The short answer
- Visibility scores summarize sampled answers, so the prompt panel and denominator determine what they mean.
- Compare collection methods and score definitions before putting products side by side.
- If you need to audit individual answers, start with documented raw exports such as OtterlyAI’s response exports. Check the fields on your plan.
- A brand mention and a cited page are distinct observations; neither proves a purchase.
Define the observation panel
Set the prompt panel before comparing prices. A wider geography or a faster schedule can change both coverage and cost.
Peec pricing calculates answer volume by multiplying tracked prompts by active models and tracking frequency. Its self-service tiers list 50, 150 and 350 prompts with three active models.
Suppose you track one prompt in four countries. Otterly’s prompt limits count that as four prompts, so price the geographic panel you actually need.
Otterly’s collection explanation describes daily monitoring through public interfaces, except Claude via API. It also notes variation by session and location.
Scrunch’s collection description covers browser and API methods. New prompts run daily for fourteen days, then every 72 hours by default, with on-demand refresh. It does not map each engine to a collection method.
Surfer pricing lists AI Search Analytics at $82 per month for 50 prompts refreshed daily on annual billing. Standard costs $99 per month on annual billing, with 25 prompts refreshed weekly and 360 documents.
Use the same wording and coverage in each demonstration. Ask how missing runs affect the denominator.
Read the score behind the label
Compare the denominator before the headline score. A changed prompt panel can move the number even when existing answers stay the same.
Ahrefs explains that prompt database expansions can produce simultaneous mention spikes across brands. Chart annotations can distinguish index changes from engine changes.
Otterly’s KPI definitions deduplicate repeated brand mentions within one execution. Coverage omits untriggered AI Overviews, so reconcile a sample against the raw export.
Surfer’s metric explanation says Visibility Score incorporates frequency and prominence, while Mention Rate ignores position. It does not provide an exact visibility formula or missing-run denominator.
Peec’s metrics describe a 0–100 sentiment scale; Otterly’s definitions use net sentiment. Read the definitions before putting those figures on one chart.
Otterly’s KPI definitions calculate Likelihood to Buy from average position. This position-derived proxy does not measure purchase probability.
Keep the prompt set and scoring definition beside every report. Ask for worked examples of missing answers and repeated mentions, alongside the count of completed observations.
For example, a brand appearing in five of ten completed answers has a different share from five of twenty. If failed runs enter one denominator and leave another, the percentages answer different questions. Keep the count of completed observations alongside the score and the report.
Check exports before you commit
Choose an export that lets you inspect individual observations and keep them through a switch. Ask for a sample before committing. Otterly’s export guide offers raw responses in CSV or JSON on all plans, plus CSVs for citations and prompts. It separates brand presence in an answer from presence on the cited page.
Peec’s export guide describes chart CSVs and full-project chat CSVs. It also describes URL-level API reports and live Looker reporting.
Peec’s current API help article lists access on all agency plans and Pro, Advanced and Enterprise brand plans; Starter is excluded. Other Peec material conflicts, so confirm the order entitlement.
Scrunch’s Responses API returns raw text and citations alongside prompt metadata. The API advertises a rolling 90-day history; that window alone does not prove deletion of older stored data.
Otterly’s cancellation article says tracked engines and historical data are deleted after cancellation. It leaves deletion timing and any recovery window unclear.
Peec’s terms state a 30-day customer-data export period after termination, followed by deletion subject to retention obligations. Annual plans require 30-day termination notice; confirm the applicable order and entity.
Open a representative export before buying. Check whether it contains the full response and the citation URLs needed to reproduce a report.
Measurement and export worksheet
Use one worksheet per vendor with the same proposed panel. A sample export makes missing evidence visible before purchase.
Otterly’s prompt guidance says changing text requires deletion and recreation without transferring history. Tracking begins when monitoring starts and cannot backfill earlier observations.
Peec’s prompt guidance says archiving stops collection while preserving history and freeing allowance. Deleting removes history; replacement wording begins a new series.
Give the worksheet to the person who will maintain the panel after purchase. Mark mandatory fields before examining a sample file. If a vendor cannot provide one, record the gap and its consequence for your reporting process. A saved screenshot of a score cannot replace the observations needed to reproduce it.
Separate visibility from buyer outcomes
Choose the outcome you need to explain before selecting a metric. A page citation identifies a source used in an answer; a brand mention identifies a brand in that answer. Neither alone proves a referral visit or purchase.
Otterly’s citation export distinguishes brand mentions in answers from brand presence on cited pages. Use those fields to investigate the two observations independently.
Choose a downstream measure before claiming a business result. Record the visit source and any purchase evidence separately, and explain what can and cannot be linked to an observed answer.
Name the panel and period beside the client’s score. Keep the observations so the next report can use the same definition. Show old and new panels separately when coverage changes.
Use the software trial to assign an owner and decide which missing evidence would change your choice.
Common questions
Which AI visibility tool should I choose?
Choose the tool that covers your actual prompt panel and gives you usable observations on your plan. Ask for an export and a worked score before signing.
Can I export AI answers?
Otterly’s export guide offers raw response CSV or JSON exports on all plans. Check a sample against your needs.
Does a visibility score measure purchases?
A visibility score summarizes observed answers. Otterly’s Likelihood to Buy axis derives from average position; it does not measure purchases.
Why did AI mentions suddenly increase?
A change in the prompt database can affect the count. Ahrefs identifies database expansion as one possible cause.
Can I compare sentiment scores across tools?
Compare the definitions before combining scores. Peec describes a 0–100 scale, while Otterly uses net sentiment.
Sources and scope
We read the linked vendor documentation on October 29, 2026.
We have not tested the products or independently measured their results. Confirm plan access and retention with each vendor.
Source references
- OtterlyAI: response and citation exports
Checked 2026-10-29. Supports response export formats and separate citation fields.
- Peec: prompt and model allowances
Checked 2026-10-29. Supports answer-volume calculation and self-service model counts.
- OtterlyAI: prompt limits by country
Checked 2026-10-29. Supports country-based prompt counting.
- OtterlyAI: data collection methods
Checked 2026-10-29. Supports collection surfaces, monitoring cadence and variability.
- Scrunch: collection methods and cadence
Checked 2026-10-29. Supports collection methods and prompt refresh schedule.
- Surfer: plan pricing and cadence
Checked 2026-10-29. Supports annual-billing prices, prompt counts and refresh schedules.
- Ahrefs: causes of mention spikes
Checked 2026-10-29. Supports prompt database expansion as a possible cause of spikes.
- OtterlyAI: brand report metrics
Checked 2026-10-29. Supports coverage, mention counting, sentiment and the position-derived buying proxy.
- Surfer: visibility and mention metrics
Checked 2026-10-29. Supports the distinction between visibility score and mention rate.
- Peec: engine coverage and metrics
Checked 2026-10-29. Supports sentiment scale and documents conflicting engine and API descriptions.
- Peec: data export options
Checked 2026-10-29. Supports chart, chat, URL-level and Looker export descriptions.
- Peec: API plan access
Checked 2026-10-29. Supports the current API entitlement description.
- Scrunch: API response data
Checked 2026-10-29. Supports response fields and the rolling API history window.
- OtterlyAI: cancellation and data
Checked 2026-10-29. Supports the stated deletion of historical data after cancellation.
- Peec: customer agreement
Checked 2026-10-29. Supports post-termination export and annual notice terms.
- OtterlyAI: prompt selection and history
Checked 2026-10-29. Supports prompt changes and the absence of backfill.
- Peec: prompt archive and deletion
Checked 2026-10-29. Supports the treatment of prompt history when archiving or deleting.