Start here: new to AEO and GEO? Read SEO vs AIO vs AEO vs GEO: What Actually Changes first, then come back for the measurement side.
You cannot improve what you cannot see, and AI answers are harder to see than search rankings. There is no rank position to look up: the same question can produce different answers on different days, across different engines, for different people, so measuring whether your brand shows up in ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews takes a small method on top of a tool. This guide covers what to track, the free ways to start, and how paid tools compare.
What to track
- Mention rate. Out of a set of realistic customer questions, how often is your brand named at all?
- Citation. When it is named, is your site linked as a source, or is the answer built from someone else’s page?
- Competitor share. Who is named instead of you, and how often?
- Accuracy and framing. Does the answer describe what you sell correctly?
- Referral traffic. Visits arriving from AI assistants, visible in your analytics referrers.
Free ways to start
1. A manual prompt log
Write 15 to 25 questions a real customer would ask, covering problems, comparisons and “best” queries. Once a month, ask each one in each engine, and record: were you named, was your site cited, who else appeared. Repeat each prompt a couple of times, since answers vary between runs. A spreadsheet is enough.
2. Our free AI Visibility Checker
North Blue offers a free AI Visibility Checker. It is deliberately not automatic: a person on our team asks ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity the same questions a real customer would, reads the actual answers, and emails you a report within two business days of confirming your email. The report covers whether your brand comes up in each engine, where the competitors you listed (or ones we identified) stand, and a few concrete recommendations. It is a snapshot of one moment.
3. Analytics referrals
In your analytics, filter referral traffic for AI assistants such as chatgpt.com and perplexity.ai. It only counts visits that clicked through, so it undercounts influence, but it is free and it trends in the right direction.
AI visibility tools compared
Paid trackers automate the prompt log: they run a fixed set of prompts on a schedule and chart the results. North Blue is listed first; the rest are published starting prices and change often. Prices below come from two public roundups, so check each vendor before you buy.
| Tool | Best for | Starting price | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Blue AI Visibility Checker | Businesses that want a first, human-read snapshot | Free | One-off emailed report covering ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity, in English or Spanish. Not continuous. |
| OtterlyAI | Affordable monitoring | $29/month | Free trial. Covers Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Perplexity and Copilot, with other engines as add-ons. |
| ZipTie | Deep analysis and reporting | $35.63/month | Charged per engine tracked. |
| Peec AI | Prompt suggestions | $95/month | Free trial. Tracks three engines chosen from six. |
| Semrush AI Toolkit | Existing Semrush users | $99/month | Covers ChatGPT, Google AI, Gemini and Perplexity. |
| Clearscope | Content teams | $129/month | Covers ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity. |
| Ahrefs Brand Radar | Existing Ahrefs users | $199/month | Covers six major platforms. |
| Profound | Larger brands | From $99/month, annual billing | One roundup lists an entry plan limited to ChatGPT; higher tiers cost more. |
Published starting prices of AI visibility trackers
Entry-level monthly price as listed in public roundups, September 2026. Entry plans differ in prompts and engines, so a lower price is not automatically better value.
- OtterlyAI
- from $29/month
- ZipTie
- from $35.63/month
- Peec AI
- from $95/month
- Semrush AI Toolkit
- from $99/month
- Clearscope
- from $129/month
- Ahrefs Brand Radar
- from $199/month
Sources: Zapier and Ryze pricing roundups. Scale capped at $240; several enterprise tools price well above this.
Sources for the table and chart: Zapier and Ryze.
How to choose
- Count prompts as well as price. Vendors meter different things (prompts, engines, credits), so compare cost per prompt tracked.
- Match the engines to your customers. Track the assistants they actually use.
- Check for exports and history. Trends over months matter more than any single day.
- Remember what tools do not do. They measure visibility. Improving it is a content, technical and off-site job.
From tracking to action
Once you know where you stand, the fixes are practical: make pages reachable, write answer-first passages, and build presence beyond your site. Our guide to getting cited by ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews walks through the checklist. Want a starting snapshot? Run the free checker, or talk to us about our AEO and GEO work.
Sources: Zapier: the best AI visibility tools and Ryze: AI visibility tool pricing compared, reviewed in September 2026. Prices and features change; verify with each vendor.
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