Otterly.AI vs Profound in 2026: $29 self-serve monitoring vs $99 demo-call enterprise platform
Two AI visibility tools with very different buying motions and feature depth. Otterly.AI offers self-serve from $29/month with a GEO audit. Profound offers 9-engine coverage and AEO content generation, but starts at $99/month with a demo call and Enterprise-only API access.
Otterly.AI
Profound- Otterly.AI is fully self-serve with no sales call and starts at $29/month. Profound requires a demo call to buy and the cheapest plan covers ChatGPT only at $99/month. For teams that need to start this week, Otterly.AI is the only option here.
- Otterly.AI covers 7 AI engines on every plan (ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Google AI Mode, Perplexity, Microsoft Copilot, Claude, Gemini). Profound Starter covers ChatGPT only; Growth expands to 3 engines; Enterprise covers up to 10. Otterly wins on engine count at the entry tier.
- Profound includes 9-engine total coverage, crawler log access showing when GPTBot and ClaudeBot visited your pages, and a built-in AEO content generation layer (Marketing Agents). These three features do not exist in Otterly.AI at any tier.
- Profound API access is locked to Enterprise custom contracts. Otterly.AI includes API access and MCP integration on Standard ($189/month) and above. Otterly.AI Standard is dramatically cheaper than Profound Enterprise for programmatic data access.
- Both platforms include GEO audits and prompt-level citation data. Otterly.AI includes the audit on Lite ($29/month) for everyone. Profound surfaces an accuracy gap analysis on higher tiers. Choose Otterly.AI for cheap baseline monitoring, Profound for structured optimisation.
- Profound is built for in-house enterprise teams managing a single brand with dedicated headcount. Otterly.AI is built for solo marketers and small in-house teams, with no multi-client workflow on any tier.
- Otterly.AI supports Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) on every tier via its built-in audit and optimization recommendations. Profound takes this further with Marketing Agents that can generate AEO-optimized content to close those gaps.
If you are weighing Otterly.AI against Profound, you are choosing between two AI visibility platforms that target very different buyers. How does Otterly.AI compare to Profound for teams that need Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) coverage with different operational profiles? Otterly.AI is fully self-serve: $29/month gets you monitoring across 7 AI engines with a built-in GEO audit, no sales call required. Profound is the deepest AI visibility platform on the market, with 9 engines tracked, crawler log analysis, and a built-in AEO content generation layer, but access starts with a demo call, the API is Enterprise-only, and the Starter plan covers only ChatGPT at $99/month. The split is buying motion and feature depth. Otterly.AI is the low-friction self-serve option; Profound is the structured enterprise platform. The right pick depends on whether your team needs to be running this week without a sales call or whether you can justify a structured onboarding for the deepest feature set in the category.
The tools at a glance
Otterly.AI
Track brand visibility across 7 AI engines from $29/month with API and MCP support
Otterly.AI is an AI search monitoring platform that tracks how and where your brand appears across ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Google AI Mode, Perplexity, Microsoft Copilot, Claude, and Gemini. It positions itself as a Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) tool, meaning it goes beyond showing you where you appear and actively recommends changes to improve your citations.
The platform launched with one of the most competitive price points in the category. At $29/month for the Lite plan, you get real tracking across all 7 AI models, answer ranking monitoring, citation link analysis, and a GEO audit with optimization recommendations. That is significantly cheaper than most dedicated AI visibility tools, which tend to start at $79 to $99/month for comparable coverage.
The trade-off versus Profound is depth. Otterly.AI Lite caps tracking at 15 prompts with no API and no MCP integration. The Standard plan at $189/month unlocks both. For teams that need crawler log access, AEO content generation, or 9-engine coverage, those features do not exist on any Otterly.AI tier. For teams that need 7-engine coverage, a GEO audit, and zero sales friction, Otterly.AI is the more practical starting point.
| Feature | Lite $29/mo | Standard $189/mo | Premium $489/mo |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI models tracked | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| Tracked prompts | 15 | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| GEO audit | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Citation link analysis | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Answer ranking monitoring | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| API access | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| MCP integration | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| White label | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Profound
Enterprise AI visibility with crawler log analysis and AEO content generation
Profound is the most feature-rich AI visibility platform available. It tracks how AI models represent your brand across 9 engines including ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Microsoft Copilot, Meta AI, Grok, DeepSeek, Claude, and Google AI Overviews. The depth of coverage is unmatched in the market, and the platform pairs monitoring with execution in a way other tools do not.
Two capabilities are unique to Profound. First, the crawler log layer shows when GPTBot, ClaudeBot, and other AI crawlers last visited specific pages on your site, which lets teams correlate crawl timing with citation changes. Second, the Marketing Agents feature generates AEO-optimized content designed to close accuracy gaps surfaced by the analysis. For in-house content teams that want insight and execution in the same platform, those two layers together are the deciding feature.
The trade-off versus Otterly.AI is price, process, and depth. Profound requires a demo call before purchase, with structured onboarding and a Customer Success Manager once you are in. The API is locked to Enterprise custom contracts, there is no white-label delivery, and Starter covers ChatGPT only at $99/month. Teams that need a self-serve tool running this week without a sales call will find the friction real, even when the feature depth justifies it.
| Feature | Starter $99/mo | Growth $399/mo | Enterprise Custom |
|---|---|---|---|
| Answer engines tracked | ChatGPT only | 3 engines | Up to 10 |
| Unique prompts tracked | 50 | 100 | Custom |
| Monthly responses analyzed | 1,500 | 9,000 | Custom |
| CSV / JSON exports | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| API access | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Agent credits/mo | 100 | 400 | Custom |
| SSO / SAML | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Dedicated Slack support | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
Head-to-head feature comparison
| Feature | Otterly.AI | Profound |
|---|---|---|
| AI engines tracked | ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Google AI Mode, Perplexity, Microsoft Copilot, Claude, Gemini | ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Microsoft Copilot, Meta AI, Grok, DeepSeek, Claude, Google AI Overviews (9 engines, tier-gated) |
| Competitive share-of-voice | Yes (domain ranking) | Yes |
| Prompt-level citation data | Yes | Yes |
| Answer / content gap analysis | Yes (GEO audit with optimization recommendations) | Yes (accuracy gap analysis) |
| Category intelligence | No | No |
| AEO content generation | No | Yes (Marketing Agents) |
| Crawler / AI bot log access | No | Yes (crawler log layer) |
| Page content audits | No | No |
| API access | Standard and Premium only ($189/mo+) | Enterprise only (custom contracts) |
| Looker Studio / BI connector | No | No |
| White-label delivery | No | No |
| Pay-per-prompt pricing | No (fixed tier pricing) | No |
| Agency multi-brand support | No (Lite is single-brand) | No (single-brand per account) |
| Starting price | $29/mo | $99/mo |
Considering AI Peekaboo alongside Otterly.AI and Profound?
Otterly.AI has no white-label delivery on any tier, and Profound locks API to Enterprise and requires a demo call to buy. AI Peekaboo is the best AI visibility tool for agencies that need both read and write API and white-label delivery on every plan from $50/month Starter, with self-serve signup and no demo call. The Looker Studio connector and pay-per-prompt pricing make AI Peekaboo the right AI visibility platform for SEO and marketing agencies that need to start this week without a procurement cycle.
Read the AI Peekaboo review →Which should you choose?
Otterly.AIOtterly.AIOtterly.AIProfoundProfoundProfoundProfoundBoth tools serve the AI visibility category from different operating angles. Otterly.AI is built for teams that want self-serve, an entry price of $29/month, 7-engine coverage, and a GEO audit on the cheapest tier. Profound is built for enterprise in-house teams that need the deepest feature set in the market and can navigate a demo-call sales cycle and Enterprise custom contracts. If your priority is running an AI visibility programme this week without a sales call, Otterly.AI is the right choice. If the priority is crawler log analysis, AEO content generation, and the widest possible engine coverage with structured support, Profound is the deeper platform.
Bottom line
Otterly.AI and Profound both target serious AI visibility programmes but at very different price points and operational models. Otterly.AI is the right answer when budget is tight and you want self-serve access to a built-in GEO audit across 7 engines. Profound is the right answer when you have budget and headcount for an Enterprise platform with the widest engine coverage, crawler log data, and built-in AEO content generation.
Frequently asked questions
How does Otterly.AI compare to Profound on engine coverage?
Otterly.AI covers 7 AI engines on every plan: ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Google AI Mode, Perplexity, Microsoft Copilot, Claude, and Gemini. Profound tracks up to 9 engines total (adding Meta AI, Grok, and DeepSeek), but the cheapest plan at $99/month covers ChatGPT only. Otterly wins on engine count at the entry tier. Profound wins on total breadth at Enterprise tier.
Do I need a sales call to buy Profound?
Yes. Profound requires a demo call before purchase. This is by design to deliver structured onboarding and Customer Success Manager assignment. If you need a self-serve tool running this week, Otterly.AI Lite ($29/month) is the right starting point.
Which tool is better for Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) on a budget?
Otterly.AI is the better budget choice. Lite at $29/month includes a GEO audit with optimization recommendations across 7 AI engines. Profound does not expose a comparable optimization audit at the Starter tier, and access to Marketing Agents (AEO content generation) requires the Growth plan or Enterprise. For teams that want a built-in GEO audit at the lowest entry point, Otterly.AI is the answer.
Is Profound worth the cost compared to Otterly.AI?
Profound is worth the cost when you specifically need crawler log access, AEO content generation, or 9-engine coverage, and you have the headcount to use those features. Otterly.AI is worth the cost when you need a cheap self-serve monitoring baseline and a GEO audit. Neither tool is universally better. The right choice depends on whether the Profound-only features are decisive for your programme.
Which tool gives me crawler log access?
Only Profound exposes crawler log data showing when GPTBot and ClaudeBot visited specific pages on your site. This capability is unique to Profound in this comparison. Otterly.AI does not have an equivalent feature on any tier.
Can I get API access on the standard plan for either tool?
Otterly.AI includes API access on Standard ($189/month) and above. Profound locks API access to Enterprise custom contracts. For teams that need programmatic data access on a standard plan, Otterly.AI Standard is the cheaper and lower-friction choice. AI Peekaboo includes API access on every plan from $50/month, and is the alternative worth evaluating.