The verification ledger
Every AI visibility tool we could find, and what we could verify
Prefer checked 50 names from listicles, directories and its own competitor research against the public record: rendered pricing checks, live review counts, customer evidence, and its own 50-prompt ChatGPT instrument. Of the 50, 22 are mentioned in the answers at all, six brands dominate the recommendations, and 28 never appear once. A date on every claim, and a correction on request.
Disclosure: we build Prefer, an AI search visibility platform, and it is deliberately not a row on this page. We do not score ourselves anywhere on this site. Judge us the way this page judges everyone else, on any surface you like.
Fig. 01
Which of these names ChatGPT actually says
PreferThe ledger
"Named in answers" counts prompts (of 50) where ChatGPT's answer text mentioned the name in any capacity in our 2 September 2026 run; passing mentions count, so presence is not endorsement. "Could not verify" means our check found nothing, not that the thing is proven absent; where a check could not be run, the row says so. Statuses use the same meaning everywhere on this site: green is verified, orange is partial or flagged, grey is unverified.
| Tool | Says it is | What we verified | What we could not verify | Named in answers | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Profound tryprofound.com Read the review → | The answer engine optimization platform for enterprise | Full review: rendered pricing (23 Aug; re-checked 16 and 18 Sep after the brand plans changed), G2 4.5/5 x 1,128 (26 Aug), the deepest documented tracking in the set. Checked 18 Sep 2026. | A paid brand price: brands get a free trial or an Enterprise quote. | 26 of 50 | Reviewed and scored |
 Semrush AI Toolkit semrush.com Read the review → | Track your brand visibility, fix gaps, and grow across Google and AI search | Full review: both published prices rendered (5 to 6 Sep; re-read 19 Sep), suite G2 4.4/5 x 4,035. Checked 19 Sep 2026. | One engine list: its plan comparison, product FAQ and knowledge base name different engines. | 22 of 50 | Reviewed and scored |
 Peec AI peec.ai Read the review → | AI search analytics for marketing teams | Full review: pricing rendered (23 Aug; model menu re-read 19 Sep), G2 4.8/5 x 18 (26 Aug). Checked 19 Sep 2026. | Why Perplexity appears in its add-on list but not in its self-serve model menu (19 Sep). | 20 of 50 | Reviewed and scored |
 Otterly otterly.ai Read the review → | AI search monitoring, industry-first and otterly simple | Full review: pricing rendered (5 Sep), live G2 4.7/5 x 54 (its on-site badge says 4.8), first-mover record. Checked 5 Sep 2026. | The 250+ review count once implied; the live count is 54. | 20 of 50 | Reviewed and scored |
 Ahrefs Brand Radar ahrefs.com Read the review → | AI visibility inside the Ahrefs suite, against a 459M-prompt index | Full review: rendered USD pricing (8 Sep; re-read 19 Sep: the AI Visibility Index is $199/mo per platform, $699 for all), the 459M index with per-engine volumes (455M+ on 19 Sep), suite G2 4.5/5 x 713, cited as a source in our run. Checked 19 Sep 2026. | Nothing material outstanding on price; the Index terms left unstated on 8 Sep were shown on 19 Sep. | 19 of 50 | Reviewed and scored |
 Scrunch AI scrunch.com Read the review → | The AI customer experience platform, now part of Sitecore | Full review: pricing rendered (5 Sep) after its second restructure, re-read 19 Sep (Agency Core $500 added), G2 4.6/5 x 73, Sitecore acquisition record, SOC 2 Type 2 on its trust center (19 Sep). Checked 19 Sep 2026. | A stable published structure; it has changed again since July. | 16 of 50 | Reviewed and scored |
 HubSpot AEO hubspot.com See alternatives → | Free AEO grader inside the HubSpot ecosystem | Research note (5 Sep). The mentions are HubSpot the company; sharper still, hubspot.com is cited 4 times as a SOURCE in our run. HubSpot is a surface to get cited on more than a tool to buy. Checked 5 Sep 2026. | Any appearance of the AEO product itself in the answers. | 8 of 50 | Verified product |
 AthenaHQ athenahq.ai Read the review → | Action on AI search: track and improve with agents | Full review: plans rendered (6 Sep; re-read 19 Sep), 11 models on Starter, G2 4.9/5 x 48 matching its badge, YC W25 record. Checked 19 Sep 2026. | Own-site code deploys and per-change verification are not in its docs. | 7 of 50 | Reviewed and scored |
 Writesonic writesonic.com Read the review → | AI writing plus AI search tracking in one tool | Full review: pricing rendered with the monthly toggle (8 Oct), 3 engines on self-serve and 8 on Enterprise, live G2 4.7/5 x 2,146. Checked 8 Oct 2026. | Which plan the trial runs on, and API access by tier. | 7 of 50 | Reviewed and scored |
 PromptWatch promptwatch.com See alternatives → | AI search monitoring with metered articles and agents | Pricing re-verified rendered (22 Aug): $95/$245/$579 plus an agency track; the July free tier is gone. Checked 22 Aug 2026. | Nothing material outstanding. | 6 of 50 | Verified product |
 AirOps airops.com Read the review → | The growth system for the AI-first buyer journey | Full review: docs rendered (5 Sep), eight engines documented, Agent Analytics log streaming, G2 4.7/5 x 133. Checked 5 Sep 2026. | Any list price; the pricing page publishes zero dollar figures. | 3 of 50 | Reviewed and scored |
 LLM Pulse llmpulse.ai See alternatives → | AI search tracking | Pricing rendered (19 Sep, EUR base): Starter 49, Growth 99, Scale 299 EUR a month with weekly tracking; 79, 149 and 449 EUR daily. Checked 19 Sep 2026. | Meaningful organic traction; the 19 Aug traffic analysis found display-bought, 25-second visits. | 3 of 50 | Verified, gaps remain |
 Goodie AI higoodie.com | Answer engine optimization and AI search platform: own AI search | Existence sweep (6 Sep): named customers (Dermalogica, NoGood, SteelSeries, Lancome) with metric case studies, and named in 3 of 50 answers, the long tail's strongest showing. Checked 6 Sep 2026. | Pricing; none seen in the raw fetch of its homepage. | 3 of 50 | Verified product |
 Evertune evertune.ai Read the review → | AI brand index and content generation for enterprise brands | Full review: pricing rendered in live Chrome (8 Oct), Pro $800 with 11 models, demo-led; G2 profile has 0 reviews. Checked 8 Oct 2026. | Seat limits and billing term, which the pricing page does not state. | 2 of 50 | Reviewed and scored |
 Yext yext.com | Digital presence platform for multi-location brands | Established public company; named in 2 answers without reaching any shortlist top three. Checked 5 Sep 2026. | Not researched in depth; it entered this page from the run data, not the founder list. | 2 of 50 | Verified product |
 MentionScout mentionscout.com See alternatives → | AI visibility monitoring, indie-built | Research note (5 Sep): real product, named founder, free plan plus $59/mo per our source library; its category blog is cited as a source in our run. Checked 6 Sep 2026. | A fresh site read; the domain 403s our raw fetches. | 2 of 50 | Verified, gaps remain |
 Conductor conductor.com | Enterprise SEO and content platform with AI-search features | Real, established enterprise platform; one passing mention in our run. Checked 5 Sep 2026. | We have not researched it in depth; it serves a procurement-led buyer outside this page's self-serve scope. | 1 of 50 | Verified product |
 BrightEdge brightedge.com | Enterprise SEO platform with AI-search tracking | Real, established enterprise platform; same posture as Conductor. Checked 5 Sep 2026. | Depth research; deliberately out of scope for the same reason. | 1 of 50 | Verified product |
 Xseek xseek.io See alternatives → | GEO analytics | Research note (5 Sep); one appearance in our run without a shortlist position. Checked 5 Sep 2026. | Evidence of real customers or usage; the 12 Aug audit found none either. | 1 of 50 | Could not verify usage |
 AIClicks aiclicks.io | Tracks AI visibility, identifies citation sources, and gets your brand mentioned by AI tools | Existence sweep (6 Sep): published pricing $59 to $499, named agency testimonials; cited in one answer as the market's $59-a-month example. Checked 6 Sep 2026. | Its self-stated 1,000+ businesses and 4.9/5 G2 claims; it also publishes self-ranking listicles (12 Aug check). | 1 of 50 | Verified, gaps remain |
 Refine AI getrefine.ai | Track your brand on ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity | Existence sweep (6 Sep): real product; one run mention arriving via a technologyadvice.com listicle. Checked 6 Sep 2026. | Pricing or customer evidence; the site blocks raw fetches and needs a rendered check. | 1 of 50 | Verified, gaps remain |
 Friction AI frictionai.co | Track which brands AI recommends in your category | Existence sweep (6 Sep): two named testimonials; present in our source cache. Checked 6 Sep 2026. | Independence of its run appearance, which cites its own blog; it also publishes self-ranking listicles (12 Aug check). | 1 of 50 | Verified, gaps remain |
 Searchable searchable.com | The ultimate toolkit for AI search optimization | Existence sweep (6 Sep): identity confirmed after the founder flag, $125 to $400/mo published, 14-day trial, customer logo wall (Revlon, Kit, Heights). Checked 6 Sep 2026. | The logo wall independently; and it never appears in our run. | 0 of 50 | Verified product |
 Gumshoe gumshoe.ai | Monitor your visibility and sentiment across ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity, and more | Existence sweep (6 Sep): $99 and $299 tiers published, named customer quotes with titles (Hawke Media, Shipium, Sourcegraph). Checked 6 Sep 2026. | Its self-stated 10,000+ brands and agencies; and it never appears in our run. | 0 of 50 | Verified product |
 Omnia useomnia.com | AI visibility software for small marketing teams | Existence sweep (6 Sep): named customers with metric case studies (Exoticca, IronHack, Pleo) and G2 review quotes. Checked 6 Sep 2026. | Pricing; not seen in the raw fetch, and it never appears in our run. | 0 of 50 | Verified product |
 Mentions mentions.so | Track, analyze, and improve how you're mentioned in AI-generated responses | Existence sweep (6 Sep): $49 to $399 plans published, 15+ named testimonials. A separate product from MentionScout; branding, pricing and authorship all differ. Checked 6 Sep 2026. | Its 100+ brands claim; and it never appears in our run. | 0 of 50 | Verified product |
 Bluefish AI bluefishai.com | The AI marketing platform of choice for the Fortune 500 | Existence sweep (6 Sep): real, enterprise demo-led. Checked 6 Sep 2026. | Pricing or proof points from the raw fetch; needs a rendered check, and it never appears in our run. | 0 of 50 | Verified, gaps remain |
 BeConsole beconsole.com | Plan, ship and measure your organic growth across Google, Reddit and AI search | Existence sweep (6 Sep): EUR 29 to 99 pricing published, one named case study. Checked 6 Sep 2026. | Usage beyond that single case study; it publishes self-ranking listicles (12 Aug check) and never appears in our run. | 0 of 50 | Verified, gaps remain |
 Hikoo tryhikoo.com | Tracks where your brand appears in AI answers and shows you what to improve | Existence sweep (6 Sep): EUR 69 to 389 pricing published, named customers with CEO quotes, Google and Microsoft startup-program badges. The product lives at tryhikoo.com; hikoo.com returns empty. Checked 6 Sep 2026. | Scale claims; it publishes self-ranking listicles (12 Aug check) and never appears in our run. | 0 of 50 | Verified, gaps remain |
 Cognizo cognizo.ai | Helps brands become visible in AI-powered search and recommendations | Existence sweep (6 Sep): named testimonials and a 20x-revenue case study. Checked 6 Sep 2026. | Its big-brand logo wall (Wellhub, LG, Kraft Heinz); it publishes self-ranking listicles (12 Aug check) and never appears in our run. | 0 of 50 | Verified, gaps remain |
| Scalenut scalenut.com | AI-SEO and expert-led services for growth | Existence sweep (6 Sep): real content-SEO suite that added an AI-visibility layer; big-brand logos and 1 Mn+ users self-stated. Checked 6 Sep 2026. | A visibility-tool identity; its own positioning is content-first, and it never appears in our run. | 0 of 50 | Adjacent category |
 RankAI rankai.ai | The engine that discovers opportunities, ships pages, measures results, and learns what works | Existence sweep (6 Sep): real SEO growth-automation product with named customers (LiveTinted, Rootly, Reclaim.ai); in its raw-fetched copy, GEO reads as geographic market pages, not generative engine optimization. Checked 6 Sep 2026. | An AI-visibility-tracker identity; and it never appears in our run. | 0 of 50 | Adjacent category |
 WRITER writer.com | Enterprise generative AI platform | Real, well-funded enterprise platform; AI visibility is not its core product. Checked 5 Sep 2026. | A reliable mention count; the name is too generic to count in answer text. | 0 of 50 | Adjacent category |
 cloro cloro.dev | The search API for the AI era: one API for Google and every AI search engine | Existence sweep (6 Sep): real infrastructure with G2 4.7 from 53 reviews and published usage-based pricing. Checked 6 Sep 2026. | A tracker identity; it is a scraping API, and its listicle blog was the cited footprint in earlier checks. | 0 of 50 | Adjacent category |
 OnCited oncited.com | AI SEO platform that gets your brand cited in AI answers | Existence sweep (6 Sep): sells done-for-you citation publishing on Reddit, Quora and YouTube at $399 to $2,499/mo. Checked 6 Sep 2026. | Its self-stated 400+ brands and 4.9/5 G2; and pay-to-place citations are a different product from measurement. | 0 of 50 | Adjacent category |
 Ranktack ranktack.com | AI agent places your brand on the listicles and Reddit threads that LLMs actually pull from | Existence sweep (6 Sep): a productized listicle and Reddit placement service. Checked 6 Sep 2026. | Its self-stated 4.8/5 and 500+ businesses; the 12 Aug audit found no citation or traffic footprint, and it never appears in our run. | 0 of 50 | Adjacent category |
 CrowdReply crowdreply.io | The only AI search visibility platform with a built-in Engagement Engine | Existence sweep (6 Sep): real product with named customers; the engagement model is Reddit placement. Checked 6 Sep 2026. | Its self-stated G2 4.9 and 5,000+ brands; and it never appears in our run. | 0 of 50 | Adjacent category |
 Indexsy indexsy.com | We build, acquire and scale digital assets | Existence sweep (6 Sep): an agency and asset holder; its actual visibility tool is Trackings.ai. The link that brought it to our list carried an affiliate referral parameter. Checked 6 Sep 2026. | A software product to evaluate at this domain; there is none. | 0 of 50 | Agency, not a tool |
 ReachLLM reachllm.com | A generative engine optimization agency built for the new search layer | Existence sweep (6 Sep): an agency with retainers from $399 to $3,500/mo and named testimonials. Checked 6 Sep 2026. | Its 100-percent-of-engagements KPI claim; and it never appears in our run. | 0 of 50 | Agency, not a tool |
 Temso temso.ai | All-in-one AI SEO platform | Our 12 Aug teardown documented a coordinated, anonymous seeded-listicle microsite network with scoring rubrics arranged so Temso wins, no affiliation disclosure, and a 20 percent recurring affiliate program behind it. Checked 12 Aug 2026. | Organic traction: below the traffic panel floor, 9-second visits, and zero appearances in our run. | 0 of 50 | Seeded-network flag |
 RadarKit radarkit.ai | The complete AI search platform: track, analyze, and act | Existence sweep (6 Sep): the site exists with a 7-day trial. Checked 6 Sep 2026. | Any customer evidence in the raw fetch; and it never appears in our run. | 0 of 50 | Could not verify usage |
| LiftRank liftrank.ai | AI search visibility platform that scores your visibility from 0 to 100 | Existence sweep (6 Sep): free plan plus $129/mo published. Checked 6 Sep 2026. | Any customer beyond a demo brand; it publishes self-ranking listicles (12 Aug check) and never appears in our run. | 0 of 50 | Could not verify usage |
 Geoptie geoptie.com | GEO platform for being discovered by AI-powered search engines | Existence sweep (6 Sep): the site exists with a big-brand logo wall. Checked 6 Sep 2026. | That logo wall (AKQA, Mazda, Capgemini) or any usage; it publishes self-ranking listicles (12 Aug check) and never appears in our run. | 0 of 50 | Could not verify usage |
 AI Rank Lab airanklab.com | The only platform that tracks, optimizes, and attributes AI search traffic | Existence sweep (6 Sep): free plan published, Product Hunt badge. Checked 6 Sep 2026. | Its 2,000+ businesses and 4.2x traffic claims, backed by one first-name testimonial; it publishes self-ranking listicles (12 Aug check) and never appears in our run. | 0 of 50 | Could not verify usage |
 Foglift foglift.io | Turns AI search readiness into a clear path forward | Existence sweep (6 Sep): $0 to $129 pricing published. Checked 6 Sep 2026. | Any customer; its showcased scans are demo runs of Stripe and Vercel, it publishes self-ranking listicles (12 Aug check) and never appears in our run. | 0 of 50 | Could not verify usage |
 Monde AI trymonde.com | We help you become the answer AI gives | Existence sweep (6 Sep): the site exists. Checked 6 Sep 2026. | Any customer; its example metrics use Netflix and Tesla demo data, it publishes self-ranking listicles (12 Aug check) and never appears in our run. | 0 of 50 | Could not verify usage |
 Atyla atyla.io | The leading generative engine optimization platform | Existence sweep (6 Sep): EUR 19 to 149 pricing published, Product Hunt badge. Checked 6 Sep 2026. | Its 200+ teams claim; a G2 rating visible on its site sits inside an example screenshot, not a real badge; it publishes self-ranking listicles (12 Aug check) and never appears in our run. | 0 of 50 | Could not verify usage |
 AEO Vision aeovision.ai | Track where your brand appears in ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude, Google AI Mode and AI Overviews | Existence sweep (6 Sep): from $9/mo, the cheapest entry price in this sweep. Checked 6 Sep 2026. | Its 500+ brands claim, backed by first-name-only testimonials; it publishes self-ranking listicles (12 Aug check) and never appears in our run. | 0 of 50 | Could not verify usage |
 Brandi AI mybrandi.ai | AI visibility platform that measures how brands appear in AI-generated answers | Existence sweep (6 Sep): the site shows G2 and award badges. Checked 6 Sep 2026. | Those badges against G2 itself, or a single named customer; it publishes self-ranking listicles (12 Aug check) and never appears in our run. | 0 of 50 | Could not verify usage |
 Hell Yeah AI hellyeahai.com | We run and improve your paid ads | Existence sweep (6 Sep): the domain now presents as a paid-ads growth agency with Marvel Snap and Truist case studies. Checked 6 Sep 2026. | The AI-visibility product our 12 Aug check associated with this domain; either a pivot or the listicles lived only on its blog. Needs a rendered check. | 0 of 50 | Identity unconfirmed |
How to read this page
The category is smaller than it looks. Directories and listicles carry dozens of names, but six brands dominate every recommendation in our 50-prompt run, and 28 of the 50 names never appear in a single answer. If a tool you are evaluating is not in the answers buyers actually see, that is worth knowing before you shortlist it.
"Could not verify" is a finding, not an insult. Our September sweep found that most of the flagged long tail are real products with published pricing; several just have no verifiable customers yet, and many publish self-ranking listicles, which makes their citation footprint self-made rather than earned. A buyer deserves to know which is which.
Citation placement is now openly for sale. This sweep found services selling done-for-you citations on Reddit, Quora and YouTube from $399 to $2,499 a month, and listicle placement agents. When an assistant cites those surfaces, the citation was bought. Ask any vendor where its citations come from, including us: our off-page work is disclosed participation and earned press, never undisclosed placement.
For the tools that earned depth, see the scored reviews, the verified pricing index, and the ranked best AI visibility tools list. To see where your own brand stands in AI answers, run the free audit.
Questions, asked plainly
How many AI visibility tools are there in 2026?
Far fewer than the lists suggest. Prefer checked 50 names from listicles, directories and its own competitor research. All 50 domains resolve, and most are real products, but only 22 of them are mentioned at all across 50 ChatGPT buyer prompts, six brands dominate the actual recommendations, and for over a dozen names we could not verify a single customer. The rest are agencies, placement services, or adjacent products carrying the label.
How do you verify an AI visibility tool is real?
Prefer runs four checks, each dated: a rendered read of the live site and pricing where possible (raw fetches only support existence claims, never absence claims), a third-party review footprint such as G2 with the live count, mentions in our own 50-prompt ChatGPT instrument, and customer evidence beyond the vendor's own claims. Where a check could not be completed, the row says so instead of guessing.
What is a self-ranking listicle, and why does this page flag it?
A vendor-published 'best tools' article that ranks the vendor's own product first. Prefer's 12 August check identified a cohort of these, and a separate teardown documented an anonymous microsite network doing the same thing without disclosure. Most cohort members turned out to be real products; the flag means their citation footprint is self-made, so an AI assistant citing those pages is not independent evidence.
Can you pay to get cited by AI?
Vendors now openly sell it: this sweep found done-for-you citation placement on Reddit, Quora and YouTube priced from $399 to $2,499 a month, and listicle placement agents. That is distribution, not measurement, and it is the opposite of the earned, disclosed approach Prefer practices and recommends. Buyers should ask any vendor where its citations come from.
Why isn't Prefer scored on this page?
Because we build it, and scoring yourself is exactly the pattern this page exists to counter. Prefer appears nowhere in these rows on purpose. Judge us the way this page judges everyone else: rendered checks, third-party reviews, and measured appearances, on any surface you like.
Which AI visibility tools does ChatGPT actually talk about?
In Prefer's 2 September 2026 run of 50 buyer prompts, six brands dominate: Profound (named in 26 answers), Semrush (22), Peec AI (20), Otterly (20), Ahrefs (19) and Scrunch (16). A step down: HubSpot (8, mostly as the company), AthenaHQ (7), Writesonic (7), PromptWatch (6), then AirOps, LLM Pulse and Goodie AI at 3 each. Every count includes passing mentions, so presence is not endorsement, and 28 of the 50 names on this page never appear once.