AI Visibility Tools Under $500 a Month: An Honest Comparison (October 2026)
Otterly.AI, Peec AI, Semrush, Ahrefs Brand Radar and BeeVisibl compared for small marketing teams: what each costs, which AI engines it covers, and what you get beyond a score.
The short answer
For under $500 a month, a small marketing team can pick from three kinds of AI visibility tools: dedicated trackers (Otterly.AI, Peec AI), add-ons inside SEO suites (Semrush AI Visibility Toolkit, Ahrefs Brand Radar), and BeeVisibl, which pairs visibility checks with a ranked plan of what to fix. Profound no longer sells a self-serve plan to brands, so for most small teams it is outside this budget.
What you are actually paying for
- Prompts: how many buyer questions the tool checks for you.
- Engines: which AI assistants it asks (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity, Copilot, Google AI Overviews).
- Frequency: daily automated tracking versus checks you run when you need them.
- What happens next: a score and a report, or a list of specific fixes.
The options, with prices checked in October 2026
Otterly.AI: the cheapest entry point
Lite is $29 a month for 15 prompts, Standard is $189 for 100 prompts and Premium is $489 for 400 prompts (Otterly pricing). Every plan tracks ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Perplexity and Microsoft Copilot daily, with unlimited team members. Claude, Gemini and Google AI Mode are paid add-ons.
Peec AI: a clean tracker priced by prompts
Starter is $95 a month for 50 prompts in one project and one country, Pro is $245 for 150 prompts and Advanced is $495 for 350 prompts (Peec pricing). Each plan tracks three AI models you choose, daily, with unlimited users. Annual billing is cheaper.
Semrush AI Visibility Toolkit: if your team already lives in Semrush
The Base plan is $99 a month per domain, billed annually, for 25 prompts tracked daily across ChatGPT, Google AI, Gemini and Perplexity, plus an AI-readiness site audit (Semrush AI pricing). Extra domains and users cost more.
Ahrefs Brand Radar: if your team already lives in Ahrefs
Ahrefs Lite ($129 a month) includes five tracked AI prompts. The Brand Radar AI Visibility Index is $199 a month, and custom prompt packages start at $50 a month. It has the broadest engine coverage in this list, including Claude on custom prompts.
BeeVisibl: visibility checks plus a fix plan
BeeVisibl has a free plan (Claude, up to three projects) and a Pro plan at $99 a month, or ₹9,999 in India (BeeVisibl pricing). Pro adds ChatGPT, unlimited projects, BeeFix (a ranked action plan built from the buyer questions where AI did not mention you), BeeCompete (which rivals AI recommends instead) and BeeBrief (a client-ready summary). Usage is a monthly token pool rather than a fixed prompt count, and billing is available in INR, USD, EUR, GBP and AED.
The trade-off: BeeVisibl covers two engines today, ChatGPT and Claude, and you run checks when you need them rather than on a daily schedule. If you need Perplexity, Copilot or Google AI Overviews tracked every day, Otterly.AI or Semrush is the better fit.
Profound: no longer a sub-$500 option for brands
In September 2026 Profound removed its self-serve Starter and Growth plans for brands. Brands now get a free seven-day trial, then a custom Enterprise quote (Profound pricing). Agencies still have a self-serve Agency Growth plan.
How to choose
- You only want to know whether ChatGPT names you: Otterly.AI Lite, or BeeVisibl Free and Pro.
- You need many prompts tracked daily across four or more engines: Otterly.AI Standard or Peec AI Pro.
- You already pay for Semrush or Ahrefs: try their AI module first.
- You need to know what to fix, not just a score: BeeVisibl with BeeFix, or pair any tracker with your own review process.
Test before you buy
Take 10 to 20 questions your buyers really ask, without your brand name in them, and run them through each tool's free plan or trial. Engine coverage and prompt limits matter more than dashboard polish. Re-run the same questions on the same engine after you make changes, so you compare like with like.
FAQ
What is the cheapest AI visibility tool?
Among paid plans, Otterly.AI Lite at $29 a month. BeeVisibl's free plan costs nothing but checks Claude only; ChatGPT checks need Pro.
Do I need daily tracking?
Not at first. AI answers change gradually as engines re-crawl and re-index sources, so a weekly or after-each-change check is enough for most small teams. Daily tracking helps once you track hundreds of prompts or report to clients.
Does BeeVisibl replace Semrush or Ahrefs?
No. BeeVisibl measures and improves how AI assistants mention your brand; it does not track Google keyword rankings or backlinks.
Prices are taken from each vendor's pricing page and were checked on 12 October 2026. They change often, so confirm on the vendor's site before you buy.