GEO Optimizer vs Profound (2026): which should you pick?

Pick GEO Optimizer if

• Fits if you want one audit and a to-do list rather than a monthly subscription
• Works for an agency that wants a branded PDF to hand to a client

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you want ongoing tracking, as every plan is a one-time payment
• Not for you if you need a re-check later, since a new snapshot is a new purchase
• Tight if you are on the free scan: a score, 3 issues and basic advice
• Watch out: the Expert Service is quote-based from $2.5k
• Watch out: the free scan asks for an email address

Pick Profound if

• Fits if you're a large brand that wants answers tracked on up to 9 engines and can sign a custom contract
• Works for agencies running pitch audits for prospects, at $99 a month for 10 short workspaces

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you want to sign up and pay without a sales call, as brands can't
• Pricey if you're an agency with several clients, at $399 a month per client workspace on top of $99
• Tight if you want to test your own questions, since the trial's prompts are fixed
• Watch out: custom prompts, the API, exports and SSO all come only with Enterprise
• Watch out: agents spend credits, and extra credits need an Enterprise package with overage billing or a pause

GEO Optimizer

• It audits a site at a point in time; the pricing page describes no ongoing prompt tracking.
• Every plan is a one-time payment, so a later snapshot is a new purchase.
• The Expert Service price is quote-based, starting at $2.5k.
• The free scan asks for an email address.

Profound

• Brands have no self-serve paid plan: after the 7-day trial, ongoing tracking needs a custom-priced Enterprise contract.
• Trial users get a recommended prompt set and cannot edit it; custom prompts, API access, exports and SSO come with Enterprise.
• On Agency Growth, each full client workspace is a $399-a-month add-on and 5 more trial workspaces cost $199 a month.
• Agent runs use credits; extra credits beyond the plan need an Enterprise package, with overage billing or a pause set by the account team.

GEO Optimizer

Six-pillar GEO score

Scores a site out of 100 across LLM citability, AI crawler access, structure, brand mention presence, platform readiness and schema markup.

Platform coverage

Audits cover ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews and Gemini by default; enterprise audits add You.com, Brave Search AI and custom models on request.

Prioritized action plan

Findings are ranked by expected impact, and the full audit adds a 90-day strategy roadmap.

Branded PDF report

The paid audit delivers a PDF report, which the FAQ says arrives within 2 hours.

Profound

Answer Engine Insights

Runs set prompts daily and reports where a brand appears in the answers, which sources are cited, sentiment and how it ranks against competitors.

Wide engine coverage

Enterprise can track ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Mode, Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, DeepSeek, Claude, Google AI Overviews and Exa Search.

AI Marketer and agents

An assistant that finds gaps in AI answers and drafts or rewrites pages, plus reusable agents for recurring work. Agents run on credits.

Agent Analytics

Tracks AI crawler visits and AI-referred traffic across unlimited domains by connecting to CDNs and hosts such as Cloudflare, Fastly, AWS and Vercel.

Prompt Volumes

Estimates what people ask AI answer engines about a topic; the trial allows 5 searches.

Agency workspaces

Agency plans manage short pitch workspaces for prospects and full client workspaces from one dashboard with consolidated billing.

GEO Optimizer

• Quick Scan$0

  A GEO score snapshot in about 60 seconds, top 3 issues and basic recommendations by email.

• Deep Dive$199

  one-time payment

  Full GEO audit: six-pillar analysis, 40+ findings, a branded PDF report, a prioritized action plan and a 90-day roadmap.

• Expert Service$2.5k

  and up, quote-based

  Done-with-you service with hands-on fixes, content and technical rewrites, monthly progress reports and a dedicated strategist.

Profound

• Agency Growth$99

  per month for up to 10 pitch workspaces a month

  For agencies: 10 seven-day pitch audits a month on ChatGPT, Perplexity and AI Overviews, 5 agency seats. Each full client workspace is $399 a month extra.

• EnterpriseCustom

  For brands: tailored prompt tracking on up to 9 answer engines, AI Marketer credits, all-time history, CSV and JSON exports, API, SSO and dedicated support.

• Agency EnterpriseCustom

  For large agencies and networks: tailored client and trial workspaces, a dedicated agency partner, go-to-market help and Slack support.