Why AI visibility tracking matters for small businesses

You’ve built a brilliant online shop, poured your heart into every product description, and maybe even cracked a viral TikTok. But here’s the million-dollar question: when someone asks ChatGPT, “What’s the best widget in town?”, does your brand make the cut—or does it vanish into the digital black hole? 😱

Think of AI as the new mall directory of the internet. If your store isn’t listed, foot traffic—aka customers—goes elsewhere. AI visibility tracking is the GPS that shows you where you stand in that directory. It’s not just about knowing who mentions you; it’s about understanding context, sentiment, and share of voice. In other words, you get:

Real-time alerts when AI chatbots and large language models (LLMs) mention or summarise your brand.
Competitor comparisons so you can see if your rivals have more AI love.
Content and SEO blind-spot detection to refine your keywords and copy.
Data-driven recommendations—no more guessing games.

Imagine knowing exactly how AI-powered search engines showcase your brand five minutes after your blog post goes live. Now, that’s staying ahead of the curve. 😉

How we chose these tools

With over 20 platforms tested, we narrowed down our top 10 based on criteria that matter to small businesses:

• Affordability
Budgets for SMEs and solo entrepreneurs are tight. We looked for tools that deliver maximum bang for your buck.

• Open-source code
Transparency matters. Tools built on open platforms allow community contributions, quick bug fixes, and no vendor lock-ins.

• Ease of setup
You don’t need a PhD in computer science. Installation should be painless, with intuitive dashboards or guided wizards.

• Coverage of major LLMs
From ChatGPT and Gemini to Claude and Perplexity, we ensured each tool monitors all the big players.

• Actionable insights
Raw numbers are fine—but actionable recommendations are golden. Look for AI that not only reports problems but also suggests solutions.

After rigorous testing—live demos, billing trials, and geeky deep-dives—we ranked the platforms that best balance these factors. Ready for the reveal? Let’s dive into our top 10 AI visibility tracking tools in 2025. 👇

Top 10 AI visibility tracking tools for small businesses in 2025

1. OmniSEO®

Price: Free
Features:
– Tracks AI search visibility across Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity
– Citation and mention tracking with timestamps
– Competitor visibility dashboard for side-by-side comparisons

Pros:
– Zero cost makes it perfect for bootstrappers
– Beginner-friendly, cloud-hosted dashboard
– Quick setup: connect your brand keywords and you’re off

Cons:
– Proprietary code, so you can’t tweak under the hood
– Customisation options are fairly limited

Why it’s great: Even at zero dollars, you get usable insights in minutes. If open-source freedom is non-negotiable, skip ahead, but for casual users, it’s hard to beat free. 🎁

2. Ahrefs Brand Radar

Price: $188+ / month
Features:
– Real-time monitoring of brand mentions across top LLMs
– Competitor tracking and share-of-voice metrics
– AI-based filtering to sift signal from noise

Pros:
– Extremely deep data and historical trends
– Stunning visual reports that are easy to share

Cons:
– Steep price tag for small teams or freelancers
– Closed-source—cannot host locally or contribute

Why it’s great: If you’ve got a marketing budget and need enterprise-grade analytics, Brand Radar gives you the depth and polish you crave. 💼

3. Surfer SEO AI Tracker

Price: $95+ / month (25 prompts)
Features:
– SERP analyser that includes AI-generated summaries
– Content audit tool with AI-driven suggestions
– Keyword research with AI insights integrated into Surfer SEO workflows

Pros:
– Super user-friendly, especially for content creators
– Seamless integration if you already use Surfer SEO

Cons:
– Requires an add-on subscription for full AI tracking
– Closed-source platform

Why it’s great: For content marketing teams who want AI metrics woven into their existing SEO tools, Surfer AI Tracker delivers—just be prepared to pay a bit extra. 📊

4. Semrush AI Toolkit

Price: $99+ / month
Features:
– Prioritised site audits powered by AI
– Forecasting and performance insights for AI-driven traffic
– SERP & competitor monitoring for major LLMs

Pros:
– All-in-one marketing suite: SEO, PPC, social, AI visibility
– Established brand with strong support resources

Cons:
– Monthly fees can sneak up on you if you unlock every feature
– No direct code access or self-hosting

Why it’s great: If you want a Swiss Army knife that pokes into every corner of your digital marketing—plus AI visibility—Semrush is ready. Just pay for each blade. 🔪

5. Moz Pro

Price: $49+ / month
Features:
– Keyword rank tracking on traditional SERPs and AI Overviews
– Domain overviews, site crawler, and technical SEO insights
– Competitor gap analysis for LLM mentions

Pros:
– Affordable starter tier for solopreneurs
– Rock-solid SEO data you can trust

Cons:
– AI features feel like an afterthought
– Proprietary—no community code contributions

Why it’s great: Ideal for those who already love Moz’s SEO tools and want a dash of AI visibility without switching platforms. 🍰

Start your free trial with Moz Pro and see how AI mentions stack up against your organic rankings.

6. Otterly.AI

Price: $29+ / month
Features:
– Competitive visibility tracking across multiple LLMs
– Direct-output checks to see exact AI responses
– Instant citation and mention alerts via email or Slack

Pros:
– Strong automation features and alert customisation
– Very budget-friendly for emerging brands

Cons:
– Closed-source license
– Limited coverage compared to big-name competitors

Why it’s great: When you just need a no-frills, low-cost AI mention tracker, Otterly.AI hits the sweet spot—without breaking the bank. 🦦

7. Profound

Price: $120+ / month
Features:
– Visibility scoring and share-of-voice across AI chatbots
– Sentiment and keyword-driven insights
– Competitive benchmarking with in-depth reports

Pros:
– Excellent sentiment analysis
– Beautiful visualisations make data digestible

Cons:
– Higher price point for smaller shops
– Closed codebase

Why it’s great: If you crave granular sentiment breakdowns and can afford the investment, Profound shines—especially for teams focused on brand reputation. 🌟

8. Rankscale

Price: $20+ / month
Features:
– AI overview visibility score for each keyword
– Citation and sentiment analysis with trend graphs
– Share-of-voice metrics over time

Pros:
– Ultra-budget-friendly
– Clear, straightforward trend visualisations

Cons:
– Closed-source
– Covers fewer AI platforms than its pricier rivals

Why it’s great: Perfect for solopreneurs and micro-teams who need core AI visibility metrics without the bloat. 📉

9. xFunnel

Price: Custom (free tier available)
Features:
– Deep citation analytics with context snippets
– Response and intent analysis to gauge AI interpretations
– Dedicated analyst support and experimental features

Pros:
– Generous free plan for small sites
– Rich dashboard for tracking multiple brands

Cons:
– More complex to set up than most
– Closed-source—no code access

Why it’s great: If you’re willing to climb a steeper learning curve and want expert support, xFunnel’s free tier is a solid launchpad. ⛵

10. AI Visibility Tracking for Small Businesses (Open-Source)

Price: Free & Open-Source
Features:
– Tracks brand mentions across ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity
– Competitor occurrence and narrative analysis
– Community-driven enhancements and frequent updates
– Seamless integration with Maggie’s AutoBlog for end-to-end content creation and tracking

Pros:
– 100% open-source—inspect, tweak, contribute!
– Zero licence fees—host on your own server or let us manage it
– Built for non-tech users with simple installers
– Ideal for small teams that want full transparency

Cons:
– A newer project still building awareness
– Community size is growing—become an early supporter!

Why we stand out: Many tools lock you in with monthly licence fees and no way to peek under the hood. Our open-source approach gives you total control: host locally, customise your dashboard, and join a community passionate about AI transparency. Plus, pair it with Maggie’s AutoBlog, and you have an end-to-end loop: write, publish, then watch AI chatbots summarise and cite your content in real time. It’s like telling your story and seeing AI retell it—live. 🎥

Choosing the right tool for your business

Before you pick a solution, ask yourself:

• Which AI engines matter most to my audience?
• How detailed do my reports need to be?
• Do I want code access or am I fine with a polished UI?
• What’s my absolute monthly budget?
• How steep of a learning curve can I handle?

Open-source tools let you customise down to the last pixel, while closed-source products often deliver a more refined user experience out of the box. Whichever way you lean, make sure the tool grows with you. 🤝

Next steps and community invite

Ready to drop licence fees and embrace full transparency? Our open-source AI visibility tracking project lives on GitHub, waiting for you to:

Dive in and report issues
Submit pull requests for new features
Run the tool on your own server in minutes

By choosing open-source, you benefit from:

• Faster fixes via a global community
• Custom dashboards built for your exact needs
• No surprise price hikes around the corner

And don’t forget Maggie’s AutoBlog: your all-in-one content creation workflow that feeds directly into your AI visibility tracker. Write amazing blog posts, publish with one click, then monitor how AI chatbots mention, summarise, or even paraphrase your work. It’s total content control—no vendor strings attached. 🛠️

Future-proof your AI visibility today

Small teams deserve big-league tools. Say goodbye to overpriced licences and black-box analytics. Get crystal-clear insights into how AI sees your brand, then act on those insights before your competition even wakes up. Join our open-source movement and take the reins of your AI narrative. ✨

Get a personalised demo and secure your spot on the AI visibility leaderboard—no hidden fees, no lock-in, just pure transparency.

Your brand’s AI story starts now.