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Best budget GEO tools (2026)
This list is for teams that want to track brand visibility in AI search without committing to an enterprise contract. Every tool here has a self-serve entry plan at $30/month or less, so you can start tracking today and upgrade only if you outgrow the entry tier.
| MaxAEO | Rankscale | Airefs | Otterly.AI | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entry price | $19/mo | $17/mo | $24/mo | $29/mo |
| Segment | Budget | Budget | Budget/SMB | SMB/Mid-market |
| Platforms tracked | ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Google AI Overviews, Multiple/Other | ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Gemini, Google AI Overviews, Copilot, Grok, Multiple/Other | ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews | ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Perplexity, Copilot, Gemini, Claude, Multiple/Other |
| Plans | Starter $19/mo ($180/yr; 1 brand, 10 prompts, any 4 of 8 engines) / Growth $149 ($1,428/yr; 3 brands, 100 prompts, any 6 of 8) / Pro $399 ($3,828/yr; 10 brands, 400 prompts, all 8) / Enterprise custom. Every plan has every feature. 7-day free trial, no card. | Essentials $17/mo, billed yearly only (list $20; 120 credits, 2 brand dashboards, 10 page audits) / Pro $99/mo or $84/mo yearly (1,200 credits, 10 brands) / Pro+ $229 or $195 yearly / Growth $385 or $327 yearly / Enterprise $780 or $663 yearly / Custom. Credit-based: typically 0.25 credits per engine per prompt. Free trial on Pro (length not stated). | Lite $24 / Pro $49 / Expert $83 / DFY agency $249+; 7-day free trial | Lite $29/mo (15 prompts) / Standard $189 (100) / Premium $489 (400) / Enterprise custom (from 1,000 prompts); annual about 15% off (page also shows $25/$160/$422). Base plans cover ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Perplexity and Copilot. Add-ons per month: Google AI Mode $9/$59/$149, Gemini $9/$59/$149, Claude $29/$109/$439 (Lite/Standard/Premium). +100 prompts $99/mo on Standard and Premium. |
| Last verified | 2026-11-01 | 2026-10-29 | 2026-07-10 | 2026-11-01 |
Facts synced from our tool database; vendors can change prices without notice — confirm on their sites before buying.
1. MaxAEO — from $19/mo
The entry plan covers one brand, ten prompts, and any four of eight tracked engines, but unlike many budget tools, it includes every feature: daily visibility tracking, the AI Overviews tracker, brand sentiment monitoring, and the optimization engine. That makes it a strong starting point if you want full functionality without paying more to unlock it later.
2. Rankscale — from $17/mo
The Essentials plan is billed yearly only and gives you 120 credits, two brand dashboards, and ten page audits, with usage drawn from a shared credit pool across its 17+ tracked engines. It suits budget buyers who want broad engine coverage but are comfortable rationing credits at the entry tier.
3. Airefs — from $24/mo
The Lite plan tracks share-of-voice on ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews only, but adds content-side extras like auto-written AEO articles, crawler analytics, and drafted outreach emails. Its separate AI Traffic Analytics feature also reports on referral traffic from other LLMs, including Perplexity and Gemini, making it a fit for budget buyers who want content output alongside tracking.
4. Otterly.AI — from $29/mo
The Lite plan tracks 15 prompts across ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Perplexity, and Microsoft Copilot, with Gemini, Google AI Mode, and Claude available as paid add-ons on top. It has the highest entry price on this list, but still qualifies as a self-serve budget option and includes unlimited team seats from the entry plan.
How to choose
Start by deciding how many AI engines you actually need to track. If you only care about ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews, Airefs covers those plus content tools like auto-written articles. If you want broader coverage from day one, MaxAEO lets you pick any four engines on its entry plan, or Rankscale spans 17+ engines through its credit system.
Next, check whether the entry plan includes the features you need or whether they’re add-ons. MaxAEO puts every feature, including its AI Overviews tracker and optimization engine, on every plan. Otterly.AI covers ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Perplexity, and Copilot on its base plan, but Gemini, AI Mode, and Claude cost extra on top.
Finally, think about how pricing will scale as you grow. Rankscale’s credit model means your effective tracking capacity depends on how many engines and prompts you run per month, and its entry plan is billed yearly only. MaxAEO and Airefs scale through clearly tiered plans with more brands, prompts, or engines at each step. If you expect to add prompts or brands quickly, compare the jump between entry and next-tier plans before committing.
Frequently asked questions
Which budget GEO tool tracks the most AI engines for the price?
Rankscale tracks 17+ engines on its Essentials plan, the broadest coverage on this list, though usage is credit-based, so how much tracking you actually get depends on your credit allowance. MaxAEO tracks up to 8 engines and lets Starter users pick any 4, with every feature included at that tier.
Do these tools lock features behind higher-priced plans?
It varies. MaxAEO includes every feature on every plan, including Starter. Otterly.AI gates some engines (Gemini, Google AI Mode, Claude) behind paid add-ons even at the entry tier, and Rankscale's higher plans add API access, unlimited seats, and more credits.
Is a flat-rate or credit-based pricing model better for a small budget?
Flat-rate plans like MaxAEO's Starter give predictable monthly costs with a fixed prompt and engine allowance. Credit-based plans like Rankscale's Essentials can stretch further if you track fewer engines per prompt, but usage can run out faster if you track many engines at once.
Roundup generated 2026-11-01 from verified data; facts table synced from our tool database (last sync 2026-11-02).