New: SEO & AEO scanning — see how Google ranks you and how ChatGPT, Claude & Perplexity cite youSee how it works
AEO tools split into two jobs: testing whether AI engines CAN read and cite your site, and tracking whether they DO mention you. CheckVibe (from $0) is the readability tester built for vibe-coded apps — 46 AEO checks with a 7-engine matrix. Otterly ($29/mo) and Knowatoa ($59/mo) are the affordable mention trackers.
TL;DR
Answer Engine Optimization for a vibe-coded app starts with an unglamorous question: when GPTBot or ClaudeBot fetches your site, does it get content or an empty React shell? Most AI-built apps fail that test before any "brand mention tracking" could matter. So this list is organized by job: first the tool that tests machine readability (the prerequisite), then the trackers that monitor your presence in AI answers, ordered by what an indie developer can actually afford.
The "can AI engines read you?" tester — and the only tool on this list built for vibe-coded apps. 46 AEO checks: AI-crawler access (GPTBot, ClaudeBot, PerplexityBot…), JavaScript-free machine readability, llms.txt, answer-ready content structure, schema depth, entity grounding — scored per engine across ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Google AI, Copilot, Meta AI, and Mistral. Plus 68 SEO checks and 100+ security checks in the same scan.
Best for: Testing AI readability of a vibe-coded app (the prerequisite)
A free snapshot of how ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini characterize your brand — sentiment, presence quality, share of voice. One-shot rather than continuous, which makes it the perfect zero-cost first look at the "what do they say?" side.
Best for: Free first snapshot of your AI-answer presence
The cheapest real continuous tracker: monitors your chosen prompts across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, and more, showing when your brand and links appear. The natural step after your site passes the readability test.
Best for: Affordable continuous AI-mention tracking
An "AI Search Console" tracking rankings and citations across 7 engines including Claude and Meta AI, with content-gap analysis and weekly reports. Solo-friendly positioning and a free audit to start.
Best for: Multi-engine rank tracking for small teams
The analytics-depth pick under ~$100: visibility, position, sentiment, and citation-source analysis across ChatGPT, AI Overviews/AI Mode, Copilot, Perplexity, and Gemini. Unlimited seats even on the starter tier.
Best for: Deeper AI-visibility analytics on a budget
AI Visibility Score, share of voice, sentiment, and 25 tracked prompts — plus a technical site audit for AI-crawler accessibility (the closest overlap with CheckVibe's job on this list). The pick if you already live in Semrush.
Best for: Teams already on Semrush
The enterprise reference for answer-engine insights: prompt volumes, citation analytics, and AI-crawler traffic attribution across up to 10 engines on enterprise plans. The $99 starter is ChatGPT-only — budget $399+ for the real product.
Best for: Enterprise-grade answer-engine analytics
A GEO command center: monitoring across 8+ LLMs plus action tooling — managed robots.txt and llms.txt, citation intelligence, GA4/GSC integration. The "when you graduate" pick once AI search drives real revenue.
Best for: Full GEO operations for growing companies
Start with the free scan.
100+ security checks, 68 SEO checks, 46 AEO checks — one URL, about 30 seconds.
Run a free CheckVibe scanTwo different jobs travel under the name. Readability testers (CheckVibe) verify AI engines can crawl, parse, and extract answers from your site — crawler permissions, JavaScript-free rendering, llms.txt, schema. Mention trackers (Otterly, Peec, Profound) run prompts against AI engines and report whether your brand gets named or cited. You need the first to have any chance at the second.
Because most ship as client-rendered SPAs. AI crawlers don't execute JavaScript at scale, so a Lovable or Bolt app typically serves them an empty HTML shell — invisible regardless of content quality. The readability test catches this; a mention tracker would just report zeros without telling you why.
Free tier: CheckVibe's free scan (can engines read you?) plus HubSpot's free AEO Grader (what do they currently say?). First paid step: fix what the readability scan found, then add Otterly at $29/mo for continuous mention tracking. Total: $29/mo — or $53 with CheckVibe Starter for ongoing re-scans.
Eventually, yes — they answer different questions. But sequence matters: readability first. Tracking mentions of a site AI engines can't read just measures a flat zero. Once the scan shows engines can read and extract your content, tracking tells you whether the market is responding.
No. GSC covers classic Google Search (and some AI Overviews impressions are folded into totals without being broken out). None of ChatGPT, Claude, or Perplexity offer a publisher console as of June 2026 — which is exactly the gap these tools fill.
Pricing and feature claims verified against these pages on June 12, 2026.
