The 5 best AI mode SEO analysis tools in 2026: A hands-on review

If you work in SEO, you’ve seen the shift. Google’s AI Overviews and answer engines like ChatGPT are changing how people find information. It's not just about ranking #1 anymore; it's about getting cited directly in the AI-generated answer. The big question is, how do you even know if you're showing up?

I read a 2026 Princeton research paper on GEO that shows simple content edits, like adding quotes from experts, clear statistics, and improving readability, can significantly boost your visibility in AI-generated search results (e.g., Google SGE, Bing Copilot, Perplexity).

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Traditional SEO tools weren't built for this new world of "Generative Engine Optimization" (GEO). To figure out what actually works, I got my hands dirty and tested the leading AI mode SEO analysis tools on the market. This guide breaks down the top 5 platforms for 2026, so you can see which ones give you the insights you need.

Just remember, tracking your visibility is only half the job. To get cited by AI, you need a consistent flow of high-quality, AEO-optimized content. That’s why a tool like the eesel AI blog writer is the foundation for any modern SEO strategy, helping you turn your analysis directly into action.

Understanding AI mode SEO analysis tools

AI mode SEO analysis tools are a new breed of software built to track a brand's visibility inside large language models (LLMs) and AI-powered search results. Unlike old-school SEO tools that just track keyword rankings on a list of blue links, these platforms focus on Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) and Answer Engine Optimization (AEO). To better understand the distinction, this infographic breaks down the key differences between traditional and AI-centric analysis.

Their main job is to tell you how often and in what context your brand gets mentioned or cited as a source in answers from platforms like Google's AI Overviews, ChatGPT, and Perplexity. They measure things like share of voice, where citations come from, and how you stack up against competitors in these conversational interfaces. Basically, they help you see and improve your presence in a world where the search engine gives the answer itself instead of just pointing to your website.

How we picked and tested AI mode SEO analysis tools

To cut through the marketing fluff, we evaluated each platform using a consistent set of criteria that actually matter for any team taking AI search visibility seriously. We focused on how they work in the real world, not just on their feature lists.

I’ve been experimenting a bit with GEO tools, and my take is that they’re still *quite experimental. Tools like Brightdata and MentionStack can give useful insights, but their long-term reliability is tricky because Google and other LLM-driven engines change frequently. For me, they work best as supplemental monitoring* rather than a replacement for traditional SEO, helping spot AI visibility gaps and mentions that could influence rankings.

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Our criteria included:

• Platform coverage: Does the tool track visibility across the big players, including Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini?

• Data freshness and accuracy: How often is the data updated? We looked for platforms with daily or weekly updates to keep up with the fast-moving AI landscape.

• Actionable insights: Does the tool do more than just count mentions? We wanted features like competitor intelligence, citation analysis, and sentiment tracking.

• Value for money: We weighed the price against the features to see which tools offer the best return for different types of businesses.

A comparison of the AI mode SEO analysis tools tested

Here's a quick look at the top platforms we tested. Each one has a unique approach, so there’s something for different needs and budgets. Whether you're a large enterprise with complex compliance needs or a small agency looking for an affordable way in, there’s a solution here for you.

A closer look at five AI mode SEO analysis tools

Let's dig into what makes each of these tools stand out.

1. SE Ranking

SE Ranking has done a great job evolving from a traditional SEO platform into a suite that fully embraces AI search. It strikes a good balance between solid features, daily data updates, and affordability, making it a strong contender for SMBs and agencies that want an all-in-one solution.

Key features & use case: SE Ranking’s AI Visibility Tracker keeps an eye on brand mentions and links in Google AI Overviews, AI Mode, ChatGPT, and Gemini. You can track prompt performance, analyze competitor visibility, and see the full AI responses to understand how your brand is being positioned. It's perfect for teams that want to manage both traditional SEO and GEO in a single workflow without juggling multiple tools.

Pros and cons: The platform's biggest plus is how smoothly it integrates AI tracking into a familiar SEO process. Its AI Search Toolkit is thorough and offers daily data refreshes. The catch is that to unlock the full suite of AI competitor research across all platforms, you need the AI Search add-on, which costs extra.

Pricing:

• Essential: Starts at $52/month and includes basic AI Results Tracking for Google AIO, AI Mode, and ChatGPT.

• Pro: Starts at $95.20/month with higher limits.

• AI Search Add-on: Starts at an additional $71.20/month for full competitor research across AI engines and more prompts.

2. Semrush

For the millions of marketers already living in Semrush, its AI Visibility Toolkit is a logical and powerful extension. It lets teams track brand visibility, analyze audience sentiment, and spot opportunities across major AI platforms without ever leaving their main marketing hub.

Key features & use case: The toolkit tracks your presence in ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, Gemini, and Perplexity. It gives you an "AI Visibility Score" to benchmark against competitors, helps with prompt research to find new topics, and includes an AI Search Site Audit to find technical issues. This is ideal for teams deeply invested in the Semrush ecosystem who want a single source for all their search data.

Pros and cons: The main benefit here is convenience. Adding AI visibility data to your existing Semrush reports gives you a complete picture of your search performance. However, the toolkit is a separate add-on, which is an additional cost to the subscription. At $99/month per domain, it can get expensive if you're tracking multiple projects. Data freshness also varies, with prompt tracking updated daily but overview data only updated monthly.

Pricing:

• Requires a core Semrush plan (Semrush One Starter is $165.17/month).

• AI Visibility Toolkit Add-on: $99/month per domain.

3. Scrunch AI

Scrunch AI is built from the ground up for large companies that need tight control, governance, and security. It offers the widest platform coverage and is designed for teams in regulated industries or those managing multiple brands at scale.

Key features & use case: Scrunch AI tracks visibility across a long list of platforms, including ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Gemini, Google AI Overviews, Google AI Mode, and Meta AI. Its real differentiator is its enterprise-readiness; it's SOC 2 Type II compliant and offers features like role-based access control (RBAC) and a Data API. This makes it a good fit for large organizations with strict security and compliance rules.

Pros and cons: For large organizations, its enterprise-grade features and broad platform coverage are hard to beat. The focus on security and multi-brand management is a clear advantage. However, a third-party review mentioned that its actionable insights are still a bit limited, with the "Insights" feature marked as beta. This makes it more of a monitoring tool than a complete optimization engine for now.

Pricing:

• Standard Plan: Starts at $250/month for 350 prompts.

• Enterprise: Custom pricing based on your needs.

4. Otterly AI

Otterly AI has found its niche by integrating directly with Semrush. It provides a dedicated GEO Audit tool right inside the Semrush App Center, giving existing users an easy way to start tracking their AI visibility.

Key features & use case: The app tracks brand mentions, sentiment, and link citations across Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT, and Perplexity. It’s mainly for Semrush users who want to dip their toes into AI search monitoring without paying for Semrush's more expensive native add-on. It provides weekly tracking updates and a way to view which URLs are cited in AI answers.

Pros and cons: The biggest advantages are its low price and seamless integration. For just $27/month, Semrush users can get AI visibility tracking without changing their workflow. The main drawback is its weekly data refresh cycle, which might be too slow for teams that need faster feedback on their optimization efforts.

Pricing:

• Starts at $27/month via Semrush for 10 keywords.

• Standalone plans start at $29/month for 10 prompts.

5. Rankscale

Rankscale stands out with its flexible and very affordable credit-based pricing. It's built for data-driven analysts, consultants, and small teams who want to experiment with GEO without a big upfront investment.

Key features & use case: Rankscale covers over 10 AI engines, including ChatGPT, AI Overviews, Perplexity, Claude, Gemini, DeepSeek, Mistral, Grok, and Copilot. It offers deep citation and sentiment analysis, competitor benchmarking, and website audits to check AI readiness. The credit system lets you run prompts whenever you want, from hourly to weekly, making it great for custom analysis or keeping a close eye on important queries.

Pros and cons: The pay-as-you-go model is a huge plus, letting you scale your usage as you need. The platform provides detailed data that technical SEOs will appreciate. The main trade-off, as noted in a third-party review, is that it only shows you the output of AI engines, not the "input side" or crawler behavior. This can make it tricky to figure out why your visibility changes.

Pricing:

• Essentials: Starts at $20/month for 120 credits, which covers up to 480 AI responses.

• Larger credit packages are available for pro and enterprise users.

From analysis to action

Analysis tools are essential for understanding where you stand. However, improving your visibility requires acting on that data by creating high-quality content that AI engines will cite. Scaling this content creation is a common challenge for SEO teams.

This is where the eesel AI blog writer fits in. It's an AI content generation platform designed for the AEO era. Instead of spitting out a rough draft that needs hours of editing, it takes a single keyword and produces a complete, publish-ready, SEO-optimized blog post in minutes.

What makes it different is its focus on creating content that both people and AI will appreciate. Each article includes:

• Automatic assets: AI-generated images, infographics, and tables to add visual context.

• Social proof: Relevant YouTube videos and real quotes from Reddit discussions to build credibility.

• AEO optimization: Structured to answer questions directly, making it easy for AI to pull information and cite it.

We used this exact tool to take our own blog from 700 to 750,000 daily impressions in just three months. Analysis gives you the map, but the eesel AI blog writer is the engine that gets you where you need to go. Best of all, it's completely free to try.

How to choose the right AI mode SEO analysis tool

With so many options, picking the right platform comes down to your specific situation. Here are a few things to think about:

1. Start with your budget. Your financial limits will immediately narrow the choices. If you're just getting started, a low-cost, flexible tool like Rankscale is a smart pick. If you have a larger budget and need an all-in-one system, the extensive features of SE Ranking are worth a look.

2. Look at your current tech stack. If your team already works inside a platform like Semrush, using an integrated app like Otterly AI is often the easiest path. It reduces the learning curve and keeps your data in one place.

3. Define your goals. Are you focused on brand reputation in a regulated industry? Scrunch AI's compliance features are essential. Are you an agency that needs one tool to manage both SEO and GEO for multiple clients? SE Ranking's integrated suite is a great fit. Match the tool's strengths to what you're trying to achieve.

For a deeper dive into the leading platforms, this video offers a helpful overview of the top AI visibility tools currently available.

A video review of the top 5 best AI mode SEO analysis tools for tracking visibility in AI-powered search.

Final thoughts on AI mode SEO analysis

The rise of AI-powered search isn't some far-off trend, it's here now. Not tracking your visibility in AI Overviews and other answer engines is no longer an option. The tools in this guide provide the insights you need to compete in this new environment.

But a solid GEO strategy has two parts. First, use an analysis tool like SE Ranking or Rankscale to understand your performance and find opportunities. Second, act on those insights by creating a steady stream of AEO-optimized content.

That’s where a tool like the eesel AI blog writer can help. It connects analysis with execution, letting you scale up the exact type of content that gets cited by AI. Generate your first blog for free and see for yourself how easy it is to create content that wins in the age of AI.