The 11 Best AI SEO Tools in 2026: Platform Review Guide

Mostafa ElBermawy
February 19, 2026
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The rules of search have changed. If you're reading this, you've probably noticed that ranking #1 on Google doesn't mean what it used to. With AI Overviews appearing in over 50% of queries and ChatGPT processing 800 million weekly active users, the discovery layer has fundamentally shifted from "ten blue links" to synthesized AI answers.

According to Conductor's 2026 AEO/GEO Benchmarks Report, 94% of CMOs plan to increase their AI visibility investment this year. The reason is straightforward: organic click-through rates drop 61% when AI Overviews appear, and the brands getting cited in those answers are capturing traffic and trust that traditional SEO alone can't deliver.

This guide evaluates the 11 best AI SEO platforms for enterprise teams navigating Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) and Generative Engine Optimization (GEO). Each tool was assessed across five criteria: AI engine coverage, optimization capabilities, enterprise readiness, attribution and analytics, and value for investment.

How We Evaluated These Tools

Our evaluation framework prioritizes what actually moves the needle for enterprise brands:

AI Engine Coverage: Does the platform track visibility across ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews/AI Mode, Perplexity, Claude, Gemini, Copilot, and emerging surfaces like Amazon Rufus?

Optimization Capabilities: Can you act on insights, or just monitor? The gap between "we see the problem" and "here's how to fix it" separates monitoring dashboards from optimization platforms.

Enterprise Readiness: SOC 2 compliance, SSO, API access, multi-market/language support, and governance features matter when rolling out across global teams.

Attribution & Analytics: Can you tie AI visibility to pipeline and revenue, or are you tracking vanity metrics?

Value for Investment: Price-to-capability ratio relative to team size and use case.

1. Goodie AI

Best For: End-to-end AI search optimization from AEO to traditional SEO, with global coverage for enterprise brands

Goodie AI has positioned itself as the comprehensive platform for brands that need to operationalize AI search visibility across their entire marketing stack. Built by the team at NoGood, the platform reflects years of growth marketing expertise translated into purpose-built AEO tooling.

What Sets Goodie Apart

The platform's strength is its end-to-end workflow. Rather than just showing you where you appear (or don't), Goodie connects visibility data to actionable optimization through its Intelligent Prompt Engine, which recommends topics and prompts to target based on your ICP alignment. The Optimization Hub delivers prescriptive tasks ranked by impact with one-click export to tools like Jira.

Engine coverage is among the broadest available: ChatGPT, Gemini, AI Overview, Claude, Perplexity, Grok, DeepSeek, Meta AI, AI Mode, Copilot, and Amazon Rufus. For enterprise teams managing multi-market strategies, the Geo-Language Matrix provides visibility by country and language, a critical capability often missing from competitors.

Enterprise Features

  • Attribution Dashboard tying AI answer impressions to sessions and assisted revenue via UTM tracking
  • SOC 2 compliance with secure APIs and integrations into GA4, Looker, and HubSpot
  • Product-level visibility for eCommerce brands tracking SKU performance in AI shopping modules
  • Custom pricing with dedicated support for enterprise implementations

Notable Clients: Unilever, SteelSeries, and leading enterprise brands across SaaS, DTC, and Fintech

Best For: Enterprise CMOs, growth engineers, and SEO directors who need multi-market governance and a closed-loop workflow connecting AI visibility to revenue.

Pricing: Custom pricing; reach out for enterprise demo

2. Revere AI

Best For: Brand intelligence and perception management across LLMs and AI agents

Revere AI takes a brand-intelligence-first approach to generative engine optimization. Where many platforms focus primarily on citation tracking, Revere emphasizes understanding how LLMs represent your brand: the sentiment, positive and negative attributes, and performance metrics that shape brand perception in AI-generated responses.

Core Capabilities

The platform measures and monitors brand presence across major LLMs with a focus on perception intelligence. This includes tracking visibility and sentiment across key metrics, competitive benchmarking, and source analysis to understand which content is driving AI representations of your brand.

Revere's approach is particularly valuable for brands concerned with brand safety and narrative control in AI search. The platform helps teams understand not just whether they're mentioned, but how they're being described and what sources are shaping those descriptions.

Strengths

  • Deep brand perception analytics beyond basic mention tracking
  • Competitive intelligence on how rivals are positioned in AI responses
  • Source attribution showing which content influences brand representation
  • Integration-friendly for existing marketing and BI workflows

Best For: Brand managers, PR teams, and marketers focused on controlling narrative and perception across AI discovery surfaces.

Pricing: Contact for custom enterprise pricing

3. Ahrefs

Best For: Teams already invested in Ahrefs seeking integrated AI visibility without vendor sprawl

Ahrefs has been the go-to for backlink analysis and keyword research for years. Their 2025 expansion into AI search with Brand Radar represents a pragmatic approach: extend the existing SEO toolkit to cover AI visibility rather than requiring an entirely new platform.

AI Visibility Features

Brand Radar tracks your brand across Google AI Overviews, AI Mode, ChatGPT, Perplexity, Microsoft Copilot, and Gemini. The integration with Ahrefs' core data means you can correlate AI visibility with traditional SEO metrics like backlink growth, keyword rankings, and organic traffic in a unified view.

The platform has tracked over 252 million prompts, providing substantial data for competitive benchmarking. Beyond AI visibility, Brand Radar includes search demand tracking (branded search volume trends dating back to 2015) and web visibility analysis linking mentions across Google.

Strengths

  • Seamless integration with existing Ahrefs workflows and data
  • Industry-leading backlink and keyword databases provide context for AI visibility
  • Familiar interface reduces onboarding friction for existing users
  • Consolidated billing and vendor management

Limitations

  • AI-specific features are less sophisticated than purpose-built AEO platforms
  • Brand Radar is an add-on with separate pricing
  • Less focus on optimization recommendations; primarily monitoring

Best For: SEO teams already using Ahrefs who want AI visibility without adding another vendor.

Pricing: Brand Radar add-on pricing varies; contact for enterprise rates

4. Semrush

Best For: Enterprise organizations needing governance, data infrastructure, and AI search within a comprehensive SEO suite

Semrush's AI Toolkit represents the most comprehensive approach from an established SEO platform. Their 2025 AI Overviews Study analyzed 200,000 keywords and found that 86% of queries with high commercial intent now trigger AI-generated answers, which informed the platform's development priorities.

AI Search Capabilities

The platform offers ai_overview_presence and snippet_source fields on billions of keywords, plus Topic Research tools that surface People Also Ask questions for prompt constellation mapping. The SEO Writing Assistant now includes LLM readiness scores, flagging missing FAQ schema or weak entity mentions before publication.

Through the Semrush App Center, teams can layer specialized AEO capabilities like Otterly's monitoring on top of Semrush's core data infrastructure. This modular approach gives enterprises flexibility without sacrificing governance.

Enterprise Features

  • Enterprise AIO packages with security, team controls, and established SEO data
  • App Center provides menu of GEO-adjacent apps without adding new vendors
  • Position Tracking now differentiates between regular results and AI Overviews
  • Comprehensive competitive analysis across both traditional and AI search

Limitations

  • Some modules focus more on classic SEO than AI answer engines
  • Enterprise pricing is sales-led with variable contract terms
  • AI-specific workflows may require App Center additions

Best For: Large enterprises seeking governance, procurement simplicity, and a flexible app layer within a platform they already know.

Pricing: AI Toolkit starts at $99/month as add-on; Enterprise AIO is quote-based

5. Peec AI

Best For: Mid-market teams and agencies needing real-time AI search analytics with strong regional support

Peec AI has emerged as a strong mid-market option, raising approximately €7M in funding within five months and growing to €650K ARR within four months of launch. The platform's German roots give it particular strength in European and multi-language markets.

Core Capabilities

Peec focuses on real-time reporting by region and AI assistant, with strong competitor tracking and multi-user support. The platform tracks visibility, position, and sentiment on AI-driven search platforms including ChatGPT and Perplexity, with clear prompt-level analytics.

The simplicity is intentional. As their positioning states: "Peec avoids the issues we see with other SEO/AEO platforms, where there's often an overload of features. It keeps things simple: set up your prompts, see your AI visibility, and act on top citations."

Strengths

  • Daily AI search tracking with multi-country/multi-language support
  • Affordable entry point (plans start at €89/month) with unlimited seats
  • 7-day free trial without credit card required
  • Looker Studio connector for custom reporting
  • Agency partner program with pitch workspaces

Limitations

  • Enterprise features require higher tiers
  • Add-on fees for platforms like Gemini, AI Mode, and Claude beyond base package
  • Less sophisticated than enterprise tools on optimization recommendations

Best For: Growing startups, SMEs, and agencies that need clarity on AI answer analytics, especially for European markets.

Pricing: Starter €89/month, Pro €199/month, Enterprise €499+/month

6. Surfer SEO

Best For: Content teams focused on content optimization for both traditional and AI search

Surfer SEO built its reputation on content optimization through SERP analysis, demonstrating a 0.28 correlation with Google rankings, stronger than backlinks at 0.17. Their expansion into AI search with AI Tracker extends this content-first philosophy to generative engine optimization.

AI Search Features

AI Tracker (launched June 2025) monitors how content performs in AI-generated search results, tracking citations and mentions across platforms. The platform identifies which pages AI is citing for your tracked prompts, revealing both where you're winning and where competitors are being referenced instead.

The strength is the optimization workflow. Surfer's Content Editor now includes AI visibility considerations, with tools like Auto-Optimize for entity coverage and fact density, critical factors for AI citation. The Topical Map feature helps build comprehensive content clusters that establish the topical authority AI systems reward.

2026 Workflow Integration

Surfer's top performers are now running a three-step AI SEO workflow:

  1. Monitor AI visibility with AI Tracker to uncover opportunities
  2. Find quick wins with Content Audit and Topical Map
  3. Create and optimize with Content Editor for both search and AI answers

Limitations

  • AI visibility tracking capabilities lag behind dedicated AEO platforms
  • Per-article pricing model gets expensive when scaling across large content libraries
  • AI features feel secondary to core SEO product

Best For: Content teams already using Surfer who want to extend optimization efforts into AI search without adding another platform.

Pricing: $95-495/month depending on plan; AI Tracker included in higher tiers

7. Otterly AI

Best For: SMBs and agencies seeking affordable AI visibility monitoring with practical GEO features

Otterly AI has grown rapidly since emerging from stealth in December 2024, reaching over 5,000 users and earning Gartner's Cool Vendor designation for AI in Marketing. The platform's strategy centers on integrating GEO capabilities into existing SEO workflows, particularly through its Semrush App Center integration.

Core Capabilities

The platform monitors brand mentions and content across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, AI Mode, Gemini, and Microsoft Copilot. Search prompts show which GEO prompts feature your brand, while link tracking monitors all branded links appearing in AI answers.

The GEO Audit tool provides comprehensive analysis with SWOT framework, competitor set identification, and tactic gaps. For agencies, this feature has proven valuable for closing "AEO sprint" engagements by demonstrating visibility gaps to clients.

Standout Features

  • Keyword research turns SEO keywords into GEO prompts
  • Brand reports with visibility index and competitive benchmarking
  • Unlimited brand reports even on lower tiers
  • SSO and country-specific monitoring despite being bootstrapped
  • Clear pricing: Lite $29/month (15 prompts), Standard $189/month (100 prompts), Pro $989/month (1,000 prompts)

Limitations

  • Weekly update cycles (not real-time)
  • Limited integrations with Google Search Console or Ahrefs
  • Primarily observational; less focus on optimization execution

Best For: SMBs, mid-market brands, and agencies seeking cost-effective AI visibility monitoring without enterprise complexity.

Pricing: Starts at $29/month; 14-day free trial available

8. Contently

Best For: Enterprise content marketing teams integrating LLM optimization into comprehensive content strategy

Contently has evolved from a content marketing platform into what they position as a complete LLM Optimization solution. Their approach combines AI-powered content creation with what they call the "LLM Optimization Blueprint" for getting content cited in AI search results.

Strategic Approach

Rather than focusing solely on monitoring, Contently emphasizes the full content lifecycle: strategy, creation, optimization, distribution, and measurement. Their LLM Optimization Blueprint guides content optimization for AI models from topic selection through content creation and distribution.

The platform combines AI efficiency with editorial oversight, ensuring content quality and E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) that AI systems prioritize for citations. The SEO Story Ideas Generator identifies trending topics based on performance algorithms.

Enterprise Features

  • Human-AI collaboration with editor-ready drafts and human oversight
  • Tone Analyzer maintains brand voice consistency across AI-optimized content
  • Integrated Docalytics for lead capture and reader engagement insights
  • Comprehensive workflow management for large-scale content operations

Documented Results

  • One client achieved 32% of SQLs from AI search within six weeks
  • 65% revenue boost over four months reported by financial services client

Limitations

  • Less focus on real-time AI visibility monitoring compared to dedicated AEO tools
  • Enterprise-focused pricing may be prohibitive for smaller teams
  • Content creation platform first; AEO capabilities are integrated but not primary focus

Best For: Enterprise content marketing teams that need AI optimization integrated into comprehensive content strategy and workflow.

Pricing: Custom enterprise pricing based on needs

9. AthenaHQ

Best For: Brands focused on comprehensive AI search visibility with strong competitive intelligence

AthenaHQ, backed by Y Combinator with $2.2M in seed funding, was founded by former Google Search and DeepMind experts. The platform positions itself as a "GEO command center" for teams that need to monitor, analyze, and act on AI visibility across multiple surfaces.

Comprehensive Coverage

AthenaHQ unlocks all 8+ AI platforms (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Gemini, Google AI Overviews/AI Mode, Copilot) on their Starter plan, unlike competitors that gate platform coverage behind enterprise tiers. The ACE (Athena Citation Engine) tracks citations and explains how engines are describing your brand.

Standout Features

  • Daily prompt monitoring up to hundreds of thousands of prompts on Enterprise
  • Buying Journey Analysis shows where you win or lose across the funnel
  • Impersonation tracking alerts you if AI is serving false information about your brand
  • GA4 integration attempts to connect AI visibility directly to traffic impact
  • Content optimization with AI-generated recommendations

Case Study Results

  • Lago achieved 50% increase in demos from AI Search after implementation
  • Grüns grew Share of Voice from 2.0% to 12.6% in 60 days with 23x citation rate

Limitations

  • Credit-based system (1 credit = 1 AI response) can scale costs quickly
  • Starter plan at $295/month positions as premium
  • No free trial creates evaluation barriers

Best For: Growth teams and enterprises that want comprehensive AI visibility with competitive intelligence and don't mind premium pricing.

Pricing: Starter $295/month, Growth $545-900/month, Enterprise $2,000+/month

10. Evertune

Best For: Fortune 500 brands needing statistically significant AI visibility data at scale

Evertune differentiates on methodology scale. While many platforms run dozens or hundreds of prompts, Evertune analyzes over 1 million prompts per brand monthly across 12,000 prompts per product category per model. This scale delivers more stable insights and reduces volatility in visibility measurements.

Core Approach

The platform maps which product attributes drive recommendations in each category and tracks the most common words and sentiments used to describe your brand. This creates a detailed content roadmap showing how to educate LLMs effectively about your brand and products.

Enterprise Capabilities

  • AI Brand Index measures how often LLMs recommend your brand vs. competitors
  • Site audit for AI readability shows how crawlers interpret your content
  • Actionable insights for optimizing AI discoverability
  • Product attribute analysis for shopping-focused AI surfaces

Trusted By: Fortune 500 brands across Finance, Retail/E-Commerce, Automotive, Pharma, Tech, Travel, Food/Beverage, Entertainment, CPG, and B2B

Limitations

  • API-focused querying may not match what humans actually search
  • Premium positioning with limited public pricing
  • Heavy focus on monitoring rather than content execution

Best For: Enterprise brands very focused on perception tracking who need statistical confidence in their visibility data.

Pricing: Free limited audit available; custom Enterprise pricing

11. Gumshoe

Best For: Marketing teams needing persona-based AI visibility analysis and competitive positioning

Gumshoe takes a unique approach by generating thousands of AI conversations to map how models talk about brands across different buyer personas. This "Share of LLM" metric provides competitive positioning data that helps brands understand not just visibility, but contextual performance.

Persona-Based Analysis

Rather than treating visibility as a generic number, Gumshoe models different consumer types (like "Hybrid Schedule Professionals" or "Corporate Crossfitters") to show how visibility varies by persona. This helps teams prioritize content for the audiences that matter most.

Core Features

  • Brand and topic visibility tracks mention frequency across relevant topics
  • Persona and model visibility monitors performance across buyer segments and AI models
  • Competitive rank reveals positioning against competitors across topics and models
  • Cited sources analysis informs content strategy by showing which sources AI trusts
  • Heatmaps connecting personas, topics, and competitors in unified view

Model-Level Insights

Gumshoe quantifies visibility variations across models. In their Vuori case study, the brand showed 46% visibility in Google Gemini but only 10% in Claude Sonnet, revealing where targeted optimization could have the highest impact.

Limitations

  • Still in public beta (currently free to try)
  • Pay-as-you-go model ($0.10/conversation) can scale unpredictably
  • Less established than mature AEO platforms

Best For: Marketing, SEO, and product teams that need persona-driven visibility analysis and competitive positioning across AI platforms.

Pricing: Currently free during public beta; Pay-as-you-go $0.10/conversation, Enterprise custom pricing

Platform Comparison Matrix

Platform Engine Coverage Best For Starting Price Key Differentiator
Goodie AI 11 engines + Rufus End-to-end AEO features $495 / Custom Global coverage + AI Visibility Analytics / AEO Writer / revenue attribution
Revere AI Major LLMs Brand perception Custom Sentiment & narrative control
Ahrefs 6 engines Existing Ahrefs users Add-on pricing SEO data integration
Semrush 6+ engines Enterprise governance $99/mo add-on Comprehensive SEO suite
Peec AI 3-6 engines Mid-market, Europe €89/month Multi-language, affordable
Surfer SEO 3+ engines Content optimization $95/month Content + AI workflow
Otterly AI 6 engines SMBs, agencies $29/month Budget-friendly monitoring
Contently Major LLMs Content marketing Custom LLM Optimization Blueprint
AthenaHQ 8+ engines Competitive intelligence $295/month Full platform access on Starter
Evertune Major LLMs Statistical confidence Custom 1M+ prompts/month scale
Gumshoe 8+ engines Persona analysis Free beta Persona-based visibility

How to Choose the Right Platform

Start with your primary constraint:

If budget is tight: Otterly AI ($29/month) or Gumshoe (free beta) provide solid monitoring foundations.

If you need integration: Ahrefs Brand Radar or Semrush AI Toolkit extend existing investments without vendor sprawl.

If content optimization is priority: Surfer SEO or Contently deliver AI-aware content workflows.

If enterprise scale is required: Goodie AI, Semrush Enterprise AIO, or AthenaHQ Enterprise offer the governance and coverage large organizations need.

If statistical confidence matters: Evertune's 1M+ prompts monthly provides the data depth for confident decision-making.

If persona-based insights drive strategy: Gumshoe's unique approach reveals how different buyer segments encounter your brand in AI.

FAQs

Is AEO replacing SEO?

No. AEO builds on SEO foundations. Technical SEO (crawlability, indexation, site architecture, structured data) is what makes your content machine-readable for LLM crawlers. Without strong SEO fundamentals, there's nothing reliable for AI systems to ingest or cite. The 0.65 correlation between organic position and AI mentions confirms that traditional SEO success still predicts AI visibility.

Which AI search platforms should I prioritize?

Start with Google's AI surfaces (AI Overviews + AI Mode + Gemini), which together represent approximately 57.5% of AI search user share with 2.1B active users. ChatGPT follows with 700M active users and 89.1% of measurable AI referral traffic. Perplexity matters for research-intensive audiences. Prioritize based on where your specific audience searches.

How long does it take to see AEO results?

Unlike traditional SEO timelines measured in months, AI search can move faster. Content updated within the last 3 months performs best across all intents, and RAG (Retrieval Augmented Generation) systems pull from recently published content. Some brands report visibility improvements within weeks of implementing structured optimizations.

What content types perform best in AI search?

FAQ formats mirror conversational prompts and increase citation likelihood. Comparison content ("best X for Y") maps to high-commercial-intent queries. Content with high "fact density" and clear semantic HTML structure gets excerpted more readily. Third-party validation (reviews, news mentions) outweighs owned content for purchase intent queries.

Should I gate content or keep it open for AI crawling?

There's tension here. Paywalled content limits AI access, but quality gated content can still earn authority through the signals AI systems track (backlinks, mentions, social validation). The trend toward RAG means fresh, accessible content has advantages, but the answer depends on your business model and audience expectations.

How do I measure AEO ROI?

Track AI search attribution for leads and conversions through tools like Goodie AI's Attribution Dashboard or Profound's GA4 integration. Monitor brand mention frequency and sentiment in AI responses. Measure improvement in question-based search visibility. Compare conversion rates: Goodie AI research shows ChatGPT-sourced leads convert 2.1-4.4x higher than Google search leads.

What's the difference between AEO and GEO?

AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) focuses on visibility in AI-generated answers. GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) is broader, encompassing optimization for all generative AI surfaces including but not limited to search. In practice, the terms are often used interchangeably, though GEO technically includes non-search AI applications.

Do I need a dedicated AEO tool if I have Ahrefs or Semrush?

Depends on your needs. Ahrefs Brand Radar and Semrush AI Toolkit provide solid monitoring for teams already invested in those platforms. For comprehensive optimization workflows, multi-market coverage, or advanced features like persona-based analysis, dedicated AEO platforms like Goodie AI or AthenaHQ offer capabilities traditional SEO tools are still developing.

My Final Thoughts

The shift from "ranking" to "being cited" is the current state of search, not a future prediction. With 56% of enterprises making significant AEO/GEO investments in 2025 and 94% planning increases in 2026, the question isn't whether to invest in AI search visibility but how to operationalize it effectively.

The platforms on this list represent different approaches to the same challenge: helping brands show up where customers are increasingly starting their journey. Whether you're a startup watching budget closely or an enterprise managing global visibility, there's a tool fit for your stage.

The brands winning in AI search aren't using every tool. They picked one platform that matches their needs, mastered it, and built systematic workflows around measurement and iteration. That's the playbook that consistently delivers 3-5x improvement in AI citations within 90 days.

The window for competitive advantage is still open. But as adoption accelerates, the moat between early movers and late arrivals is deepening. The time to build your AI search visibility infrastructure is now.