A brand mention is the simplest signal in AI search: did the model name you at all. It is also the one most brands are failing, often without knowing. This guide compares the nine best brand mention tracking tools for 2026, with a focus on how many engines each covers and whether it reaches beyond AI into the wider web. Honeyb, first on the list, is our own tool, so weigh the rest on their merits.
Why mentions are the signal to start with
You can be part of the raw material for an AI answer and still be invisible in it. Semrush found 62 per cent of AI citations never surface the brand behind them, so a model can lean on a source about you and still not say your name. Mention tracking catches that gap across every engine, which is why it is the first thing to measure.
Share of answers citing the domain
Share of AI answers citing each domain
| Item | Share of answers citing the domain |
|---|---|
| 40.1% | |
| Wikipedia | 26.3% |
| YouTube | 23.5% |
The mentions themselves are shaped off your own site. AI visibility correlates most with third-party mentions and video (Ahrefs), and community sources dominate the citations, so tracking has to watch the wider web, not just your rankings.
How we compared them
We weighted how many AI engines each tool tracks and whether it also reaches beyond AI into web and social mentions, alongside price for who each tool serves.
| Tool | Best for | AI engines tracked | Beyond-AI coverage | Starting price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Honeyb | Growing brands | Up to eight engines | AI-focused | Free check |
| Profound | Enterprise | Major engines | AI-focused | Pricing on request |
| Peec AI | Multilingual mid-market | Major engines | AI-focused | $95/mo |
| Otterly AI | SMBs | ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Copilot | AI-focused | $29/mo |
| AthenaHQ | Teams and agencies | Major engines | AI-focused | $295/mo |
| Semrush AI Visibility | Existing Semrush users | Major engines | Yes, full SEO suite | $199/mo (SEO + AI Search Starter) |
| Ahrefs Brand Radar | Existing Ahrefs users | AI answers | Yes, web and YouTube | Ahrefs plans |
| SE Ranking | SEO teams | AI Overviews, AI Mode, ChatGPT, Gemini | Yes, SEO suite | $129/mo (Core) |
| Scrunch AI | AEO-focused teams | Major engines | AI-focused | $250/mo |
The 9 best brand mention tracking tools
1. Honeyb
Honeyb tracks brand mentions across ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and Perplexity daily, showing mentions, share of voice and the sources behind them, with recommendations to close the gaps. Start with a free check. This is our own tool.
2. Profound
Profound tracks mentions across the major engines with enterprise-grade analytics, built for large brands. It publishes no price: a free trial, then custom Enterprise terms. See Honeyb vs Profound.
3. Peec AI
Peec AI tracks mentions across the major engines with strong multilingual coverage, a fit for mid-market brands operating across languages, from $95 a month.
4. Otterly AI
Otterly AI tracks mentions across ChatGPT, Perplexity, AI Overviews and Copilot from $29 a month, with Gemini, AI Mode and Claude sold as add-ons. It is the affordable entry point.
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5. AthenaHQ
AthenaHQ tracks mentions inside generative engine optimisation workflows for teams, from around $295 a month.
6. Semrush AI Visibility
Semrush's AI Visibility toolkit tracks AI mentions alongside the web, ranking and backlink data in its full suite, so mentions across AI and traditional search live in one place. A fit for existing Semrush users.
7. Ahrefs Brand Radar
Ahrefs Brand Radar tracks mentions across AI answers, YouTube and Reddit, combining them with the web-mention data Ahrefs is built on. It is included in Ahrefs plans.
8. SE Ranking
SE Ranking tracks mentions across Google AI Overviews, AI Mode, ChatGPT and Gemini as part of its SEO suite, from $129 a month on its Core plan, which tracks 100 prompts daily. It fits SEO teams already using it.
9. Scrunch AI
Scrunch tracks mentions with an answer-engine optimisation focus, aimed at teams whose priority is shaping the answer rather than just watching it. Its Core plan is $250 a month for 125 prompts on four engines.
How to choose
If you want the widest engine coverage cheaply, Otterly. If you want AI mentions in the same place as your web and SEO data, Semrush, Ahrefs or SE Ranking, which reach beyond AI. If you need enterprise depth, Profound. And if you want daily mention tracking across up to eight engines with share of voice, sources and recommendations, that is where Honeyb fits.
The caveat that applies to all of them
AI answers are volatile. SparkToro found under a 1-in-100 chance that two identical queries return the same brand list. Track mentions as a trend across a fixed prompt set, not a single reading.
See where you are mentioned today with a free AI visibility check, and the related lists in the 9 best AI brand monitoring tools and the 8 best AI visibility tools.
