AI visibility tools · Head to head

Semrush vs Profound: which AI visibility tool wins in 2026?

An all-in-one SEO suite that layers AI-search tracking on top, versus a dedicated answer-engine analytics platform. Compared on AI-search depth, pricing, and LLM coverage. Sourced from both companies' live pages.

Javed Khatri Co-founder, Visibly
Updated July 2026 · Facts checked July 2026
On this page
TL;DR

Semrush is the pick for teams that want one vendor for traditional SEO and AI search, with keyword research, audits, content, and backlinks alongside an AI-visibility layer from $199/mo. Profound is the pick for teams that want the deepest dedicated answer-engine analytics, with real-user prompt volumes and agent analytics that a general suite does not match.

The trade-off is breadth versus depth. Semrush bundles AI-search tracking into a full SEO suite: its AI layer starts at the $199 Starter tier (50 prompts a day), and full LLM coverage is Enterprise-only. Profound does one thing, answer-engine analytics, more deeply, with prompt demand data and agent analytics, though its $99 entry is ChatGPT-only. Neither ships the off-page content and citation work as a done-for-you service.

Semrush vs Profound at a glance
  • Semrush bundles AI-search tracking into a full SEO suite; its AI layer starts at $199/mo (50 prompts/day).
  • Profound is a dedicated answer-engine tracker from $99/mo, ChatGPT-only at entry, up to 10 engines on Enterprise.
  • Full LLM coverage is Enterprise-only on both; Semrush's AI depth trails dedicated tools at each tier.
  • Choose Semrush to consolidate vendors; choose Profound for the deepest AI-search analytics.

The contenders

Semrush website, July 2026
Semrush All-in-one SEO suite with an AI-search layer
  • PositioningSEO suite + AI Search
  • Starting priceSEO $139/mo; AI Search from $199/mo
  • Free tierNo; 7-day trial
  • AI prompt tracking50/day (Starter) to 200/day (Advanced)
  • Full LLM coverageEnterprise only (incl. Grok, Claude)
  • Also includesKeywords, audits, content, backlinks
  • FocusOne vendor for SEO + AI search
Profound website, July 2026
Profound Enterprise answer-engine analytics
  • Founded2024, New York
  • Starting price$99/mo (ChatGPT only)
  • Free tierNo
  • Engines at entry1 (ChatGPT); up to 10 on Enterprise
  • AI-search depthReal-user prompt volumes, agent analytics
  • Backing~$155M raised; $1B valuation
  • FocusDedicated answer-engine analytics
Capability Semrush Profound Visibly
Tracks AI citations across engines
Acts on findings (content + off-page)
Done-for-you Managed service

The Visibly column is shown for reference: it is our product, and this page compares the other two. Website screenshots captured July 2026; every claim is referenced in Sources.

Where each tool sits

Positioning matrix: AI-search depth (vertical) by Scope (specialist → all-in-one) (horizontal). Semrush sits low on AI-search depth and high on Scope (specialist → all-in-one); Profound sits high on AI-search depth and low on Scope (specialist → all-in-one); Visibly (our product) sits high on AI-search depth and low on Scope (specialist → all-in-one).
Qualitative positioning from each product's public feature set and pricing pages, checked July 2026. Semrush is a broad SEO suite with an AI-search layer bolted on; Profound is a specialist answer-engine tracker with deep AI-search analytics; Visibly, our product, focuses on AI-search visibility plus off-page execution and a done-for-you Managed option. The x-axis runs specialist on the left to all-in-one on the right. Sources

Feature comparison

Capability
Semrush
Profound
AI-search coverage
AI prompt tracking at entry[1]
50 prompts/day (Starter, $199)
50 prompts, 1,500 responses/mo ($99)
AI prompt tracking at top[1]
200/day (Advanced, $549)
Custom (Enterprise)
Full LLM coverage[1]
Enterprise (incl. Grok, Claude)
Enterprise (up to 10 engines)
Prompt demand data[2]
AI visibility reports
Prompt Volumes (real-user demand)
Agent / crawler analytics[2]
Not the focus
Agent Analytics
Breadth and features
Keyword research[2]
Yes (core suite)
No
Site audit[2]
Yes (AI-ready site audit)
Analytics-focused
Content optimization[2]
Yes (Pro+ and up)
Agents / Aim (credits)
Backlink tools[2]
Yes (core suite)
No
MCP access[2]
Yes (Starter and up)
Not advertised
Pricing and fit
Entry price[1]
SEO $139/mo; AI Search $199/mo
$99/mo (ChatGPT only)
Free tier[1]
No; 7-day trial
No
Best for[2]
One vendor for SEO + AI
Deep AI-search analytics
Execution[2]
Content tools in-suite
Agent credits (add-on)

Based on both products' public pages, facts checked July 2026. "Not advertised" means we could not verify the capability from public materials. Spot something out of date? Tell us.

Pricing, side by side

Plan
Semrush
Profound
Entry (SEO)[1]
SEO, $139/mo
n/a
Entry (AI-search layer)[1]
Starter, $199/mo (50 prompts/day)
Starter, $99/mo (ChatGPT only)
Mid tier[1]
Pro+ $299/mo; Advanced $549/mo
Growth $399/mo (3 engines)
Full coverage[1]
Enterprise (custom, full LLMs)
Enterprise (custom, up to 10)
Free tier[1]
No; 7-day trial
No

Prices checked July 2026 from each product's public pricing page.

Semrush is an established all-in-one SEO suite (keyword research, site audits, content, backlinks) that has layered AI-search tracking on top; its current structure bundles 'SEO + AI Search' plans, with the AI-visibility layer (prompt tracking) starting at the $199 Starter tier and full LLM coverage reserved for Enterprise. Profound (New York, founded 2024) is a dedicated answer-engine analytics platform that has raised roughly $155M at a $1B valuation and serves 700+ enterprise customers, going deeper on AI-search-specific data like real-user prompt volumes and agent analytics. Sources

Which should you choose?

Choose Semrush if…

  • You want one vendor for traditional SEO and AI search
  • Keyword research, site audits, content, and backlinks matter alongside AI tracking
  • Consolidating tools and budgets is a priority
  • Entry-level AI prompt tracking (50/day) is enough for now

Choose Profound if…

  • You want the deepest dedicated answer-engine analytics
  • Real-user prompt demand data and agent analytics matter
  • You already have SEO tooling and only need the AI-search layer
  • You are focused on AI search specifically, not the whole SEO suite
The third option · Our product
One is broad. One is deep. Visibly focuses on AI search, and does the work.

Visibly tracks the same signals across ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity, and AI Overviews, then produces the content and citations that move the number. Free trial, paid from $49/mo. See how it compares to Semrush and Profound.

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Semrush vs Profound, answered

Is Semrush or Profound better for AI search?

For AI-search depth specifically, Profound goes further: it is a dedicated answer-engine tracker with real-user prompt volumes and agent analytics. Semrush is better if you want AI-search tracking inside a full SEO suite (keyword research, audits, content, backlinks) from one vendor. Choose Profound for depth, Semrush for breadth and consolidation.

How do Semrush and Profound pricing compare?

As of July 2026: Semrush's AI-search layer starts at the $199/mo Starter plan (50 prompts a day), with Pro+ at $299, Advanced at $549 (200 prompts a day), and full LLM coverage on Enterprise; its SEO-only plan is $139/mo. Profound starts at $99/mo tracking ChatGPT only, Growth at $399 for three engines, and up to 10 engines on Enterprise. Profound is cheaper to start for AI tracking; Semrush bundles the whole SEO suite.

Does Semrush track AI search like Profound?

Semrush tracks AI-search performance (AI visibility reports, sentiment, custom prompt monitoring) as a layer on its suite, with prompt tracking from 50 to 200 a day depending on tier. Profound is purpose-built for it, going deeper on answer-engine-specific data like real-user prompt volumes and agent analytics. Semrush's AI depth trails dedicated tools at each tier by design.

Which AI engines does each cover?

Profound references ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Gemini, Grok, Copilot, Meta AI, DeepSeek, and Google AI Overviews, up to 10 on Enterprise. Semrush covers AI-search tracking across major engines with full LLM coverage (including Grok and Claude) reserved for its Enterprise tier.

Should I use Semrush if I already do SEO?

If you already rely on Semrush for keyword research, audits, content, and backlinks, adding its AI-search layer keeps everything with one vendor. If your priority is the deepest AI-search analytics and you have SEO tooling elsewhere, a dedicated tool like Profound (or an execution-included option like Visibly) may serve the AI-search job better.

What is the best alternative to Semrush and Profound for AI search?

The category also includes Peec AI, Scrunch, AthenaHQ, AirOps, and Visibly. If you want AI-search measurement plus the off-page content and citation work, done for you rather than self-serve, Visibly focuses on AI-search visibility and includes execution from $99/mo (free tier and audit), with a done-for-you Managed option. See our roundup of the best AI visibility tools.

References

Sources

  1. Semrush SEO + AI Search pricing semrush.com Accessed July 2026
  2. Profound pricing page tryprofound.com Accessed July 2026
  3. Semrush homepage semrush.com Accessed July 2026
  4. Profound homepage (features) tryprofound.com Accessed July 2026
  5. Fortune: Profound raises $96M Series C at a $1B valuation fortune.com Accessed July 2026

Keep comparing

Head to head Visibly vs Semrush Head to head Visibly vs Profound Roundup The best AI visibility tools in 2026 Head to head Visibly vs Semrush

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