A GEO tracker is one of the digital marketing tools that measures whether ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity or Google’s AI features mention or cite your brand when someone asks a question in your industry. Free options are good for a one-time snapshot (a photo of the moment). Paid ones offer continuous tracking (history, competitors and your own prompts). If you are starting out, the sensible move is to use the free ones plus a manual check, and pay only when you need to see trends.

If you are not yet clear on what to optimize, read what GEO and AEO are first. This guide covers the next step: how to measure the result. Data verified on each tool’s official pages on October 26, 2026; prices in US dollars and subject to change.

What does a GEO tracker measure?

This kind of digital marketing software queries AI platforms with questions relevant to your business and records:

  • Mentions: whether your brand appears in the answer.
  • Citations: whether your website appears as a linked source.
  • Share of voice: what share of answers include you versus your competitors.
  • Sentiment: how your brand is described.

It is the measurement that completes your work on AI in digital marketing and on SEO adapted to AI search.

The key difference: photo vs. movie

Aspect Free Paid
What you get A snapshot of the moment Weekly or daily tracking
History and trends No Yes
Your own prompts Usually not Yes (capped by plan)
Competitor comparison Limited or basic Full
Cost $0 From about $25 to hundreds of dollars per month
Best for Initial diagnosis and deciding if investing is worth it Brands and agencies managing visibility continuously

Verified free tools

These three have a free tool you can use today. Limits come from their own pages.

Tool What it does for free Platforms checked Limits and caveats
HubSpot AI Search Grader Scores your brand out of 100 across five dimensions (sentiment, presence quality, brand recognition, share of voice and market competition) ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini One-time check. Based on the AIs’ training data, so it may not reflect recent information. No account, but you must complete a form to see the full report. Ongoing monitoring is a separate product, HubSpot AEO, listed at $50 per month on its page
Ahrefs AI Visibility Checker Snapshot of brand visibility in AI answers ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Copilot, Google AI Overviews and Google AI Mode No signup or card. Shows a limited preview (top 5 results per section). History, share of voice, benchmarking and custom prompts require Brand Radar, from $199 per month (selected platforms)
Semrush AI Search Visibility Checker 0 to 100 visibility score, mentions, citations and competitor comparison from your domain ChatGPT, Gemini, Google AI Mode and Google AI Overviews Up to three checks per day without registering. Deeper analysis requires the paid AI Visibility Toolkit

Free trials (not free plans)

These tools have no free plan, only a time-limited trial. The distinction matters because many lists present them as “free.”

Tool Trial Reference price (paid) Platforms
Semrush AI Visibility Toolkit 7 days, cancel anytime Not shown on the free checker page; see its pricing page ChatGPT, Gemini, AI Mode, AI Overviews
SE Visible (SE Ranking) 10 days Basic from $99 per month (200 prompts), Core $189 (450 prompts), Plus $355 (1,000 prompts) ChatGPT, Gemini, AI Mode and AI Overviews
OtterlyAI Free trial; its pricing page does not state the length Lite from $29 per month (15 prompts), Standard $189 (100), Premium $489 (400). The page shows two price lists (for example, $25 for Lite), so confirm live ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Perplexity and Microsoft Copilot (Claude, AI Mode and Gemini as paid add-ons)

 

Which do you need? Quick guide by situation

Your situation What fits you
You want to know if ChatGPT or Gemini know your brand HubSpot AI Search Grader (one time)
You want to see how many AI platforms mention you Ahrefs or Semrush, free version
You want to compare against a specific competitor Semrush free for a first look; then a trial of SE Visible or Otterly
You have limited resources and need trends Monthly manual check of 10 questions in a spreadsheet
You manage several brands or clients A paid plan with your own prompts, history and reports
You need to show results to a client or boss Paid: history is what turns measurement into an argument

How to get the most out of free tools

  1. Pick 10 key questions in your industry. The same ones a customer would ask before buying.
  2. Combine two free tools. Each queries different platforms with different methods.
  3. Repeat and compare. AI answers can vary between queries; look at the trend across several measurements, not a single result.
  4. Log everything in a spreadsheet. Date, tool, question, whether your brand appeared and which source it cited.
  5. Decide with data when to pay. If you already track manually every month and it is hard to keep up, that is the signal that automating pays off. It is the same measure-and-adjust loop as your growth marketing strategy.

Common mistakes when measuring AI visibility

  • Confusing a trial with a free plan. A trial ends; a free plan does not.
  • Measuring once. A snapshot does not show whether you are improving or getting worse.
  • Choosing by price without checking platforms. A cheap tool that does not cover the AI your customer uses is no help.
  • Ignoring citations. Being mentioned is good; being linked is what brings traffic.
  • Obsessing over the score. It is a reference; what matters is the trend and what you do with it.

Frequently asked questions

What is a GEO tracker?

It is a tool that queries AI platforms (such as ChatGPT, Gemini or Perplexity) and records whether they mention or cite your brand in their answers.

Are there truly free GEO trackers?

Yes, but most are one-time checkers: HubSpot AI Search Grader, Ahrefs AI Visibility Checker and Semrush AI Search Visibility Checker. For continuous tracking you almost always have to pay or use a trial.

How much does a paid GEO tracker cost?

According to the official pages consulted, from about $29 per month (Otterly Lite, 15 prompts) to hundreds of dollars per month, depending on prompts and platforms.

Do I need a GEO tracker for a small business?

Not right away. A monthly manual check of 10 questions and a free tool are usually enough at first.

How often should I measure?

Monthly is a good starting point. If you make major changes to your content, measure before and again 4 to 8 weeks later.

Are the results the same across tools?

No. Each queries different platforms with different methods, and AI answers vary. Use two tools and compare trends.

Conclusion

To measure your brand in AI, start free: a one-time checker, ten manual questions and a spreadsheet. Pay when you need history, competitors and your own prompts, and always check on the official page whether what is offered is a free plan or just a trial. Measure today, adjust your content and measure again in a month.

Sources

Official pages (consulted October 26, 2026):

Third-party sources (verify before relying on them):

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