Top 5 Profound Competitors and Alternatives

A cat is searching AI results

The rise of AI search engines is transforming how people discover brands, products, and services. Instead of typing keywords into Google, users are increasingly asking ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, Perplexity, and Claude for direct answers. This shift has created a new field: Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) — the practice of ensuring your brand shows up inside AI-generated results.

One of the leading platforms in this space is Profound, which specializes in Answer Engine Insights to help companies analyze how they and their competitors appear inside AI responses. Profound’s pricing starts at $499/month for its Lite plan, which tracks one company across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, and Microsoft Copilot with daily prompts. Its Enterprise plan offers custom pricing and expands coverage to Google AI Mode, Gemini, Meta AI, Grok, DeepSeek, and Anthropic Claude, with multi-company support and daily monitoring.

While Profound is a strong contender, it’s not the only solution. Several platforms are competing to help businesses measure and improve their AI visibility. Among them, AI Rank Checker is emerging as the most comprehensive — designed to cover everything that others do, but in a simpler, more scalable, and more cost-effective way. Let’s explore the Top 5 Profound competitors: AI Rank Checker, SEMrush, Ahrefs, Scrunch AI, and AthenaHQ.

1. AI Rank Checker

Why it stands out:
Unlike other platforms that lock businesses into either SME-friendly tools or enterprise-only solutions, AI Rank Checker bridges the gap. It’s built for everyone — from freelancers to global enterprises — and scales effortlessly. Businesses can start small with keyword tracking, then expand into multi-project management, team support, enterprise-scale keyword checks, and advanced reporting.

It covers all major AI engines (ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Grok, Copilot, and Claude), and is continuously updated to include new entrants in the AI engine race. Where competitors often specialize narrowly, AI Rank Checker provides a balanced all-in-one platform with no compromise.

Key Features:

  • Keyword checks ranging from hundreds to thousands per month, depending on plan.

  • Covers ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity, Grok, and Copilot.

  • Supports unlimited projects in advanced plans, making it suitable for agencies and enterprises.

  • Exportable PDF & CSV reports for client presentations.

  • 30-day history tracking and priority support.

  • Enterprise features: custom keyword volumes, unlimited team projects, advanced coverage, and tailored integrations.

Pricing:

  • Pro: $49/month (250 keyword checks, 5 projects).

  • Expert: $99/month (600 keyword checks, unlimited projects).

  • Enterprise: Custom pricing with unlimited scale and dedicated support.

  • or pay and go system

Who it’s best for:
AI Rank Checker is not just for small businesses. It is designed as the most adaptable platform in the market, equally suited for solo marketers, fast-growing agencies, and global enterprises. Its flexible model ensures that businesses don’t outgrow the platform — they grow with it.

2. SEMrush

Why it stands out:
SEMRush is an SEO industry giant that recently expanded into AI visibility. Its AI SEO plan is a natural extension of its traditional SEO tools, making it a convenient choice for existing SEMrush customers.

Key Features:

  • AI visibility reports for any domain.

  • Mentions tracking across ChatGPT, Google AI, Gemini, and Perplexity.

  • Prompt tracking and benchmarking.

  • AI site audits for crawlability.

  • Weekly updates.

Pricing:

  • $99/month per domain, billed annually.

Limitations:
While SEMrush is reliable, its AI SEO plan feels more like an add-on than a dedicated GEO platform. It’s best suited for businesses already embedded in SEMrush’s ecosystem rather than as a standalone AI-first solution.

3. Ahrefs

Why it stands out:
Ahrefs remains a favorite among SEO professionals and has expanded into GEO via AI-focused add-ons. Its modular structure gives flexibility, but also adds cost complexity.

Key Features:

  • Brand Radar AI: Tracks visibility across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Google AI Overviews, and Copilot.

  • Content Kit: AI-powered grading and content insights.

  • Report Builder with advanced analytics.

  • Project Boost Pro: Auto-submit to IndexNow, AI-assisted audits, instant recrawls.

Pricing:

  • Brand Radar AI: $199/month per index.

  • Report Builder: $99/month.

  • Content Kit: From $99/month.

  • Project Boost Pro: $20/month per project.

Limitations:
Ahrefs is powerful but may quickly become expensive when combining add-ons. It’s better suited for mid-to-large teams with higher budgets.

4. Scrunch AI

Why it stands out:
Scrunch AI takes a persona-driven approach, offering companies visibility insights based on both keywords and custom prompts/personas.

Key Features:

  • 350–1,200 custom prompts depending on plan.

  • Industry prompt libraries (up to 6,000).

  • Persona support (3–7 personas).

  • Page audits and multi-user licenses.

  • Enterprise with SSO and dedicated consultant support.

Pricing:

  • Starter: $300/month.

  • Growth: $500/month.

  • Pro: $1,000/month.

  • Enterprise: Custom.

Limitations:
Scrunch AI is valuable for persona-focused analysis, but its pricing is steep for smaller businesses. It suits mid-size to large brands better than early-stage companies.

5. AthenaHQ

Why it stands out:
AthenaHQ is built as a full-scale enterprise solution. It goes beyond keyword checks to include influencer outreach, authority-building, and dynamic AI-driven optimization.

Key Features:

  • Starter plan: AI visibility, competitor monitoring, GEO recommendations.

  • Growth plan: Adds GA4 integration, influencer outreach, authority & citation intelligence.

  • Enterprise: Adds SAML SSO, dynamic content adaptation, dedicated GEO specialists.

  • Credit-based model for checks and AI content generation.

Pricing:

  • Starter: $295/month.

  • Growth: $595/month.

  • Enterprise: Custom.

Limitations:
AthenaHQ delivers enterprise-level sophistication, but its pricing and complexity make it better suited for large corporations and agencies with significant resources.

Profound has set a high bar with its $499/month starting price and enterprise-focused model. But the GEO landscape is already full of strong competitors:

  • AI Rank Checker → The most versatile solution, built for freelancers, agencies, AND enterprises, offering affordability, scalability, and full coverage of all major AI engines.

  • SEMRush → Best for companies already tied to SEMrush’s SEO ecosystem.

  • Ahrefs → Flexible but add-on pricing can get expensive.

  • Scrunch AI → Great for persona-driven AI visibility, priced for larger firms.

  • AthenaHQ → Deep enterprise features with higher complexity and cost.

If you’re looking for the one platform that scales across all use cases — from individual consultants to global enterprisesAI Rank Checker (airankchecker.net) is the clear choice. Unlike competitors that are either too narrow or too expensive, it covers all major AI engines, adapts to any business size, and does so at a fraction of the cost.

In a future where AI visibility decides brand survival, AI Rank Checker positions itself not as a niche tool but as the ultimate GEO platform.

Index