Disclosure: this page is written by the AIShortlist team and AIShortlist is listed first. The other tools are ordered by monthly starting price. Prices and plan contents were read from each vendor's own pricing page on 6 October 2026; they may have changed, so check the link before you decide.
Short answer: which tool on a small budget?
- Three engines included and a to-do list after the numbers: AIShortlist ($29, 10 questions, weekly).
- Daily tracking at the same price: Otterly.AI ($29, 15 prompts). Gemini is a paid add-on.
- Lowest cost per prompt: SE Visible ($99, 200 prompts).
- Lowest monthly figure if you accept annual billing: Rankscale ($17, annual billing only).
Tools that start under $100
Prices are the smallest paid plan on monthly billing, before tax. Rankscale is in the table because it drops under $100 on annual billing.
| Tool | Starting price | What that price includes | Engines | Free trial |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AIShortlist | $29 / month | 10 questions, measured weekly | ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity | Yes, no card |
| Otterly.AI | $29 / month | 15 prompts, tracked daily | ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Perplexity, Copilot. Gemini, AI Mode and Claude are paid add-ons | Yes |
| Ahrefs Brand Radar | From $50 / month (custom prompts) | The ready-made prompt index is separate, from $199 / month | AI Overviews, AI Mode, ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Copilot | Free preview checker |
| Peec AI | $95 / month | 50 prompts, tracked daily, 1 project | Any 3 models you choose; more are paid add-ons | Not stated on the page |
| SE Visible (SE Ranking) | $99 / month | 200 prompts | ChatGPT, Gemini, AI Mode, Perplexity, AI Overviews | 10 days |
| Rankscale | $17 / month (annual billing only); $99 month to month | $99 plan: 1,200 credits, 10 brand dashboards | ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI, DeepSeek, Mistral, Claude, Copilot | 7 days |
For tools that start above this line (Semrush, AthenaHQ, Scrunch, Profound): best AI visibility tools.
What do you pay per prompt?
We divided the entry price by the number of prompts on that plan. The figure is monthly and has to be read with frequency: a prompt tracked daily is asked about 30 times a month, a weekly one 4 times.
| Tool | Plan | Prompts | Per prompt, monthly | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AIShortlist | $29 | 10 | $2.90 | Weekly |
| Otterly.AI | $29 | 15 | $1.93 | Daily |
| Peec AI | $95 | 50 | $1.90 | Daily |
| SE Visible | $99 | 200 | $0.50 | Check the pricing page |
| Ahrefs Brand Radar | From $50 | Depends on spend | Cannot be calculated | Check the pricing page |
| Rankscale | $99 (month to month) | Credits: 1,200 | Depends on credits | Depends on credits |
With credit-based tools the cost per prompt is not fixed: prompts, engines and frequency all draw from the same credits.
What does the entry price leave out?
The real price of a cheap plan shows once you add the engine and frequency you need. What we saw on the pricing pages:
- Otterly.AI: Gemini, Google AI Mode and Claude are paid add-ons on every plan. On Lite: Gemini $9, AI Mode $9, Claude $29.
- Peec AI: every plan includes three models of your choice; a fourth is a paid add-on.
- Rankscale: the $17 plan is sold on annual billing only. Month to month, the first plan is $99.
- Ahrefs Brand Radar: custom prompts start at $50; the ready-made prompt index is separate, from $199.
- AIShortlist: the entry plan measures weekly; daily tracking starts on Growth ($199). Google AI Mode and AI Overviews are not measured.
- Semrush: AI tracking is bundled with the SEO tools; the smallest bundle is $199.
What happens to the price one plan up?
The figure you pay when the entry plan runs out belongs in the decision too.
| Tool | Entry plan | Next plan |
|---|---|---|
| AIShortlist | Lite $29, 10 questions | Starter $79, 25 questions |
| Otterly.AI | Lite $29, 15 prompts | Standard $189, 100 prompts |
| Peec AI | Starter $95, 50 prompts | Pro $245, 150 prompts |
| SE Visible | $99, 200 prompts | Core $189, 450 prompts |
What does AIShortlist give you at this price?
AIShortlist is our product. On Lite, 10 questions go to ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity every week; all three engines are included. Alongside the measurement you get a 25-page site crawl, one copy suggestion and one list-page action plan every 30 days, and a to-do list.
The free trial measures 10 questions once on three engines, with no card. Pricing.
When is a cheap plan not enough?
- You track several brands or countries: entry plans cover one brand.
- Your market moves fast: weekly measurement can lag, and you need daily.
- Google AI Mode matters to you: on most tools it sits on a higher plan or is a paid add-on.
- You are an agency reporting to clients: white label reports start on higher plans. See GEO tools for agencies.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the cheapest AI visibility tool? On monthly billing, AIShortlist and Otterly.AI both start at $29. Rankscale is $17 a month on annual billing only.
- Is there no free tool? There are some, with limits. The list: free AI visibility tools.
- Are 10 questions enough? For a small business with one product or service, it is enough to start. What matters is that they are real buyer questions.
- Which tool is best for a small business? One that includes the engines you need at the entry price and tells you what to do next. Compare the add-on list above before you look at the headline price.