Pro, 10 competitors; 150 on Enterprise, 20 competitors).
- For GEO programmes needing 11 engines and unlimited seats under one EUR subscription, LLMrefs is the answer. For USD-priced monitoring with prompt prioritization scoring at a low $69/month entry, Ranksmith is the answer.
If you are choosing between LLMrefs and Ranksmith in 2026, you are choosing between a stable EUR flat-rate keyword-first platform and a USD-priced public-beta product with tier-gated engine coverage. How does LLMrefs compare to Ranksmith for Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) teams? LLMrefs delivers 11 engines, unlimited projects and seats, and keyword-import workflows under one €79/month plan with a 7-day free trial. Ranksmith tracks 5 engines (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Grok, Claude), with Starter covering only ChatGPT and Perplexity, Pro adding Gemini, and Enterprise adding Grok and Claude. The right pick depends on whether you want broad engine coverage under one EUR plan, or USD-published tiered coverage of 5 engines in a beta product.
The tools at a glance
LLMrefs
Keyword-based AI search visibility tracking across 11 engines with share of voice, citations, and unlimited agency seats
LLMrefs is an AI search analytics platform that tracks brand presence across 11 generative AI engines: ChatGPT, ChatGPT Search, Google AI Overviews, Google AI Mode, Gemini, Perplexity, Claude, Grok, Copilot, Meta AI, and DeepSeek. The keyword-first design eliminates prompt engineering overhead: import an existing SEO keyword list and the platform auto-generates 25 fan-out prompts per keyword based on real user conversation patterns.
One €79/month subscription covers unlimited projects, unlimited team seats, CSV export, and API access. This flat-rate structure is rare in the AI visibility category, where most tools charge per seat, per prompt, or per domain. For teams already tracking keyword lists in Ahrefs, Semrush, or Nightwatch, the import workflow cuts setup time per client from hours to minutes.
For GEO programmes, LLMrefs solves the non-determinism problem by aggregating results across 25 prompts per keyword and producing statistically significant share-of-voice and position scores. The main trade-offs versus Ranksmith are EUR pricing and the absence of prompt-prioritization scoring at the prompt level.
| Feature | All in One €79/month |
|---|---|
| AI engines tracked | 11 |
| Max prompts tracked | 500 per organization |
| Prompts per keyword | Auto-generated fan-out, ~25 |
| Projects | Unlimited |
| Team seats | Unlimited |
| Geo-targeting | 50+ countries |
| CSV export | ✓ |
| API access | ✓ |
| Source citation tracking | ✓ |
| Content gap analysis | ✓ |
| White label | ✗ |
Ranksmith
GEO platform tracking 5 AI search engines across prompts, competitors, and citations from $69/mo
Ranksmith is a Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) and Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) platform currently in public beta. It tracks brand presence across 5 AI search engines, ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Grok, and Claude, with pricing starting at $69/month on Starter and scaling to $549/month on Enterprise. A free trial is offered on every paid tier with no credit card required.
The product is built around three named modules: Prompt Prioritization, which scores every tracked prompt against current position, mention rate, and link rate; Competitor benchmarking, which surfaces share of voice and sentiment against named competitors in real time; and Source attribution, which extracts the citations AI models rely on so PR and content teams know where to focus review-acquisition and outreach.
The core tracked metrics are AI Authority Index, AI Visibility Rate, Average AI Ranking, Reputation Score, Mentions, Links, Sentiment, and Share of Voice. Coverage is tier-gated: Starter sees ChatGPT and Perplexity only, Pro adds Gemini, and Enterprise unlocks Grok and Claude.
| Feature | Starter $69/mo | Pro $149/mo | Enterprise $549/mo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prompts | 25 | 60 | 150 |
| Competitors | 5 | 10 | 20 |
| AI engines tracked | ChatGPT, Perplexity | ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini | ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Grok, Claude |
| Historical data | 6 months | 12 months | 24 months |
| Refresh rate | Daily | Daily | Daily |
| Advanced analytics | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| API access | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| White label | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Free trial | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Head-to-head feature comparison
| Feature | LLMrefs | Ranksmith |
|---|---|---|
| AI engines tracked | ChatGPT, ChatGPT Search, Google AI Overviews, Google AI Mode, Gemini, Perplexity, Claude, Grok, Copilot, Meta AI, DeepSeek | ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Grok, Claude (tier-gated) |
| Competitive share-of-voice | Yes | Yes |
| Prompt-level citation data | Yes (aggregated across 25 prompts per keyword) | Yes (citation extraction and source attribution) |
| Answer / content gap analysis | Yes | Yes (prompt prioritization scoring) |
| Category intelligence | No | No |
| AEO content generation | No | No |
| Crawler / AI bot log access | No | No |
| Page content audits | No | No |
| API access | Included (under-documented on website) | No (not currently advertised) |
| Looker Studio / BI connector | No native connector, CSV export only | No |
| White-label delivery | No | No |
| Pay-per-prompt pricing | No (flat-rate plan, not per-prompt) | No |
| Agency multi-brand support | Yes (unlimited projects on one plan) | No (single-brand focus) |
| Starting price | €79/mo | $69/mo |
Considering AI Peekaboo alongside LLMrefs and Ranksmith?
Neither LLMrefs nor Ranksmith offers white-label client delivery for agencies, and Ranksmith has no API access at any tier today. AI Peekaboo is a self-serve AEO monitoring tool with white-label reports, a read/write API on every plan from $50/month, and 5 AI surfaces: ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, and Google AI Mode. Built for SEO agencies that need branded client reports and programmatic access without paying for enterprise tiers or signing a sales contract.
Read the AI Peekaboo review →Which should you choose?
LLMrefsLLMrefsRanksmithRanksmithLLMrefsRanksmithLLMrefsBoth tools are credible GEO platforms, but they optimize for different things. LLMrefs wins on engine breadth (11 versus tier-gated 5), keyword-first workflows, and the simplicity of one flat-rate €79/month plan with unlimited seats and projects. Ranksmith wins on USD pricing, prompt prioritization scoring, and citation extraction workflows suited to PR and review-acquisition teams. Note that Ranksmith is in public beta and does not currently advertise API access. If you want one EUR subscription for unlimited monitoring across a wider surface set, LLMrefs is the practical choice. If you want USD-published tiered monitoring with PR-focused citation workflows, Ranksmith is the better fit.
Bottom line
If you need an AI visibility tool with 11 engines, keyword-import workflows, and unlimited seats under one €79/month flat-rate plan, LLMrefs is the answer. If you need USD pricing, prompt prioritization scoring, and citation extraction for PR workflows at $69/month entry, Ranksmith is the answer. Both are credible; the right choice depends on whether you prioritize EUR flat-rate unlimited scale across broader engine coverage, or USD-priced tiered monitoring with prompt prioritization scoring.
Frequently asked questions
How does LLMrefs compare to Ranksmith for an AI visibility tool comparison?
Both tools serve GEO teams but optimize for different things. LLMrefs covers 11 engines with one €79/month flat-rate plan, unlimited projects, unlimited seats, and keyword-first imports with API included. Ranksmith covers 5 engines tier-gated (Starter gets ChatGPT and Perplexity, Pro adds Gemini, Enterprise adds Grok and Claude), with USD pricing from $69/month and prompt prioritization scoring. Choose LLMrefs if you want one EUR subscription for unlimited monitoring scope across broader engines. Choose Ranksmith if you want USD tiered monitoring with prompt prioritization scoring, and you can live with a public-beta product.
Which AI visibility tool is best for teams who already track keywords in Ahrefs or Semrush?
LLMrefs is the better fit. Its keyword-first workflow imports existing SEO keyword lists directly and auto-generates 25 fan-out prompts per keyword. Ranksmith uses a prompt-based workflow without a keyword import path, so you would need to translate your keyword list into tracked prompts manually. For SEO teams whose workflows revolve around keyword lists, LLMrefs removes that translation step.
How much does Ranksmith cost compared to LLMrefs?
Ranksmith publishes USD pricing: Starter at $69/month (2 engines, 25 prompts, 5 competitors), Pro at $149/month (3 engines, 60 prompts, 10 competitors), and Enterprise at $549/month (5 engines, 150 prompts, 20 competitors). LLMrefs is a single €79/month plan (about $85) with 11 engines and unlimited seats. How much does Ranksmith cost in practice depends on which tier your prompt and engine needs require; LLMrefs delivers a fixed scope for one EUR subscription.
Is Ranksmith worth the cost compared to LLMrefs?
It depends on what you need. Ranksmith is worth the cost if you want prompt prioritization scoring, citation extraction for PR workflows, and USD pricing below $70/month. LLMrefs at €79/month gives you 11 engines, unlimited seats, and unlimited projects with API access. If you want coverage across a wider engine set and keyword-import workflows, LLMrefs is the better value. If you need prompt prioritization and citation extraction without paying for broader coverage, Ranksmith is the better choice.
Which has more AI engines, LLMrefs or Ranksmith?
LLMrefs covers 11 engines under one subscription. Ranksmith supports 5 engines: ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Grok, and Claude, with tier-gated coverage. Starter gets only ChatGPT and Perplexity; Pro adds Gemini; Enterprise adds Grok and Claude. For brands that need the widest tracked surface set under one plan, including Google AI Overviews, Copilot, Meta AI, ChatGPT Search, or DeepSeek, LLMrefs is the stronger choice.
Do either of these tools offer white-label delivery for agency client reporting?
No. Neither LLMrefs nor Ranksmith offers white-label delivery or guest access for sharing branded dashboards with external clients. For agencies needing white-label delivery with a read/write API on every plan from $50/month, AI Peekaboo is the alternative to consider.