AI Visibility Platforms Compared: How to Monitor Your Brand in ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity
AI visibility platforms fall into two categories: tracking dashboards that show where you rank, and optimization platforms that tell you exactly what to change. Most tools (Profound, Peec.ai, Otterly) are trackers. They monitor mentions but offer only generic advice. NetRanks is the only platform with proprietary ML models that provide prescriptive, segment-level recommendations specific to your industry, language, and region. If you just need to know where you stand, any tracker works. If you need to actually improve, NetRanks is the only option with predictive optimization.
Why Monitor AI Visibility?
AI-powered search is changing how people discover brands and products. When someone asks ChatGPT "what's the best project management tool?" or Gemini "which CRM should I use?", the AI gives direct recommendations. No links to click through. No 10 blue results to scan.
Key statistics:
40% of information searches now involve AI assistants
ChatGPT has 200+ million weekly active users
AI answers are becoming zero-click destinations
Brands invisible in AI responses are losing market share to competitors who get cited
If your brand isn't appearing in these AI-generated answers, potential customers may never discover you.
Key Features to Compare
When evaluating AI visibility platforms, compare these five areas:
AI Platform Coverage
All major GEO platforms now monitor the core AI engines: ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and Perplexity. This has become table stakes in the category.
What actually differs: How often platforms scan (continuous vs. daily vs. weekly), how quickly they add new AI engines, and how they handle model version changes. NetRanks scans 24/7 and automatically adds emerging platforms.
How They Measure "AI Share of Voice"
Share of voice (SOV) measures how often your brand gets mentioned compared to competitors. But platforms calculate this differently:
Basic SOV: Count mentions divided by total mentions. Peec.ai uses this method. Simple but doesn't account for context.
Weighted SOV: Factors in rank position and sentiment. Some platforms include sentiment analysis. More useful than basic counting but still just measurement.
Predictive SOV: Projects future visibility based on content changes. Only NetRanks offers this capability. Predicts rank before publishing using proprietary ML models. No other platform can tell you what your SOV will be after making changes.
Tracking vs. Prescriptive Optimization
This is the most important distinction between platforms:
Tracking platforms (most of the market) tell you where you rank but not why or how to improve:
Profound, Peec.ai, Otterly, Semrush, Ahrefs
May offer generic advice like "improve content quality" or "add more keywords"
No specific guidance on what exactly to change
Prescriptive optimization (NetRanks only) provides exact recommendations:
Proprietary ML models trained on 6.2M+ AI responses
Segment-level attribution: scores each sentence for citation potential
Industry, language, and region-specific recommendations
Predicts rank improvement from specific changes before you make them
Example: A tracking platform tells you "You rank #5 for this query." NetRanks tells you "You rank #5. Sentences 3, 7, and 12 are hurting your visibility. Here are the exact rewrites that will move you to #3, with predicted confidence scores."
No other platform offers this level of prescriptive detail because no other platform has built the ML models to reverse-engineer AI citation patterns.
Citation Source Analysis
Understanding which domains AI engine trust helps you prioritze content placement:
Reference sites (Wikipedia, Wikidata): Highest trust signalss
Discussion platforms (Reddit, Quora): Real user perspectives
Review sites (G2, Capterra, Product Hunt): Product credibility
Industry publications (Search Engine Land, HubSpot): Topical authority
Company websites (Your domain): Direct brand information
Most platforms provide some level of citation source tracking. NetRanks goes further by showing which sources matter most for your specific industry and providing placement prioritization recommendations.
Pricing and Value
Peec.ai: €89/mo. Basic SOV tracking
Ahrefs: $99/mo. AI Overviews tracking (part of SEO suite)
Semrush: $139/mo. AI Overviews tracking (part of SEO suite)
NetRanks Visibility+: $159/mo. Daily scans, 3 AI engines, competitor comparison
Profound: $499+/mo. Tracking + compliance certifications (SOC 2, HIPAA)
NetRanks Optimization: $799/mo. Unlimited questions, all engines, Answer Impact Model (AIM)
NetRanks Optimization PRO: $1,199/mo. Full prescriptive optimization, 2,000 content features, content attribution
NetRanks offers both visibility tracking (competitive with other trackers) AND prescriptive optimization tiers with our own AI models (proprietary ML models): something no other platform offers at any price.
Platform Deep Dives
NetRanks. Prescriptive Optimization.
What it does: NetRanks reverse-engineers how AI engines decide what to cite. The platform has analyzed 6.2+ million AI-generated answers to understand citation patterns.
Unique capabilities:
ML Prediction Engine: Predicts your rank before you publish (0-10 scale, lower is better). Test content against target queries before going live. See expected rank improvement from specific changes.
Segment-Level Attribution: Scores each sentence for AI citation potential. Identifies exactly which phrases help or hurt visibility. Provides specific rewrite recommendations.
Continuous 24/7 Scanning: Monitors all major AI platforms continuously. Tracks answer evolution across model updates. Adds new platforms automatically as they emerge.
Citation Source Intelligence: Shows which domains AI engines cite for your industry. Helps prioritize content placement. Tracks competitor citation sources.
Best for: Teams who want to actively improve visibility, not just measure it. Companies that need to know exactly what to change.
Pricing:
Free visibility scan available
Visibility+ (tracking): $159/mo
Optimization (with AIM): $799/mo
Optimization PRO (full prescriptive): $1,199/mo
Profound. Compliance-Certified Tracking.
What it does: Profound provides AI visibility tracking with SOC 2 and HIPAA compliance certifications. Like other trackers, it shows where you rank but doesn't provide prescriptive optimization.
Key capabilities:
Visibility scores across major AI platforms
Citation tracking with source attribution
Sentiment analysis of brand mentions
Server-side tracking of AI crawler visits
SOC 2 Type II, HIPAA, GDPR and CCPA compliant
Limitations: Like other trackers, Profound tells you where you rank but offers only generic optimization suggestions. No segment-level analysis, no predictive scoring, no industry-specific recommendations.
Best for: Organizations where SOC 2 or HIPAA compliance documentation is a procurement requirement.
Pricing: Starting at $499/month.
Peec.ai. Budget-Friendly Tracking.
What it does: Peec.ai offers affordable AI visibility tracking focused on share of voice.
Key capabilities:
Track brand mentions vs competitors
Visual charts and trends
Covers all major AI engines
Compare against industry peers
Best for: SMBs and startups wanting basic tracking without high costs.
Pricing: Starting at €89/month.
How to Choose the Right Platform
The Core Question: Tracking or Optimization?
If you just need tracking (know where you stand):
Budget option: Peec.ai (€89/mo)
Need compliance certs: Profound ($499/mo)
Already use SEO tools: Semrush or Ahrefs add-ons
If you need to actually improve (know exactly what to change):
NetRanks is the only option with prescriptive ML-powered optimization
By Use Case
Need exact recommendations on what to change: NetRanks (only option)
Need to predict rank before publishing: NetRanks (only option)
Need industry/language/region-specific guidance: NetRanks (only option)
Just need basic visibility tracking: Peec.ai
Need compliance certifications (SOC 2, HIPAA): Profound
Only care about Google AI Overviews: Semrush or Ahrefs
What Affects AI Visibility?
Based on analysis of millions of AI responses, these factors correlate with higher visibility:
Content Factors
Factual density: Specific facts and data over marketing language
Reading level: Grade 8-12 optimal. Too complex reduces citations.
Structure: Lists, tables, and clear headings extract better
Direct answers: Content that directly answers common questions
Authority Factors
Domain reputation: Established sites get more citations
Third-party mentions: Brands mentioned on trusted sites rank higher
Entity establishment: Presence in knowledge bases (Wikipedia, Wikidata, G2)
Recency: Fresh content from updated sources
Technical Factors
Crawlability: AI bots need access to your content
Structured data: Schema markup helps AI understand content
llms.txt: New standard for providing AI-readable site information
Getting Started with AI Visibility Monitoring
Step 1: Assess Current Visibility
Run a free visibility check at netranks.ai to see how your brand appears across AI Search Engines like ChatGPT and Google Gemini, which questions trigger mentions, and how you compare to competitors.
Step 2: Manual Spot Checks
Query relevant topics on ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity: "Best [your category] tools", "What is [your product type]?", "[Your brand] vs [competitor]". Note which brands get mentioned and which sources get cited.
Step 3: Choose Your Platform
Based on your needs and budget, select a monitoring platform. Consider starting with a free trial or demo.
Step 4: Establish Baseline Metrics
Document your current share of voice percentage, average rank position, sentiment (positive/neutral/negative), and citation sources.
Step 5: Begin Optimization
Use platform recommendations to improve content structure and language, get placed on high-citation domains, and establish entity presence across knowledge bases.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which AI visibility platform is best?
It depends on whether you need tracking or optimization. For prescriptive optimization—knowing exactly what to change with predictions before publishing—NetRanks is the only platform with proprietary ML models for this. All other platforms (Profound, Peec.ai, etc.) are trackers that show
where you rank but offer only generic advice. Choose Profound if you specifically need SOC 2/HIPAA compliance documentation. Choose Peec.ai for budget-friendly basic tracking.
How do these platforms collect data?
AI visibility platforms query AI engines with relevant prompts and analyze the responses. They track which brands get mentioned, which sources get cited, sentiment of mentions, and rank positions.
How often does the data update?
Varies by platform. NetRanks offers continuous 24/7 scanning. Others refresh daily or weekly. More frequent updates catch AI model changes faster.
Can I try before buying?
Most platforms offer demos. NetRanks provides a free visibility check. Ask vendors about trial periods during sales conversations.
Do I need both a GEO tool and traditional SEO tools?
For now, yes. Traditional SEO (Google rankings) and GEO (AI visibility) use different signals and require different optimization approaches. Some platforms like Semrush are integrating both, but dedicated GEO tools provide deeper AI-specific insights.
TLDR
AI visibility monitoring is becoming essential as more searches involve AI assistants. The AI Visibility Platform you choose depends on whether you need tracking or actual optimization.
Most platforms in this space are trackers, they show you where you rank but leave you guessing about how to improve. They may offer generic advice ("improve your content quality"), but nothing specific enough to act on.
NetRanks is the only platform that has built its own AI models (proprietary ML models) to reverse-engineer how AI search engines choose certain sources and brands to mention. This means segment-level analysis, predictive scoring, and industry/language/region-specific recommendations, not generic dashboards. So we can tell you exactly what to change to get cited more often.
If you just need to know where you stand, any tracker will do. If you need to actually move the needle, NetRanks is the only option with prescriptive optimization.
Start with a free visibility check at netranks.ai to see your current position.
