AI visibility tools · Head to head

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

An enterprise multi-brand agent-experience suite versus a free-to-start platform that also acts. Both do more than measure. Compared on price, engine coverage, and scope. Sourced from both companies' live pages.

Javed Khatri Co-founder, Prefer
Updated September 2026 · Facts checked July 2026; AthenaHQ, Scrunch pricing and trust center re-checked 19 Sep 2026
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TL;DR

Scrunch is the pick for enterprises and agencies managing multiple brands, bundling AI visibility tracking with site audits and limited optimization across four engines from $250/mo; AthenaHQ is the pick for teams that want to start free and act early, with five models on a genuine free tier and on-page plus off-page actions from its $295 Starter plan. Prefer tracks and acts too, from $24 a month with five engines and 15 AI articles, below both paid entry prices.

Both act, so this is not measure-versus-act; it is breadth-versus-entry-point. Scrunch is built for multi-brand operations: its $250 Core plan tracks four engines with site audits and one page optimization a month, and reserves nine-engine coverage for Enterprise. AthenaHQ starts free across five models and turns on content actions at $295/mo, aimed at self-serve mid-market teams rather than multi-brand agencies.

Scrunch vs AthenaHQ at a glance
  • Scrunch starts at $250/mo (four engines, site audits); AthenaHQ has a genuine free tier across five models.
  • Both act: Scrunch via audits and one page-opt a month, AthenaHQ via on-page and off-page actions from Starter.
  • Scrunch is built for multi-brand and agency operations; AthenaHQ is self-serve, mid-market.
  • AthenaHQ carries a G2 High Performer badge (4.9/5, Spring 2026); Scrunch holds 4.6/5 from 73 reviews on G2 (checked 26 August 2026).

The contenders

Screenshot not captured
Scrunch Agent Experience Platform for multi-brand teams
  • PositioningAgent Experience Platform
  • Starting price$250/mo (Core)
  • Free tierNo; 7-day trial
  • Engines at entry4; up to 9 on Enterprise
  • Acts on findingsSite audits, 1 page-opt/mo
  • Third-party ratingG2 4.6/5 (73 reviews, 26 Aug 2026)
  • FocusEnterprise multi-brand visibility
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 Scrunch 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; AthenaHQ, Scrunch pricing and trust center re-checked 19 Sep 2026; every claim is referenced in Sources.

Where each tool sits

Positioning matrix: Price to start (paid → free) (vertical) by Setup (single-brand → multi-brand) (horizontal). Scrunch sits low on Price to start (paid → free) and high on Setup (single-brand → multi-brand); AthenaHQ sits high on Price to start (paid → free) and low on Setup (single-brand → multi-brand); Prefer (our product) sits low on Price to start (paid → free) and low on Setup (single-brand → multi-brand).
Qualitative positioning from each product's public feature set and pricing pages, checked July 2026. Scrunch is a paid, multi-brand operations suite; AthenaHQ starts free and is self-serve; Prefer, our product, has a free audit and trial rather than a free plan, a low paid entry and content execution, and does off-page work on its done-for-you Managed and Enterprise plans. The x-axis runs single-brand to multi-brand; the y-axis runs paid at the bottom to free at the top. Sources

Feature comparison

Capability
Scrunch
AthenaHQ
Coverage
Engines at entry tier[1]
4 engines
5 models (free)
Engine pool[1]
9 engines (Enterprise)
11 models (Starter)
Free tier[1]
No; 7-day trial
Yes (300 credits)
Prompts at entry[1]
125 unique prompts
300 response credits (free)
Multi-brand workspaces[2]
Yes (core strength)
Multi-region (Enterprise)
Action and features
Site audits[2]
5 per month (Core)
Not the focus
Page optimization[2]
1 per month (Core)
Content optimization agent
Off-page / GEO actions[2]
Not advertised
Yes, on Starter
Content agent[2]
Basic (Core)
Athena AI agent
Agent / crawler analytics[2]
AXP (Enterprise)
Not advertised
Trust and fit
Third-party rating[3]
G2 4.6/5 (73 reviews)
G2 4.9/5, High Performer
SSO / SAML[3]
Enterprise (SAML/OIDC)
Enterprise (SAML/OIDC)
Compliance[3]
SOC 2 Type 2 (trust center)
SOC II, GDPR
Built for[2]
Enterprise, multi-brand, agency
Mid-market, self-serve

Based on both products' public pages, facts checked July 2026; AthenaHQ, Scrunch pricing and trust center 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
Scrunch
AthenaHQ
Free tier[1]
No; 7-day trial
Essential, free (300 credits, 5 models)
Entry paid plan[1]
Core, $250/mo
Starter, $295/mo
What entry paid includes[1]
4 engines, 125 prompts, audits, 5 licenses
11 models, 3,600 credits, on/off-page actions
Enterprise[1]
Custom (up to 9 engines, AXP)
Custom (ACE, SSO, multi-region)
Execution included[2]
Limited (audits, 1 page-opt/mo)
Yes, from Starter

Prices checked July 2026; AthenaHQ, Scrunch pricing and trust center re-checked 19 Sep 2026 from each product's public pricing page.

Scrunch positions itself as an 'Agent Experience Platform' for enterprise and agency teams, bundling AI visibility, monitoring, citations, and site audits with limited optimization across four engines at entry; it claims to be 'trusted by 500+ brands and agencies' (its own figure, which we have not independently verified). 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 Scrunch if…

  • You manage multiple brands or clients and want them in one workspace
  • Site audits and bundled optimization matter to your workflow
  • You operate at enterprise or agency scale, not solo
  • Four engines at entry is enough, with nine on Enterprise

Choose AthenaHQ if…

  • You want to start free and track five models before paying
  • You want on-page and off-page actions, not just audits
  • A G2-rated, SOC II self-serve product fits your buying process
  • You are a single mid-market brand rather than a multi-brand agency
The third option · Our product
Both act. Neither runs the whole program 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 Scrunch and AthenaHQ.

Run your free audit No card, no commitment

Scrunch vs AthenaHQ, answered

Is Scrunch or AthenaHQ better?

They fit different teams: Scrunch is the multi-brand operations pick, bundling AI visibility tracking with site audits and limited optimization across four engines from $250/mo, and AthenaHQ is the free-to-start pick that also acts, with five models on its free tier and on-page plus off-page actions from its $295 Starter plan. Prefer tracks and acts too, from $24 a month, below both paid entry prices. Choose Scrunch for multi-brand breadth, AthenaHQ for a free start with self-serve action.

How do Scrunch and AthenaHQ pricing compare?

As of September 2026: Scrunch starts at $250/mo (Core) tracking four engines with 125 prompts, five site audits a month, and one page optimization, with nine-engine coverage on custom Enterprise. For agencies, Scrunch's Agency Core is $500/mo (three brand and three pitch workspaces, 250 prompts, the same four engines). AthenaHQ has a free Essential tier (300 credits across five models), a $295/mo Starter plan ($245 billed annually) that covers 11 models and adds on/off-page actions, and custom Enterprise above. AthenaHQ is cheaper to start; Scrunch bundles multi-brand operations. Prefer's paid plans start at $24 a month, with five engines and 15 AI articles.

Do both Scrunch and AthenaHQ take action, or just track?

Both act. Scrunch includes site audits and one page optimization a month with basic content generation on its Core plan; AthenaHQ runs on-page and off-page actions plus a content optimization agent from its Starter plan. The difference is scope and entry point, not whether they act.

Which has a free tier, Scrunch or AthenaHQ?

AthenaHQ has a free Essential tier (300 credits across five models). Scrunch does not offer a free tier; it has a 7-day trial and starts at $250/mo. If a free starting point matters, AthenaHQ is the one with it.

Which AI engines do Scrunch and AthenaHQ track?

Scrunch tracks four engines at entry (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, Copilot) and up to nine on Enterprise (adding Claude, Gemini, Meta AI, Google AI Mode, Grok). 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 Scrunch best for?

Enterprises and agencies managing multiple brands or regions that want AI visibility tracking, site audits, and some optimization in one platform. Its multi-brand workspaces and audit tooling suit teams operating at breadth.

What is the best alternative to Scrunch and AthenaHQ?

Prefer is the best pick if you want the measurement and the off-page work done for you rather than self-serve: 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, Peec AI, Semrush's AI toolkit and AirOps. See our roundup of the best AEO tools.

References

Sources

  1. Scrunch pricing page scrunch.com Accessed July 2026; AthenaHQ, Scrunch pricing and trust center re-checked 19 Sep 2026
  2. AthenaHQ plans page athenahq.ai Accessed July 2026; AthenaHQ, Scrunch pricing and trust center re-checked 19 Sep 2026
  3. Scrunch homepage (features) scrunch.com Accessed July 2026; AthenaHQ, Scrunch pricing and trust center re-checked 19 Sep 2026
  4. AthenaHQ homepage (features) athenahq.ai Accessed July 2026; AthenaHQ, Scrunch pricing and trust center re-checked 19 Sep 2026
  5. Scrunch trust center trust.scrunchai.com Accessed July 2026; AthenaHQ, Scrunch pricing and trust center re-checked 19 Sep 2026

Keep comparing

Head to head Prefer vs Scrunch Head to head Prefer vs AthenaHQ Roundup The best AEO tools in 2026, tested and compared Alternatives The best Scrunch alternatives

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