Key takeaways
- Otterly.AI has the lowest sticker price ($29/mo) but only covers 4 engines by default, charging extra for Claude, Gemini, and Google AI Mode, which can push a real-world bill past $350/mo
- Finseo starts at €84/mo (about $90) for 50 prompts across 3 of 10 available models, with EU data residency and a content-writing background baked into the product
- Promptwatch's Essential plan is $95/mo for 50 prompts and 6,000 responses across 9 models, with the API and MCP server included at every tier, including the free plan
- None of the three is objectively "cheapest" once you price in the engines you'll actually need; the honest comparison has to be cost per response, not cost per login
- If content production is part of your budget question, Promptwatch and Finseo both build AI content generation into their plans; Otterly.AI does not
Why "budget" AI visibility tracking is a moving target
I've watched a handful of these comparisons get written this year and most of them stop at the headline number on the pricing page. That's a mistake, because AI visibility tools are priced like mobile phone plans: the number on the billboard and the number on your bill rarely match.
Otterly.AI advertises $29 a month. Technically true. But that $29 buys you 15 prompts on 4 engines, and the moment you want Claude or Gemini in the mix, you're paying add-on fees on top. Finseo prices in euros and bundles a writing tool heritage into its AI visibility features. Promptwatch prices in dollars and bundles every model, the API, and an MCP server into its cheapest paid tier. None of these are apples to apples until you actually do the math, so that's what this guide does.
The three tools, in plain terms
Otterly.AI is the tool most small teams find first because it's cheap and it's been around since AI visibility tracking became a category. It tracks ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Perplexity, and Microsoft Copilot in its core plans, with Claude, Gemini, and Google AI Mode sold as paid add-ons. It's simple, the reports export cleanly, and Otterly says it's used by 40,000+ marketing professionals.
Finseo started life as an AI SEO content tool, building on writing and keyword research, and has expanded into AI visibility tracking. It's a bootstrapped, profitable company out of Gaildorf, Germany, with EU data residency, which matters if your legal team cares where the data lives. Finseo tracks up to 10 engines (you pick 3 on the entry tiers) and bundles content generation credits (