LLMrefs vs Otterly.AI vs Profound: An In-Depth 2026 Comparison of AI Visibility Tools

Overview

AI visibility monitoring is a new tool category that emerged in 2025, designed specifically to track how often and in what context a brand is mentioned across LLMs such as ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Claude. The three most mainstream tools on the market today are LLMrefs, Otterly.AI, and Profound.

Side-by-Side Comparison

Dimension LLMrefs Otterly.AI Profound
Pricing Free (basic) / from $49/mo From $99/mo From $299/mo
LLM platforms covered ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Copilot 6 major platforms + custom
Monitoring frequency Daily/weekly Real-time Real-time
Competitor comparison Limited on basic plan Full competitor tracking Full + industry benchmarks
Citation analysis Basic (present/absent) Sentiment analysis + context Deep semantic analysis
Historical data 30 days 90 days 365 days
Report export CSV CSV + PDF Complete report suite
Chinese support Partial Weak Weak
Best suited for Individuals / small sites SMBs / agencies Enterprises / large agencies

Detailed Review of Each Tool

LLMrefs The free plan tracks basic brand mentions, making it a good entry point for budget-conscious individual site owners who want to give it a try. The paid version greatly expands functionality, but the number of platforms covered still falls short of competitors.

Otterly.AI The most well-rounded mid-tier tool overall. It covers the major LLM platforms, and its sentiment analysis feature helps you understand how AI "rates" your brand rather than just whether it's "mentioned." It's the day-to-day monitoring tool most frequently recommended by agencies.

Profound An enterprise-grade product whose data depth and report quality far exceed those of its competitors, though the price barrier is high. It's well suited to large enterprises that have a dedicated GEO team and need to report AI visibility KPIs to their board.

Use-Case Recommendations

Final Recommendation

For 90% of users, Otterly.AI is the best balance point. SMBs and SEO agencies can't go wrong with it. Individual bloggers should start with the free LLMrefs version and upgrade as their needs grow.

🔗 Tool access: Visit our "AI Visibility Tracking Tools Collection" page to get direct links and discount information for all the tools above.