geoSurge vs LLMrefs (2026): which should you pick?
As of Oct 24, 2026, we pick geoSurge: it is third in our ranking of AI search visibility tools, and it grades higher too, 3.0 against 2.2.
Checked Oct 23, 2026 · graded Oct 23, 2026 and Oct 24, 2026 by ToolGPA
geoSurge grades higher on value for money and the free plan. They get the same grade on features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
geoSurge
Free AI visibility tracking that runs on your own AI subscriptions
Free plan
LLMrefs
Keyword-based AI search visibility tracker with one flat plan
Free trial · from $79/mo
Which one is for you
Pick geoSurge if
- Fits if you already pay for ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini and want tracking at no extra cost
- Works for developers happy to bring their own API keys or an OpenRouter account
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you need Perplexity, Copilot or Google's AI Overviews, as none is named
- Watch out: the desktop app runs prompts on your own computer, and cloud runs bill your own API keys, so model costs and limits are yours
- Not for you if you want corpus engineering, token probabilities or crawler data without a sales call, as they're Enterprise only with no published price
Pick LLMrefs if
- Fits if you already track SEO keywords and want the same lists checked in AI answers
- Works for agencies, since projects and seats are unlimited on one plan
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you need daily data, as it refreshes about once a week per keyword
- Not for you if you need SSO, white-label reports or an enterprise tier, as none are listed
- Skip it if you need a price you can count on, as $79 is marked limited time only
- Watch out: no integrations are listed beyond the API and CSV export
How we grade them
| 3.0GPAgeoSurgeVery good | 2.2GPALLMrefsFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AThe desktop app and cloud runs on your own API keys are both $0, with unlimited prompts and seats. The catch is that model usage goes on your own ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini plans or API bills. Enterprise has no published price. | C$79 a month for 500 prompts on every engine, with unlimited projects and seats. That's mid-range for this category, between $29 and $95. But the price is marked limited time only, with no end date or regular price given. |
| Free plan and trial | AFree with no cap on prompts or seats, with visibility, competitors, sources, the API and MCP included. You need your own AI subscriptions or API keys for it to run. | CNo free plan, but a 7-day free trial, and signing up needs no credit card. |
| Features | CShare of answers, mentions in context, competitors, cited sources and rank over time, with all-time history. The gap the listing names: only ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini are covered, with no Perplexity, Copilot or AI Overviews. | CFan-out prompts built from your keywords, share of voice and position across ChatGPT, AI Overviews, AI Mode, Gemini, Perplexity, Claude, Grok, Copilot, Meta AI and DeepSeek, and cited sources in 50+ countries. The gap: data refreshes weekly, not daily. |
| Ease of use | CNo rating on record. You install the desktop collector and use it with your AI subscriptions, or connect API keys or OpenRouter for cloud runs, before anything is tracked. | CNo rating on record. Importing an SEO keyword list is a familiar start, but you still set up projects, countries and competitors before the rankings say much. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb plus a desktop app for macOS, Windows and Linux, with a REST API, CSV and JSON export and an MCP server for Claude and ChatGPT. No phone app. | BWeb only, with no desktop or phone app and no integrations on record. The one plan includes an API and CSV export. |
| Best for | free tracking on your own AI subscriptions | tracking AI visibility by keyword, not prompt |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: geoSurge and LLMrefs. How we grade
Where they differ
- LLMrefs also covers reports.
In commonWebPublic APIAI search visibility
At a glance
| geoSurge | LLMrefs | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free trial |
| Starts at | Not published | $79 per month for 500 prompts |
| Free plan | Unlimited prompts on ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini through the desktop app and your own subscriptions, or in the cloud with your own API keys. Unlimited seats. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | 7-day free trial; signing up needs no credit card |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| Made by | geoSurge Limited | LLMrefs |
| Price read from | geosurge.ai | llmrefs.com |
| Checked | Oct 23, 2026 | Oct 23, 2026 |
Worth knowing
geoSurge
- Only ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini are covered; Perplexity, Copilot and Google AI Overviews are not named.
- The free desktop app runs collections on your own computer, and cloud runs use your own API keys, so model costs and limits are yours.
- Enterprise is sold through a call with no published price, and corpus engineering, probabilities and crawler data are limited to it.
LLMrefs
- There is one plan; the $79 price is labeled limited time only, with no end date or regular price given.
- Dashboard data refreshes at least once a week per keyword, not daily.
- The pricing page lists no enterprise tier, SSO or white-label options.
Key features
geoSurge
- Desktop collector
- A menu bar or system tray app for macOS, Windows and Linux runs your prompts daily through the ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini subscriptions you already have.
- Cloud runs with your own keys
- Connect API keys or an OpenRouter account to run prompts in geoSurge's cloud instead, with nothing to install and more models available.
- Visibility dashboard
- Share of answers that mention you, each mention in context, competitors, cited sources and rank over time, with all-time history and daily to weekly runs.
- API, MCP and exports
- A REST API, CSV and JSON export, and an MCP server for querying your data from Claude or ChatGPT are included on the free tiers.
- Corpus engineering
- On Enterprise, geoSurge places material about your brand for models to learn from in training, with tools for token probabilities, AI crawler visits and tokenization.
LLMrefs
- Keyword-based tracking
- Import SEO keyword lists; LLMrefs generates fan-out prompts for each keyword from real AI conversations and aggregates the answers.
- Share of voice rankings
- Ranks brands against competitors per keyword by share of voice and average position, weighted across every prompt.
- Source and citation lists
- Shows and filters the URLs AI engines cite when answering about your products, to find content and outreach targets.
- Countries and languages
- Geo-targeted tracking in 50+ countries and 20+ languages, filterable by engine and country.
- Agency projects
- Unlimited projects and seats under one subscription, with client dashboards and keywords spread across projects.
- Free AI SEO tools
- An AI crawlability checker, a Reddit threads finder and an llms.txt generator come with the plan.
Plans
geoSurge
Desktop app$0
Runs prompts on your own computer through your ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini plans; visibility, competitors, sources, trends and mentions.
API keys$0
Runs in geoSurge's cloud with your own API keys or OpenRouter account, with more models and higher limits; usage is billed by your provider.
EnterpriseCustom
Corpus engineering, token probabilities, AI traffic classification, crawler data, the Tokenizer and an account manager on Slack.
LLMrefs
All in One$79
per month for 500 prompts
All AI engines, weekly reports, citations, 50+ countries, unlimited projects and users, CSV export and API. Marked limited time only.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, geoSurge or LLMrefs?
As of Oct 23, 2026, geoSurge publishes no starting price, and LLMrefs starts at $79 per month for 500 prompts.
Which has a free plan, geoSurge or LLMrefs?
As of Oct 23, 2026, only geoSurge has a free plan. LLMrefs does not, though it has a free trial.
Which platforms do geoSurge and LLMrefs run on?
As of Oct 23, 2026, only geoSurge lists macOS, Windows and Linux apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.