AI visibility tools · Head to head

Ahrefs vs SE Visible: which AI visibility tool wins in 2026?

Two SEO software companies, two ways to sell AI visibility. Ahrefs puts Brand Radar inside the suite you may already pay for; SE Ranking sells SE Visible as its own product. Compared on engines, what a real prompt set costs, what each measures and who each fits. Sourced from both companies' live pages.

Javed Khatri Co-founder, Prefer
Updated September 2026 · Facts checked September 2026 (SE Visible 30 Sep, Ahrefs 19 Sep)
On this page
TL;DR

Ahrefs Brand Radar is the pick for teams that already run Ahrefs: it tracks seven engines including Copilot and Claude, ties AI answers to Ahrefs' backlink and search data and sells a 455M+ prompt index, but its paid plans include only 5 to 20 tracked prompts; SE Visible is the pick for teams that want a separate tracker with a large prompt set, 200 prompts on five engines for $99 a month, without buying an SEO suite. Prefer, our product, starts below both at $24 a month, tracks five engines and writes 15 AI articles a month on that plan, which neither of these does.

Both come from SEO software companies and both only measure, so the split is packaging and prompt volume. Ahrefs brings context an AI-only tool lacks: its backlink index, search demand and YouTube, TikTok and Reddit visibility, plus an index to research any brand without setup. SE Visible brings volume and focus: 200 prompts at entry across ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, AI Mode and AI Overviews, a published visibility formula, and a gap score that ranks the sources citing your competitors but not you. Neither writes content or does off-page work.

Ahrefs vs SE Visible at a glance
  • Ahrefs' paid plans include Brand Radar with 5, 10 or 20 tracked AI prompts (Lite $129 to Advanced $449); SE Visible's $99 Basic includes 200 prompts on five engines (read 19 and 30 September 2026).
  • Ahrefs tracks seven engines on Custom Prompts, including Copilot and Claude (8 checks per Claude update); SE Visible tracks five on every plan and lists Claude as coming soon, with no Copilot.
  • Ahrefs meters checks per prompt, per platform and per update; SE Visible counts each prompt once, however many engines it runs on.
  • Ahrefs adds backlink, search-demand and YouTube, TikTok and Reddit context plus a 455M+ prompt index at $199 per platform; SE Visible adds a gap score for outreach targets and prompt intent labels.
  • Neither writes content or does off-page work. Ahrefs' suite holds G2 4.5/5 from 713 reviews; SE Visible is listed on G2 with no reviews yet.

The contenders

Screenshot not captured
Ahrefs AI visibility via Brand Radar, inside the SEO suite
  • PositioningAI module inside the Ahrefs SEO suite
  • Starting price$129/mo Lite (5 tracked AI prompts); prompt packages from $50/mo
  • AI Visibility Index$199/mo per platform ($699 for all six)
  • Engines tracked7 via Custom Prompts (Claude only there)
  • Prompt corpus455M+ monthly prompts (19 Sep 2026)
  • Acts on findingsNo; measurement only
  • Third-party ratingG2 4.5/5 (713 reviews, whole suite)
Screenshot not captured
SE Visible SE Ranking's standalone AI visibility tracker
  • VendorSE Ranking (SEO software since 2013)
  • Starting price$99/mo Basic ($79/mo billed annually)
  • Prompts at entry200 prompts, 3 projects
  • Engines5 on every plan; Claude announced as coming soon
  • Acts on findingsNo; measurement and source gaps only
  • Third-party ratingListed on G2, no reviews yet (30 Sep 2026)
Capability Ahrefs SE Visible Prefer
Tracks AI citations across engines
Writes content to act on findings
Done-for-you Managed service

The Prefer column is shown for reference: it is our product, and this page compares the other two. Website screenshots captured September 2026 (SE Visible 30 Sep, Ahrefs 19 Sep); every claim is referenced in Sources.

Where each tool sits

Feature comparison

Capability
Ahrefs
SE Visible
Coverage
Engines[1]
7 on Custom Prompts: AI Overviews, AI Mode, Gemini, Perplexity, ChatGPT, Copilot, Claude
5 on every plan: ChatGPT, Gemini, AI Mode, Perplexity, AI Overviews
Claude[1]
Yes, on Custom Prompts (8 checks per update); not in the Index
Not yet; announced as coming soon
Tracked prompts at entry[1]
5 (Lite, $129), 10 (Standard), 20 (Advanced)
200 (Basic, $99), pooled across 3 projects
How usage is counted[1]
Checks: one prompt on one platform in one location per update
Per prompt; engines do not use up the allowance
Research any brand without setup[1]
AI Visibility Index, 455M+ monthly prompts, $199/mo per platform
Not offered; competitors suggested from your own data
Locations[2]
Set per location, each metered as checks
7 countries on the marketing site; the help center lists 42
Features
Core metrics[2]
Mentions, citations, AI share of voice, estimated impressions
Visibility score, share of voice, average position, sentiment, cited sources
Source analysis[2]
AI citations tied to Ahrefs' backlink index
Gap score: sources citing your competitors but not you; media, blog, forum categories
Google AI Overviews extras[2]
AI Overviews in both Custom Prompts and the Index
AIO presence rate and organic top-20 overlap
Social and video surfaces[1]
YouTube, TikTok and Reddit (free while in beta)
Not offered
How answers are collected[2]
Not stated on the pages we read
Real answers through a browser, not the API (vendor claim)
Acts on findings[2]
No; measurement only
No; it points to outreach targets and leaves the work to you
Off-page work[2]
Not documented
None
Integrations and fit
Seats[1]
1 included; extra users $40 / $60 / $80 by plan
Unclear: site says unlimited users, help center shows a seat meter
API and exports[2]
Not verified for Brand Radar
SE Visible API (beta), Data Studio connector, CSV and XLSX
White label[2]
Not verified
Not yet (on the roadmap)
Free starting point[1]
Free no-signup AI Visibility Checker
10-day free trial
Third-party rating[3]
G2 4.5/5, 713 reviews (whole Ahrefs suite)
Listed on G2, no reviews as of 30 Sep 2026
Best for[2]
SEO teams already in Ahrefs
Owners, CMOs and agencies wanting a simple standalone tracker

Based on both products' public pages, facts checked September 2026 (SE Visible 30 Sep, Ahrefs 19 Sep). "Not advertised" means we could not verify the capability from public materials. Spot something out of date? Tell us.

Pricing, side by side

Plan
Ahrefs
SE Visible
Entry plan[1]
Lite $129/mo ($108 annual), 5 tracked AI prompts plus the SEO suite
Basic $99/mo ($79 annual), 200 prompts, 3 projects, 5 engines
Mid tier[1]
Standard $249/mo, 10 tracked AI prompts
Core $189/mo ($151 annual), 450 prompts, 5 projects
Top self-serve tier[1]
Advanced $449/mo, 20 tracked AI prompts
Plus $355/mo ($284 annual), 1,000 prompts, 10 projects, book a demo
More prompts[1]
Packages $50 / $100 / $250 a month, overage per check
Move up a tier; Custom plan by demo
Market index[1]
AI Visibility Index $199/mo per platform, $699/mo for all six
None
Enterprise[1]
Enterprise $1,499/mo (annual commitment), from 83 prompts
Custom, not priced
Other ways to buy[1]
Brand Radar also sold standalone with a free Ahrefs account
SE Ranking's AI Search add-on includes SE Visible ($89/mo at 200 prompts)
Free trial[1]
Not verified; free AI Visibility Checker
10 days

Prices checked September 2026 (SE Visible 30 Sep, Ahrefs 19 Sep) from each product's public pricing page.

Ahrefs is a mature all-in-one SEO suite (keyword research, site audits, backlinks) that added Brand Radar, an AI visibility module reporting mentions, citations, AI share of voice and estimated impressions across seven engines. Every paid plan includes it with 5 to 20 tracked prompts; packages start at $50 a month, and the AI Visibility Index, 455M+ monthly prompts across six engines, is $199 a month per platform or $699 for all (rendered 19 September 2026). G2 rates the whole suite 4.5 out of 5 from 713 reviews. SE Visible is SE Ranking's AI visibility product, sold separately from its SEO platform: $99, $189 and $355 plans with 200 to 1,000 prompts on five engines, with Claude announced as coming soon (read 30 September 2026). SE Ranking has sold SEO software since 2013; SE Visible itself is listed on G2 with no reviews yet, and it says plainly on its sources page that there is no guaranteed path into AI answers. Sources

Which should you choose?

Choose Ahrefs if…

  • You already pay for Ahrefs and want AI visibility in the same tool
  • You need Copilot or Claude tracked today, not soon
  • Backlink, search-demand and YouTube, TikTok or Reddit context matter to your analysis
  • You want to research any brand across a 455M+ prompt index without setup

Choose SE Visible if…

  • You want hundreds of tracked prompts without buying an SEO suite
  • ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, AI Mode and AI Overviews cover your market
  • You want a ranked list of sources that cite your competitors but not you
  • You are an SE Ranking customer, or want a separate tool your non-SEO team can read
The third option · Our product
Both measure. Neither writes. Prefer tracks five engines and writes the articles from $24 a month.

Prefer tracks the same signals across ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews and Google AI Mode, then produces the content and citations that move the number. Free trial, paid from $24/mo.

Run your free audit No card, no commitment

Ahrefs vs SE Visible, answered

Is Ahrefs Brand Radar or SE Visible better?

They fit different teams: Ahrefs Brand Radar is better if you already run Ahrefs and want seven engines measured next to your backlink and search data, and SE Visible is better if you want a separate tracker with 200 prompts on five engines for $99 a month. Prefer, our product, starts below both at $24 a month and is the only one of the three that writes content, with 15 AI articles a month on that plan. Choose Ahrefs to add AI data to your SEO workflow, SE Visible to track a large prompt set on its own.

Which is cheaper, Ahrefs or SE Visible?

For AI tracking alone, SE Visible: its $99 Basic plan (or $79 a month billed annually) includes 200 prompts on five engines, while Ahrefs' $129 Lite plan includes 5 tracked AI prompts plus the whole SEO suite (read 30 and 19 September 2026). Prefer's Starter is $24 a month for 30 prompts on five engines, below both entry plans. A team already paying for Ahrefs can add a prompt package from $50 a month (about 80 prompts a day on one platform), which is less than SE Visible's Basic but covers one platform rather than five.

Which AI engines do Ahrefs and SE Visible track?

Ahrefs Brand Radar tracks seven engines on Custom Prompts (Google AI Overviews, AI Mode, Gemini, Perplexity, ChatGPT, Copilot and Claude), and SE Visible tracks five on every plan (ChatGPT, Gemini, Google AI Mode, Google AI Overviews and Perplexity), with Claude announced as coming soon and no Copilot. Prefer, our product, tracks the same five as SE Visible on every plan, with Claude on Enterprise only. On Ahrefs, Claude costs 8 checks per update and is absent from the $199 AI Visibility Index.

How do Ahrefs and SE Visible count prompts?

Differently, and it changes the real price. Prefer, our product, counts tracked prompts too: 30 on its $24 Starter plan, each run on all five of its engines. Ahrefs meters checks: one prompt on one platform in one location per update, so 5 prompts on one platform is 150 checks a month and Claude uses 8 checks each time. SE Visible counts each prompt once, however many of its five engines run it, and pools the allowance across your projects; its 200-prompt plan works out to about 30,000 AI answers a month.

Does Ahrefs or SE Visible write content for you?

Neither does. Prefer writes 15 AI articles a month on its $24 Starter plan and more on higher plans. Ahrefs Brand Radar is measurement only: it reports mentions, citations, AI share of voice and gaps. SE Visible is the same: it shows where you appear and ranks the sources that cite your competitors but not you, and its own sources page says the next step is outreach, content and coverage work that your team does.

Which one handles off-page work like Reddit or PR?

Neither: Ahrefs shows where you appear on Reddit, YouTube and TikTok, and SE Visible ranks outreach targets by gap score, but the outreach stays with your team on both. Prefer, our product, runs off-page work (Reddit participation, PR pitches, placements) only on its Enterprise plan and on Prefer Managed, its done-for-you service; its self-serve plans track, show the sources behind each answer and write content.

Who is Ahrefs Brand Radar best for?

SEO teams that already live in Ahrefs and want AI visibility inside the tool they own, with Ahrefs' backlink index, search demand and a 455M+ prompt index behind it. Prefer is the lighter fit for a team new to AI search that wants the content written too, from $24 a month. Ahrefs is less suited to a team that only wants AI tracking, since a real prompt set means a package or the Index on top of the suite.

Who is SE Visible best for?

Business owners, CMOs and agencies who want a standalone AI visibility tracker without deep SEO knowledge, which is who SE Ranking says it built it for, and teams that need hundreds of prompts. Prefer fits better if you want articles written as well, from $24 a month. Agencies should note that SE Visible has no white label yet and no agency plan, and that built-in report generation is listed as coming soon.

Is SE Visible the same as SE Ranking?

Not quite: SE Visible is a separate AI visibility product from SE Ranking, sold on its own at visible.seranking.com, while SE Ranking customers can unlock it with the AI Search add-on to their SEO plan. Prefer, our product, is a standalone AI search tool, closer to SE Visible's model than to Ahrefs' suite. Ahrefs works the other way round: Brand Radar lives inside its paid plans, though its FAQ says it can also be bought standalone.

What is the best alternative to Ahrefs and SE Visible?

Prefer is a strong pick if you want five engines and the content work in one plan at a published price: it tracks ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews and AI Mode with 30 prompts and writes 15 AI articles a month from $24 (free trial on every paid plan, free audit), and it is our product. The category also includes Profound, Peec AI, Otterly, PromptWatch and Semrush's AI toolkit. See our roundup of the best AI visibility tools.

References

Sources

  1. Ahrefs pricing page and Brand Radar page (rendered 19 Sep 2026) ahrefs.com Accessed September 2026 (SE Visible 30 Sep, Ahrefs 19 Sep)
  2. SE Visible homepage and pricing section (raw and rendered 30 Sep 2026) visible.seranking.com Accessed September 2026 (SE Visible 30 Sep, Ahrefs 19 Sep)
  3. Ahrefs reviews on G2, whole suite (rendered 8 Sep 2026) g2.com Accessed September 2026 (SE Visible 30 Sep, Ahrefs 19 Sep)
  4. Ahrefs pricing page (rendered 8 and 19 Sep 2026) ahrefs.com Accessed September 2026 (SE Visible 30 Sep, Ahrefs 19 Sep)
  5. SE Visible AI sources page (read 30 Sep 2026) visible.seranking.com Accessed September 2026 (SE Visible 30 Sep, Ahrefs 19 Sep)
  6. SE Visible brand visibility dashboard page (read 30 Sep 2026) visible.seranking.com Accessed September 2026 (SE Visible 30 Sep, Ahrefs 19 Sep)
  7. SE Visible FAQ, SE Ranking help center (rendered 30 Sep 2026) help.seranking.com Accessed September 2026 (SE Visible 30 Sep, Ahrefs 19 Sep)
  8. SE Visible API documentation (read 30 Sep 2026) seranking.com Accessed September 2026 (SE Visible 30 Sep, Ahrefs 19 Sep)
  9. Ahrefs AI Visibility Checker (free tool, read 5 Sep 2026) ahrefs.com Accessed September 2026 (SE Visible 30 Sep, Ahrefs 19 Sep)

Keep comparing

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