This comparison is written by the team at friction AI, which operates in the same category. The product comparison below is limited to Profound and Otterly AI. A separate friction AI link appears later for readers who want a third option.
If you want to understand the underlying methodology these tools automate, the how to audit brand visibility on LLMs guide walks the same prompt-set + cross-platform workflow you can run by hand before paying for any tooling.
What is Profound?
Profound is an AI visibility platform with published Starter and Growth plans plus an Enterprise tier.
Based on the official pricing page, Profound’s public plans are structured around tracked prompts and the number of answer engines you can monitor:
- Starter: $99 per month billed yearly, tracks 50 prompts, ChatGPT only.
- Growth: $399 per month billed yearly, tracks 100 prompts across 3 answer engines, and the pricing page offers a trial.
- Enterprise: custom pricing and supports up to 9 answer engines.
Official pricing reference: https://www.tryprofound.com/pricing
Who Profound tends to fit (based on plan structure)
Profound’s entry plan is ChatGPT only, which can be a practical fit if your team mainly cares about how ChatGPT answers your category prompts and you want a single engine view. The Growth and Enterprise tiers introduce multi engine monitoring, which better matches teams that need to compare coverage across multiple answer engines.
Because Enterprise is custom, the practical next step for many teams is to confirm exactly which answer engines, features, and limits apply at their target tier during evaluation.
What is Otterly AI?
Otterly AI is an AI visibility monitoring tool with a lower published entry price and prompt allowances that scale by tier.
From Otterly’s site and help docs:
- Pricing starts at $29 per month.
- Otterly offers a 7 day trial without a card.
- Prompt allowances:
- Lite: 15 prompts
- Standard: 100 prompts
- Premium: 400 prompts
- Enterprise: custom
Official references: - https://otterly.ai/ - https://help.otterly.ai/amount-searchprompts
Monitoring coverage and update cadence (as described by Otterly)
Otterly says it monitors the following daily:
- ChatGPT
- Google AI Overviews and AI Mode
- Perplexity
- Gemini
- Copilot
- Claude
Monitoring interval reference: https://help.otterly.ai/monitoring-interval
Feature-by-feature comparison (public plan and vendor stated comparison)
This is a public information comparison based on the vendors’ pricing and help pages. If a capability is not clearly stated in those references, it should be confirmed directly with the vendor during evaluation.
| Feature | Profound | Otterly AI |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $99 per month billed yearly (Starter) | $29 per month |
| Entry tier prompt allowance | 50 prompts | 15 prompts (Lite) |
| Answer engines on entry plan | ChatGPT only | Vendor states monitoring across multiple engines daily |
| Multi engine tracking on a public mid tier | Yes, Growth tracks across 3 answer engines | Yes, vendor states daily monitoring across listed engines |
| Trial | Growth page offers a trial | 7 day trial without a card |
Interpreting the positioning
- Profound: higher entry price, clear distinction between ChatGPT only (Starter) and multi engine monitoring (Growth, Enterprise).
- Otterly AI: lower entry price, prompt allowances scale significantly by tier, and vendor documentation emphasizes daily monitoring across a defined list of engines.
Pricing comparison (with verification date)
Last verified: July 26, 2026.
Profound pricing (official)
Source: https://www.tryprofound.com/pricing
- Starter: $99 per month billed yearly, 50 prompts, ChatGPT only
- Growth: $399 per month billed yearly, 100 prompts across 3 answer engines, trial offered on the page
- Enterprise: custom, supports up to 9 answer engines
Otterly AI pricing and prompt allowances (official)
Sources: - https://otterly.ai/ - https://help.otterly.ai/amount-searchprompts
- Pricing starts at $29 per month
- 7 day trial without a card
- Prompt allowances:
- Lite: 15
- Standard: 100
- Premium: 400
- Enterprise: custom
Practical budget takeaways
- If you want the lowest published starting point and a no card trial, Otterly’s entry tier is the lowest commitment option in this comparison.
- If you specifically want ChatGPT only monitoring at a published annual billed price, Profound Starter is the relevant baseline.
- If you need multi engine coverage on Profound, Growth is the first published tier that expands beyond ChatGPT only.
Platform coverage (vendor stated)
This section reflects what is explicitly stated in Otterly’s help docs and what Profound indicates via plan structure and limits on answer engines. Confirm the exact engine list available in your plan during evaluation.
Otterly AI monitoring list and cadence
Otterly says it monitors these daily: - ChatGPT - Google AI Overviews and AI Mode - Perplexity - Gemini - Copilot - Claude
Sources: - https://help.otterly.ai/monitoring-interval - https://otterly.ai/
Profound answer engine limits by tier
Profound pricing indicates: - Starter: ChatGPT only - Growth: 3 answer engines - Enterprise: up to 9 answer engines
Source: https://www.tryprofound.com/pricing
Who should choose which?
Choose Profound if
- You are comfortable with an annual billed starting point and want a published path from ChatGPT only to multi engine monitoring.
- Your requirements align with the prompt allowances and answer engine limits shown on the pricing page, and you are prepared to evaluate Enterprise if you need up to nine answer engines.
Choose Otterly AI if
- You want the lowest published starting price at $29 per month and a 7 day trial without a card.
- Your workflow benefits from daily monitoring across the engines Otterly lists in its documentation.
- You want a clear prompt allowance ladder from 15 to 100 to 400 prompts before Enterprise.
Where friction AI fits (contextual CTA)
If you are comparing tools in this category and want an additional option oriented around monitoring and reporting workflows, you can also review friction AI’s plans here: https://www.frictionai.co/pricing
If you are evaluating beyond these tools, our AI visibility tools comparison covers a broader set of platforms including Peec AI, AthenaHQ, Writesonic, Searchable, and others.
For SaaS-specific guidance, see our guide on comparing AI visibility platforms for SaaS.
For agencies managing multiple AI visibility clients, see our guide on AI visibility tools for agencies.
Frequently asked questions
What is the biggest pricing difference between Profound and Otterly AI?
Otterly’s entry price starts at $29 per month, while Profound’s entry plan is $99 per month billed yearly. Their prompt allowances also differ at entry: Otterly Lite includes 15 prompts, while Profound Starter tracks 50 prompts and is ChatGPT only.
Last verified: July 26, 2026.
Does Profound offer a trial?
Profound’s Growth plan page offers a trial. Details should be confirmed on the pricing page during evaluation.
Source: https://www.tryprofound.com/pricing
Does Otterly AI offer a free trial?
Otterly offers a 7 day trial without a card.
Source: https://otterly.ai/
How many prompts do Otterly plans include?
Otterly prompt allowances are:
- Lite: 15
- Standard: 100
- Premium: 400
- Enterprise: custom
Source: https://help.otterly.ai/amount-searchprompts
Which AI engines does Otterly say it monitors, and how often?
Otterly says it monitors ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews and AI Mode, Perplexity, Gemini, Copilot, and Claude daily.
Source: https://help.otterly.ai/monitoring-interval
