Nightwatch vs SEO Search Simulator by Nightwatch (2026): which should you pick?
As of Oct 23, 2026, SEO Search Simulator by Nightwatch grades higher than Nightwatch: 2.8 against 2.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 23, 2026 · graded Oct 23, 2026 by ToolGPA
Nightwatch grades higher on features and platforms. SEO Search Simulator by Nightwatch grades higher on value for money, the free plan and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Nightwatch
Rank tracker with AI answer tracking, priced by keywords and prompts
SEO Search Simulator by Nightwatch
Free Chrome extension for Google searches as seen from anywhere
Which one is for you
Pick Nightwatch if
- Fits if you want rankings and AI answer tracking from one tool
- Works for tracking Bing, YouTube or Google Maps as well as Google
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you need the API, Looker Studio or white-label reports, as none come with Starter
- Skip it if you track hundreds of AI prompts on a budget, as Starter stops at 50 and 1,500 answers a month
- Not for you if you want prices in dollars, as the pricing page only shows euros
- Pricey if you pay monthly, at €99 for Starter against €79 on yearly billing
- Watch out: SSO and custom data retention come only with the sales-quoted Enterprise plan
Pick SEO Search Simulator by Nightwatch if
- Fits if you need to see where a site ranks in another country or city now and then
- Works for agencies showing a client local Google results without a VPN
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you need Bing or another engine, as it covers Google only
- Tight if you search a lot, as heavy use runs into Google rate limits or captchas
- Too light for tracking, since saved searches and rank history need Nightwatch's separate paid tracker
- Watch out: it's Chrome only, and the last update was version 1.3.1 in March 2025
How we grade them
| 2.4GPANightwatchFair | 2.8GPASEO Search Simulator by NightwatchGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CStarter is €79 a month on yearly billing (€99 monthly) for 500 keywords, 50 AI prompts and 5 sites. That's in the dearer part of what rank trackers charge, short of the dearest tenth, and it includes research, audits and AI tracking. | AFree with no login. A Nightwatch account adds saved searches and rank history, but the simulator itself costs nothing. |
| Free plan and trial | CNo free plan, but every plan has a 14-day trial with no card needed, and the whole toolkit is open during it. | AFree outright: searches from what Nightwatch counts as 107,000+ locations, on any Google domain and language, with recent searches kept and no account. |
| Features | BDaily rankings on six engines in 107,000+ locations, on-demand checks, AI prompt tracking with sources and sentiment, three years of saved results pages, plus keyword research and a site audit. It covers the whole job, and the tools are the same on every plan. | DOne narrow function: unpersonalized Google results from any country, city and language, with recent searches kept. No other search engine, no page checks and no tracking over time. |
| Ease of use | CNo rating on record. There are sites, competitors, keywords and AI prompts to set up, and caps on prompts and answers to keep an eye on. | BNo rating on record, but nothing to set up: no account, no VPN and no private window, just pick a place and search. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, with no desktop or phone app. It links to Search Console, Analytics and Looker Studio, and its MCP server works from Claude, Cursor and ChatGPT. The API starts at Professional. | CChrome only, so computers only, in English, working on Google Search and linked to Nightwatch's own tracker. |
| Best for | Google rankings and AI answer tracking in one place | Google results as seen from another city |
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: Nightwatch and SEO Search Simulator by Nightwatch. How we grade
Where they differ
- Nightwatch also covers reports, site audit and AI search visibility.
At a glance
| Nightwatch | SEO Search Simulator by Nightwatch | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free |
| Starts at | €79 per month for 500 keywords, billed annually (€99 billed monthly) | Free |
| Free plan | None | The extension is free and works with no login; a Nightwatch account adds saved searches, rank history and multi-location monitoring. |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial on every plan, no credit card required | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Nightwatch | Nightwatch |
| Price read from | nightwatch.io | nightwatch.io |
| Checked | Oct 23, 2026 | Oct 23, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Nightwatch
- Prices are listed in euros only; the pricing page has no dollar option.
- Starter has no Looker Studio, API access, white-label reports or unlimited seats; those start at Professional.
- AI tracking is capped by prompts and answers: Starter covers 50 prompts and 1,500 AI answers a month.
- SSO and custom data retention come only with the sales-quoted Enterprise plan.
SEO Search Simulator by Nightwatch
- It covers Google only, according to Nightwatch's FAQ.
- Heavy use can run into Google rate limits or captchas, as the store listing warns; Nightwatch points such users to its paid app.
- Saved searches, rank history and ongoing monitoring need a Nightwatch account and its rank tracker, sold separately.
- It is listed for Chrome only, with an English interface; the last update was version 1.3.1 in March 2025.
Key features
Nightwatch
- Daily rank tracking
- Positions on Google, Bing, Yahoo, DuckDuckGo, YouTube and Google Maps, mobile and desktop apart, in 107,000+ locations, with on-demand checks.
- AI visibility
- Tracks set prompts in ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity, Google AI Mode and AI Overviews, with sentiment and analysis of the sources cited.
- Citation Intelligence
- Ties a change in AI citations back to the ranking change behind it, so you can see which position to defend.
- SERP snapshot history
- Every check is archived with the results page it was read from, and SERP archives are kept for three years.
- Toolkit on every plan
- Keyword research, site audit, a content writer, prompt research and a search simulator come with Starter too; plans differ only in volume.
- SEO MCP server and agent
- Query rankings, run audits and pull reports from Claude, Cursor or ChatGPT; an SEO Agent runs tasks on a monthly credit allowance.
SEO Search Simulator by Nightwatch
- Search from any location
- Pick a country, a language and a city to see the Google results a searcher there gets; Nightwatch counts over 107,000 locations.
- No personalization
- Results are not shaped by your IP address, browsing history or Google account, so you see a neutral ranking.
- No VPN or incognito needed
- Location targeting is passed to Google with the query, so there is no need for a VPN, cleared cookies or a private window.
- Recent searches
- The simulator keeps a list of recent searches with their country and language so they can be run again.
- Any Google domain and language
- Searches can run on any Google country domain and in local languages, to check international SEO.
Plans
Nightwatch
Starter€79
per month for 500 keywords, billed annually (€99 monthly)
50 AI prompts (1,500 AI answers a month), 5 websites, 5 competitors per site, 100 keyword researches a month and 1,000-page site audits.
Professional€159
per month for 2,500 keywords, billed annually (€199 monthly)
150 AI prompts, 25 websites, 10 competitors per site, plus Looker Studio, white-label reports, unlimited user seats and API access.
Agency€399
per month for 7,500 keywords, billed annually (€499 monthly)
500 AI prompts, 100 websites, 15 competitors per site, 100,000-page audits, a dedicated account manager and priority support with an SLA.
EnterpriseCustom
From 20,000 keywords with unlimited prompts and sites, SSO, custom data retention and dedicated infrastructure. Quoted by sales.
SEO Search Simulator by Nightwatch
Free$0
Location and language search simulation on Google with no account needed, free from the Chrome Web Store.
Ways to pay less
Nightwatch
- Annual discount
Two months free with yearly billing
Nightwatch's pricing page gives yearly billing at 20% less, two months free: Starter is €948 a year instead of €99 a month.
SEO Search Simulator by Nightwatch
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Nightwatch or SEO Search Simulator by Nightwatch?
As of Oct 23, 2026, SEO Search Simulator by Nightwatch is cheaper to start with: it is free, against about $88.53 a month for Nightwatch. Nightwatch starts at €79 per month for 500 keywords, billed annually (€99 billed monthly), and SEO Search Simulator by Nightwatch is free.
Which has a free plan, Nightwatch or SEO Search Simulator by Nightwatch?
As of Oct 23, 2026, only SEO Search Simulator by Nightwatch has a free plan. Nightwatch does not, though it has a free trial.
Which platforms do Nightwatch and SEO Search Simulator by Nightwatch run on?
As of Oct 23, 2026, only Nightwatch lists a web app and only SEO Search Simulator by Nightwatch lists a browser extension. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
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- SEO Search Simulator by Nightwatch vs MST SERP Counter
- SEO Search Simulator by Nightwatch vs SEOquake
- SEO Search Simulator by Nightwatch vs Detailed SEO Extension
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.