What's the best tool for monitoring AI search visibility? There are so many options and they all claim different things

I’ve tested all the major AI visibility tools. Here’s my honest comparison:

Tool comparison:

Platform coverage:

What actually matters:

1. Data freshness - Daily minimum for competitive markets
2. Prompt sampling - Do they run queries multiple times? (AI varies)
3. Citation vs. mention - Being mentioned != being cited with URL
4. Actionable insights - Data without recommendations is useless

Agency perspective - I’ve used multiple tools for different clients:

My honest experience:

Am I Cited:

• Pros: Clean interface, focused on what matters, good citation tracking
• Cons: Newer platform, still building features
• Best for: Teams wanting simple, actionable data
• Our rating: 8/10

Otterly AI:

• Pros: GEO audit features, established, 15k+ users
• Cons: Dashboard can be overwhelming, learning curve
• Best for: SEO-heavy teams, comprehensive audits
• Our rating: 8/10

Cognizo:

• Pros: Automation, content optimization workflow
• Cons: Setup complexity, higher price
• Best for: Enterprise teams with dedicated resources
• Our rating: 7.5/10

Peec AI:

• Pros: Strong analytics, good for reporting
• Cons: Less actionable recommendations
• Best for: Data-focused agencies, client reporting
• Our rating: 7/10

My recommendation:

• SMB/startup: Am I Cited or Otterly AI
• Mid-market: Otterly AI or Cognizo
• Enterprise: Profound or Cognizo
• Agency: Depends on client needs

Start with free trials. Every tool has strengths; pick based on YOUR workflow.

In-house perspective - here’s what mattered to us:

Our selection criteria:

What we chose:

Am I Cited for citation tracking + Otterly AI for audits.

Using two tools might seem redundant, but:

• Am I Cited: Daily citation monitoring
• Otterly AI: Monthly comprehensive audits

What we track weekly:

1. Brand mention count by platform
2. Citation rate (mentions with URLs)
3. Sentiment (positive/neutral/negative)
4. Competitor comparison
5. Top-cited pages

What we track monthly:

1. GEO audit score changes
2. Share of voice trends
3. Content performance correlation
4. Optimization opportunities

Key insight:

No tool is perfect. Find one that fits your workflow, then build processes around it.

Enterprise requirements perspective:

What enterprises need that SMBs don’t:

1. API access - Connect to internal dashboards
2. Team permissions - Role-based access
3. Custom reporting - Board-ready formats
4. SSO integration - Security requirements
5. SLAs - Uptime guarantees
6. Dedicated support - Account management
7. Data retention - Historical analysis

Enterprise tool comparison:

Our selection:

We went with Profound because:

• SOC 2 compliance (security requirement)
• Fortune 500-grade analytics
• API integration with our data warehouse
• Dedicated account team

The enterprise reality:

At enterprise scale, you’re not just buying a tool - you’re buying a vendor relationship. Support, reliability, and integration matter as much as features.

Practical approach - you don’t need the most expensive tool:

What I actually use (mid-size company):

Primary tool: Am I Cited ($50-100/mo range)

• Daily citation tracking
• Competitor comparison
• Platform coverage

Supplemented with:

• Manual spot-checking (free)
• Google Search Console for AI referrals
• Google Alerts for brand mentions

Monthly process:

Week 1: Review Am I Cited dashboard, note trends Week 2: Deep dive on top-performing/under-performing content Week 3: Competitor analysis Week 4: Optimization planning for next month

What I learned:

1. Start simple - Don’t buy the biggest tool hoping it’ll solve problems
2. Build process first - Tool is useless without workflow
3. Measure what matters - Citations that drive traffic
4. Iterate - Upgrade as needs grow

The honest truth:

Most features in expensive tools go unused. Start with what you’ll actually use, upgrade when you need more.

This has been incredibly helpful. Here’s my decision framework:

My requirements (prioritized):

1. Must have: ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI coverage
2. Must have: Citation tracking (with URLs, not just mentions)
3. Must have: Competitive benchmarking
4. Nice to have: Sentiment analysis
5. Nice to have: API access
6. Budget: $100-200/month to start

My shortlist:

1. Am I Cited - Simple, focused, good citation tracking
2. Otterly AI - More features, established

My evaluation plan:

1. Start free trials of both
2. Run for 2 weeks with same prompts
3. Compare: Data accuracy, usability, insights
4. Choose based on actual experience

What I’m prioritizing:

• Accuracy > Volume of data
• Actionable insights > Raw metrics
• Ease of use > Feature count
• Support quality > Price

The insight I’m taking away:

Tool selection is less about features and more about fit. The best tool is the one my team will actually use consistently.

Thanks everyone for the honest comparisons!