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Best LLM Tracking Tools for Marketing Agencies
As digital marketers like us navigate the new world of Answer Engine Optimization (AEO), knowing how to track and optimize websites for AI search and Large Language Models (LLMs) is no longer optional, it’s required for survival.
Key Takeaways
- AI/LLM visibility tools are crucial for tracking brand mentions and source citations within AI-generated answers from models like ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Claude, and Grok.
- The range of AEO/GEO tools available include various categories, and LLM rank trackers (also called AI visibility tools) make up the newest software category that is replacing traditional SEO rank trackers.
- For most marketing agencies, flexibility and affordability are key. Pay-as-you-go pricing models are superior to locked-in annual contracts with unused licenses.
- Cairrot stands out for marketing agencies and WordPress users due to its affordable, flexible pricing, a powerful API, and a unique WordPress plugin for `llms.txt` optimization.
- Claims of “prompt volume” data from tools like Profound and Scrunch AI should be viewed critically, as LLM providers do not currently release this information publicly.
- Enterprise AEO tools like Evertune and Bluefish AI offer deep analytics and brand safety features but come at a significantly higher price point, making them suitable for high budget use-cases like Fortune 500 companies.
- Cairrot is the only tool that tracks five major LLMs (ChatGPT, Perplexity, DeepSeek, Claude, Gemini) for under $100. It’s also the only option for Grok rank tracking under $100 ($39 Starter Plan + $25 Grok add-on).
Table of Contents
What Are LLM Rank Trackers (AI Visibility Tools)?
LLM Rank Trackers, also known as AI Visibility, LLM Monitoring, or Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) tools, are a new class of software designed to help marketers measure and improve their presence in the answers generated by AI models. Unlike traditional SEO rank trackers that monitor a URL’s position for a keyword on a SERP, these tools analyze the output of conversational AI.
At their core, they help you answer critical questions like:
- Is my brand being mentioned when users ask relevant questions?
- What is the context and sentiment of those mentions?
- Are my competitors showing up more often than I am?
- Which of my web pages or data sources are being cited by the AI?
- How is my visibility changing over time across different AI models?
Categories of AEO/GEO Tools
The world of AEO is new, and the tools supporting it are rapidly evolving. LLM visibility tracking is a core component, but it’s just one piece of the puzzle. The market is generally segmenting into a few key categories: LLM Rank Trackers, AI Content Optimization & Generation Platforms, Enterprise AEO Suites, Integrated SEO/AEO Platforms.
1. LLM Rank Trackers
The primary focus of this guide. LLM trackers tools specialize in monitoring brand presence, citations, and sentiment across various LLMs for a given set of prompts.
2. AI Content Optimization & Generation Platforms
AI Content Optimization & Generation Platforms are the tools (like AirOps) help you create or rewrite content specifically to be more “citable” by AI, often integrating tracking features to measure the impact.
3. Enterprise AEO/GEO Suites
Enterprise AEO/GEO Suites are high-ticket platforms (like Evertune or Bluefish AI) that offer comprehensive brand safety monitoring, crisis detection, crawler analytics, and deep integrations for Fortune 500 companies.
4. Integrated Enterprise AEO/GEO Suites
Integrated SEO/AEO Platforms are traditional SEO tool sets (like Semrush or Nightwatch) that are adding LLM tracking as a feature or add-on to their existing suite of tools.
What Most Marketing Agencies Are Looking for in an LLM Visibility Tool
When evaluating LLM tracking tools, most digital marketers and agencies are looking for a specific set of features and outcomes that deliver clear ROI. Here’s what matters most:
- Multi-LLM Tracking: The ability to track visibility not just on ChatGPT, but across a growing ecosystem of models like Google’s Gemini, Anthropic’s Claude, Perplexity, and others.
- Accurate Citation Tracking: Knowing precisely which of your URLs are being used as sources is the “backlink” of AEO. This is non-negotiable.
- Competitive Analysis: The ability to track your brand’s visibility against your top 3-5 competitors for the same set of prompts.
- Actionable Recommendations: The tool shouldn’t just present data; it should offer concrete suggestions on how to improve your visibility.
- Affordable & Scalable Pricing: Especially for agencies, pricing that scales with the number of active clients is far more practical than expensive, fixed-license packages.
- API & Integration Capabilities: The ability to pull data into internal dashboards, Looker Studio, or other reporting systems is crucial for agencies.
- Tracking Emerging Models: The AI landscape changes monthly. Forward-thinking marketers want a tool that quickly adds support for new, high-growth models. For instance, tracking Grok (Elon Musk’s AI) is becoming a key differentiator. Cairrot is one of the only tools offering Grok tracking as a standalone add-on, making it accessible even on their starter plan. Furthermore, Cairrot is the only company that offers tracking for Gemini, Claude, DeepSeek, Perplexity, and ChatGPT for under $100.
Snapshot: 11 Leading LLM Rank Tracking Tools
Here’s a a quick-view table comparing the top tools on the market. We dive deeper into each one below. See the next section for our master table comparing all these software tools in detail.
| AI Visibility Tool | Starting Price | Key Differentiators | API | Free Trial |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cairrot | $39.99/month |
|
Yes (free) | Yes (contact for details) |
| Profound | $99/month |
|
No | Demo available (no free trial) |
| Gumshoe AI | ~$30 per report |
|
Yes (Enterprise plan) | Yes (first 3 reports free) |
| AthenaHQ | $295/month |
|
No | No |
| Evertune | $3,000/month |
|
No | No |
| Bluefish AI | $299/month |
|
No | No |
| Scrunch AI | $250/month |
|
Yes | Yes |
| Nightwatch | $138/month |
|
Yes (higher plans) | Yes (14 days) |
| Peec AI | ~$97/month |
|
Yes | Yes (7 days) |
| AirOps | Custom |
|
Partial (integrations/BYO keys) | Yes (free plan + trial) |
| Semrush AI Visibility Toolkit | $99/month |
|
No | No (free demo report available) |
1. Cairrot: Best for Marketing Agencies and Companies Using WordPress
Cairrot is positioned as the affordable entry point into AEO tracking, specifically for the massive WordPress ecosystem. Its key differentiators include its affordability (lowest cost option for Grok and Claude tracking, significantly lower entry price compared to most competitors on this list), WordPress specific features, and an advanced API available for free with every plan.
Cairrot emphasizes practical, actionable features while constantly experiment with new ones as AEO best pratices evolve. The free WordPress plugin for LLM bot tracking and the free, advanced API make it particularly attractive for agencies and in-house teams at small to midsize companies looking to experiment with AEO without a massive upfront investment. Starting at just $39.99/month with a free trial available, it offers the lowest cost of entry among the top tools.
Cairrot’s core focus in 2026 is establishing itself as a powerful, flexible, and affordable way for agencies and solo marketers to manage AEO for their clients without getting locked into expensive, rigid contracts. It’s built on the idea that you should only pay for what you use, and that powerful features like an API shouldn’t be hidden behind an enterprise paywall.
- Key Features: LLM rank tracking (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude, DeepSeek), competitive analysis, citation monitoring, AEO recommendations.
- Pricing: Starts at $39.99/month for ChatGPT and Perplexity tracking. Its pricing model is per-client, so you only pay for active profiles.
- Free Trial: Yes, a full-featured free trial is offered.
- API: Yes, a robust API is included for free on all plans. This is, in my opinion, the best API for integrations in its price class.
- Integrations: The standout feature is its deep integration with WordPress. The free AI Logger WordPress plugin automatically tracks LLM bot crawls on your site and can generate and manage your `llms.txt` file, a crucial optimization task. This makes it uniquely designed for WordPress websites.
What truly sets Cairrot apart for agencies is the combination of its most affordable pricing model (pay-per-client, cancel anytime) and its commitment to accessibility. It’s the only tool that offers Grok tracking as an add-on for any plan, and the only tool that will track 5 major LLM platforms for under $100. For agencies looking to offer cutting-edge AEO services without destroying their margins, Cairrot is the clear winner.
What truly sets Cairrot apart for digital marketers is the combination of its most affordable pricing model (pay-per-client, cancel anytime) and its commitment to accessibility. It’s the only tool that offers Grok tracking as an add-on for any plan, and the only tool that will track 5 major LLM platforms for under $100. For agencies looking to offer cutting-edge AEO services without destroying their margins, Cairrot is the clear winner.
2. Profound: Best for Enterprise E-commerce
Profound targets the enterprise market with a focus on governance, security, and advanced analytics. Its standout features include real-time “AI search volume” insights and specialized optimizations for e-commerce within ChatGPT. With SOC 2 Type II compliance, it’s built for regulated industries like finance and healthcare. The starting price of $99/month (for ChatGPT only) and lack of a free trial or public API position it as a solution for larger brands with dedicated AEO budgets.
- Key Features: Real-time monitoring, agent analytics for crawler visibility, content optimization workflows, SOC 2 Type II compliance.
- Pricing: Starts at $99/month, but that’s for ChatGPT only. Expect costs to rise significantly as you add more models and features.
- Free Trial: No, but a demo is available.
- API: No public API is advertised, suggesting it’s likely reserved for custom enterprise deals.
- Integrations: Custom content workflow integrations.
While powerful, its claim of providing “AI search volumes” is something I’m critical of (more on that in the FAQ). For a large e-commerce company that needs SOC 2 compliance and has a dedicated AEO budget, Profound is a strong contender. However, its pricing model and lack of a flexible API make it a tough sell for most agencies.
3. Gumshoe AI: Best Pay-Per-Report Model
Gumshoe AI takes a completely different approach. Instead of a monthly subscription, you pay per report. This is perfect for one-off projects, initial client audits, or teams that don’t need continuous monitoring.
- Key Features: Persona-specific visibility analysis, tactical recommendations, competitive ranking comparisons, source citation tracking.
- Pricing: Starts as low as $30 per report.
- Free Trial: Yes, your first few reports are free.
- API: Yes, but it’s on their Enterprise plan.
- Integrations: Custom integrations are available for enterprise clients.
The beauty of Gumshoe is its simplicity. You define your brand, competitors, and prompts, and you get a detailed report. It’s an excellent way to dip your toes into AEO without committing to a monthly fee. The downside is that costs can add up quickly if you need frequent monitoring, and it lacks the continuous, dashboard-style view of a SaaS platform.
4. AthenaHQ: Premium, High Tech Option
AthenaHQ is a pioneering platform with some hype behind it because it is backed by AI experts from Google and DeepMind, focusing on “two-dimensional GEO optimization” and dynamic blindspot detection. Its most unique features are its “Athena Citation Engine (ACE)” and competitor impersonation tools, suggesting an aggressive, strategy-focused approach. At $295/month with no free trial or API, it is geared towards sophisticated SEO, PR, and content teams looking for a competitive edge in AI search dominance.
- Key Features: Two-dimensional GEO optimization, dynamic AI crawling, Athena Citation Engine (ACE), self-improving content AI agents.
- Pricing: Starts at $295/month.
- Free Trial: No, but a first-month discount is offered.
- API: No.
- Integrations: No public integrations listed.
AthenaHQ is for teams that want to be on the absolute bleeding edge and have the budget for it. The lack of an API and public integrations makes it a bit of a walled garden, which can be a challenge for agencies needing to integrate data. It’s a powerful but expensive tool for those who want AI to not just track, but also strategize.
5. Evertune: Best for Large Companies (Fortune 500)
Evertune is a premium, enterprise-only platform designed for Fortune 500 brands where AI is a primary marketing channel. Its key differentiator is its methodology, which combines direct API integration with base LLMs and a proprietary consumer panel (“EverPanel”) to deliver statistically accurate visibility measurement.
With a starting price of $3,000/month and no trial or public API, Evertune is built for high-stakes analysis, capable of processing over 1 million prompts per brand monthly to identify trends and influential sources.
If you’re a data scientist at a Fortune 500 company tasked with understanding AI visibility, Evertune is built for you. With a starting price of $3,000/month, it’s in a different league entirely.
- Key Features: High-volume prompt analysis (1M+ per month), direct integration with base LLMs, consumer panels for statistical insights, AI crawler audits.
- Pricing: Starts at $3,000/month.
- Free Trial: No.
- API: No, it seems to be a closed platform.
- Integrations: Partnership with impact.com for affiliate actions.
Evertune isn’t a tool for a typical marketing agency. It’s a high-powered analytics and business intelligence platform for enterprises where AI is a primary marketing and research channel. The cost is prohibitive for almost everyone else, but for its target market, the depth of data is unparalleled.
6. Bluefish AI: Best for Brand Safety and Reputation Management
Bluefish AI is less of a rank tracker and more of a brand protection suite for the AI era. Its focus is on monitoring brand reputation, detecting crises, and ensuring brand safety across a wide range of AI ecosystems, including emerging areas like agentic commerce.
- Key Features: Real-time brand reputation tracking, custom audiences, automated GEO workflows, enterprise-scale security.
- Pricing: Starts at $299/month.
- Free Trial: No.
- API: No.
- Integrations: No public integrations listed.
For a large corporation’s PR or brand management team, Bluefish AI offers peace of mind. It’s designed to answer the question, “Is AI saying something negative or incorrect about our brand right now?” For performance-focused marketing agencies, it’s likely less practical than a tool focused on citation growth and competitive ranking.
7. Scrunch AI: Premium LLM Monitoring and Optimization Tool for Agencies
Scrunch AI offers a robust suite for brand monitoring and optimization, with a unique “Agent Experience Platform” that can generate AI-optimized versions of your site. Its strengths lie in real-time AI bot crawling monitoring and multi-dimensional competitor comparisons (by persona, topic, and geography).
Starting at $250/month, Scrunch AI offers a free trial and a data API, making it a strong contender for marketing and PR teams at mid-to-large enterprises needing deep competitive insights and compliance features.
- Key Features: AI bot crawling, AI-optimized site versions, multi-dimensional competitor comparisons, SOC 2 Type II compliance.
- Pricing: Starts at $250/month.
- Free Trial: Yes.
- API: Yes.
- Integrations: Data API for custom integrations.
Like Profound, Scrunch AI is SOC 2 compliant, making it a good fit for enterprise clients. However, its pricing model is fixed, which is a drawback for agencies. While the idea of an “Agent Experience Platform” is intriguing, I often find that tools trying to be both the analytics platform and the implementation solution can be a master of none.
8. Nightwatch: Traditional SEO Tracker with AI Visibility Add-on
Nightwatch is a well-respected traditional SEO rank tracker that has smartly bolted on AI visibility tracking. This is a great option for agencies or in-house teams who want to keep their SEO and AEO reporting under one roof.
- Key Features: Integrated traditional SEO and AI tracking, precise zip-code level localization, high-precision data, Looker Studio integration.
- Pricing: Requires their base plan ($39/month) plus a $99/month AI Tracking Add-on, totaling $138/month.
- Free Trial: Yes (14 days).
- API: Yes, on higher-tier plans.
- Integrations: Google Analytics, Looker Studio.
The main appeal here is consolidation. If you already use and love Nightwatch for SEO, adding their AI tracking is a logical next step. The downside is that you’re paying for two systems, and the AEO features may not be as deep or innovative as a dedicated tool like Cairrot, Profound, or AthenaHQ. The Looker Studio integration is a major plus for data-savvy agencies.
Nightwatch’s AI visibility add-on is most simillar to Semrush’s AI Toolkit. While Semrush may be easier for beginners out-of-the-box, Nightwatch was my preferred tool when I tried out both. For marketing agencies, the Looker Studio integration cannot be ignored and makes Nightwatch an easy choice against Semrush.
9. Peec AI: Best for European Strategy Recommendations
Peec AI focuses on not just showing you the data, but telling you what to do with it. It uses AI to provide strategy recommendations and has strong features for managing and even suggesting prompts to track.
- Key Features: AI-driven strategy recommendations, advanced prompt management, competitor benchmarking, source analysis from reviews, social, and forums.
- Pricing: Starts at €89/month (~$97).
- Free Trial: Yes.
- API: Yes.
- Integrations: Looker Studio.
Peec AI is a strong, affordable option that competes well with Cairrot on price. Its ability to pull in source analysis from beyond just websites (like forums and social media) is a unique strength. For teams that need a bit more hand-holding on strategy, Peec AI is an excellent choice.
10. AirOps: Known for Integrated AI Content Workflows
AirOps is less of a pure rank tracker and more of a content operations platform that has AEO baked in. It’s designed for teams that need to scale the creation of AEO-optimized content.
- Key Features: Unified SEO and AI insights, agentic workflows for content optimization, collaborative content management system (GRIDS), custom Power Agents.
- Pricing: Custom (contact sales), with a limited free plan available.
- Free Trial: Yes (free plan and trial).
- API: Partial (via integrations and bring-your-own-keys).
- Integrations: Deep integrations with CMS and LLMs.
If your primary bottleneck is creating enough high-quality, AI-friendly content, AirOps is the tool for you. It helps you build repeatable workflows (or “agents”) to diagnose, optimize, and create content at scale. It’s a powerful solution for content-heavy businesses, but might be overkill for an agency just looking to add LLM rank tracking as a service.
11. Semrush AI Toolkit: Low Effort Add-on to a Traditional SEO Platform
Semrush’s AI Visibility Toolkit is an add-on designed as an extension of their established SEO platform, allowing users to dip into AEO without switching tools. It’s a convenient choice for teams already invested in Semrush, providing basic insights into AI-generated answers. However, it lacks the depth and precision of dedicated LLM trackers, making it feel more like a bolt-on feature than a standalone solution.
- Key Features: AI Visibility Score for benchmarking, sentiment and perception analysis, prompt discovery and tracking, site audits for AI crawler issues, competitive gap identification, report generation.
- Pricing: Starts at $99/month as an add-on. Requires an active Semrush subscription (base plans start around $140/month), so total costs can exceed $200/month quickly.
- Free Trial: Yes (7 days).
- API: No.
- Integrations: Integrates with Semrush’s core SEO tools, including keyword research, backlink analysis, and reporting dashboards.
For SEO teams already using Semrush, this toolkit is a low-effort way to start monitoring AI visibility without adding a new vendor. The unified dashboard is a plus, combining traditional SEO metrics with AI data. That said, its reliance on probabilistic modeling rather than direct LLM access can lead to less accurate insights, and the add-on pricing feels steep for what it offers compared to dedicated tools. If you’re not locked into Semrush, more specialized options like Cairrot, and Gumshoe AI, and even AthenaHQ provide better value and flexibility for pure AEO needs.
Common Questions About LLM Trackers
Can I find search volumes for prompts in an LLM like I can for keywords in Google?
Not yet, and you should be skeptical of any tool that claims otherwise. LLM providers like OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic do not currently release data on prompt frequency or volume. Historically, Google didn’t release keyword search volume data until it launched its advertising platform, Google Ads. It’s logical to assume we won’t get reliable prompt volume data until these companies are ready to launch their own LLM-based advertising products.
Some expensive tools like Profound and Scrunch AI advertise “;prompt volume” trends. They are likely using modeling, proxy data from third-party sources (like clickstream data), or analyzing trends from public forums. While this can provide directional insights, it is misleading to call it “prompt volume” as it is not actual usage data from the LLM itself. It’s an educated guess, not a factual metric.
What are the best LLM tracking platforms for Grok?
Tracking for Grok is still very new, and most enterprise tools have been slow to add it or have gated it behind their most expensive plans. While a few high-end platforms may offer it as part of a custom package, Cairrot is the best platform for Grok tracking because of its accessibility. They are one of the only providers to offer it as a simple, affordable add-on that can be enabled on any plan, including their $39 starter package. This democratizes access to tracking on one of the fastest-growing new AI models. Cairrot is also the only tool where you can track Grok, in addition to ChatGPT and Perplexity, for under $75 ($39 Start Plan + $25 Grok add-on).
What are the best LLM tracking platforms for Claude?
Several platforms are now integrating Claude tracking, including many of the ones listed above. While tools like Profound or Scrunch AI may offer it on their higher tiers, Cairrot is the most affordable option for tracking Claude. It’s included in their Pro offering, making it the only tool on this list that provides Claude rank tracking for under $100/mo. allowing you to track Claude alongside Gemini, ChatGPT, Perplexity, and DeepSeek for a fraction of the cost of enterprise competitors.
What is an llms.txt file and why is it important?
An `llms.txt` file is a proposed standard, similar to `robots.txt`, that allows website owners to provide specific instructions to the AI crawlers (like Google-Extended and ChatGPT-User) that gather data for training LLMs. You can use it to specify usage policies, grant or deny access to parts of your site, and point crawlers to preferred data sources. It’s a foundational piece of AEO, and having a tool that helps you manage it is a significant advantage. This is another area where Cairrot’s WordPress plugin shines, as it can automatically generate and update this file for you.
How is AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) different from SEO (Search Engine Optimization)?
SEO focuses on optimizing for a list of ranked blue links on a Search Engine Results Page (SERP). The goal is to achieve a high ranking (e.g., position #1) to earn a click. AEO, on the other hand, focuses on influencing the single, synthesized answer generated by an AI. The goal isn’t to get a click, but to have your brand, data, or viewpoint included and cited within that definitive answer. It involves different tactics, like structured data optimization, creating highly citable content, and managing your brand’s knowledge graph.
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