Best free SEO tool, according to ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and Perplexity
We asked four major AI models a single buyer-style question and recorded what they named. This page shows the verbatim brand short lists each model returned, plus where the models agreed and what they cited.
ChatGPT
Gemini
ClaudeThe question we asked
“What are the best free SEO tools?”
At a glance
Distinct brands named
18
Across 4 of 4 models
Cited by all four models
1
True cross-model consensus
Named by only one model
14
78% of recommendations are model-specific
Total citations
37
Source URLs returned by all models combined
Brand by model coverage
Every brand named by at least one model, with the position each model gave it. First-place positions matter most: they carry disproportionate weight in how readers remember and quote AI recommendations.
| Brand | ChatGPT | Gemini | Claude | Perplexity | Models |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Search Console | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4/4 |
| Ahrefs Webmaster Tools | 2 | · | · | 4 | 2/4 |
| Semrush | · | · | 2 | 3 | 2/4 |
| Google Keyword Planner | · | 3 | 3 | · | 2/4 |
| Google Analytics 4 | · | 2 | · | · | 1/4 |
| Google Analytics | · | · | · | 2 | 1/4 |
| Screaming Frog SEO Spider | 3 | · | · | · | 1/4 |
| Google PageSpeed Insights | 4 | · | · | · | 1/4 |
| Ahrefs (Free Tools/Webmaster Tools) | · | 4 | · | · | 1/4 |
| Answer The Public | · | · | 4 | · | 1/4 |
| Moz (MozBar) | 5 | · | · | · | 1/4 |
| SEMrush (Free Tier) | · | 5 | · | · | 1/4 |
| Screaming Frog | · | · | 5 | · | 1/4 |
| Ubersuggest | · | · | · | 5 | 1/4 |
| SEMrush (SEOquake) | 6 | · | · | · | 1/4 |
| Screaming Frog SEO Spider (Free Version) | · | 6 | · | · | 1/4 |
| Google Trends | · | · | 6 | · | 1/4 |
| MozBar | · | · | · | 6 | 1/4 |
What each AI model named
ChatGPT
- 1Google Search Console
- 2Ahrefs Webmaster Tools
- 3Screaming Frog SEO Spider
- 4Google PageSpeed Insights
- 5Moz (MozBar)
- 6SEMrush (SEOquake)
I ranked tools that together cover the core free SEO needs: Google Search Console for search/index data; Ahrefs Webmaster Tools for free site audit and backlinks (site-verified); Screaming Frog for technical crawling (500-URL free limit); PageSpeed Insights for Core Web Vitals; MozBar for quick on-page/authority metrics; and SEOquake for SERP overlays and fast audits.
Gemini
- 1Google Search Console
- 2Google Analytics 4
- 3Google Keyword Planner
- 4Ahrefs (Free Tools/Webmaster Tools)
- 5SEMrush (Free Tier)
- 6Screaming Frog SEO Spider (Free Version)
These brands offer essential free SEO tools, starting with Google's foundational platforms for site performance, analytics, and keyword research. Ahrefs and SEMrush provide valuable insights even with their free limitations, particularly for backlinks and competitive analysis. Screaming Frog is excellent for technical site audits, making this a well-rounded list for any SEO professional.
Claude
- 1Google Search Console
- 2Semrush
- 3Google Keyword Planner
- 4Answer The Public
- 5Screaming Frog
- 6Google Trends
Google Search Console is essential for monitoring website performance and indexing issues. Semrush's free tier offers solid keyword research and competitor analysis. Google Keyword Planner provides foundational keyword data, while Answer The Public visualizes search questions. Screaming Frog excels at technical SEO audits. Google Trends tracks search patterns over time. These tools form a comprehensive free foundation for SEO work.
Perplexity
- 1Google Search Console
- 2Google Analytics
- 3Semrush
- 4Ahrefs Webmaster Tools
- 5Ubersuggest
- 6MozBar
Google Search Console and Analytics are top recommendations as they provide essential, completely free first-party data. Semrush and Ahrefs offer powerful limited free tiers for deep analysis. Ubersuggest and MozBar are strong budget-friendly alternatives for keyword tracking and on-page checks, making them ideal for beginners.
Where the models agreed
4 brands were named by more than one model. AI models diverge often; cross-model agreement is a stronger signal than a single mention.
| Brand | Models that named it | Best position |
|---|---|---|
| Google Search Console | ChatGPT (#1), Gemini (#1), Claude (#1), Perplexity (#1) | #1 |
| Ahrefs Webmaster Tools | ChatGPT (#2), Perplexity (#4) | #2 |
| Semrush | Claude (#2), Perplexity (#3) | #2 |
| Google Keyword Planner | Gemini (#3), Claude (#3) | #3 |
What this snapshot suggests
For the question "What are the best free SEO tools?", the 4 models reporting collectively named 18 distinct brands on July 9, 2026.
Each model led with a different recommendation in many cases. ChatGPT opened with Google Search Console. Gemini opened with Google Search Console. Claude opened with Google Search Console. Perplexity opened with Google Search Console. The brand a model names first carries disproportionate weight, because first-place recommendations are the most likely to be remembered by readers and quoted by downstream AI agents.
Treat this as a snapshot, not a definitive ranking. AI Overview content changes 70 percent of the time for the same query, and SparkToro found less than a 1-in-100 chance that two identical queries return the same brand list. The pattern across many runs is more informative than any single result. That is why Honeyb runs measurements daily, across a full prompt set rather than a single question, for the brands we monitor.
If your brand appears here, the recommendation work is paying off. If it does not, the gap is measurable and improvable. The pillars of getting recommended by AI are documented in our guide to generative engine optimization.
Source domains AI cited
Most-cited domains across the four models. Stacked segments show which engine drove each citation. Perplexity and Claude expose citations consistently; ChatGPT and Gemini do so inconsistently, so absence does not mean a model used no source.
Full citation list
- https://search.google.com/search-console/about
- https://ahrefs.com/webmaster-tools
- https://www.screamingfrog.co.uk/seo-spider/
- https://pagespeed.web.dev/
- https://moz.com/products/pro/seo-toolbar
- https://www.seoquake.com/
- https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/robots-testing-tool
- https://ahrefs.com/signup?plan=awt&return=homepage
- https://www.screamingfrog.co.uk/seo-spider/user-guide/general/
- https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/mozbar/eakacpaijcpapndcfffdgphdiccmpknp
- https://search.google.com/test/rich-results
- https://guideblogging.com/ahrefs-free-trial/
- https://vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect/AUZIYQHG5VI-RSGO_eGn0hwnqYoadjGVj06t2WCDOzvgFvKjRTHxE7b57kiJ664Qx7Qc78ElExjKXq2BiQ32wCjMqhXNXXM1ub6azK51OtYOlS1mFOD5S39FCA4yeFPaFbtoz-cscwWP9CCs8_O4J9pT_SCfba4dds0kSF7izfxBKnxwRn_mmy3F7XyN7A==
- https://vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect/AUZIYQEmFiNZ-btICFWPo0D2YWerPGbzoprM00jM7u99kcDW9GUmVnGY_-K7vz7Ro1220Ap289w9Tc3Dqy9TXAFKZJqtxPPUPeP3DHPRZIUhK0I6vzqW4I0x28WVunKjrGVMlDqlPJdqzVg-kiZzeWluGPy6fA==
- https://vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect/AUZIYQHPWp-dNqWQCB9DMEApKSI1F7sgBenIaqaIjOTP7Xxax86lnlA0l3OLDFBpdeCFhnlJqY_fyJ7zRq0sfa6E-7950Sh-Y7vrGH3WS7Q8sLljopVXDHKfWsrkCEwisB9glb_drg==
- https://vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect/AUZIYQGVNYNb81_fcK9MFdWbxMSDplkpDY0ItWeIWlbrD26sLvpAOE8bXEVuvJMFhUqFOXC7Nro72I01rL6McLG2pHeszL2FjAY0Tq8kBzUonUHtJe81huXcgNkrd5H0z7tdX3WE6PyDk6TgCA==
- https://vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect/AUZIYQF4iluHMARmiRcZC1X56tL7Q1uzpgD-w2ZEodYPHVWMNbxWy_yO-8c5ZoF_VLbvMYVCsyBsI8XO6YFjUlqBrFvaCjnb8TL4q88eNPPS82uLGiFnaJ3HxeUzthzx_8j7416olVGcg74fbAvGbBI=
- https://vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect/AUZIYQFk327gnlHV3H37YllsST-Ig1JC2N7bFsBevJhDxUM861ztKBAybblwoPiTAyqLSLk7_SGMc2V-euYkQeC_AEOErQowW_h12etLFKMca4l3VxdlgX9gMOmH8HX21muzzgmY-UqJA7_SqZrk
- https://vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect/AUZIYQHlCtBHBobctyrI5hlx0LyAWaYlGTH7WICznVC9CZ7A6qXqr8ruilO96yJfMY_PBpTvsc7xqAavHKUoCiXT-MM8kIziJPNrOEXE7R-qnZhkZKUI-UmOFawg9F9e
- https://www.marketermilk.com/blog/best-seo-tools
- https://learn.g2.com/best-free-seo-tools
- https://nightwatch.io/blog/best-free-seo-tools/
- https://thecmo.com/tools/free-seo-tools/
- https://www.cmswire.com/digital-marketing/10-best-free-seo-tools-for-marketers/
- https://www.eesel.ai/blog/free-seo-ai-tools
- https://morningscore.io/best-seo-tools/
- https://www.webfx.com/blog/marketing/best-seo-tools/
- https://www.resultfirst.com/blog/seo-basics/free-seo-tools/
- https://backlinko.com/best-free-seo-tools
- https://seranking.com/free-tools.html
- https://www.reddit.com/r/SEO/comments/1705q7j/what_are_some_free_seo_tools_actually_free_that/
- https://hivecreatives.se/best-free-seo-tools/
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOLpViuXh5U
- https://ahrefs.com/free-seo-tools
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