Comparison
Best AEO tools in 2026: what to use to check, track and fix
Answer engine optimization tools do one of three jobs: check, track or fix. Here is what to use for each, what it costs, and the order to use them in.
The short answer
The best AEO tool depends on the job. To check for free, use an AI crawler checker and the HubSpot AEO Grader. To track, Otterly.AI starts at $29 a month, and Peec AI and Promptwatch at $95. To fix pages, look at Scrunch, Sixthshop or, for Shopify stores, Produkto. We make Produkto, so every fact about another tool comes from that tool's own website, checked on November 12, 2026.
01
AEO tools do one of three jobs
AEO stands for answer engine optimization: getting named when someone asks ChatGPT, Perplexity or Google's AI a question. Every tool sold for it does one of three things.
Check
A one-time look. Can AI read your site, and does it name you today? Usually free.
Track
The same questions asked on a schedule, so you can see change over time. Sold by the month.
Fix
Audits and rewrites of your pages, or drafts of new ones, for you to approve.
AEO, GEO, AI visibility
Three names for the same work. AEO is answer engine optimization, GEO is generative engine optimization, and AI visibility is what both are trying to raise. A tool sold under one name does the same job as a tool sold under another.
02
Free checks to start with
Start here before paying for anything. Each of these answers one question in a few minutes.
| Tool | The question it answers | Works for | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Produkto AI crawler checker | Are AI crawlers allowed to read my site? | Any website | Free, no sign-up |
| Produkto AI visibility checker | Does ChatGPT name my store when a shopper asks for what I sell? | Shopify stores | Free, result by email |
| Produkto product page checker | Can AI read the facts on this product page? | Shopify stores | Free, no sign-up |
| HubSpot AEO Grader | How do ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini describe my brand? | Any brand | Free, one-time |
| Asking by hand | What does AI say when I ask my customers' questions myself? | Anyone | Free, about an hour |
A free check is one look on one day. AI answers change with the wording and from one try to the next, so treat the result as a first reading.
03
Tools that track
A tracker asks your questions again and again and reports how often you're named. Prices are the lowest listed plan, checked on each tool's own website on November 12, 2026.
| Tool | Best for | Starting price |
|---|---|---|
| Otterly.AI | Solo marketers and small budgets | $29/mo |
| HubSpot AEO | Teams that want prompt tracking with recommendations | $50/mo |
| Peec AI | Marketing teams and agencies | $95/mo |
| Promptwatch | Teams that want AI crawler logs and traffic too | $95/mo |
| Semrush AI Visibility Toolkit | Teams already on Semrush | $99/mo |
| Produkto | Shopify stores that need every product tracked | $99/mo |
| Ahrefs Brand Radar | Teams already on Ahrefs | $199/mo |
| Scrunch | Brands that want tracking and site audits together | $250/mo |
| Profound | Large enterprise brands | Free trial, then custom |
Plans, prompt counts and who each one suits are in our full comparison of the best AI visibility tools.
04
Tools that help you fix
These go past measuring. They audit pages or draft changes. What each one does is taken from its own website.
Tracks your brand in AI answers and audits your site in the same tool.
- Best for
- Brands that want the audit and the tracking under one login.
An enterprise platform that lists AEO content tools next to its visibility tracking.
- Best for
- Large brands with a team to run the program.
Scans one product page at a time and returns a score with fixes for that page.
- Best for
- Stores fixing a handful of important product pages.
On the Growth plan, an agent drafts product page fixes from what your scans show: the details buyers ask about that your pages leave out. You review each draft before anything goes near your store.
- Best for
- Shopify brands that want the measuring and the page fixes in one place.
- Not for
- Sites that aren't Shopify stores.
What is not proven yet
We have found no public proof of which fixes reliably get a brand named more often, and that includes our own tool. Use a fixing tool with a tracker, change one thing at a time, and compare the same questions before and after.
05
A sensible order to use them in
Most teams buy a tracker first. Start with the free steps instead, and you'll know what you need to track.
Check that AI can read your site
If the crawlers are blocked, nothing else matters. This takes one minute with a crawler checker.
Ask your customers' questions by hand
Five questions in ChatGPT shows you who gets named today and which sites it leans on.
Track only when you're going to change something
A tracker earns its price when you have a before and an after to compare.
Fix one thing at a time
Change a page, wait, and read the same questions again. Otherwise you won't know what moved.
06
Frequently asked questions
What are the best AEO tools?
It depends on the job. To check for free, use an AI crawler checker and the HubSpot AEO Grader. To track, Otterly.AI starts at $29 a month and Peec AI and Promptwatch at $95. To fix pages, Scrunch audits sites and Sixthshop audits product pages. For Shopify stores, Produkto tracks every product and drafts product page fixes.
What is an AEO tool?
Software for answer engine optimization. It checks whether AI assistants such as ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google's AI features can read your site and whether they name you in their answers. Some also track that over time or suggest changes to your pages.
Are there free AEO tools?
Yes. HubSpot's AEO Grader gives a one-time report on how three AI assistants describe your brand. Produkto has three free checks: an AI crawler checker for any site, and an AI visibility checker and a product page checker for Shopify stores.
Is AEO different from GEO?
No. AEO (answer engine optimization) and GEO (generative engine optimization) describe the same work, and the tools are the same tools.
Do I still need an SEO tool?
Yes. An SEO tool tracks where your pages rank in search results. An AEO tool tracks whether AI names you in its answer. A page can rank well and still be left out of the answer, so they are measured separately.
Do AEO tools get me recommended?
They measure, audit and draft. Which changes reliably get a brand named more often is still an open question, so measure the same questions before and after anything you change.
Sources (checked November 12, 2026)
- HubSpot, AEO Grader and HubSpot AEO.
- Otterly.AI, pricing.
- Peec AI, pricing.
- Promptwatch, pricing.
- Semrush, AI Visibility Toolkit.
- Ahrefs, Brand Radar.
- Scrunch, pricing.
- Profound, pricing.
- Sixthshop, pricing.
- Produkto, pricing.
See which of your products AI recommends
Produkto measures your whole Shopify catalog in ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews and Perplexity, and shows who AI picks instead.