Ahrefs alternatives in 2026: 6 tools for AI search and SEO

Businesses look past Ahrefs when they want to get named in AI answers without paying for a full SEO suite. Amaware, an AI visibility tool, checks the prompts your buyers ask every day and writes the articles that get you named, from $97 a month. SE Ranking keeps SEO and AI tracking together, and HubSpot AEO starts at $50 a month, or $45 billed yearly, as of October 2026.

Why do businesses look past Ahrefs?

Ahrefs is known for backlinks and site data, and that is why teams keep it. The reasons to look elsewhere are the bill and the AI answers.

The AI answers are a separate job. That job is AI SEO, also called GEO (generative engine optimization) or AEO (answer engine optimization). It means getting ChatGPT, Gemini and Google's AI to name your business when buyers ask what to buy.

The work runs on prompts. A prompt is a question a buyer asks an AI engine. A dental practice, an online store, a law firm and a software company each have their own.

Ahrefs sells AI tracking through Brand Radar. As of October 2026, Custom Prompts start at $50 a month. The AI Visibility Index is $199 a month, and all models together are $699 a month.

As of October 2026, the Index includes 83 prompts a day plus 2,500 checks a month at $199, and each check beyond that costs $0.020.

Ahrefs says the Index is best once your brand already appears in AI search. It also says Custom Prompts work even if no one searches your brand name yet. If AI leaves you out today, that gap is where you start.

Amaware: get named in AI answers, with the articles written for you

Amaware is best for any business leaving Ahrefs to get named in AI answers, with the articles written for it. Amaware is our own product, so it leads our list.

We ask the prompts your buyers ask in three engines of your pick. You choose from ChatGPT, Gemini, Google AI Overviews, Google AI Mode, Perplexity and Claude. The first five run every day, and Claude runs once a week.

You see who gets named and which websites the answers cite. You can track up to 25 competitors per brand.

Every prompt that leaves you out becomes one thing to publish: a page, a video or a reply. Each one is ranked by what gets you seen fastest. We write the articles in your voice and track when AI cites each one.

You can connect Claude or ChatGPT over MCP, and your AI does the steps for you.

The plans are billed monthly, and you can cancel any time:

• Starter is $97 a month for 50 prompts and 4 articles a month that you publish yourself.
• Pro is $249 a month for 150 prompts and 12 articles, published to your WordPress, Webflow, HubSpot or Next.js site.
• Growth is $499 a month for 350 prompts and 45 articles, each approved by a person.

Every plan starts with 7 days free, with a card on file. BetterSocials went from 6 visitors from AI search in July 2026 to 237 in September 2026.

Amaware isn't a full SEO suite. It has no backlink index, no site audit crawler and no classic Google rank tracker. A business that needs those keeps its SEO tool beside us. We compare the two in Amaware vs Ahrefs: which one gets your brand named in AI answers?

SE Ranking: SEO and AI tracking on one bill

SE Ranking is best for teams that want backlinks, audits, rank tracking and AI prompt tracking in one tool. Per its pricing page, it sells two main plans, Core and Growth, each billed monthly or at a lower yearly rate. Growth adds more prompts and more manager seats than Core.

SE Ranking Core tracks 100 prompts daily across 5 LLMs, beside keyword tracking and 1 manager seat. Growth tracks 250 prompts daily with 3 manager seats. Both plans include backlink research, a website and on-page audit, and rank tracking across major search engines.

Each plan has a 14-day free trial with no credit card required. SE Ranking offers free migration with an annual subscription.

SE Ranking Core tracks 100 prompts daily, and Amaware Pro is $249 a month for 150. With Amaware, your money also buys 12 articles a month, written in your voice and published to your own site.

Semrush: an AI Visibility Toolkit for one domain

The Semrush AI Visibility Toolkit is best for Semrush users tracking a small prompt set for one domain. As of September 2026, it's $99 a month for 1 domain and 25 tracked prompts, with no free trial.

Semrush also runs a free AI Visibility Checker. You can use it three times a day without an account. You enter a domain, and it checks ChatGPT, Gemini, Google AI Overviews and Google AI Mode.

The checker shows an AI Visibility Score, brand mentions per platform and the pages that drive the most AI citations. It also lists topics and prompts where the brand appears.

At a matching price, Amaware Starter is $97 a month. That covers 50 prompts every day and 4 articles a month.

Otterly.AI: the lowest entry price for prompt tracking

Otterly.AI is best for a business that wants the cheapest start on prompt tracking. As of October 2026, Lite is $29 a month for 15 prompts, billed monthly. Standard is $189 a month for 100 prompts, and Premium is $489 a month for 400.

Billed yearly, as of September 2026, the three plans are $25, $160 and $422 a month.

Otterly.AI plans track ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Perplexity and Microsoft Copilot. Gemini and Google AI Mode are add-ons, from $9 to $149 a month by plan.

Otterly.AI is cheaper to start than Amaware. Amaware Starter is $97 a month for 50 prompts, and the extra money buys 4 written articles a month. At higher counts, Otterly.AI Standard is $189 for 100 prompts, and Amaware Pro is $249 for 150 prompts and 12 articles.

Peec AI: plans by project, with prices in your currency

Peec AI is best for marketing teams and agencies that run several projects. Peec AI plans match prompt counts with projects.

• Starter covers 50 prompts and 1 project.
• Pro covers 150 prompts and 2 projects.
• Advanced covers 350 prompts and 5 projects.

Each plan tracks 3 models. Enterprise is custom and billed annually.

Peec AI's pricing page shows the current price for each plan in your currency. Its site states 4.9/5 on G2.

Peec AI's prompt counts line up with Amaware's: 50 on Starter, 150 on Pro and 350 on Growth. At those counts, our plans include 4, 12 and 45 articles a month.

HubSpot AEO: AI tracking inside HubSpot

HubSpot AEO is best for businesses already running their marketing in HubSpot. As of October 2026, it's $50 a month, or $45 a month billed yearly, with 25 prompts included and more for sale.

HubSpot AEO tracks ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity. It turns visibility gaps into prioritized recommendations, such as a new blog post, an updated page or a LinkedIn post. A free trial tracks the same 25 prompts with no credit card. After the trial, tracking continues at $50 a month.

Each extra brand is another $50 a month.

HubSpot AEO is cheaper than Amaware at 25 prompts. Amaware Starter is $97 a month for 50 prompts, and the extra money buys 4 written articles a month. On Pro, we publish those articles straight to a HubSpot site.

How do the Ahrefs alternatives compare on price?

Ahrefs Brand Radar sits first in the table, since it's the tool you'd leave. Amaware follows, then the other alternatives in list order.

Prices below are as of September and October 2026, billed monthly.

Yearly billing lowers some of these. Otterly.AI Lite drops to $25 a month and HubSpot AEO to $45. For a closer look at budgets, read How much does an AI visibility tool cost for a small team?

Before you pay for any of them, check where you stand today. See what AI says about you, free, against your own brand.

FAQ

What is the best Ahrefs alternative for AI search?

Amaware is our pick when the goal is getting named in AI answers. It checks the prompts your buyers ask every day in three engines you pick and writes the articles that answer them, from $97 a month. Pick SE Ranking if you also need backlinks and rank tracking on one bill.

How much do Ahrefs alternatives cost?

Otterly.AI Lite is $29 a month, or $25 billed yearly, for 15 prompts. HubSpot AEO is $50 a month, or $45 billed yearly, for 25. Amaware Starter is $97 a month for 50, and Semrush's AI Visibility Toolkit is $99 a month for 25. SE Ranking Core covers 100 prompts, with a lower rate when billed yearly.

Can I move my data from Ahrefs to another tool?

SE Ranking offers free migration with an annual subscription. Amaware starts from the questions your buyers ask, discovered from your website, so there's no Ahrefs data to move. Your first answers come in after the first daily check.

What do I lose if I leave Ahrefs?

You lose the backlink index, site audit and Google rank tracking you use in Ahrefs. Amaware has none of those, so a business that needs them keeps an SEO suite. SE Ranking Core lists backlink research, a website audit and rank tracking beside 100 daily AI prompts.

Who should stay with Ahrefs?

Stay if your team lives in Ahrefs for backlinks and your brand already shows up in AI search. Ahrefs says its AI Visibility Index, built on hundreds of millions of real prompts, is best once a brand already appears there. Paid Ahrefs plans include 5 to 20 free AI prompts, depending on the plan.