AthenaHQ vs Profound in 2026: Which AI Search Visibility Platform Is Better?

Quick answer

AthenaHQ is the better choice in this comparison for in-house teams that want a published price, at $295 a month for 3,600 credits across 11 AI models with unlimited members; Profound is the better choice for enterprise programmes that need front-end sampling, exports and an agent layer. Profound’s Enterprise plan is custom-priced and adds all-time history, CSV and JSON exports, an API, SSO/SAML and credit-based marketing agents across up to nine answer engines. The only Profound brand plan carrying a published price is a free seven-day trial of 50 prompts a day on three engines. Teams that need the fixes made by people rather than a dashboard may prefer a managed service such as Canlah AI.

This is an editorial comparison based on public product, pricing and comparison pages reviewed on September 23, 2026. It is not a controlled test of either platform’s accuracy.

Disclosure: Canlah AI publishes this comparison and competes with both AthenaHQ and Profound for some of the same budgets, so it is not a neutral review. Treat the verdicts as a vendor editorial assessment, not an independent award. Competitor descriptions come from public pages and were not verified through paid accounts or private demonstrations.

AthenaHQ vs Profound at a glance

AthenaHQ wins three of the six rounds below (price, engine coverage and team access) and Profound wins three (data method, execution and enterprise governance). The published prices behind that split are $295 a month for AthenaHQ Starter and a custom quote for both Enterprise tiers.

AthenaHQ vs Profound, public pages reviewed September 23, 2026.

Dimension	AthenaHQ	Profound	Winner
Starting price	Free plan with 300 credits; Starter $295 a month; Enterprise custom	Free 7-day trial; Enterprise custom	AthenaHQ
Best for	Self-guided mid-market and in-house teams	Enterprises running AI search as a programme	Depends on size
Engines covered	11 models on Starter, including ChatGPT, AI Mode, Claude, Grok, DeepSeek, Meta AI and Mistral	3 on trial; up to 9 on Enterprise, including DeepSeek, Claude and Exa Search	AthenaHQ
Prompt volume	3,600 credits a month on Starter; 1 credit = 1 AI response	50 prompts daily on trial; custom prompt plan on Enterprise	AthenaHQ on transparency
Data method	Prompt volumes from an ML estimation model, per Profound’s comparison	Front-end browser prompting; 1.9 billion+ real prompts, per its own article	Profound
Execution	Content optimization agent, on-page and off-page actions	AI Marketer, agents, templates and Profound Sheets on credits	Profound
Enterprise controls	SAML SSO, audit logs, 2-hour SLA, BI dashboards on Enterprise	SSO/SAML, SOC 2, all-time history, CSV and JSON exports, API	Profound
Team access	Unlimited members on every plan, including Free	Unlimited seats on trial and Enterprise	AthenaHQ
Qwen and Doubao	Not found on reviewed page	Not found on reviewed page	Neither

Source: AthenaHQ and Profound public pricing, product and comparison pages reviewed September 23, 2026. Coverage refers to public positioning, not independently tested capability.

“Not found on reviewed page” means the vendor’s public materials did not name that capability when reviewed on September 23, 2026. It is not proof that the capability is absent.

Round 1: Pricing — AthenaHQ wins

AthenaHQ wins on pricing because it publishes $295 a month for Starter, while Profound’s reviewed brand pricing page lists only a free trial and a custom Enterprise quote. AthenaHQ’s plans page lists a Free plan with 300 credits, Starter at $295 a month for 3,600 credits and a custom Enterprise plan, with 17% off for annual billing. API access and extra credits are paid add-ons on Starter.

Profound’s brand pricing page lists a free Trial and a custom Enterprise plan. AthenaHQ’s September 9, 2026 comparison page states that Profound Growth costs $399 a month and Starter $99 a month, but neither tier was found on Profound’s reviewed brand pricing page. Profound’s FAQ names only a self-serve Agency Growth plan with 400 agent credits per client workspace.

The credit maths decides whether AthenaHQ Starter fits. At one credit per response, 3,600 credits cover 40 prompts on three engines once a day for 30 days. The same 40 prompts on all 11 models use the allowance in about eight days, and AthenaHQ notes that some models cost five credits per response.

Round 2: Engine coverage — AthenaHQ wins

AthenaHQ wins on engine coverage because Starter already includes 11 models, while Profound reaches nine only on Enterprise. AthenaHQ’s Starter list is ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, Google AI Mode, Gemini, Claude, Copilot, Grok, DeepSeek, Meta AI and Mistral, with more models on request.

Profound’s trial covers ChatGPT, Gemini and Google AI Overviews. Enterprise adds capability for Perplexity, Google AI Mode, Microsoft Copilot, DeepSeek, Anthropic Claude and Exa Search, plus ChatGPT Shopping. Neither vendor named Qwen or Doubao on the reviewed pages, which matters for brands selling to Chinese-language buyers.

Round 3: Data and sampling method — Profound wins

Profound wins on data method because it states that every prompt runs daily through each engine’s front-end browser interface, not through an API. Its September 2026 comparison article adds that its Prompt Volumes dataset draws on more than 1.9 billion real user prompts, updated with more than 170 million new queries a month.

AthenaHQ offers prompt volume estimation on both paid tiers. Profound’s comparison article claims those estimates come from a proprietary machine-learning model with no disclosed training source, which is a competitor’s characterisation and should be put to AthenaHQ directly. Neither pricing page reviewed on September 23, 2026 named the number of repeat runs behind each daily figure.

Round 4: Execution and agents — Profound wins

Profound wins on execution because its agent layer is the centre of the product rather than an add-on, with 16 reasoning models behind it per its September 2026 comparison article. The pricing page meters AI Marketer credits, reusable agents, a Context Manager for brand knowledge and Profound Sheets for running agents at scale. The same article describes AIM, a background agent that turns lost citations into scoped briefs.

AthenaHQ’s Starter plan includes on-page and off-page actions, a content optimization agent and self-learning content improvement. Enterprise adds the Athena Citation Engine and the Athena Recommendation Engine. Both products still leave publishing, outreach and approval with your team below their top tiers.

Round 5: Enterprise governance — Profound wins

Profound wins on enterprise governance because all-time history, CSV and JSON exports and an API are included in Enterprise. It also lists SSO/SAML, SOC 2 compliance and support options up to a dedicated specialist with a 24-hour SLA. On September 15, 2026 it announced a $180 million Series D at a $1.8 billion valuation.

AthenaHQ’s Enterprise plan answers with a 2-hour SLA, the faster of the two published response times. It also lists SAML and OIDC SSO, organisation audit logs, multi-region and multi-language support, persona targeting, BI dashboards for Tableau, Power BI and Looker, white-glove setup and a 2-hour SLA. AthenaHQ lists SOC 2 and GDPR in its trust centre.

Round 6: Team access and ease of use — AthenaHQ wins

AthenaHQ wins on team access because unlimited members are included on every plan, including Free. That lets SEO, content, PR and brand teams share one workspace without seat maths. AthenaHQ shows a G2 rating of 4.9 out of five in the Answer Engine Optimization category on its pricing page.

Profound also lists unlimited seats on its trial and Enterprise plans. AthenaHQ’s comparison page claims Profound Growth includes three seats, which could not be confirmed on Profound’s reviewed page.

Which is better for enterprise teams?

Profound is the better choice for enterprise teams in this comparison, because all-time history, CSV and JSON exports, an API, front-end sampling and an agent layer across up to nine engines carry more weight in a standing programme than a published list price. The trade-off is that every paid Profound feature sits behind a sales conversation, so the budget is not visible before the demo.

AthenaHQ Enterprise is a credible second option when multi-region tracking, BI dashboards and a 2-hour SLA matter more than agent depth. Ask both vendors for a written quote that names prompts, engines, runs per prompt, regions and credits.

Which is better for a mid-market team?

AthenaHQ is the better choice for a mid-market team in this comparison, at $295 a month for Starter with 11 models and no sales call. A team with one brand, one region and no procurement process can start there on the same day it decides. The limit is the credit meter: multi-language and multi-region tracking, persona targeting and the citation engine sit on Enterprise.

Buy AthenaHQ if, buy Profound if

Buy AthenaHQ if a published $295 a month price matters more than enterprise depth, and buy Profound if front-end sampling, exports and agents matter more than a visible price.

• Buy AthenaHQ if you are an in-house team that wants broad model coverage, content recommendations and GA4, Search Console or Shopify integrations at a published price.
• Buy Profound if you are an enterprise that needs front-end sampling, prompt-volume demand data, all-time history, exports and agents in one contract.
• Buy neither yet if your buyers ask Qwen or Doubao, because neither vendor named them on the reviewed pages.
• Consider a managed service such as Canlah AI if nobody on your team has time to act on the recommendations either tool produces.

Where Canlah AI fits

Canlah AI is a Singapore-based SEO + GEO agency that measures and improves brand visibility inside ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Google AI Overviews and Google AI Mode alongside DeepSeek, Qwen and Doubao, reporting AI visibility as re-verifiable ranges with timestamped evidence. It is not a third software option. It is the choice for teams that want the fixes made by people after the gap is found.

Its pricing page runs from 100 tracked prompts at weekly cadence on one engine to 200 prompts daily across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Google AI Overviews, with four to 12 articles a month by tier. It publishes no rate card and scopes each quote after a free 48-hour snapshot. Every probe is stored as a raw record with the prompt, full response, citations and timestamp, and the client owns the archive.

The limitation is real. Canlah AI offers no self-serve dashboard, no prompt-volume dataset and no agent product for your own team to run. Its own visibility is also low: in a September 7, 2026 self-audit of 39 buyer questions run three times each, Canlah AI was named in seven of 84 non-branded OpenAI answers (8.3%) and in none of 93 Gemini answers.

Frequently asked questions

Is AthenaHQ cheaper than Profound?

AthenaHQ has the lower published price, at $295 a month for Starter on September 23, 2026. Profound publishes only a free seven-day trial and custom Enterprise pricing for brands. The $399 Profound Growth price quoted on AthenaHQ’s comparison page was not found on Profound’s reviewed pricing page.

AthenaHQ vs Profound: which one tracks more AI engines?

AthenaHQ Starter tracks 11 models, including Grok, Meta AI and Mistral. Profound Enterprise lists capability for up to nine answer engines, including Exa Search. Neither named Qwen or Doubao on the pages reviewed on September 23, 2026.

Profound vs AthenaHQ: whose prompt data is more reliable?

Profound states that its Prompt Volumes dataset draws on more than 1.9 billion real user prompts and that every tracked prompt runs daily through each engine’s front-end browser interface. AthenaHQ offers prompt volume estimation on both paid tiers, which Profound’s comparison article characterises as a machine-learning estimate; that is a competitor statement and should be put to AthenaHQ directly. Neither pricing page reviewed on September 23, 2026 named the number of repeat runs behind each daily figure.

Does AthenaHQ or Profound do the GEO work for you?

No. Both are software platforms. Profound’s agents and AthenaHQ’s content optimization agent draft and recommend, but your team still approves, publishes and earns placements. A managed agency such as Canlah AI does that work for you.

Which is better for enterprise, AthenaHQ or Profound?

Profound suits enterprises that need all-time history, CSV and JSON exports, an API, front-end sampling and agents. AthenaHQ Enterprise suits teams that value multi-region tracking, BI dashboards and a 2-hour SLA. Both list SSO and SOC 2.

How is Canlah AI different from AthenaHQ and Profound?

AthenaHQ and Profound sell software your team operates. Canlah AI is a Singapore agency that runs a locked measurement programme, stores every probe as a raw record and then does the on-site and off-site work. Teams that want their own dashboard should choose a platform instead.

Method and sources

AthenaHQ and Profound were compared on six dimensions using their own public pages, checked on September 23, 2026. Candidate claims from each vendor’s comparison page about the other were treated as competitor statements and attributed. The review did not use paid accounts, independently test engine outputs or confirm commercial terms.

• AthenaHQ plans. Plan prices, credits, model lists, Enterprise features and G2 rating.
• AthenaHQ vs Profound, September 9, 2026. The Profound Growth and Starter prices and seat count it cites.
• Profound pricing. Trial limits, Enterprise engine list, history, exports, SSO and agent credits.
• Profound vs. AthenaHQ. Front-end sampling, the 1.9 billion prompt dataset, AIM and Profound’s claims about AthenaHQ.
• TechCrunch on Profound’s Series D, September 15, 2026. Funding and valuation.
• Canlah AI pricing and GEO services. Tier scope and measurement protocol.
• Canlah AI self-audit and probe archive, anonymised, September 7, 2026. Self-visibility figures.

Do not choose between AthenaHQ and Profound from this page alone. Run the same ten buyer prompts through both during a trial, and compare the raw answers, the runs behind each figure and the written quote.

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