CitedOrNot vs AthenaHQAll 7 engines from $79 a month, not $295.
AthenaHQ has a free tier with $25 of credit, then a $295/month Starter plan covering 11+ AI engines on a credit system. CitedOrNot starts at $29/month with plain limits, questions and brands, and Pro tracks ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Claude, Grok, Google AI Overviews and Google AI Mode.
From $29/month · 7-day free trial, no card · 7 AI engines
A brand page in CitedOrNot, tracking Hoka.
CitedOrNot and AthenaHQ, side by side
AthenaHQ figures from their pricing page, 7 October 2026.
Which one fits you
You want the most engines and an AI agent that writes and optimises content, and $295/month or more fits your budget.
You want 7 main engines and advice on what to publish, at a lower monthly price with plain limits.
What each one does better
AAthenaHQ
More engines
Starter covers 11+, including Microsoft Copilot, DeepSeek, Meta AI and Mistral.
A free tier
$25 of credit to try it before you pay.
A content agent
An AI agent that writes and optimises content for you. CitedOrNot writes a first draft of each idea for you to edit, and does not run as an agent.
Teams and security
Unlimited members; SSO and audit logs on Enterprise.
CCitedOrNot
Lower starting price
$29/month for Starter, against $295/month for AthenaHQ Starter.
Plain limits
Plans are set in questions and brands, not credits, so you know exactly what a plan covers.
What to publish, drafted
For each question a competitor wins, what to publish and where, built from the real answers, with a first draft to edit (5 a month on Starter, 30 on Pro).
Free check, no signup
Run one real buyer question through ChatGPT and Gemini on our site and see who gets named.
The engines each one covers
CitedOrNot's 7 engines, and whether AthenaHQ lists each one on any of its plans.
See who AI names, why, and what to publish next
Every answer, every engine
Each question you track, with which engines named you and the exact words they used.
The sites AI reads
Which websites the engines cite for your questions, and which ones to get listed on.
What to publish next
For each question a competitor wins, a concrete piece to publish, with steps you can tick off.
Screenshots from a CitedOrNot account tracking Allbirds.
- 1Add your brand, your competitors and the questions buyers ask AI.
- 2We ask ChatGPT, Gemini and 5 more engines, on a schedule.
- 3See which answers name you, and which name a competitor instead.
- 4Publish what we suggest, then see whether the next checks name you.
Every detail
| Feature | CitedOrNot | AthenaHQ |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Starter $29/month, Pro $79/month, Agency $249/month (about two months free billed yearly) | Essential: free with $25 of credit (300 credits). Starter: $295/month (17% less billed yearly). Enterprise: custom |
| Free trial | 7-day free trial, no card needed, plus a free one-off check with no signup | A free tier with $25 of credit |
| AI engines on the cheapest plan | Starter: ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity | Free tier: ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, Gemini and Microsoft Copilot |
| AI engines on the top plan | 7 on Pro and Agency: ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Claude, Grok, Google AI Overviews and Google AI Mode | 11+ on Starter: ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, Gemini, Claude, Copilot, Grok, DeepSeek, Meta AI, Mistral and more on request |
| Questions tracked on the cheapest plan | Starter: 15 questions per brand, 2 brands (Pro 25 per brand, 5 brands) | Credit-based: 3,600 credits a month on Starter |
| How often answers are re-checked | Every 3–7 days per engine, slowing to every 14 days for answers that stay the same; a brand can be re-checked by hand once a day | — |
| Team logins | 2 logins on Starter, 5 on Pro, 15 on Agency | Unlimited members |
| Countries | 31 countries | Multi-region and language on Enterprise |
| Advice on what to publish | Yes: for each question a competitor wins, what to publish and where, built from the actual answers, plus a first draft to edit (5 a month on Starter, 30 on Pro, 150 on Agency) | Yes: content recommendations and a content optimisation agent |
| API / MCP | MCP on Pro and Agency; REST API on Agency | API as a paid add-on on Starter |
| Shows which AI crawlers visit your site | Yes: which AI bots read your pages and who arrives from an AI assistant, counted per page, on every paid plan (30 to 180 days of history) | — |
| SSO / enterprise security | No SSO | SAML/OIDC SSO and audit logs on Enterprise |
Sources: AthenaHQ pricing and CitedOrNot pricing, checked 7 October 2026. Something changed? Let us know.
CitedOrNot vs AthenaHQ, questions answered
How much does AthenaHQ cost compared with CitedOrNot?
AthenaHQ has a free tier with $25 of credit, then Starter at $295/month (17% less billed yearly) and a custom Enterprise plan. CitedOrNot costs $29, $79 or $249 a month.
Which AI engines does each one track?
AthenaHQ Starter lists 11+: ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, Gemini, Claude, Copilot, Grok, DeepSeek, Meta AI, Mistral and more on request. CitedOrNot Pro and Agency track ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Claude, Grok, Google AI Overviews and Google AI Mode.
Do they have an API?
AthenaHQ offers its API as a paid add-on on Starter. CitedOrNot includes an MCP connection on Pro and Agency, and a REST API on Agency.
Can I try both for free?
Yes. AthenaHQ's free tier includes $25 of credit. CitedOrNot has a 7-day trial with no card, plus a free one-off check that needs no signup.
See what AI says about your brand
Ask ChatGPT and Gemini one real buyer question about your category and see who they name. Free, no signup.