Free AEO Tools: 15 No-Cost Answer Engine Optimization Tools (2026)

You don't need an enterprise budget to start monitoring your AI search visibility. While premium AEO tools offer advanced features, several free and freemium options provide genuine value for teams exploring answer engine optimization for the first time.

Here are 15 free AEO tools to monitor your visibility across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, and other AI search platforms.

Why Free Tools Matter for AEO

According to NoGood's research on AEO tools, some platforms like Otterly.AI and Bear AI offer low-cost or limited free tiers. But most enterprise-grade features require paid plans. Free tools let you validate whether AEO monitoring fits your workflow before committing budget.

Free tool benefits:

Test AEO concepts without financial risk
Establish baseline visibility metrics
Learn which LLMs cite your brand
Prove value before requesting budget approval

Start free, then upgrade when you've demonstrated ROI.

1. OmniSEO (by WebFX)

According to SEO.com's analysis of AI visibility tools, OmniSEO is a free proprietary tool that monitors AI search result performance across Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity—combining innovative software with professional services teams that interpret results and provide custom strategic recommendations.

Free features:

AI search visibility tracker
Citation and mention tracking
Competitor visibility dashboard
Full-service analytics

Best for: Small to medium businesses wanting comprehensive free tracking

2. AI Product Rankings

According to MarketerMilk's review of AI monitoring tools, AI Product Rankings lets you see how your website performs in AI search engines immediately, without creating an account or paying anything. Built by two Y Combinator founders, it provides instant visibility insights.

Free features:

Instant brand visibility check
Category-based AI citation analysis
No account required
Citation source tracking

Best for: Quick visibility checks and initial AEO exploration

3. Perplexity AI (Free Tier)

According to eesel.ai's guide to free AI SEO tools, Perplexity AI's free plan gives you 5 Pro searches per day with access to GPT-4o and Claude 3.5. The cited sources reveal which content AI engines trust for specific topics.

Free features:

5 Pro searches daily
Source citation transparency
Content trust signals
Research-grade answers

Best for: Understanding which sources AI trusts in your niche

4. Google Analytics 4 (LLM Filter)

According to MarketerMilk's GA4 guide, you can create a dedicated filter in GA4 for LLM traffic. This shows referral traffic from ChatGPT, Perplexity, and other AI sources you already receive.

How to set up:

Go to Acquisition → Traffic acquisition
Add filter with Session source/medium
Set Match Type to "matches regex"
Enter LLM referrer patterns

Best for: Teams already using GA4 who want AI traffic insights without new tools

5. LLMrefs (Free Plan)

According to LLMrefs' platform overview, the tool offers a free plan that monitors brand visibility, rank, and citations across ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude, Grok, Copilot, Meta, and DeepSeek from one dashboard.

Free features:

Multi-LLM tracking
Citation analysis
Share of voice metrics
AI crawlability checker

Best for: Teams wanting comprehensive free GEO/AEO monitoring

6. Bear AI (Affordable Entry)

According to NoGood's AEO tools analysis, Bear AI is a self-serve platform that combines AI search visibility tracking with outreach and blog generation tools. It's positioned as one of the most affordable options with customers reporting 50%+ AI visibility gains.

Low-cost features:

Self-serve setup
AI visibility tracking
Outreach tools included
Blog generation capabilities

Best for: Startups wanting visibility tracking plus content tools

7. Otterly.AI (Limited Free Tier)

Otterly.AI focuses on tracking AI search visibility across ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, and Perplexity. According to SE Ranking's comparison, it offers comprehensive coverage with daily updates.

Features:

Multi-platform monitoring
Brand Visibility Index
Deep GEO audit capabilities
Automated recommendations

Best for: Teams wanting location-specific AI visibility audits

8. SE Ranking Free Trial

According to eesel.ai's review, SE Ranking's trial offers unrestricted platform access for two weeks, including the AI Visibility Tracker that monitors brand presence in AI Overviews, ChatGPT, and Perplexity.

Trial features:

Full platform access
AI Visibility Tracker
Competitor analysis
Keyword research

Best for: Evaluating premium features before commitment

9. ChatGPT Direct Testing

Use ChatGPT itself as a free visibility check. Ask questions your audience asks and observe whether (and how) your brand appears in responses.

Free testing approach:

Search branded queries
Search category queries
Note citation patterns
Track competitor mentions

Best for: Manual spot-checking without any tools

10. Ahrefs Free Tools

Ahrefs offers several free SEO tools that inform AEO strategy, including keyword generators, SERP checkers, and backlink checkers. While not AEO-specific, they support foundational optimization.

Free features:

Keyword Generator
SERP Checker
Backlink Checker
Website Authority Checker

Best for: Traditional SEO foundation that supports AEO

11. Screaming Frog (Free Tier)

According to eesel.ai's analysis, Screaming Frog's free version crawls up to 500 URLs, identifying technical issues that affect both traditional and AI search visibility.

Free features:

500 URL crawl limit
Technical SEO audits
Broken link detection
Internal linking analysis

Best for: Technical foundation work supporting AEO

12. Google Search Console

Free and essential for understanding which queries drive traditional search traffic—insights that inform AEO content strategy.

Free features:

Search performance data
Indexing status
Core Web Vitals
Mobile usability

Best for: Baseline SEO data informing AEO priorities

13. SEO.AI Free Tools

SEO.AI offers free utilities for specific optimization tasks, including content analysis and optimization recommendations.

Free features:

Content optimization scoring
Keyword analysis
On-page recommendations

Best for: Quick content optimization checks

14. Claude.ai (Free Tier)

Like Perplexity, Claude's free tier helps you understand how AI interprets and cites content. Test your queries to see citation patterns.

Free features:

Conversational AI testing
Citation observation
Content interpretation analysis

Best for: Understanding Anthropic's AI citation behavior

15. Manual Competitor Analysis

Zero-cost competitive intelligence: systematically query AI platforms about your category and document which competitors get cited.

Free process:

Create target query list
Test across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini
Document citation patterns
Identify content gaps

Best for: Teams with more time than budget

Getting Started with Free AEO Tools

Begin with this progression:

Week 1: Set up GA4 LLM filters and test AI Product Rankings
Week 2: Run manual queries across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude
Week 3: Try OmniSEO or LLMrefs for structured tracking
Week 4: Evaluate whether paid features justify upgrade

Free tools establish your baseline. Upgrade when you need advanced features like sentiment analysis, automated reporting, or enterprise-scale monitoring.

Key Takeaways

Free AEO tools provide genuine value for teams starting AI visibility monitoring:

OmniSEO leads free options - Full AI visibility tracking across major LLMs at no cost
GA4 already tracks AI traffic - Configure LLM filters in your existing analytics
AI platforms themselves are tools - Use Perplexity and Claude free tiers to understand citation patterns
Manual testing costs nothing - Query AI platforms directly to observe brand mentions
Free trials enable evaluation - SE Ranking and others offer full-feature trials
Foundation tools matter - Screaming Frog and Google Search Console support AEO fundamentals
Upgrade path is clear - Start free, prove value, then justify premium investment