Ahrefs Brand Radar comes in two parts: an AI Visibility Index of 519 million prompts that starts at $199 a month, and custom prompt tracking that is metered in checks, from 5 daily prompts on Ahrefs Lite ($129) or a standalone $50 package. It is the deepest prompt dataset in the category. Teams still look for a Brand Radar alternative, usually because checks and overage make the bill hard to predict, because Ahrefs runs no free trials, or because they want the gaps turned into work. Below are ten alternatives, with prices read from each vendor's own page on 1 November 2026. We make Mentionova, the first tool on the list, so we say plainly where it loses.
What are the key takeaways?
- Brand Radar has two prices. The AI Visibility Index starts at $199 a month (Ahrefs lists $699 for all models). Custom prompts are included on paid plans (5 on Lite, 10 on Standard, 20 on Advanced) or sold as check packages from $50 a month.
- Everything is metered in checks. One prompt on one platform in one location is one check; Claude uses 8 checks per update. Overage runs $0.010 to $0.020 per check.
- Ahrefs says it never runs discounts or free trials. Most alternatives here offer a trial of 7 to 10 days or a free tier.
- For flat daily tracking, Peec AI and Promptwatch start at $95 for 50 prompts, SE Visible at $89 for 75 and Otterly at $29 for 15. LLMrefs is $79 for 500 prompts, refreshed weekly.
- Mentionova has no prompt index and fewer engines. Starter is $125 a month ($99 annual) for 25 prompts on three engines, run weekly by default. It fits teams that want flat pricing, scored opportunities with briefs, CMS drafts and Reddit in one place.
What are the best Ahrefs Brand Radar alternatives?
The strongest alternatives are Mentionova for briefs, drafts and Reddit, Semrush's AI Visibility Toolkit for another suite, LLMrefs for prompt volume at a low price, Peec AI and Promptwatch for flat daily tracking, SE Visible and Otterly for small budgets, Rankscale for credits, and Scrunch, AthenaHQ and Profound for larger programs. All prices were read on 1 November 2026.
| Tool | Entry price (as listed) | Prompts on entry plan | Engines on entry plan | Cadence | Trial (as listed) | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ahrefs Brand Radar (baseline) | Custom prompts from $50/mo; index from $199/mo; 5 prompts on Lite ($129) | 2,500 checks on the $50 package | AI Overviews, AI Mode, ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Copilot; Claude for custom prompts | Daily, weekly or monthly per platform | No free trials | The largest prompt index, next to SEO data |
| Mentionova | $125/mo, $99 annual | 25 | ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google | Weekly, every two weeks or monthly; daily through the API | Free trial, no card | Flat price, briefs, CMS drafts, Reddit |
| Semrush AI Visibility Toolkit | $99/mo | 25 | ChatGPT, AI Mode, Gemini | Daily prompt tracking | No free trial | Teams already in Semrush |
| LLMrefs | $79/mo, "limited time only" | 500 | All major engines | Weekly reports | 7 days | Prompt volume at low cost |
| Peec AI | $95/mo | 50 | 3 chosen from ChatGPT, AI Mode, AI Overviews, Copilot, Gemini, Naver AI | Daily | Free trial offered | Flat daily tracking, unlimited users |
| Promptwatch | $95/mo | 50 (6,000 responses) | All models | Daily | 7 days | Every model plus API and MCP |
| SE Visible | $89/mo, $71 annual | 75 | ChatGPT, AI Overviews, AI Mode, Gemini, Copilot | Daily | 10 days | Client access, unlimited seats |
| Otterly | $29/mo, $25 annual | 15 | ChatGPT, AI Overviews, Perplexity, Copilot | Daily | Free trial offered | Lowest monthly bill |
| Rankscale | Pro $99/mo, $84 annual | 1,200 credits, up to 4,800 answers | 17+ engines | Hourly to monthly | Pro free trial | Credit-based flexibility |
| Scrunch | $250/mo | 125 | ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AIO, Copilot | Not stated on pricing page | 7 days | Site audits and bot traffic |
| AthenaHQ | Free tier; Starter $295/mo | Unlimited prompts, 3,600 credits | 11 models | Not stated on pricing page | Free Essential tier | Many engines plus actions |
| Profound | Free trial, then custom | 50 (trial) | ChatGPT, Gemini, AI Overviews (trial) | Daily for 7 days (trial) | Free trial | Enterprise programs |
"Engines on entry plan" means what the cheapest paid plan includes. Several tools add engines on higher plans or as paid add-ons.
What does Ahrefs Brand Radar actually offer and cost?
Brand Radar sells two things. The AI Visibility Index maps any brand across 519 million search-backed prompts with no setup, from $199 a month. Custom prompts track the questions you define, as often as daily, and are counted in checks. Every paid Ahrefs plan includes a daily custom prompt quota, and packages are sold on their own.
| Brand Radar option | Price | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| Lite plan | $129/mo | 150 checks, 5 daily prompts, plus the Ahrefs SEO tools; 1 user |
| Standard plan | $249/mo | 300 checks, 10 daily prompts |
| Advanced plan | $449/mo | 600 checks, 20 daily prompts |
| Enterprise plan | $1,499/mo, annual commitment | From 2,500 checks, from 83 prompts |
| Custom prompts Basic | $50/mo | 2,500 checks (for example, 80 prompts daily on 1 platform); overage $0.020 per check |
| Custom prompts Growth | $100/mo | 7,000 checks (for example, 100 prompts daily on 2 platforms); overage $0.015 |
| Custom prompts Scale | $250/mo | 25,000 checks; overage $0.010 |
| AI Visibility Index | From $199/mo; $699/mo for all models | 83 prompts a day, 2,500 checks a month, overage $0.020 per check |
The index covers AI Overviews, AI Mode, ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Copilot; custom prompts add Claude, which uses 8 checks per update. Ahrefs re-tests the index question sets monthly on a 90-day reporting window. Ahrefs customers also get YouTube, TikTok and Reddit data, free while in beta. Brand Radar can be bought standalone and comes with an Ahrefs Free account. Ahrefs says 3,000+ companies use it.
Why do teams look for an Ahrefs Brand Radar alternative?
Brand Radar's index is unmatched, so the reasons to leave are about cost shape and output: metered checks with overage, small prompt quotas on the base plans, no free trial, an index that suits established brands best, and no published workflow that turns a gap into a page. A team that wants a flat bill or finished work looks elsewhere.
- The bill is metered. Each prompt on each platform in each location is a check, and overage is charged automatically at the end of the month. Tracking 25 prompts daily on 3 platforms is 2,250 checks a month; adding Claude daily for the same 25 prompts is another 6,000, by our arithmetic from Ahrefs' check rules.
- No free trial. The pricing FAQ says Ahrefs never runs discounts or free trials. You pay before you see your own prompts.
- The index favours known brands. Ahrefs says the index "works best for established brands or topics with meaningful search demand" and may have limited coverage for brands with little search volume. Smaller brands rely on custom prompts.
- Monthly index refresh. Index question sets are re-tested monthly. Daily data needs custom prompts, which draw checks.
- Tracking stops at the report. Brand Radar reports mentions, citations, share of voice and fan-out queries. Its page does not list content briefs, drafting or publishing to a CMS.
Which Brand Radar alternative fits which use case?
Match the alternative to the gap you are leaving with. For a flat daily bill, Peec AI, Promptwatch, SE Visible or Otterly. For the most prompts per dollar, LLMrefs. For another suite, Semrush. For more engines, Rankscale or AthenaHQ. For opportunities with briefs, CMS drafts and Reddit threads, Mentionova.
Is Mentionova the right alternative if you want flat pricing and finished work?
Mentionova Starter is $125 a month, or $99 billed annually, for 25 tracked prompts on ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google, with 100 agentic tasks. Scale is $400 ($320 annual) for 100 prompts on six engines, adding Claude, Gemini and Reddit. Tracking is not metered in checks: scheduled scans come with the plan, and running a prompt by hand does not draw from the task pool. Every plan lists actionable opportunities with ready briefs, workflows and grids for bulk content, Reddit engagement and integrations. Finished drafts push to WordPress, Webflow, Ghost, Sanity or a webhook, and every target creates a draft, never a live post. Agency plans start at $250 a month ($200 annual) for 50 prompts and 3 client workspaces, with white-label reports. The trial needs no card.
Is Semrush's AI Visibility Toolkit the better suite add-on?
Semrush's AI Visibility Toolkit is $99 a month for 1 project, 1 Brand Performance domain and 25 tracked prompts, with prompt research and AI search checks in Site Audit. It has no free trial. Extra domains are $99 each, extra users $99 each, and 50 more prompts $60 a month. Semrush's SEO + AI Search Starter bundle is $199 a month for 50 daily prompts. Our Semrush AI Visibility Toolkit alternatives post covers it in full.
Is LLMrefs the cheapest way to track a large prompt set?
LLMrefs is $79 a month, marked "limited time only", for 500 prompts on ChatGPT, AI Overviews, AI Mode, Gemini, Perplexity, Claude, Grok, Copilot, Meta AI and DeepSeek, with unlimited projects and team members, CSV and API access and a 7-day trial. You track keywords and it generates the prompts. Reports refresh weekly.
Is Peec AI the simplest flat-price daily tracker?
Peec AI Starter is $95 a month for 50 prompts tracked daily on 3 models chosen from ChatGPT, AI Mode, AI Overviews, Microsoft Copilot, Gemini and Naver AI, which Peec counts as 4,500 AI answers a month. Users and competitors are unlimited on every plan, and each prompt carries a 1 to 5 relative demand score for its topic. See Peec AI alternatives.
Is Promptwatch the closest match on engine coverage?
Promptwatch Essential is $95 a month for 1 project, 50 prompts and 6,000 responses across all models, with Agent Chat, country-level tracking and MCP and API access. Content writing and refresh start on Professional at $245. Promptwatch says it collects data by scraping the assistants' user interfaces.
Are SE Visible or Otterly better on a small budget?
SE Visible is $89 a month ($71 annual) for 75 daily prompts, 5 projects and unlimited user seats on ChatGPT, AI Overviews, AI Mode, Gemini and Copilot, with client access and a 10-day trial. Otterly Lite is $29 ($25 annual) for 15 daily prompts on ChatGPT, AI Overviews, Perplexity and Copilot, with unlimited team members.
Are Rankscale, Scrunch, AthenaHQ or Profound better for wider coverage?
Rankscale Pro is $99 a month ($84 annual) for 1,200 credits, up to 4,800 answers on 17+ engines, scheduled hourly to monthly, with a free trial. Scrunch Core is $250 for 125 prompts on four LLMs, with a 7-day trial. AthenaHQ Starter is $295 for 3,600 credits across 11 models, after a free tier. Profound offers a 7-day free trial, then custom Enterprise pricing.
What does tracking 25 prompts every day cost?
For 25 prompts on three platforms daily, Ahrefs' $50 Basic package is the cheapest flat option at 2,250 of its 2,500 checks. Peec AI and Promptwatch cover 50 prompts for $95. Semrush covers exactly 25 for $99. Mentionova Starter covers 25 for $125 but runs weekly by default, not daily. These are our calculations from list prices.
| Tool | Monthly list price | What 25 daily prompts on 3 engines uses | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ahrefs custom prompts Basic | $50 | 2,250 of 2,500 checks | No index; Claude would cost 8 checks per update |
| Otterly Standard | $189 | 25 of 100 prompts | Lite ($29) stops at 15 prompts |
| SE Visible Basic | $89 | 25 of 75 prompts | Five engines included |
| Peec AI Starter | $95 | 25 of 50 prompts | 3 models chosen |
| Promptwatch Essential | $95 | 25 of 50 prompts | All models |
| Semrush AI Visibility Toolkit | $99 | 25 of 25 prompts | ChatGPT, AI Mode, Gemini |
| LLMrefs | $79 | 25 of 500 prompts | Weekly reports, not daily |
| Mentionova Starter | $125 | 25 of 25 prompts | Weekly by default; daily through the API |
The table prices tracking only. It ignores the Ahrefs SEO suite, Semrush's prompt research, and Mentionova's briefs, drafts and Reddit queue. For every vendor's price in one table, see AI visibility tool pricing.
Where does Mentionova lose to Ahrefs Brand Radar?
Mentionova loses on prompt data, engines, cadence and suite depth. Brand Radar's index covers 519 million prompts with search demand behind each one; Mentionova has no prompt index and sells no volume data. Ahrefs tracks AI Mode, Copilot and YouTube, and checks custom prompts daily. Know these gaps before you trial Mentionova.
- Prompt index. Ahrefs lets you look up any brand across its index with no setup, including history back to 2025. Mentionova only tracks the prompts you add.
- Engines. Brand Radar covers AI Overviews, AI Mode, ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Copilot, plus Claude on custom prompts. Mentionova covers ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google on three-engine plans and adds Claude, Gemini and Reddit on six-engine plans. It does not track AI Mode or Copilot.
- Cadence. Ahrefs can check custom prompts daily. Mentionova's scheduled runs are weekly, every two weeks or monthly, with daily runs through the API.
- Price for pure tracking. $50 at Ahrefs covers more daily checks than Mentionova Starter does at $125.
- SEO data. Ahrefs puts AI visibility next to Site Explorer, Keywords Explorer and Rank Tracker. Mentionova is not an SEO suite.
How do you test an alternative against Brand Radar?
Run the same buyer prompts in both tools for at least two weeks and compare mention rate per engine, not the headline score. AI answers change between runs, so one snapshot tells you little. Start with five unbranded prompts a buyer types before choosing a vendor, then add comparison and pricing questions.
- Keep your custom prompts. Copy the prompts you track in Brand Radar, starting with the five closest to a purchase.
- Load them unchanged. Paste the same wording into the alternative so the test compares tools, not prompts.
- Compare like with like. Compare only engines both tools track: ChatGPT and Perplexity, plus Gemini and Claude on Mentionova's six-engine plans.
- Ask why competitors are cited. When ChatGPT names a competitor instead of you, open the sources it cites. Those pages and threads are where the fix starts.
- Judge the action, not the chart. For your biggest gap, time how long each tool takes to get you to a page update, a source to pitch or a reply to post.
For building the prompt list, use the method in How to check if ChatGPT mentions your brand. For a three-way view, read Semrush AI Toolkit vs Ahrefs Brand Radar vs a dedicated platform.
Where does each number come from?
All vendor pages were read on 1 November 2026.
- Ahrefs: ahrefs.com/brand-radar (519 million prompts, index and custom prompt pricing, platforms, check rules, Claude checks, refresh cadence, beta sources, 3,000+ companies) and ahrefs.com/pricing (plans, checks and prompts per plan, custom prompt packages and overage, users, standalone purchase, no discounts or free trials). The pricing page describes the index as 525 million+ prompts.
- Semrush: AI Visibility Toolkit knowledge base (price, limits, add-ons, no trial) and semrush.com/prices (SEO + AI Search bundles).
- LLMrefs pricing, Peec AI pricing, Promptwatch pricing, SE Visible pricing, Otterly pricing, Rankscale pricing, Scrunch pricing, AthenaHQ plans, Profound pricing.
- Mentionova: mentionova.com/pricing, plans overview (agency plans, engine sets, weekly scans, manual runs), AI visibility tracking (schedules), publishing targets and agency reporting.
- Check counts and prompt coverage in the cost table are our arithmetic from each vendor's published rules.
What do people ask about Ahrefs Brand Radar alternatives?
What is Ahrefs Brand Radar?
Brand Radar is Ahrefs' AI visibility product. It measures how often a brand is mentioned or cited in AI answers through an index of 519 million search-backed prompts, and tracks custom prompts you define on AI Overviews, AI Mode, ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Copilot and Claude.
How much does Ahrefs Brand Radar cost?
Custom prompt packages start at $50 a month for 2,500 checks. The AI Visibility Index starts at $199 a month, and Ahrefs lists $699 a month for all models. Lite ($129), Standard ($249) and Advanced ($449) include 5, 10 and 20 daily custom prompts.
Does Ahrefs Brand Radar have a free trial?
No. Ahrefs' pricing FAQ says it never runs discounts or free trials. It does offer a free AI visibility preview on the Brand Radar page and an Ahrefs Free account with limited Site Explorer and Site Audit access.
What is a check in Ahrefs Brand Radar?
Tracking one prompt on one platform in one location uses 1 check. Each prompt is checked daily on every selected platform, so 5 prompts on 1 platform is 150 checks a month. Claude uses 8 checks per update.
What is the cheapest Ahrefs Brand Radar alternative?
Otterly Lite at $29 a month, or $25 billed annually, for 15 daily prompts on four engines is the lowest monthly bill. LLMrefs is $79 for 500 prompts refreshed weekly. AthenaHQ has a free tier with 300 credits.
Is Semrush's AI Visibility Toolkit better than Brand Radar?
Semrush gives 25 tracked prompts for a flat $99 with no checks to count, but covers fewer engines and has no free trial. Ahrefs has the larger prompt index and more engines. Our three-way comparison runs the numbers.
Is Mentionova better than Ahrefs Brand Radar?
It depends on the job. Brand Radar wins on prompt data, engine count, daily cadence and SEO depth. Mentionova wins if you want a flat price, opportunities with ready briefs, drafts sent to your CMS, Reddit threads with drafted replies and a trial without a card.
Run the same prompts side by side. Start the free Mentionova trial, no card.