# Otterly AI vs Profound

> Source: https://citedindex.com/compare/otterly-ai-vs-profound (structured, researched, re-verified)
> Updated: Sep 29, 2026

Both tools measure the same thing: how often, and how favorably, ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and other AI engines mention a brand. They were built for buyers with very different budgets and team structures, though. Otterly AI leads with accessibility: a free trial requiring no credit card, then a $29/month Lite plan that already covers 4 engines by default (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, Microsoft Copilot), with Gemini, Claude and Google AI Mode available as paid add-ons on any tier. Its plan ladder scales on monitoring volume rather than engine access: Lite tracks 15 prompts/month, Standard (from $189/mo) 100 prompts plus API and MCP access, Premium (from $489/mo) 400 prompts.

Profound, by contrast, has historically been the category's enterprise reference point, "one of the most-searched names in the space," per its own listing, and until 2026 sold sales-only. It now publishes two self-serve tiers, but they scale on engine access, not just volume: Starter ($99/month, billed annually) tracks ChatGPT only, 50 prompts. Growth ($399/month, billed annually, with a "Try for free" trial) unlocks 3 engines (ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews) and 100 prompts. Real parity with Otterly's $29/mo default 4-engine coverage does not exist on Profound at any published price: Growth's 3 engines still omit Microsoft Copilot, and the fourth-engine gap plus deeper coverage (Claude, Gemini, Grok, Meta AI, DeepSeek, up to 9 engines total) requires a custom, sales-led Enterprise plan.

The budget-to-coverage math is the clearest way to see the gap: a team wanting Otterly's 4-engine Lite-tier baseline pays $29/month; the closest Profound gets on a published price is Growth's 3 engines for $399/month, over 13x the price for less engine breadth. What Profound's higher tiers add instead of raw engine count is depth: source-level citation analysis (which specific publications and pages the engines cite), AEO-focused content recommendations, multi-seat team access, and enterprise account features (SSO/SAML, SOC2, dedicated Slack support) that Otterly does not offer at any tier. Profound is also, by its own listing's framing, the most-searched brand in the category, a proxy for broader adoption among larger teams already budgeting for this depth.

Neither tool's API story favors Profound at the accessible end either: Otterly includes API and MCP access from its $189/mo Standard tier up; Profound gates API access entirely to the custom Enterprise plan, with no API on Starter or Growth at any price.

| Fact | OtterlyAI | Profound |
| --- | --- | --- |
| What it is | AI search visibility monitoring across seven engines, with citation tracking and GEO content audits. | AI answer engine visibility platform with content agents and AI crawler analytics. |
| Pricing | from $29/month | from $99/month |
| Generates content | Partly (currently limited) | Yes |
| Publishes to your site | No | Yes |
| Technical AEO | Partly (currently limited) | Partly |
| Done-for-you service | Partly (Enterprise plan and up) | No |
| Perplexity | Yes | Partly (Growth plan and up) |
| Gemini | Partly (Gemini add-on add-on) | Partly (Enterprise plan and up) |
| Google AI Overviews | Yes | Partly (Growth plan and up) |
| Google AI Mode | Partly (Google AI Mode add-on add-on) | Partly (Enterprise plan and up) |
| Claude | Partly (Claude add-on add-on) | Partly (Enterprise plan and up) |
| Microsoft Copilot | Yes | Partly (Enterprise plan and up) |
| Grok | No | Partly (Enterprise plan and up) |
| DeepSeek | No | Partly (Enterprise plan and up) |
| AI crawler analytics | Partly (Standard plan and up) | Yes |
| Wrong answers about you | - | Yes |
| Projects or brands | Partly (Lite plan and up) | Partly (Enterprise plan and up) |
| Countries | Yes | Partly (Enterprise plan and up) |
| Card required to start | No | - |
| API | Partly (Standard plan and up) | Partly (Enterprise plan and up) |
| MCP server | Partly (Standard plan and up) | Yes |
| BI export | Partly (Standard plan and up) | Partly (Growth (file exports); Enterprise (API-based connectors)) |
| API | Yes — A documented REST API with API-key auth exists, but it starts on the Standard plan and is capped at 2,000 requests a month there. | Yes — A documented REST API with Python and JavaScript SDKs exists, but the plan table marks API No on both self-serve tiers and access is granted on request. |
| Tags | AI Overviews · API · Brand monitoring · ChatGPT · Copilot · Free trial · Perplexity | AI Overviews · Brand monitoring · ChatGPT · Claude · Copilot · Enterprise · Free trial · Gemini · Perplexity |
| Best for | Marketing, SEO and content teams taking their first serious measurement of AI-search visibility, who want a self-serve start rather than a sales call. | enterprise comms, brand and content teams that need multi-engine depth and a sales-led Enterprise contract |
| Watch for | Prompt-sampling based. Engines answer differently per user and session, so treat trends, not single runs, as the signal. | The full 9-engine breadth and SSO/SAML stay behind a sales-led Enterprise contract and cannot be evaluated self-serve. |
| Full facts | https://citedindex.com/otterly-ai.md | https://citedindex.com/profound.md |

## Verdict: OtterlyAI or Profound?

Want the cheapest credible way to start measuring AI visibility, with a free trial, and can live with add-on costs for engines beyond the 4-engine default → Otterly AI. Need source-level citation analysis, AEO content recommendations, or account-level features like SSO/SAML and dedicated support, and have budget for $399/mo or a custom Enterprise plan → Profound.

## FAQ

**What's the main difference between Otterly AI and Profound?**

Otterly AI is the accessible, self-serve option: $29/mo covers 4 default engines (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, Microsoft Copilot) with a free trial. Profound is the category's enterprise anchor: its cheapest tier (Starter, $99/mo) covers only ChatGPT, and matching Otterly's 4-engine default coverage isn't possible on any published Profound tier; Growth ($399/mo) covers 3 engines, still missing Copilot.

**Which is cheaper for the same engine coverage?**

Otterly AI, by a wide margin. Its $29/mo Lite tier covers 4 engines by default. Profound's closest published equivalent, Growth at $399/mo, covers only 3 engines and still omits Microsoft Copilot, over 13x the price for less coverage.

**Does either have a free trial?**

Yes, both. Otterly AI offers a free trial with no credit card required on any tier. Profound's Growth plan ($399/mo) carries a "Try for free" trial offer; its Starter and Enterprise tiers do not advertise one.

**Which has the API?**

Otterly AI includes API and MCP access from its $189/mo Standard tier upward. Profound gates API access entirely to its custom Enterprise plan; there is no API on Starter or Growth at any price.

**Which is better for enterprise-scale, multi-engine monitoring?**

Profound, once a buyer commits to its custom Enterprise tier (up to 9 engines, SSO/SAML, SOC2, dedicated Slack support, multiple companies tracked), a level of account-management and coverage depth Otterly does not offer at any tier, though Enterprise pricing is sales-led and unpublished.