AI visibility tools · Head to head

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

One is the enterprise analytics incumbent; the other is a free-to-start platform that also takes action. Compared on real pricing, engine coverage, and what each actually does. Sourced from both companies' live pages.

Javed Khatri Co-founder, Prefer
Updated September 2026 · Facts checked July 2026; Profound re-checked 16 Sep 2026; AthenaHQ and trust centers 19 Sep 2026
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TL;DR

Profound is the enterprise pick, with the deepest answer-engine analytics, agent tooling and compliance for large in-house teams; AthenaHQ is the pick for teams that want to start free and act early, with a genuine free tier across five models and on-page plus off-page actions from its $295 Starter plan. Prefer also tracks and acts, from $24 a month with five engines and 15 AI articles, and adds a done-for-you Managed option.

Their entry points tell the story: Profound's brands view offers a free 7-day Trial on three engines and then a custom Enterprise quote, with depth and compliance aimed at large teams. AthenaHQ starts free across five models and turns on content actions at $295/mo. Unlike the pure trackers, AthenaHQ does act on what it finds, so the honest split here is enterprise depth versus free-to-start breadth with self-serve action.

Profound vs AthenaHQ at a glance
  • Profound's free Trial runs 50 prompts daily for 7 days, on ChatGPT, Gemini and Google AI Overviews; AthenaHQ has a free tier across five models.
  • AthenaHQ is not monitoring-only: on-page and off-page actions start at its $295/mo Starter plan.
  • Profound is enterprise-heavy: deep response volumes, agent tooling, SOC 2, Fortune 500 customers.
  • AthenaHQ carries a G2 High Performer badge (4.9/5) as of Spring 2026; Profound holds 4.5/5 from 1,128 G2 reviews (26 August 2026).

The contenders

Screenshot not captured
Profound Enterprise answer-engine analytics
  • Founded2024, New York
  • Starting priceBrands: free Trial, then Enterprise quote
  • Free tierFree Trial (50 prompts, daily for 7 days)
  • Engines at entry1 (ChatGPT) on the Trial; up to 9 on Enterprise
  • Acts on findingsAgents draft and publish content (credits)
  • Third-party ratingG2 4.5/5, 1,128 reviews (Aug 2026)
  • FocusEnterprise analytics, agents, compliance
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 Spring 2026
  • FocusSelf-serve GenAI-search action agents
Capability Profound 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; Profound re-checked 16 Sep 2026; AthenaHQ and trust centers 19 Sep 2026; every claim is referenced in Sources.

Where each tool sits

Positioning matrix: Acts on findings (vertical) by Analytics depth (horizontal). Profound sits high on Acts on findings and high on Analytics depth; AthenaHQ sits high on Acts on findings and high on Analytics depth; Prefer (our product) sits high on Acts on findings and high on Analytics depth.
Qualitative positioning from each product's public feature set and pricing pages, checked July 2026 and September 2026. Profound is analytics-deep, and its content Agents draft and publish, metered by credits; AthenaHQ acts on-page and off-page from Starter; Prefer, our product, includes content execution in every paid plan and offers a done-for-you Managed option. Sources

Feature comparison

Capability
Profound
AthenaHQ
Coverage
Engines at entry tier[1]
3 on the free Trial (ChatGPT, Gemini, AI Overviews)
5 models (free)
Engine pool[1]
Up to 9 (Enterprise)
11 models (Starter)
Free tier[1]
Trial (50 prompts, daily for 7 days)
Yes (300 credits)
Google AI Overviews[2]
On the free Trial and Enterprise
Included from free tier
Prompts at entry[1]
50 prompts, daily for 7 days (free Trial)
300 response credits (free)
Action and features
On-page recommendations[2]
Analytics-led
Content optimization agent
Off-page / GEO actions[2]
Not documented
Yes, on Starter
Content agent[2]
Aim / agents (credits)
Athena AI agent
Source and competitor analysis[2]
Answer Engine Insights
Sources + competitor insights
Prompt demand data[2]
Prompt Volumes (real-user demand)
Not advertised
Trust and compliance
Third-party rating[3]
G2 4.5/5, 1,128 reviews (Aug 2026)
G2 4.9/5, High Performer
SOC 2[3]
SOC 2 Type II and HIPAA (trust center)
SOC II
SSO / SAML[3]
Enterprise
Enterprise (SAML/OIDC)
Exec BI dashboards[3]
CSV and JSON exports, API (Enterprise)
Tableau / Power BI / Looker (Enterprise)

Based on both products' public pages, facts checked July 2026; Profound re-checked 16 Sep 2026; AthenaHQ and trust centers 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
Profound
AthenaHQ
Free tier[1]
Trial (50 prompts, run daily for 7 days, on ChatGPT, Gemini and Google AI Overviews)
Essential, free (300 credits, 5 models)
Entry paid plan[1]
No published brand price (Enterprise quote)
Starter, $295/mo
What entry paid includes[1]
Agencies: $99/mo base plus $399/mo per client workspace
11 models, 3,600 credits, on/off-page actions
Enterprise[1]
Custom (up to 9 engines)
Custom (ACE, SSO, multi-region)
Execution included[2]
Agents draft and publish content (credits)
Yes, from Starter

Prices checked July 2026; Profound re-checked 16 Sep 2026; AthenaHQ and trust centers 19 Sep 2026 from each product's public pricing page.

Profound (New York, founded 2024) has raised roughly $155M at a $1B valuation and serves 700+ enterprise customers, including about 10% of the Fortune 500, with a compliance posture (SOC 2, SSO) and response volumes built for large in-house teams. AthenaHQ (a Y Combinator W25 company) positions itself as 'Action on AI Search,' pairing monitoring with content agents that act; it carries a G2 High Performer badge for Answer Engine Optimization (4.9/5, Spring 2026) and holds SOC II and GDPR. Sources

Which should you choose?

Choose Profound if…

  • You are an enterprise with a large in-house SEO and content team
  • You want the deepest response volumes and real-user prompt demand data
  • You need SOC 2, SSO, and enterprise procurement boxes ticked
  • Credit-metered content Agents fit how your team works

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, self-serve product fits how your team buys
  • You are mid-market rather than Fortune 500 scale
The third option · Our product
Both measure and act. Prefer can also run the work for you.

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 Profound and AthenaHQ.

Run your free audit No card, no commitment

Profound vs AthenaHQ, answered

Is Profound better than AthenaHQ?

Neither is better across the board: Profound suits enterprise teams, with the deepest answer-engine analytics, agent tooling, SOC 2 and Fortune 500 customers, and AthenaHQ suits teams that want to start free and act, with five models on its free tier and on-page plus off-page actions from its $295 Starter plan. Prefer also tracks and acts, from $24 a month with five engines, and adds a done-for-you Managed option. Choose Profound for enterprise analytics depth, AthenaHQ for free-to-start breadth with self-serve action.

How do Profound and AthenaHQ pricing compare?

Profound, checked 23 September 2026: brands get a free Trial (50 prompts, run daily for 7 days, on ChatGPT, Gemini and Google AI Overviews) or custom Enterprise for up to 9 engines, and agency plans start at $99/mo. AthenaHQ, checked 19 September 2026, has a genuine free Essential tier (300 credits across five models), then a $295/mo Starter plan ($245 billed annually) that covers 11 models and adds on/off-page actions, with custom Enterprise above that. AthenaHQ publishes its paid price; Profound's value is depth at the top. Prefer's paid plans start at $24 a month, with five engines and 15 AI articles.

Does AthenaHQ have a free tier?

Yes. AthenaHQ's Essential plan is free and includes 300 response credits across five models (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, Gemini, and Copilot), plus prompt and response analysis, sources and competitor insights, and its Athena AI agent. Profound offers a free Trial instead: 50 prompts, run daily for 7 days, on ChatGPT, Gemini and Google AI Overviews (checked 23 September 2026).

Does AthenaHQ actually take action, or just track?

AthenaHQ takes action. From its $295/mo Starter plan it runs on-page and off-page GEO and SEO actions and a content optimization agent, not just monitoring. That makes the honest comparison with pure trackers different: AthenaHQ competes on 'measures and acts,' as does Profound, whose content Agents draft and publish, metered by credits.

Which AI engines do Profound and AthenaHQ track?

Profound's pricing page lists up to 9 answer engines on Enterprise and ChatGPT, Gemini and Google AI Overviews on its free Trial (checked 23 September 2026). 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 AthenaHQ best for?

Mid-market teams that want to start free, track multiple models, and have the tool act on what it finds without a separate execution purchase. Its free tier, G2 rating, and self-serve content agents fit teams below enterprise scale.

What is the best alternative to Profound and AthenaHQ?

Prefer is the best pick if you want the measurement plus the content and off-page work, done for you rather than self-serve: it pairs tracking across five engines with 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 Peec AI, Scrunch, Semrush's AI toolkit and AirOps. See our roundup of the best AEO tools.

References

Sources

  1. Profound pricing page tryprofound.com Accessed July 2026; Profound re-checked 16 Sep 2026; AthenaHQ and trust centers 19 Sep 2026
  2. AthenaHQ plans page athenahq.ai Accessed July 2026; Profound re-checked 16 Sep 2026; AthenaHQ and trust centers 19 Sep 2026
  3. AthenaHQ homepage (features) athenahq.ai Accessed July 2026; Profound re-checked 16 Sep 2026; AthenaHQ and trust centers 19 Sep 2026
  4. Profound homepage (features) tryprofound.com Accessed July 2026; Profound re-checked 16 Sep 2026; AthenaHQ and trust centers 19 Sep 2026
  5. Fortune: Profound raises $96M Series C at a $1B valuation fortune.com Accessed July 2026; Profound re-checked 16 Sep 2026; AthenaHQ and trust centers 19 Sep 2026
  6. Profound Agents feature page tryprofound.com Accessed July 2026; Profound re-checked 16 Sep 2026; AthenaHQ and trust centers 19 Sep 2026
  7. Profound trust center trust.tryprofound.com Accessed July 2026; Profound re-checked 16 Sep 2026; AthenaHQ and trust centers 19 Sep 2026

Keep comparing

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