Why look for an alternative
The friction with the Semrush AI Toolkit is not the $99 sticker. It is that the $99 buys nothing on its own. You need an active Semrush subscription underneath it, and there is no free trial on the toolkit itself. For a team that does not already run Semrush, or that only wants AI visibility without the full SEO suite, that is a lot of spend to answer one question. Every tool below is available standalone.
The alternatives at a glance
| Tool | Entry price | Standalone? | One-time option | Free tier | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SEO AEO Specialist | €0 free / €9 report / €19/mo | Yes | Yes, €9 | Yes, 50 pages | Affordable diagnose-and-fix, SEO + AEO in one crawl |
| HubSpot AEO Grader | Free | Yes | Yes (one-time snapshot) | Yes | A quick free brand snapshot |
| Otterly.ai | $29/mo (Lite) | Yes | No | Free trial | Low-cost prompt tracking |
| Profound | $99/mo (Starter, annual) | Yes | No | No | Enterprise-grade AI analytics |
| Semrush AI Toolkit | $99/mo add-on (~$239/mo real) | No | No | No | Existing Semrush customers |
Prices as of July 2026. SEO AEO Specialist in EUR; others in USD.
SEO AEO Specialist: the affordable diagnose-and-fix option
SEO AEO Specialist is a standalone AI SEO and AEO audit tool. One crawl checks both how ready your pages are for AI answer engines (ChatGPT, Google AI, Gemini, Perplexity) and your classic on-page SEO, then returns a prioritized list of fixes. Pricing is the lowest-commitment on this list: free for 50 pages, €9 for a one-time full report, or €19/month per domain for ongoing monitoring. It is the natural pick if you want to know what to change, not just where you rank.
HubSpot AEO Grader: free, but a snapshot
HubSpot's AEO Grader (also called the AI Search Grader) is genuinely free with no account required. You enter a brand, industry, and location, and it scores your visibility across ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini, with sentiment, share of voice, and a sample of recommendations. It is a fast, no-cost gut check. The limit is that it is a brand-level snapshot, not a per-page crawl of your site, and the recommendations are a sample rather than a full fix list.
Otterly.ai: cheapest ongoing tracker
Otterly.ai is the most affordable dedicated tracker here, starting at $29/month for the Lite plan (15 prompts, four AI engines, GEO URL audits). Standard is $189/month for 100 prompts and Premium is $489/month for 400. It focuses on prompt tracking and share of voice across engines. Google AI Mode and Gemini are paid add-ons on all tiers, so budget for those if you need them.
Profound: enterprise depth
Profound is the premium end. Its Starter plan is $99/month billed annually (50 tracked prompts, ChatGPT focus), Growth is $332.50/month annually, and higher tiers run $499/month and up, with enterprise deployments reported at $2,000 to $5,000+/month. It offers deep analytics on how AI models cite and describe your brand. Powerful, but priced for teams with real budget behind AI search.
When to choose which
Pick SEO AEO Specialist if you want the cheapest path to actual fixes for both AI and classic search, or a one-off €9 audit with no subscription. Pick the HubSpot AEO Grader if you only want a free brand snapshot and nothing more. Pick Otterly.ai if you want ongoing prompt tracking at the lowest monthly rate. Pick Profound if you are an agency or larger brand that needs deep AI analytics and the budget matches. Stay on the Semrush AI Toolkit only if you already pay for Semrush.
FAQ
Do any of these work without a paid Semrush plan?
Yes, all four. That is the point of this list. SEO AEO Specialist, HubSpot's grader, Otterly, and Profound are all standalone.
Which is the cheapest?
HubSpot's AEO Grader is free but limited to a snapshot. For a full site audit, SEO AEO Specialist's €9 one-time report is the lowest-cost option. For ongoing tracking, Otterly's $29/month Lite plan is the cheapest subscription.
Which one also fixes classic SEO?
SEO AEO Specialist covers both AI readiness and traditional on-page SEO in the same crawl. The trackers focus on AI mentions; HubSpot's grader includes an SEO element but at brand-snapshot depth.
Is there a free trial?
SEO AEO Specialist has a free tier (50 pages) and Otterly offers a free trial. HubSpot's grader is fully free. Profound and the Semrush AI Toolkit do not offer free trials.
Which covers the most AI engines?
Otterly and SEO AEO Specialist both cover four engines (ChatGPT, Google AI/Gemini, Perplexity and more). Profound covers multiple engines with the count rising on higher tiers. HubSpot covers ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini.
I just need one audit, not a subscription. What should I use?
SEO AEO Specialist's €9 one-time report, or HubSpot's free grader for a lighter snapshot. Neither requires a recurring plan.
Try SEO AEO Specialist
Run the free scan (€0, 50 pages) to see your AI and SEO standing. Get the full one-time report for €9, or monitor continuously at €19/month per domain. Standalone, no suite required.
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See where you stand
SEO AEO Specialist runs a free AI-visibility audit and hands you the exact fixes. One-off report €9, unlimited €19/mo.
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