12 Free AEO Tools to Check and Improve Your AI Visibility
Free AEO tools for tracking AI visibility, researching prompts, testing schema, checking crawler access and measuring AI referral traffic.
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Last updated: 26 October 2026
Quick answer: You can run a basic AEO program for free with the AI assistants themselves (ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google AI Mode) for manual prompt checks, AthenaHQ’s free tier for automated tracking, Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools for indexing, GA4 for AI referral traffic, Google’s Rich Results Test and the Schema Markup Validator for structured data, and People Also Ask, AlsoAsked’s free searches and AnswerThePublic’s free searches for prompt research.
Paid AI visibility trackers are useful, but they are not where AEO starts. Most of the work, finding questions, fixing pages and checking access, can be done with free tools. Here are the twelve we use most, grouped by job.
Key takeaways
- Manual prompt checks in each assistant are free and surprisingly informative.
- AthenaHQ’s free tier offers 300 credits across five models for automated tracking.
- GA4 can isolate AI referral traffic with a custom channel.
- Google’s own testing tools cover indexing and schema.
- Upgrade to a paid tracker when you need weekly reports on many prompts.
Free AEO tools by job
Tracking AI visibility
- ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google AI Mode. Ask your top buyer questions in a logged-out or private session and log who is named and which sources are cited.
- AthenaHQ free Essential tier. 300 credits across five models, where one credit is one AI response, according to its October 2026 pricing.
- A shared spreadsheet. Columns for prompt, engine, date, brands named in order, cited URLs and notes. Simple, and it forces consistency.
Researching prompts
- Google Search Console. The Queries report shows long questions people already search to reach you.
- People Also Ask. The questions box in Google results is a free list of related questions.
- AlsoAsked and AnswerThePublic. Both offer a limited number of free searches that map question clusters.
- Your own inbox, CRM and reviews. The best prompts come from what customers actually ask you.
Checking access and indexing
- Search Console URL Inspection. Confirms a page is indexed and shows how Google renders it.
- Bing Webmaster Tools. Shows indexing in Bing, whose index powers several AI experiences, including Copilot.
- Your robots.txt and server logs. Check that OAI-SearchBot, PerplexityBot, Googlebot and Bingbot are allowed and actually visiting.
Structured data
- Rich Results Test and Schema Markup Validator. Validate Organization, Product, LocalBusiness, Article and FAQ markup. See schema markup for AEO.
Measuring traffic
- Google Analytics 4. Create an AI referral channel for chatgpt.com, perplexity.ai, gemini.google.com, copilot.microsoft.com and claude.ai. See how to track AI traffic in GA4.
A free monthly AEO routine
- Pick 15 to 20 buyer questions.
- Test each in four assistants on the same day each month.
- Log results and cited URLs in your spreadsheet.
- Review AI referral sessions in GA4.
- Fix one or two pages based on what the cited competitors do better.
- Repeat next month and compare.
When should you upgrade to a paid tool?
Upgrade when manual checks take more than a few hours a month, when you need to track more than about 30 prompts, or when you report to clients or leadership. Otterly.AI started at $29 a month and Peec AI at $95 a month in October 2026. See the best AEO tools for the full stack.
Short on time? Digital Tatva can run the audit and monthly tracking for you, then turn the findings into fixes. Book an AEO audit.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free AI visibility tracker?
Yes. AthenaHQ offered a free Essential tier with 300 credits across five models in October 2026. Several paid tools also offer short free trials.
Are manual prompt checks reliable?
They are useful for spotting patterns but vary between runs. Test on the same day each month, use private sessions and look at trends across many prompts.
Can Google Search Console show AI Overview data?
Search Console includes AI feature clicks and impressions within web search totals, but it does not label them separately.
Which free tool should I start with?
Start with the AI assistants themselves and a spreadsheet. Seeing who is named for your top ten questions is the fastest way to understand your position.
Sources
- AI visibility tools compared, SEO Stuff, October 2026
- AI features and your website, Google Search Central
Pricing and features are checked at the time of writing and can change. Some links may be affiliate links, which never affect our verdicts.
