AI visibility tools · Head to head

Peec AI vs AthenaHQ: which AI visibility tool wins in 2026?

A budget-friendly analytics tool for marketing teams versus a free-to-start platform that also acts. Compared on models tracked, price, and what each does with what it finds. Sourced from both companies' live pages.

Javed Khatri Co-founder, Prefer
Updated September 2026 · Facts checked July 2026; Peec AI and AthenaHQ re-checked 19 Sep 2026
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TL;DR

Peec AI is the pick for marketing teams and agencies that want clean, affordable multi-engine analytics with unlimited seats from $95/mo; AthenaHQ is the pick for teams that want to start free and have the tool act, with five models on its free tier and on-page plus off-page actions from its $295 Starter plan. Prefer does the tracking and the content work in one plan from $24 a month, below both paid entry prices.

The split is analytics versus action. Peec AI is analytics-first: it tracks three of six models at entry, adds unlimited seats and strong integrations, but leaves the content and off-page work to you. AthenaHQ starts free across five models and turns on execution at $295/mo. Peec is cheaper to run as a pure tracker; AthenaHQ is the one that also does something about the gaps.

Peec AI vs AthenaHQ at a glance
  • Peec AI starts at $95/mo (3 of 6 models, Perplexity not on the menu) with unlimited users; AthenaHQ starts free across five models, Perplexity included.
  • AthenaHQ acts (on-page and off-page) from its $295 Starter plan; Peec AI is analytics-first, with recommended and agent actions but no content writing.
  • Peec AI is built for agency and team reporting: Looker Studio, API, MCP, multi-country projects.
  • AthenaHQ carries a G2 High Performer badge (4.9/5) as of Spring 2026 and holds SOC II.

The contenders

Screenshot not captured
Peec AI AI search analytics for marketing teams
  • Founded2025, Berlin
  • Starting price$95/mo (3 models of your choice)
  • Free tierNo; free trial
  • Engines at entry3 of 6 models; Perplexity and Claude on Enterprise
  • Acts on findingsRecommended and agent actions
  • Seats at entryUnlimited users
  • FocusTeam and agency analytics, integrations
Screenshot not captured
AthenaHQ Action on AI search, with a free tier
  • Founded2024 (YC W25)
  • Starting priceFree; Starter $295/mo
  • Free tierYes (300 credits, 5 models)
  • Engines at entry5 free; 11 on Starter
  • Acts on findingsOn-page + off-page on Starter
  • Third-party ratingG2 4.9/5, High Performer
  • FocusSelf-serve GenAI-search action agents
Capability Peec AI AthenaHQ Prefer
Tracks AI citations across engines
Acts on findings (Prefer off-page on Managed)
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 July 2026; Peec AI and AthenaHQ re-checked 19 Sep 2026; every claim is referenced in Sources.

Where each tool sits

Positioning matrix: Acts on findings (vertical) by Price to start (paid → free) (horizontal). Peec AI sits low on Acts on findings and low on Price to start (paid → free); AthenaHQ sits high on Acts on findings and high on Price to start (paid → free); Prefer (our product) sits high on Acts on findings and high on Price to start (paid → free).
Qualitative positioning from each product's public pricing and feature pages, checked July 2026. Peec AI is analytics-first with no free tier; AthenaHQ starts free and acts on-page and off-page from Starter; Prefer, our product, has a free audit and trial rather than a free plan, a low paid entry, content execution in every paid plan, and does off-page work on its done-for-you Managed and Enterprise plans. The x-axis runs paid on the left to free on the right. Sources

Feature comparison

Capability
Peec AI
AthenaHQ
Coverage
Engines at entry tier[1]
3 of 6 (ChatGPT, AI Mode, AI Overviews, Copilot, Naver AI, Gemini)
5 models (free)
Engine pool[1]
14 listed on Enterprise (card says up to 13)
11 models (Starter)
Free tier[1]
No; free trial
Yes (300 credits)
Prompts at entry[1]
50 prompts
300 response credits (free)
Seats at entry[1]
Unlimited users
Unlimited members (free)
Action and features
Acts on findings[2]
Recommended and agent actions
On-page + off-page actions
Content agent[2]
Not advertised
Athena AI agent
Source analysis[2]
Sources Analysis (G2, Reddit, press)
Sources + competitor insights
Competitor benchmarking[2]
Yes
Yes
Integrations[2]
Looker Studio, API, MCP
Shopify, Webflow, GA4, GSC
Trust and fit
Third-party rating[3]
G2 4.7/5, 21 reviews (Sep 2026)
G2 4.9/5, High Performer
SOC 2[3]
Not advertised
SOC II
Built for[2]
Agencies and marketing teams
Mid-market, self-serve
Multi-country / project[2]
Yes, on mid tiers
Multi-region (Enterprise)

Based on both products' public pages, facts checked July 2026; Peec AI and AthenaHQ re-checked 19 Sep 2026. "Not advertised" means we could not verify the capability from public materials. Spot something out of date? Tell us.

Pricing, side by side

Plan
Peec AI
AthenaHQ
Free tier[1]
No; free trial
Essential, free (300 credits, 5 models)
Entry paid plan[1]
Starter, $95/mo
Starter, $295/mo
What entry paid includes[1]
3 models, 50 prompts, unlimited users
11 models, 3,600 credits, on/off-page actions
Mid tier[1]
Pro $245/mo; Advanced $495/mo
Enterprise (custom)
Execution included[2]
No content writing; recommended and agent actions
Yes, from Starter

Prices checked July 2026; Peec AI and AthenaHQ re-checked 19 Sep 2026 from each product's public pricing page.

Peec AI (Berlin, launched February 2025) has raised about $29M, is reportedly in talks at a roughly $200M valuation, and its pricing page cites 2,500+ marketing teams including Zalando, Hugo Boss, and Wix; it is analytics-first, built for agency and team reporting. AthenaHQ (a Y Combinator W25 company) positions itself as 'Action on AI Search,' pairing monitoring with content agents that act, and carries a G2 High Performer badge for Answer Engine Optimization (4.9/5, Spring 2026) alongside SOC II and GDPR. Sources

Which should you choose?

Choose Peec AI if…

  • You want a low-cost way to run clean multi-engine analytics
  • You need unlimited seats and agency or team reporting from day one
  • Looker Studio, API, and MCP integrations matter to your workflow
  • You are happy to do the content and off-page work yourself

Choose AthenaHQ if…

  • You want to start free and track five models before paying
  • You want the tool to act (on-page and off-page), not just report
  • A G2-rated, SOC II self-serve product fits your buying process
  • You would rather have execution built in than exported to a to-do list
The third option · Our product
One reports cheaply. One acts. Prefer does both, 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. See how it compares to Peec AI and AthenaHQ.

Run your free audit No card, no commitment

Peec AI vs AthenaHQ, answered

Is Peec AI or AthenaHQ better?

They fit different needs: Peec AI is the affordable analytics pick for agencies and marketing teams, with unlimited seats and strong reporting integrations from $95/mo, and AthenaHQ is the free-to-start pick that also acts, tracking five models free and running on-page and off-page actions from its $295 Starter plan. Prefer does the tracking and the content work in one plan from $24 a month, below both paid entry prices. Choose Peec AI for low-cost multi-engine reporting, AthenaHQ for free-to-start action.

Which is cheaper, Peec AI or AthenaHQ?

AthenaHQ is cheaper to start because it has a genuine free tier (300 credits across five models). Among the three paid entry prices, Prefer's is lowest: $24 a month against Peec AI's $95 and AthenaHQ's $295. Peec AI has no free tier; it starts at $95/mo (three of six models, unlimited users) with a free trial. If you then need action features, AthenaHQ's acting tier is $295/mo, while Peec's higher tiers (Pro $245, Advanced $495) add analytics depth rather than execution.

Does Peec AI take action or only report?

Peec AI is analytics-first: it tracks how AI engines cite you, benchmarks competitors, analyzes sources, and provides recommended actions, agent actions and exports, but Peec's own AI-instructions page (August 2026) says it does not write or publish content, so that work and the off-page work stay with your team. AthenaHQ, by contrast, runs on-page and off-page actions from its Starter plan.

Does AthenaHQ have a free tier and does Peec AI?

AthenaHQ has a free Essential tier (300 credits across five models). Peec AI does not have a free tier; it offers a free trial and then starts at $95/mo. If a free starting point matters, AthenaHQ is the one with it.

Which AI engines do Peec AI and AthenaHQ track?

Peec AI's self-serve plans let you choose three of six models: ChatGPT, AI Mode, AI Overviews, Copilot, Naver AI and Gemini (checked 19 September 2026). Perplexity, Claude and API-only models sit on Enterprise. AthenaHQ covers five models free (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, Gemini, Copilot) and 11 on Starter (adding AI Mode, Claude, Grok, DeepSeek, Meta AI and Mistral), checked 19 September 2026.

Who is Peec AI best for?

Agencies and marketing teams that want affordable, clean multi-engine analytics with unlimited seats and reporting integrations like Looker Studio, API, and MCP, and are comfortable doing the content and off-page work themselves.

What is the best alternative to Peec AI and AthenaHQ?

Prefer is the best pick if you want measurement plus the content and off-page work, with a done-for-you option: it tracks five engines and writes content from $24 a month (free trial on every paid plan, free audit), and Prefer Managed and Prefer's Enterprise plan do the off-page work for you. The category also includes Profound, Scrunch, Semrush's AI toolkit and AirOps. See our roundup of the best AI visibility tools.

References

Sources

  1. Peec AI pricing page peec.ai Accessed July 2026; Peec AI and AthenaHQ re-checked 19 Sep 2026
  2. AthenaHQ plans page athenahq.ai Accessed July 2026; Peec AI and AthenaHQ re-checked 19 Sep 2026
  3. Peec AI homepage (features) peec.ai Accessed July 2026; Peec AI and AthenaHQ re-checked 19 Sep 2026
  4. AthenaHQ homepage (features) athenahq.ai Accessed July 2026; Peec AI and AthenaHQ re-checked 19 Sep 2026
  5. Sifted: Peec AI targeting $200M valuation sifted.eu Accessed July 2026; Peec AI and AthenaHQ re-checked 19 Sep 2026

Keep comparing

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