AI visibility tools · Head to head

Rankshift vs Otterly: which AI visibility tool wins in 2026?

Two independently funded European trackers that publish every price and give every plan unlimited seats. One sells prompts on four engines and charges for the rest; the other sells credits on all nine and writes drafts. Compared on what each plan tracks, how usage is metered, what each does with a gap, and who each fits. Sourced from both companies' live pages.

Javed Khatri Co-founder, Prefer
Updated September 2026 · Facts checked September 2026 (Rankshift 30 Sep; Otterly 19 and 23 Sep)
On this page
TL;DR

Otterly is the pick for small teams that want the lowest entry of the two: $29 a month for 15 prompts on four engines (ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Perplexity, Copilot), with AI Mode, Gemini and Claude as paid add-ons and recommendations plus GEO audits to act on; Rankshift is the pick for teams that want every engine and a writer on one plan: $92 a month for 9,500 credits across nine engines, including Claude, Copilot, Mistral and Meta AI, with an AI content writer on every plan. Prefer, our product, starts below both at $24 a month, tracks five engines on every plan and writes 15 AI articles a month on that plan.

The two agree on more than most pairs: both are independent and European, both publish every price, both give unlimited seats on every plan, both track ChatGPT ads, and both read AI crawler traffic. They split on the meter. Otterly counts prompts (15, 100 or 400) on four fixed engines and sells the other engines as add-ons priced by plan. Rankshift counts credits (9,500, 22,000 or 53,000), includes all nine engines, and charges 2 credits a run on most engines and 5 on Claude and Copilot, so how far a plan goes depends on the engines and frequency you pick. After the reading, Otterly gives recommendations and GEO audits; Rankshift gives an Action Center task board and drafts articles.

Rankshift vs Otterly at a glance
  • Otterly starts lower: Lite is $29 a month (15 prompts, four engines); Rankshift's Starter is $92 a month in USD (9,500 credits, nine engines). Both discount annual billing, Otterly by 15% and Rankshift by 10%.
  • Engines: Rankshift includes all nine on every plan, Claude and Copilot included; Otterly includes four and sells AI Mode and Gemini ($9 to $149 a month) and Claude ($29 to $439 a month) as add-ons.
  • Content: Rankshift includes a brief generator and AI content writer on every plan (drafts you publish); Otterly does not write content and offers recommendations and GEO URL audits.
  • Both give unlimited seats on every plan and both track ChatGPT ads; MCP and API are on every Rankshift plan and on Otterly's Standard and Premium.
  • Third-party signal: Otterly rates 4.7/5 from 54 G2 reviews; Rankshift was not listed on G2 or Capterra at our 30 September check.

The contenders

Screenshot not captured
Rankshift Credit-based GEO tracking, all nine engines on every plan
  • CompanyRankshift BV, Belgium; independently funded
  • Starting price$92/mo Starter ($82/mo billed annually)
  • Free tierNo; 30-day free trial, no card
  • Engines at entryAll 9 on every plan, incl. Claude and Copilot
  • How usage is meteredCredits: 9,500 on Starter; 2 per engine run, 5 for Claude and Copilot
  • Third-party ratingNot listed on G2 at our 30 Sep check
  • FocusGEO-only tracking with an AI content writer
Screenshot not captured
Otterly The first-mover AI search monitor, cheap and simple
  • Founded2024, Austria (DACH)
  • BackingBootstrapped (no funding rounds)
  • Starting price$29/mo Lite ($25/mo billed annually)
  • Free tierNo; free trial
  • Engines at entry4; AI Mode, Gemini and Claude are paid add-ons
  • Third-party ratingG2 4.7/5 (54 reviews)
  • FocusLow-cost self-serve monitoring and GEO audits
Capability Rankshift Otterly Prefer
Tracks AI citations across engines
Writes content from findings
Tracks Claude on a self-serve plan
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 (Rankshift 30 Sep; Otterly 19 and 23 Sep); every claim is referenced in Sources.

Where each tool sits

Feature comparison

Capability
Rankshift
Otterly
Coverage
Engines at entry[4]
All 9: ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Claude, AI Overviews, AI Mode, Copilot, Mistral, Meta AI
4: ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Perplexity, MS Copilot
Claude, Gemini, AI Mode[2]
Included on every plan (Claude costs 5 credits a run)
Paid add-ons: AI Mode and Gemini $9 / $59 / $149, Claude $29 / $109 / $439 a month by plan
How usage is metered[3]
Credits: 9,500 / 22,000 / 53,000; 2 per run, 5 for Claude and Copilot
Prompts: 15 / 100 / 400; +100 prompts for $99 on Standard and Premium
Countries[2]
Not stated on its pricing or feature pages
50+ countries
Seats and workspaces[1]
Unlimited seats and projects on every plan
Unlimited team members; 1 workspace on Lite, unlimited from Standard
Measurement and action
Share of voice, sentiment, citations[5]
Yes; citation URL, prompt, model and date per run
Yes
After the reading[5]
Action Center task board (update a page, pitch a publication, get listed)
3 recommendations a week on Lite; GEO URL audits (1,000 to 10,000 a month)
Content writing[6]
Brief generator and AI content writer on every plan; drafts you review and publish
Not offered
AI crawler analytics[1]
Crawler analytics on every plan
Agent Analytics on Standard and Premium (200k and 1M events)
Ad tracking[12]
ChatGPT ads tracking
ChatGPT Ads Tracking on every plan
Free tools
Not the focus
Free GEO tools
Off-page work[5]
Recommended as tasks; not done for you
Not offered
Integrations, trust and fit
API / MCP[7]
MCP and API on every plan
API and MCP on Standard and Premium
BI / dashboards[7]
Looker Studio, BigQuery, Tableau, Power BI and more via PostgreSQL
Looker Studio connector from Standard
SSO[1]
Enterprise
Enterprise
Third-party rating[8]
Not listed on G2 or Capterra at our 30 Sep check
G2 4.7/5 (54 reviews)
Company[14]
Rankshift BV, Belgium; independently funded, founder-run
Austria (DACH), 2024; bootstrapped
Built for[2]
SEO and marketing teams and agencies wanting every engine
Solo marketers and small teams on a budget

Based on both products' public pages, facts checked September 2026 (Rankshift 30 Sep; Otterly 19 and 23 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
Rankshift
Otterly
Entry plan[1]
Starter, $92/mo ($82/mo billed annually)
Lite, $29/mo ($25/mo billed annually)
What entry includes[1]
9,500 credits, all 9 engines, unlimited seats and projects, AI content writer, MCP and API
15 prompts, 4 engines, unlimited team members, 1 workspace, 3 recommendations a week
Mid tier[2]
Professional, $210/mo ($189 annual): 22,000 credits
Standard, $189/mo ($160 annual): 100 prompts, API, MCP, Agent Analytics
Top self-serve tier[2]
Business, $473/mo ($425 annual): 53,000 credits
Premium, $489/mo ($422 annual): 400 prompts
Enterprise[2]
Custom credits, SSO, SLA, dedicated account manager
From $1,000/mo: custom prompt tracking, SSO, dedicated success manager
Agencies[11]
Standard plans; a workspace per client; pitch projects at 1,000 credits each
Agency Partner on Standard or Premium: 150 or 500 prompts, branded Looker reports
Trial[13]
30 days, no credit card
Free trial, no credit card; length not shown

Prices checked September 2026 (Rankshift 30 Sep; Otterly 19 and 23 Sep) from each product's public pricing page.

Rankshift (Rankshift BV, Harelbeke, Belgium) is a GEO-only tracker that says it is independently funded and grows through its customers, with a small team where one of the founders answers support email. Its site claims 850+ marketing teams and prices in euros by default; at our 30 September check it had no live G2 or Capterra listing. Otterly is the category's first mover: it exited stealth in December 2024 as an AI search monitoring company, it is bootstrapped and Austrian (DACH) founded, and it rates 4.7 out of 5 from 54 G2 reviews. Both are independent, both publish every price, and both give every plan unlimited seats. Sources

Which should you choose?

Choose Rankshift if…

  • You want Claude, Gemini, AI Mode, Copilot, Mistral and Meta AI tracked without buying add-ons
  • You want an AI writer that drafts articles from what AI engines cite
  • MCP, API and BI connections matter from the entry plan
  • You would rather manage a credit budget than a fixed prompt count

Choose Otterly if…

  • You want the lower entry of the two, at $29 a month
  • ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Perplexity and Copilot cover your market
  • You plan to write the content yourself and want recommendations and GEO audits to guide it
  • You want a vendor with an established G2 review base
The third option · Our product
One sells engines as add-ons. One sells credits. Prefer starts at $24 a month with articles included.

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 Otterly.

Run your free audit No card, no commitment

Rankshift vs Otterly, answered

Is Rankshift or Otterly better?

They fit different budgets and jobs: Otterly is better for small teams that want a low-cost monitor, $29 a month for 15 prompts on four engines, and Rankshift is better for teams that want all nine engines and an AI content writer on one plan, from $92 a month. Prefer, our product, starts below both at $24 a month and includes 15 AI articles a month on that plan. Choose Otterly to monitor cheaply, Rankshift for engine breadth plus drafts.

Which is cheaper, Rankshift or Otterly?

Otterly has the lower entry of the two: Lite is $29 a month ($25 billed annually), against $92 a month ($82 billed annually) for Rankshift's Starter in USD (checked 19 and 30 September 2026). Prefer's paid plans start at $24 a month, below both. The gap narrows if you need more engines on Otterly: on Lite, AI Mode and Gemini are $9 a month each and Claude is $29, while Rankshift includes all of them, metered by credits.

Which AI engines do Rankshift and Otterly track?

Rankshift tracks nine engines on every plan: ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Claude, Google AI Overviews, Google AI Mode, Microsoft Copilot, Mistral and Meta AI (checked 30 September 2026). Prefer, our product, tracks five on every plan: ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews and AI Mode, with Claude on Enterprise. Otterly tracks four on every plan (ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Perplexity, Microsoft Copilot) and sells Google AI Mode, Gemini and Claude as add-ons (checked 19 September 2026).

How do credits on Rankshift compare with prompts on Otterly?

Otterly counts prompts: 15 on Lite, 100 on Standard, 400 on Premium, each tracked daily on its four engines. Prefer, our product, also counts prompts, 30 across five engines on its $24 plan. Rankshift counts credits (9,500, 22,000 or 53,000), and each prompt run costs 2 credits on most engines and 5 on Claude and Copilot, so the number of prompts a plan covers depends on how many engines you switch on and how often prompts run.

Do Rankshift and Otterly write content?

Rankshift does and Otterly does not. Prefer, our product, includes 15 AI articles a month on its $24 entry plan. Rankshift's content brief generator and AI content writer are on every plan: it builds a brief from what AI engines cite and drafts the article, which you review and publish yourself. Otterly gives recommendations (3 a week on Lite) and GEO URL audits, and the writing stays with your team.

Does either do off-page work, like Reddit or PR?

Neither does it for you. Prefer, our product, does off-page work (Reddit participation, PR pitches) on its Enterprise plan and on Prefer Managed, not on its self-serve plans. Rankshift's Action Center suggests off-page tasks, such as pitching a publication or answering a Reddit thread that AI engines cite, for your team to do. Otterly's plans cover monitoring, recommendations and audits.

Which is better for agencies, Rankshift or Otterly?

Both run agencies on their standard plans with unlimited seats. Prefer, our product, has a dedicated agency plan, from $99 a month plus $299 per active client. Rankshift lets you create a workspace per client inside one subscription and run pitch projects to audit prospects at 1,000 credits each; white-label reporting is not mentioned on its site. Otterly's Agency Partner status, on Standard or Premium, raises prompts to 150 or 500 and adds branded Looker Studio reports.

Who is Rankshift best for?

SEO and marketing teams, and agencies, that want every major engine tracked on one plan, including Claude, Copilot, Mistral and Meta AI, with unlimited seats, MCP and API, and a writer that drafts articles. Teams that want a flat prompt count and articles at a lower entry may fit Prefer, our product, better, from $24 a month. Rankshift's 30-day trial needs no card, so you can test the credit burn before paying.

Who is Otterly best for?

Solo marketers and small teams that want a low-cost, simple way to start tracking AI search on four engines, and are happy to do the optimization work themselves. Teams that also want the content written fit Prefer, our product, better, from $24 a month. Otterly's free GEO tools and G2 rating of 4.7 from 54 reviews make it an easy first tool to try.

What is the best alternative to Rankshift and Otterly?

Prefer is the best pick if you want tracking and content work together at a published price below both: 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), with a done-for-you Managed option. The category also includes Peec AI, Profound, Scrunch, AthenaHQ and Semrush's AI toolkit. See our roundup of the best AI visibility tools.

References

Sources

  1. Rankshift pricing page (raw and rendered 30 Sep 2026) rankshift.ai Accessed September 2026 (Rankshift 30 Sep; Otterly 19 and 23 Sep)
  2. Otterly pricing page (rendered 19 Sep, read 23 Sep 2026) otterly.ai Accessed September 2026 (Rankshift 30 Sep; Otterly 19 and 23 Sep)
  3. Rankshift credit calculator (rendered 30 Sep 2026) rankshift.ai Accessed September 2026 (Rankshift 30 Sep; Otterly 19 and 23 Sep)
  4. Rankshift AI visibility tracking page (rendered 30 Sep 2026) rankshift.ai Accessed September 2026 (Rankshift 30 Sep; Otterly 19 and 23 Sep)
  5. Rankshift AI citation tracking and Action Center (rendered 30 Sep 2026) rankshift.ai Accessed September 2026 (Rankshift 30 Sep; Otterly 19 and 23 Sep)
  6. Rankshift AI Content Engine (rendered 30 Sep 2026) rankshift.ai Accessed September 2026 (Rankshift 30 Sep; Otterly 19 and 23 Sep)
  7. Rankshift integrations page (rendered 30 Sep 2026) rankshift.ai Accessed September 2026 (Rankshift 30 Sep; Otterly 19 and 23 Sep)
  8. Otterly on G2 (rendered 5 Sep 2026) g2.com Accessed September 2026 (Rankshift 30 Sep; Otterly 19 and 23 Sep)
  9. Rankshift G2 URL, redirects to the AEO category (checked 30 Sep 2026) g2.com Accessed September 2026 (Rankshift 30 Sep; Otterly 19 and 23 Sep)
  10. TechCrunch: Otterly.AI exits stealth (Dec 2024) techcrunch.com Accessed September 2026 (Rankshift 30 Sep; Otterly 19 and 23 Sep)
  11. Rankshift agency partner program (rendered 30 Sep 2026) rankshift.ai Accessed September 2026 (Rankshift 30 Sep; Otterly 19 and 23 Sep)
  12. Rankshift ChatGPT ads tracking (rendered 30 Sep 2026) rankshift.ai Accessed September 2026 (Rankshift 30 Sep; Otterly 19 and 23 Sep)
  13. Rankshift homepage (trial terms, read 30 Sep 2026) rankshift.ai Accessed September 2026 (Rankshift 30 Sep; Otterly 19 and 23 Sep)
  14. Rankshift terms and privacy (company details, read 30 Sep 2026) rankshift.ai Accessed September 2026 (Rankshift 30 Sep; Otterly 19 and 23 Sep)

Keep comparing

Head to head Prefer vs Otterly Alternatives The best Otterly alternatives Roundup The best AI visibility tools for small business Head to head Otterly vs Peec AI Head to head Otterly vs PromptWatch

Get your free AI visibility report
in about 10 minutes.

See how answer engines describe your brand today, and where the openings are to outpace the competition.